RIC-20967 Early years Places - The Circus

EARLY YEARS THEMES 

Places 

The circus 

A complete unit of lessons and activities

Early years themes—Places 

Published by R.I.C. Publications ® 2010 

Copyright © R.I.C. Publications ® 2010 

RIC– 20967 

Titles in this series: 

Early years themes—Places 

Early years themes—People 

Early years themes—Animals 

Early years themes—Science 

Early years themes—Fantasy 

Early years themes—Fairytales 

Early years themes—Special days and celebrations 

Accompanying resources available: 

Early years themes—Places Posters (set of 5) 

Early years themes—Places Stickers (set of 5) 

Early years themes Interactive CD (Places, People, 

Animals, Science) 

Early years themes Interactive CD (Fantasy, Fairytales, 

Special days and celebrations) 

This master may only be reproduced by the 

original purchaser for use with their class(es). The 

publisher prohibits the loaning or onselling of this 

master for the purposes of reproduction. 

Copyright Information 

Only the blackline masters contained within this 

publication may only be reproduced by the original 

purchaser for use with their class(es). The publisher 

prohibits the loaning or onselling of these blackline 

masters for purposes of reproduction. No other part of 

this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any 

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or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval 

system, without written permission from the publisher. 

Internet websites 

In some cases, websites or specific URLs may be recommended. While these are checked and rechecked at the time of publication, 

the publisher has no control over any subsequent changes which may be made to webpages. It is strongly recommended that the class 

teacher checks all URLs before allowing students to access them. 

View all pages online 

PO Box 332 Greenwood Western Australia 6924 

Website: www.ricpublications.com.au 

Email: mail@ricgroup.com.au

Cross-curricular activities 

English 

• Look at words which give the names of circus performers; 

e.g. ‘clown’, ‘acrobat’, ‘ringmaster’, ‘tightrope walker’. 

Use the initial letter to help match the word to a picture 

of the performer. (Pictures can also be labelled with the 

name to further assist children to match the word label to 

the correct picture from sets in the literacy centre. Refer to 

blacklines on pages 29 and 30. (Language) 

• Circle game. Children take turns fi nishing the sentence: 

’I’d like to be a ... in the circus’. Extension activity: ‘If I 

was a ... in a circus, I would ...’. (Language, Literacy) 

• Instead of ‘Mother, may I?’, play ‘Ringmaster, may 

I?’ (A megaphone made in visual arts could be used. 

See page 25.) Teacher should demonstrate how to be 

ringmaster fi rst before children have a turn. Ringmaster 

stands about six metres away from a line of four to six 

children. Ringmaster chooses a child at random, or in 

order, and gives an instruction such as: ‘Mia, take three 

tiny tightrope steps forwards/backwards’. Mia replies, 

‘Ringmaster, may I?’ Ringmaster answers yes or no. If 

child forgets to ask ‘May I?’ and moves before asking, he 

or she must go back to the starting line. First one to touch 

the ringmaster takes over that position. (Literacy) 

• Instead of ‘Simon says’, play ‘Ringmaster says’. Teacher 

should demonstrate how to be ringmaster fi rst before 

children have a turn. (A megaphone made in visual arts 

could be used. See page 25.) Instructions given could 

relate to the circus; e.g. ‘Ringmaster says: Balance like a 

tightrope walker’. (Literacy) 

• Play a game to recognise own and other children’s names. 

In a ring, teacher and children chant: ‘We have a clown. 

His/Her name is ...’ (Teacher holds up fl ashcard with a 

child’s name.) All continue: ‘Watch (name of child) do a 

funny trick inside the circus ring’. That child does a ‘trick’ 

and others watch (or copy). (Literacy) 

• Compile a list of boy, girl or neutral clown’s names 

beginning with ‘C’; e.g. Cuddles, Coco, Clarence, Curly, 

Clarissa. Children can use one of these names or another 

of their choice for the teacher or themselves to label a 

clown children have created in visual arts (see page 25). 

