rhyme remix

I fell in love with simple rhymes this past year...Mother Goose, Christian Mother Goose are what I have used so far, but I am sure there are many out there to be discovered. With my one year olds, I would use construction paper or felt (felt was better and safer as it was not as easy to bite chunks out of) and I would cut out simple patterns of what the rhyme was about. For example, during Christmas, we did:
"Christmas is coming (come here motion with hand)
The goose is getting fat (motion a fat tummy)
Come put a penny in the old man's hat (use a winter hat and have babies put felt pennies in)
If you haven't got a penny, a half penny will do (now put felt half pennies (whole ones cut in half)
If you haven't got a half penny, then God bless you! (teacher or another baby puts hand on babies head to bless))"

Think of all the concepts learned: come here motion, silly chubby tummy motion, whole/half, social skills of giving to and blessing others. Sometimes they had to be coaxed to give up their pennies, but that was a great opportunity for talking about sharing with others.

We did one that talked about the season of autumn coming and the falling leaves. Oh, how the babies loved that! They would drop their leaves on the floor from their high chairs with many giggles in tow...