Creating Clowns
Cut circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and other geometric shapes out of construction paper in a variety of sizes and colors. Let the children glue the shapes on pieces of construction paper to create clown faces.
Four Little Clowns
Make four felt clowns that match the descriptions of the characters in the poem below. As you read the poem, let the children take turns placing the appropriate clowns on a flannelboard.
This little clown is jolly and fat.
This little clown wears a big red hat.
This little clown is strong and tall.
This little clown is wee and small,
But he does the funniest tricks of all!
Carl the Clown
Cut a clown face out of white felt and use felt scraps or felt-tip markers to make hair and facial features. Then cut one clown hat shape from each of the following colors of felt: red, yellow, blue, purple, white, green, and brown. Place the clown face on a flannelboard. As you recite the poem below, put the appropriate colored hats on the clown's head. When the children have become familiar with the poem, let them take turns placing the hats on the clown's head themselves.
My name, boys and girls, is Carl the Clown.
I wear my hats all over town.
Each one has its own color name,
Which you can learn if you play my game.
Oh, here's a hat, and it is red.
It fits so nicely on my head.
Now when I wear my hat of yellow,
I'm told I'm quite a dandy fellow.
I hope you like my hat of blue.
I'll put it on now, just for you.
My purple hat is just for good.
I'd wear it always if I could.
I wear a white hat on a sunny day.
It looks quite nice, my friends all say.
I put on my green hat to visit the park,
But I take it off when it gets dark.
And when it's dark, I put on brown
This hat is for a sleepy clown.
Matching Clowns
Make five felt clown faces with collars attached. Number the clowns from 1 to 5 by gluing the appropriate number of felt dots on the collars. Then make five felt clown hats and number them from 1 to 5 by gluing on felt numerals. Let the children place the clown faces on a flannelboard. Then have them match the numerals on the hats with the dots on the collars and put the hats on the clown's heads.
Variation: Cut hat and collar shapes out of different colors or textures of fabric and let the children match them accordingly.
Did You Ever See a Clown?
Have the children form a circle. Choose one child to be the clown and stand in the middle. As everyone sings the song below, have the clown act out funny movements for the other children to imitate. Continue until every child has had a turn being the clown.
Sung to : "Did You Ever See a Lassie?"
Did you ever see a clown,
A clown, a clown?
Did you ever see a clown
Move this way and that?
Move this way and that way,
Move this way and that way.
Did you ever see a clown
Move this way and that?
Clown Parade
Play circus music and let the children pretend to be clowns as they march around the room. Encourage them to move in funny ways like clowns would.
We Are Clowns Today
Sung to : "The Farmer in the Dell"
We are clowns today,
We are clowns today.
Heigh-ho the derry-oh,
We are clowns today.
We do tricks today,
We do tricks today.
Heigh-ho the derry-oh,
We do tricks today.
Let the children make up other verses and act out the movements as they sing.
Funny Clowns
Sung to : "Frere Jacques"
Funny clowns, funny clowns,
Jump around, jump around.
Sometimes making faces,
Sometimes running races.
Funny clowns, funny clowns.
Funny clowns, funny clowns,
Spin around, spin around.
Sometimes with big noses,
Sometimes with big toes-es.
Funny clowns, funny clowns.
Clown Face Salads
For each child, place a scoop of cottage cheese on a small plate. Make clown faces by adding cherry tomato noses, green pepper ears, olive eyes, red pepper mouths and lettuce bow ties.
Variation: Instead of vegetables, use a variety of fruits to create the clown faces.