Straw House Life Lesson Plan
		Activities Log Cabin and Straw House Games

	Jump rope rhymes
	In The Straw House and the Baby, Christina Le Cocq loves to jump rope. Jump rope rhymes make jumping more fun.
	Pea Soup Pea soup pea soup warm and green sauerkraut sauerkraut makes you mean Shoes shoes made of wood Stroop waffle stroop waffle It tastes good Wooden shoes wooden shoes hear that sound (jump and land with a loud noise) Poffertjes poffertjes small and round How many poffertjes can I eat? one, two, three, four . . . (count how many hard, noisy jumps you can do) Cabbage was a popular vegetable for the Hollanders and they often made it into sauerkraut. Stroop waffles are a favorite Dutch treat - waffles with stroop or sweet syrup. Poffertjes are tiny Dutch pancakes sprinkled with powdered sugar.
	Strawtown Jump Dutch girls, Dutch girls shake your curls (jump and shake) Dutch boys, Dutch boys pick up your toys (jump and touch the ground with one hand) Hop on the boat, on the boat to America we float (jump high) At our Pella home, Pella home our cow can roam (jump as slowly as possible) Pa built, Pa built a house of straw (jump and clap) Straw wall, straw wall four-feet tall (jump and bend down to the ground, turning the rope lower and lower) One hoof, one hoof fell through the roof (jump on one leg) See how, see how we rope the cow (cross the rope in front, if jumping alone) My turn, my turn at the butter churn (spin around while jumping) As the sky, as the sky the corn grows high (raise rope higher and higher off the ground) Go back, go back to my straw filled sack (turn the rope the other direction) Sleeping, sleeping on my flat mat (make body stiff and straight) Strawtown dreams, Strawtown dreams, this is home, it seems (jump with eyes closed)
	Clothespin Games Supplies: wooden peg clothespins, bucket
	Like many Dutch children in early Pella, Mietje Le Cocq made her own games and toys out of wooden clothespins and a bucket. Ask students to invent a toy or game using only clothespins and a bucket. This activity can be done as a group project.
	Clothespin Game and Toy suggestions: Clothespin dolls Clothespin darts Clothespin boats floating in the bucket Spin the Clothespin: put pins in bucket; spin a center pin; if the pin points to you, take a pin from the bucket; winner has the most pins when the bucket is empty.

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