(Language) 

• After children have become familiar with characters and 

objects that relate to a circus, present them with a variety 

of pictures to sort into those which could be found at a 

circus and those which would not. (Literacy) 

• Match coloured fl ashcards with a colour name to the 

correct colour on an illustration or picture/chart of a 

clown’s costume, big top etc. (Language) 

• Place fl ashcards of circus words with or without a picture 

clue (depending on children’s ability) into an oversize 

clown’s shoe, clown’s hat, ringmaster’s hat etc. Children 

pull out a card and see if they can read it. Refer to 

blacklines on pages 29 and 30. (Language) 

• Discuss stories, DVDs and poems they have read, viewed 

or learnt about the circus. (Literature) 

• Using pictures or actual objects as visual aids, children 

give examples of words to describe a clown’s or a 

ringmaster’s costume, the big top, the circus ring etc. 

(Literacy) 

• Use a picture of a circus scene (the poster supplied with 

this kit could be used) to match the names of circus 

performers; identify (orally or in written form) the initial 

letter of objects or performers; identify ‘doing’ words 

(verbs); name items (nouns) etc. (Language) 

• Compile a class book based on the story: Brown bear, 

brown bear, what do you see? by Bill Martin, substituting 

the word ‘ringmaster’ for ‘brown bear’. Children draw 

a picture of a circus character or worker on a sheet of 

paper. Teacher writes or assists children to complete a 

sentence under each picture to answer the question on 

the title page: ‘Ringmaster, ringmaster, what do you see?’ 

(‘I see a ... looking at me.’) (Literature) 

22 Early years themes—Places—The circus www.ricpublications.com.au – R.I.C. Publications ® 

ISBN 978-1-74126-966-6

The circus – 1 

Mathematics 

• Make a class pictograph on a display board or chart 

of their favourite circus act. Refer to blackline on page 

29 for pictures. Discuss the results. (Statistics and 

Probability) 

• Sort a collection of defl ated balloons by colour. Use 

one-to-one correspondence to count the numbers of 

balloons in each pile. (Number and Algebra) 

• Construct a clown’s face using different-sized and 

different-coloured attribute blocks or shapes made from 

coloured card. (Measurement and Geometry) 

• Give children different-sized pictures of circus performers 

or objects associated with the theme. They sort them 

according to size. Encourage comparative language 

such as ‘tall’, ‘taller’, ‘tallest’; ‘large’, ‘larger’, ‘largest’. 

Pictures could also be measured using informal units 

such as counters or unit cubes. Refer to the blackline 

on page 35. (Measurement and Geometry) 

• Follow a dotted line or simple maze to match the circus 

performer to his or her equipment; e.g. strong man 

to weights, clown to oversize shoes, ringmaster to 

megaphone. (Measurement and Geometry) 

• Identify and write the number of items a clown is 

holding or has on his costume. Refer to the blackline 

on page 34. (Number and Algebra) 

• Use pictures of circus performers in counting and 

patterning activities. Examples: Lay out three 

ringmasters so children can use one-to-one 

correspondence to touch and count each to fi nd total. 

Lay strongman pictures in a pattern of upright, upsidedown 

and so on. Children continue the pattern. Refer 

to blackline on page 29 for pictures. (Number and 

Algebra) 

• Blow up a balloon. Children count how many times one 

child can tap it before it touches the ground. Repeat the 

activity with other children. (Number and Algebra) 

• Children help to create a life-size clown or other circus 

character. Attach to the wall alongside a tape measure. 

Children can measure and compare their height against 

it. (Measurement and Geometry) 

• Use the poster available with this book to ask children 

mathematical questions dealing with positional 

language and number, such as: ‘Who is next to the 

ringmaster?’ ‘How many clowns are in the ring?’ ‘Who 

is standing below the trapeze?’ (Number and Algebra, 

Measurement and Geometry) 

• Ask students 

questions about 

the likelihood of 

events occurring at 

the circus. They can 

answer ‘likely’ or 

‘unlikely’. Examples: 

‘Would it be likely or 

unlikely to see ... 

– a juggler juggling 

fi sh at the circus?’ 

– a clown on a 

unicycle at the 

circus?’ 

