More Mischevious Monkeys - Caps for Sale

Caps for Sale
by Esphyr Slobodkina
Laptime: preschool - early elementary
Storytime: preschool - early elementary

A comment on my post about the book Seven Spunky Monkeys suggested the book Caps for Sale as another fun read about monkeys. Caps for Sale was written by Esphyr Slobodkina in 1938 when it won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. It has been a children's classic ever since.
Caps for Sale is based on a folktale about a peddler who sold caps. He walked from town to town with his caps stacked on his head calling, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!". One afternoon he decided to stop under a tree for a nap. He leaned very carefully against the tree so he would not disturb the caps on his head. What he didn't know is that the tree is full of monkeys who each reach down and steal a cap. The peddler woke up and discovered that the tree was full of monkeys wearing caps! The peddler learned a monkey-see-monkey-do lesson.

This is a wonderful story to act out for a creative drama lesson. Here are some other activities that go along with Caps for Sale. If you have activity suggestions please leave a comment and share them.

Laptime Activities:

1. What can you balance on your head? The peddler balanced 17 caps. Find different things to balance on your head- bean bags, pillows, books, hats - and walk around the living room. See who can walk the farthest without the object falling off their head.
2. Mirror game: The monkeys copied everything that the peddler did. Stand facing each other one person will move and the other will follow their motions as if a mirror image.

Story Circle Activities:

1. Balancing Act: Have the class spread out around the room so they have space to move. As a group, pantomime putting the caps on your heads, one cap at a time - you'll have to stretch high to put on the red caps. Then carefully walk around the room pretending to balance 17 caps on your heads. What happens if they fall down? To add to the fun, put on some good walking music.
2. Monkey See Monkey Do: This is a Simon Says type of game. Choose one child to be the peddler (or the teacher may do this). Have the peddler stand facing the class. The rest of the class will be the monkeys. The peddler will do a motion - shake fist, point finger, clap hands, jump up and down, etc. - and say, "You monkeys you! You give me back my caps!" All of the monkeys should copy the peddler's motion. But if the peddler tricks the monkeys and just says while he is doing the motion, " Give me back my caps!" all of the monkeys should freeze. See how many monkeys the peddler can trick.