KNIGHTS AND PRINCESSES

Books:   

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch 

The Kiss that Missed by David Melling

Take Care, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas

The Bravest Knight by Mercer Mayer

Who Wants a Dragon? by James Mayhew

Princess Peepers by Pam Calvert (long)

Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle

Do Princesses Really Kiss Frogs? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle

Princess Me by Karma Wilson

The Prince Won't Go to Bed by Dayle Ann Dodds

The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke (long)

I am Really a Princess by Carol Diggory Shields (Better for older kids who can get the humor)

Baby Dragon by Amy Ehrlich 

If I Had a Dragon by Amanda Ellery

There's No Such Thing as a Dragon by Jack Kent 

Activities: 

Poor Princess Polly (Ronno; Castles, Knights, and Unicorns CD)

Do The Dragon (Laurie Berkner; Under a Shady Tree CD)

Puff the Magic Dragon (Really Rockin: Rock Classics for Kids by Kids CD)

The Fairy Dance (Wiggles; You Make Me Feel Like Dancing) If you have enough other participants beside yourself, you can make this song work. Explain that you will all pretend to be dancing fairies for this song (You are the first one). Pull one child up to the line at the front of the room (or just to standing) during each verse. Everyone stays still and claps their hands until they are brought up, then they dance! If you have more than that number, just play the song again, less than that, just keep dancing. Just make sure you explain it first!

Five Brave Knights

(From: Ronno/Castles, Knights, and Unicorns CD)

Five brave knights came galloping by,

One fell from his horse and began to cry.

The dragon laughed from behind a tree, 

"Oh brave knights, you can't catch me!"

...

No brave knights came galloping by,

Cause they were crawling through the grass for a big surprise.

The dragon cried from behind a tree,

"Oh no, five knights have surrounded me!"

I'm a Little Dragon 

(Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a little dragon, strong and stout. 

Here is my tail and here is my snout. 

If you get me upset, you better watch out! 

I'll give you something to shout about!

I'm a Knight in Armor

(Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a knight in armor, look at me. 

See how shiny I can be. 

With my visor up, my eyes you'll see. 

But with it down, it protects me! 

Crafts: 

Dragon 

Copy the dragon template onto green paper and cut out. Let kids glue sequins on each scale. 

Template:

Crown

Copy and cut crowns from 1/2 sheets of colored paper or buy gold paper crowns. Let kids decorate them with sequins, gems, ribbons, etc. 

Template: 

Castles

See if your library orders boxes of long doubled flourescent lightbulbs that curve at one end. The packing materials in the box look like the front facade of a castle with large doors - sometimes the pieces are cardboard (this works best), sometimes styrofoam. Give the kids markers or paint to color them with (This doesn't work so well on styrofoam - maybe they could just use shape or star stickers?). You can also cut out pictures of dragons, knights and princesses to glue to the front. (NCLS has a dragon accucut) You can make a 3-D castle by glueing or stapling several pieces together.