– the big top falling 

down at the circus?’ 

– the audience clapping 

at the circus?’ 

(Statistics and Probability) 

R.I.C. Publications ® – www.ricpublications.com.au Early years themes—Places—The circus 23 

ISBN 978-1-74126-966-6


Science 

• Introduce the concept of static electricity by rubbing a 

blown up balloon over a child’s head or woollen jumper 

and then seeing if the balloon will stick to the wall. Children 

can then try this with each other. 

• Blow up a balloon but do not tie the end. Ask children what 

they think will happen if you let it go. (The escaping air will 

propel the balloon.) After discussion, let the balloon go 

and talk about what happened. 

• Let children discover the difference in weight between a 

balloon blown up by a helium gas cylinder and one blown 

up with exhaled air from our lungs. (Helium gas is lighter; 

hence it will fl oat/ascend.) 

• Experience the sensation of cooking and eating 

popcorn. Children use their senses to guess 

what is cooking (using a microwave or popcorn 

maker behind a screen) by hearing the ‘pops’ and 

smelling the popcorn. They also describe the taste, 

feel and look of the cooked popcorn 

and compare with uncooked 

samples. Words they 

used to describe their 

sensations could be 

placed in or around 

a popcorn bucket to 

practise identifying 

and reading. 

Drama 

• In small groups, use fi nger puppets 

to practise oral language skills and 

make up a ‘circus performance’ with 

circus characters. Refer to blackline 

on page 32. 

• Enlist parent helpers/older children to help face paint children to look 

like clowns. Individually and in pairs, role-play tricks and acts clowns 

do; e.g. opening a door that has a bucket of water balanced to fall when 

opened, getting a clown to smell a bunch of fl owers that has a hidden 

water squirter in it, trying to move when another clown has put super glue 

on the soles of their shoes. (See page 36 for face-painting recipe.) 

• Teacher makes own face show an expression a clown might make. Children copy. Ask them to describe the emotion and an 

explanation as to why a clown might make that face. 

• Provide a variety of clown hats, large clown shoes, baggy clown pants 

and shirts, clown bow ties, wigs, tutus, acrobats’ and trapeze artists’ 

costumes, strongman ‘weights’, skipping ropes for children to become 

‘tightrope walkers’, ringmasters’ megaphones and other dressing-up 

props. (See Visual arts, page 25 for some ideas.) Children dress up and 

make up mini circus dramas. 

• Teacher and children think of words to describe actions (verbs) at the 

circus and role-play each action word; eating (popcorn), cheering/ 

clapping/laughing (audience), balancing (tightrope walker), announcing/ 

shouting (ringmaster), stretching (acrobats), swinging (trapeze). 

Individual children could also act out a word for others to guess what is 

happening. 

• Hold a circus-theme classroom party or a clown dress-up day. 

• After the popcorn experience (see Science activities), children pretend to be a corn kernel in a 

packet, get ‘poured’ into a container, get warmer in a popcorn machine/microwave, begin to ‘pop’ by jumping up and 

down. 


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Visual arts 

• Balloons are popular at circuses. Put 3 to 4 teaspoons 

of different coloured tempera paint into lids or pie tins. 

Blow up balloons, one per child, until they fi t into 

children’s palms. Children dip their balloon into the 

paint and press fi rmly on art paper to make patterns. 

Separate or combined colours can be used. 

• Ringmaster megaphone. Trim one end of a large 

coloured square of construction paper. Children 

decorate the paper with chalk, paint, stickers etc. Roll 

up into a funnel shape and staple. 

• Create a big top circus tent and decorate using various 

techniques such as weaving and twisting strips of 

paper. Refer to blackline on page 33. 

• Children decorate an outline of a popcorn bucket made 

from construction paper by gluing red and white strips 

of paper onto it. Real popcorn or popcorn made from 

crumpled crepe can be glued on top. 

• Children paint dots, stripes, add stickers or 

make sponge prints on a large square 

of construction paper. Form into a 

cone and staple to make a clown’s 

hat. Glue a coloured circle or a 

pompom on top. 

