Casey Caterpillar and
Other Movement Rhymes,
Second Edition

Casey Caterpillar and Other Movement Rhymes, Second Edition

Ellie Braun-Haley is a Movement and Music Therapist currently in great demand as a trainer of Care-Givers and Day Care Workers, Nursery and Primary School Teachers. In addition to working with children, she also spends a great deal of time with people with mental disabilities and she finds that the movement rhymes work just as well in her Music and Movement Therapy classes.

Casey Caterpillar is a delightful book filled with rhymes that want to get you and your child up and moving. There is a kind of magic that gives you three special gifts. One is laughter, not just ordinary laughter but shared tickle-the-funny-bone laughter. Another of the gifts is a beautiful closeness with your child. The third is opportunity, the opportunity to investigate a special world with your child, a world of wonder and surprise. It is the magic of movement rhymes.

Casey Caterpillar and Other Movement Rhymes is a special book filled with magical opportunities for you and your child. As you experiment with the rhymes, you will be building memories. There will be little to match the look of wonder on your child's face as together you enter a make-believe world where toys come to life. You will explore a world of bugs and birds. You will discuss and experience the lifestyles of kangaroos, ants, and snortlehounds. Your time spent together will be memorable and precious and often filled with humor. Children can seldom hold back a giggle at the sight of Mom or Dad swimming about pretending to be wriggling macaroni.

What are movement rhymes? They are rhymes that tell a story, recite a mini-drama, or simply create the setting for exploration and expression. Each rhyme sets up an opportunity for your child to explore the endless possibilities of movement and learn in the process. One rhyme will help a three year old understand his own body. Another will expand the vocabulary of a five year old. You will discover rhymes that improve listening skills and rhythm skills. You will see other rhymes that provide a child with an understanding of space and how to use it.

Movement rhymes are starting points. The rhymes set up situations for you and your child to interpret, explore, and express. You could be tiny mice, flying dogs, windup toys, or temperamental bears. As your child becomes each of these colorful characters, he will understand more about his own capabilities and limitations. As you and your child explore the movement of snails, turtles, kangaroos, and spaceships, your child will respond in all kinds of ways, some quite unexpected. The rhymes offer you the opportunity to explore those responses. Ask for your child's thoughts and interpretations and accept them all, whatever they are. When you ask why he thinks the mouse was running in Sneak Little Mouse, do not have preconceived answers. (There is not always a cat chasing the little mouse). Show the child you really want his opinion and you will discover a child willing to probe further and to investigate more freely. When you explore the feelings of the tiny quivering creature in New and Tiny, your own child's fears and insecurities can be discussed more openly. He can tell you what he thinks without fear there'll be a wrong answer. Your interest in his opinions and your positive reinforcement, your praise, will result in an increase in your child's self-worth and an eagerness to reach out more.

Casey is designed to help you see results. The opening statement on each page will give you an idea of what you and your child could gain by using the guidelines. Simple step by step instructions follow to guide you from start to finish. The closing statements are suggestions for advancing further and also contain ideas for those times when you work with a large group of children. Read through these guidelines before you begin working with your child.

The movement rhymes and the guidelines have been tried and tested on hundreds of children. Here I am a Rabbit, for example, has been hopped out by children in kindergartens, nurseries, and elementary schools. All of the rhymes have met with success again and again. Much of that success is due to the praise those children received. The rhymes' success can also be attributed to the sincerity and enthusiasm of the adult. If you are excited and having fun, your child will be too. If you are enthusiastic, interested, sincere, and, above all, full of praise for your child, you too will experience success and the magic of movement rhymes.