Pile on the Pancakes

Ah, maple syrup!  Sugar season '09 is pretty much over, but this is the time of year when maple festivals are popping up all over the Northeast.  In March, my family returned to our native Somerset County for the 62nd Pennsylvania Maple Festival.  Our daughter still talks about gobbling pancakes at the Pancake House, sampling her first taste of maple sugar, and meeting the Maple Queen and her court.  Sweet memories, indeed.

The Pancake by Christina Rossetti is a catchy little rhyme that can be used for multiple ages - from bouncing lap babies to preschoolers with a parachute (pretend "pancakes" could be tossed all over the place!).  

Mix a pancake!

Stir a pancake!

Pop it in the pan!

Fry the pancake!

Toss the pancake!

Catch it if you can!

If using this as a bounce rhyme, bounce the baby with the beat, gently letting the baby fall through your legs during the last line.

If using a parachute, shake the "pancakes" with the beat and toss them high into the air during the last line.

Just make sure you don't confuse the two!