• Make tightrope walkers from 

clothes pegs by painting faces, 

adding fabric clothes and twisting pipe-cleaners around 

the head of each clothes peg for arms. Put the tightrope 

walkers on a piece of string or thin rope and watch 

them perform! 

• Make a strongman’s weights. Wrap aluminium foil 

around two polystyrene balls or beachballs. Do the 

same with a cardboard wrapping paper roll. Join 

the three items with tape to make 

‘weights’. 

• Make ‘fairy fl oss’ by gluing white, pink 

or blue cottonwool balls onto threequarters 

of a paper towel tube. 

• Make a clown face using a paper 

plate, craft stick, balloon, googly eyes, 

crayons, stickers, wool and odd pieces 

of wrapping paper. Assist children to glue 

the craft stick to the back of the paper plate. Attach 

a semi-infl ated balloon for the nose. Children draw or 

use other materials to decorate the face with hair, eyes, 

mouth, bow tie etc. 

• Cut a hole in each of two shoebox lids. Make them big enough but not too big for children’s feet to slip out of. Assist children 

to tape each lid to its box. They then paint, use markers, add stickers etc. for decoration. Children slide feet into the boxes 

and act like a clown. 

• Ask children to bring an oversized white T-shirt to make into a clown costume. Children use fabric paint to sponge-paint 

shapes such as triangles and circles on the shirt. (Puff paint would also be effective to make spots and stripes for decoration.) 

Glue pompom ‘buttons’ to the front. Add a collar made from pleated paper stapled to the rim of a paper plate that has had 

the interior cut out of. 

Music 

• Children pretend they are in 

a circus band. Give them 

simple musical instruments 

such as triangles and 

maracas. Play a CD of 

music suitable for a circus 

while they march and play 

their instruments. 

• Listen to music suited to different circus 

acts; e.g. drum roll before an exciting part 

of an act, funny clown music, entry to 

big top, electronic music for rides. When 

familiar with the music, children can move 

accordingly and act the part. 


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Health and physical education 

• Be a juggler and juggle beanbags. Start with one. When 

mastered, increase to two. Then try small balls that are 

easy to catch. 

• Develop movement skills using hoops. Children can hop 

or jump in them with the hoop(s) on the ground, use 

them as hula hoops or run under them while they are 

moving. 

• Practise the correct technique for acrobatic moves such 

as forward rolls, handstands and cartwheels. 

• Reinforce letters of the alphabet by children becoming 

‘acrobats’ and using their bodies to form the shape of a 

specifi ed letter. Some letters will be formed individually, 

while others will require two or more children. 

• After children have had practice with the circus-related 

physical educational activities, hold mini competitions. 

Examples could include: balancing competitions such as 

egg and spoon races (with hardboiled or plastic eggs) 

or bean bags on heads, walking/running with feet in 

shoeboxes like a clown, relay races using a ringmaster’s 

megaphone as a baton, running like a strongman 

showing his muscles, swapping clown clothes before 

next runner takes off in a relay, acrobatic tunnel races 

where children crawl through a plastic tunnel or tunnel of 

children’s legs. 

• Using thick card or plasterboard, decorate and cut out a 

large clown face with a hole for the mouth. Children are 

given three beanbags to try to toss through the hole. 

• After a variety of circus-related movement skills have been 

safely and correctly mastered, set up a circus obstacle 

course for children to follow. Examples: balance along a 

line like a tightrope walker, do two handstands, hop then 

jump into four hoops on the ground, swing on bars on the 

adventure playground like a trapeze. (Children will need 

to be carefully monitored.) 

• Play ‘Pin the nose on the clown’. Make a large clown face 

or life-size clown (minus the nose). Blindfold children in 

turns. Give each child a circle of red felt or a pompom 

with double-sided tape so they can see who is closest 

to placing the nose in the correct position. (Don’t spin 

very young children around before they attempt this as 

they can become disorientated.) Can be done indoors or 

outdoors. 

• Practise trying to balance a paper plate on a fi nger. 

Attempt to spin it like a juggler. 

