Animals in the circus

Here's the next installment of flannel board rhymes about the circus. There are lots of animal acts at the circus that lend themselves to being great flannel board rhymes.  I have a Sizzix diecut machine and a diecut of a seal and ball that I used to make a flannelboard set.  I used a Google image to make my matching colored tubs for the seals to balance on.  I cut out 10 black seals and 10 different colored balls and matching tubs.  I added red glitter to their noses, a black sequin for their eyes and a piece of wired ribbon on the tubs.  I had the diecut and wanted to use it but didn't have a rhyme, so I made one up:

Ten Circus Seals
Ten circus seals ready for a trick
which color ball will each one pick?
Let's match them up one by one
Circus seals are so much fun!

I put up the colored tubs first and we say the colors as I do.  Then we put up the seals and count them as we put them on the board. Then I say the first part of the rhyme.  Then I hold up a colored ball and let the children name the color and I put the ball on the seal's back flippers or nose to match the tub. If the group is small enough I can allow the children to take turns doing this. Then I say the last part of the rhyme:

Ten circus seals ready to rest
They have the color ball that they like the best.
We matched them up one by one
Circus seals are so much fun!

I tweaked this rhyme a little:
Five Circus Elephants 
Five big elephants - oh, what a sight,
Swinging their trunks from left to right!
Four are followers, and one is the king.
They all walk around in the circus ring.
*(take the last elephant off the board)
Four...*
Three...*
Two...*
One circus elephant - oh, what a sight,
Swinging his trunk from left to right!
One circus elephant marching round the ring.
All the others left and so did the King!

I used a diecut and embellished them with puff paint, felt, glitter, sequins and the king's crowning plume; metallic pipe cleaner.  I can never leave well enough alone! Glitter makes everything more fun! Circus animals are a lot of Fun with Friends at Storytime!