• Place a rope or a row of masking tape on the fl oor or the grass so children can be 

tightrope walkers. Demonstrate how to walk heel to toe with one foot slowly placed 

in front of the other, using arms to balance. 

• Sort the foods we might eat or want to eat at the circus into healthy or unhealthy. 

• Talk about how much practice it would take for a performer to be good enough to 

perform in a circus. 

• Discuss the purpose of a safety net at a circus. 


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Society and environment 

• Discuss other ways tents are used; e.g. camping, as shelters from rain or the sun at 

parties, protection from sun and wind at beach, at fairs. 

• Talk about the jobs of various people and performers at a circus; e.g. ringmaster, 

people who set up the tents and seating (‘roustabouts’), jugglers, clowns, acrobats, 

trapeze artists, ticket sellers, people who sell food at stalls or carry a selection on a tray 

with a strap over their shoulder to sell direct to the audience. 

• Explain to the children how many circuses today do not have animals performing and 

the reasons why this has become the norm. 

• Children help to suggest how to make a simple pictorial fl ow chart with minimal 

labelling to explain a circus act; tightrope walker puts on costume – gets introduced by 

ringmaster – climbs up ladder to tightrope – completes balancing tricks on tightrope – 

gets to other side – audience claps and he or she bows. 

• On an outline of a circus tent or big top, draw and label items or people children 

suggest they would fi nd inside and outside the tent. These could be hung as a mobile 

from the tent. Examples: seats, turnstile, popcorn, fairy fl oss, clowns, ringmaster, 

tightrope, acrobat, strongman, trapeze, people, fl ags, ring, streamers, balloons, tent 

pegs, poles, wires. 

Technology (and design) 

• In pairs or small groups, use a variety of recycled boxes, 

cardboard shapes, building blocks and other commercial 

construction materials to plan and design the layout for a 

circus ground. Include the big top, food stalls, caravans 

for performers and workers, merry-go-round etc. 

• View pictures of various clown faces on the internet and 

compare the similarities and differences in their makeup. 

• Investigate ‘balance’ by using MAB material to build 

towers. Find out who can build the tallest, widest etc. 

tower from MAB blocks the teacher specifi es. 

• Design and make an invitation inviting friends to a 

birthday party at the circus. Teacher can assist with 

wording. Words can be typed on a computer and printed 

out. 


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Teacher background information 

A circus is most commonly defi ned as a travelling show with a company of performers that 

may include clowns, acrobats, tightrope walkers and other stunt artists, and trained animals 

performing tricks (now not so common). 

Circuses are traditionally held in a circular or oval arena surrounded by tiers of seats for ease of 

viewing by the audience. The word ‘circus’ comes from the Greek word ‘kirkos’ meaning ‘ring’. 

A large tent, called the ‘big top’, is set up in a suitable area. The acts are usually accompanied 

by music and introduced by a ‘ringmaster’. 

The circus has its origins in Ancient Rome. Huge amphitheatres were built to accommodate 

tens of thousands of people who fl ocked to watch events such as chariot racing, combat 

between gladiators and animals and other blood sports. 

From these beginnings, the modern-day circus gradually evolved as small and then larger 

troupes of jugglers, acrobats, trained animals and the like performed around Europe, Asia and 

Africa. 

Circus acts commonly include gymnastic and acrobatic performances involving tumbling, 

juggling, pyramid building with people, contortion, trampoline and balancing on tightropes 

suspended in the air. The aerial act of the fl ying trapeze is always a highlight. Clowns are a 

major attraction, often combining their comical performance with classic circus skills such as 

tumbling and juggling. Some circuses involve daredevil and sideshow acts such as sword 

swallowing, fi re eating, human cannonball, magic tricks, ventriloquism and strongman. 

The fi rst animals used in modern-day circuses were included for the purpose of displaying exotic animals. Later, animals such as 

elephants and big cats were trained to perform tricks. Dancing ponies and bareback riders on horses performing balancing acts 

also became popular. 

Due to worldwide organisations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) bringing the treatment of animals to 

the public’s attention, contemporary circuses have become largely animal-free. The trend is for a circus to emphasise humans’ 

acrobatic skill and daring and not animals’. The hugely popular Cirque du Soleil is one example of this. (Note: While some of the 

literature resources on page 39 include circus animals, the remainder of activities in this unit do not.) 

While the intended purpose of clowns is to entertain, teachers should be aware that some young children fi nd clowns (especially 

their faces) frightening. 

Concepts to be developed 

• A circus is a show that travels from place to place. 

• A modern-day circus includes people performing clever acrobatic and gymnastic tricks. 

• A circus is often held in a big tent called a ‘big top’. 

• Spectators at a circus sit in rows of seats that get higher and higher towards the back 

so everyone can see. 

• A ringmaster is in charge of the circus acts. He or she often uses a megaphone so the 

spectators can hear him or her. 

• Some of the performers at a circus can include clowns, acrobats, tightrope walkers, 

strongmen, fl ying trapeze artists, jugglers and stilt walkers. 

• Clowns wear funny costumes and paint their faces. 

• Other circus performers wear special costumes. 

• Most circus performers use special equipment in their act. 


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Circus act pictures 

Instructions: Can be enlarged to A3. Colour, laminate (optional) and cut out the pictures. Use in maths activities on page 23; matching labels on page 30; duplicate for counting 

activities or card games such as ‘Concentration’, ‘Snap’ or ‘Fish’. 


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Circus act labels 

ringmaster 

strongman 

trapeze artist 

juggler 

acrobat 

clown 

tightrope walker 

stilt walker 


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Instructions: Can be enlarged to A3. Use with or without the picture clues to label circus acts on page 29 or for the children to trace and copy at the writing centre.

Two clown tricks 

Instructions: Can be enlarged to A3. Colour, laminate and cut out each set of cards. Children can sequence the cards and orally tell what is happening. 


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Circus fi nger puppets 


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Instructions: Photocopy onto white construction paper. Colour and cut out sets of puppets for children to practise oral language skills in small groups and develop a circus ‘performance’. 

(Note: Children’s fi ngers become the ‘legs’ of the circus performer.

Big top 

Instructions: Enlarge to A3. Photocopy onto white construction paper. Assist children to cut out and decorate by using a coloured spot for tent top; glue thin, twisted strips of coloured crepe paper for tent 

roof; weave thin strips of coloured paper on tent fl aps, glue cellophane rectangle behind opening and use crayons to colour other parts. 


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How many? 

Instructions: Children identify the shape or item to be counted on each clown and write the correct number in the box. (Display the numbers 2 to 7 for children to refer to.) 


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Circus measuring 

Instructions: Can be enlarged to A3. Colour, cut out and laminate sets of cards for use in maths centre. Children can also be given a set to colour, cut out and glue in order of size on a sheet of paper. 


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Recipes 

Circus mix snack 

Ingredients 

• small cracker biscuits • raisins and a selection of other chopped dried fruit • popcorn 

Instructions 

• Place different ingredients in bowls. Give students a plastic spoon and a plastic cup or patty case to take spoonfuls of 

favoured ingredients. 

Ice-cream clown 

Ingredients 

• vanilla ice-cream 

• ice-cream cone 

• M&Ms , Smarties , raisins, licorice, jelly beans, cherries 

Instructions 

• Place one scoop of ice-cream in a patty case. Place an upside 

down cone for a clown’s hat. Use the other ingredients for eyes, 

nose, mouth and top of clown’s hat. 

Fruity clown faces 

Ingredients and instructions 

• Use a variety of sliced, chopped, grated and whole fruits, either fresh or tinned. 

Children choose, or teacher directs the fruits to use. Arrange on a small paper plate. 

Another suggestion: Use a tinned peach half for the face, half a glacé cherry for the 

nose, raisins for the eyes and the mouth, a crescent of apple for the collar and tint some 

coconut with orange food colouring for the hair. 

Ingredients 

• 1 tsp cornfl our • 1 

/ 2 

tsp thick moisturiser (cold cream) 

• 1 

/ 2 

tsp water • food colouring 

Instructions 

• Use small containers such as baby food jars to 

mix the paint. In each container, blend cornfl our 

and moisturiser until well mixed. Add water and 

stir. Add food colouring, one drop at a time, 

until desired colour is achieved. Before painting 

children’s faces, use a baby wipe or similar to 

remove any dirt. Paint designs on face using a 

small paintbrush for each colour. Remove the paint 

with soap and water. 

Face-painting recipe 


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Recipes 

Healthy clown face 

open sandwich 

Ingredients 

• Face: brown or white roll cut in half, brown or white slice of 

bread (1 per child) 

• Hair: grated cheese or carrot, shredded lettuce, cottage 

cheese 

• Eyes: egg slices, dried apricots, slices of cucumber or 

tomato 

• Mouth: wedge of tomato, slice of capsicum, row of 

sultanas 

• Nose: piece of celery or carrot stick, knob of cheese, cherry 

tomato 

• Spreads – margarine, cream or cottage cheese, 

mayonnaise 

Instructions 

• Spread one of the suggested spreads on the bun or bread 

slice. Choose and arrange ingredients to make a clown’s 

face. Take a photo before eating! 

Chicken on tightropes 

Ingredients 

• cubes of skinless chicken • soya sauce 

• honey 

• vegetable oil 

Instructions 

• Place the chicken and other ingredients in a bowl and mix 

well. (Add enough of the marinade ingredients to coat 

chicken.) Leave to marinate for a hour or two. Thread 

chicken onto ‘tightropes’ (skewers). Add oil to a pan and 

cook, turning as needed. Children carefully eat chicken on 

its tightrope. 

Strongman smoothie 

Ingredients 

• 1 1 / 2 

cups low fat milk 

• 1 tablespoon honey 

• 1 tablespoon skim milk powder • 1 banana 

• 1 

/ 2 

cup plain or fl avoured yoghurt 

• 6 strawberries (optional) 

Instructions 

• Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. 

Pour into plastic cups. Makes 4 to 6 small servings. 

Acrobat apple 

turnovers 

Ingredients 

• sheets of ready-to-cook puff pastry 

• 2 green apples 

• 2 tablespoons caster sugar 

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

(This recipe serves 6 so alter to suit number of children.) 

Instructions 

• Roll each defrosted pastry 

sheet out thinly and cut into 6 

squares. Peel and core apples. 

Cut into quarters and slice 

thinly. Place a few slices of 

apple into a corner of each 

pastry. Sprinkle the apple with 

a half teaspoon sugar and a pinch cinnamon. Fold each 

pastry over to form a triangle. Press edges with a fork to 

seal. Prick a hole in the top. Sprinkle extra sugar over each 

‘turnover’. Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes 

at 190° C. 

Savoury circus ring 

Ingredients 

• 3 rashers bacon (remove rind) • 1 1 / 2 

cups cooked long-grain rice 

• 1 medium grated zucchini 

• 1 large grated carrot 

• 4 lightly beaten eggs 

• 1 1 / 2 

cups grated cheese 

Instructions 

• Grease a deep ring-shaped baking dish. Finely chop bacon. Put bacon, rice and 

vegetables into a bowl and mix well. Pour in eggs and grated cheese and combine. 

Press mixture into ring. Cover and cook in microwave on medium to high (depending 

on microwave strength) for 12 minutes. Stand for 5 minutes, then turn out and cut into 

‘circus ring’ slices. 


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Display ideas 

Classroom big top 

• Turn the classroom into a big top by stringing thick strips of coloured crepe paper 

streamers from the classroom ceiling and hanging balloons and twisted crepe 

paper from various sections. 

Colour names 

• Create a colourful clown juggling balls or holding balloons of different colours. 

Label each ball/balloon with its colour name. Incorporate the same colours on 

the clown’s costume for children to identify and match. 

Birthday chart 

• Use a similar picture to the suggestion above but have 12 balls or balloons to 

write the months of the year in and the names of children with a birthday in that 

month. 

Number charts 

• Make number charts with name, numeral and pictures based on the theme; e.g. 

1 one strongman, 2 two stilt walkers, 3 three big tops etc. 

Circus frieze 

• Children draw, colour, cut out and make circus performers and items to add to a circus frieze to display around the room. Add 

labels. 

purple 

yellow 

green 

blue 

red 

Spare parts classroom clown 

• Children can assist in making a large clown with movable parts. Paper 

plates, balloons or lids from ice-cream containers could be used for 

the head and body. Coloured cottonwool balls, crumpled crepe paper 

or wool can be the hair. Plastic or material gloves make the hands. A 

partly infl ated balloon makes the nose. An old pair of slippers or other 

shoes provide the feet. An upsidedown square box can be used for 

the hat and other features can be painted, drawn or made from scrap 

materials and stuck on. Parts can be connected together with string, 

wool or elastic. Children can label their new ‘classmate’ with a name. 

Big top learning centre 

• Purchase a tent similar to the one shown or make one 

using coloured sheets, tablecloths, quilt covers and 

material. Children can complete activities in their ‘big top’. 

A coloured parachute used in physical education lessons 

may also be borrowed and used for a time as a big top. 

Circus performer photo corner 

• Take photos of children dressed up as circus performers. 

Attach them to a display board or the wall. Children can 

make up a name for themselves which can be written on 

a card and pinned underneath. Other children and visitors 

can guess the real names of the children. 


ISBN 978-1-74126-966-6

Literature resources – 1 

Stories 

• Spot goes to the circus by Eric Carle 

• Peter Spier’s circus by Peter Spier 

• See the circus (Lift the fl ap series) by H A Rey 

• The circus alphabet by Linda Bronson 

• Circus shapes (Mathstart 1) by Stuart J Murphy 

• Smarty pants by Joy Crowley 

• Last night I dreamed a circus by Maya Gottfried 

• Clifford at the circus by Norman Bridwell 

• You see a circus, I see ... by Mike Downs 

• All aboard the Circus McGurkus/Circus McGurkus 1, 2, 3/If I ran the circus by Dr Seuss 

Songs, action rhymes, fingerplays and poems 

Putting up the big top 

(Sung to the tune of ‘A,B,C’) 

Everybody circle round, 

Lift the canvas off the ground, 

Pull and pull and watch it rise, 

Big Top grows before our eyes. 

Everybody circle round, 

Lift the canvas off the ground. 

(Raise ‘tent’ while singing.) 

Funny clown 

(Sung to the tune of ‘Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground’) 

Funny clown, funny clown 

Spin around. 


Jump up and down. 


Touch your toes. 


Honk your nose. 

(Children do actions while singing.) 

We’re going to the circus 

(Sung to the tune of ‘Farmer in the dell’) 



On Monday afternoon (or another day/time) 


Other verses: 

We’ll laugh at funny clowns ... 

We’ll hear the ringmaster shout ... 

We’ll watch the acrobats ... 

We’ll clap the clever jugglers ... 

We’ll look up at the trapeze ... 

Did you ever see a clown? 

(Sung to the tune of: ‘Did you ever see a lassie?’) 

Did you ever see a clown 

Do this and do that? 



Did you ever see a clown 


(Children stand in a circle, one in middle performing actions 

while others copy.) 

When the circus comes to town 

When the circus comes to town, 

I love to see the clown. 

Racing round the great big top, 

His trousers falling down. 

A very jolly person, 

Who makes me laugh and shout. 

I always feel so happy 

When the funny clown’s about. 

Chorus 

Ha ha ha ha 

Ha ha ha ha 

Oh oh oh oh oh 

Ha ha ha ha 

Ha ha ha 

The funny circus clown. 

Wearing baggy trousers 

And a very baggy hat, 

See his boots, they’re far too big, 

He trips up on the mat. 

A very jolly person 

Who makes me laugh and shout. 

I always feel so happy 

When the funny clown’s about. 


ISBN 978-1-74126-966-6

Literature resources – 2 

Songs, action rhymes, fingerplays and poems 

The circus is in town 

Hey there! Ho there! 

The circus is in town! 

Have you seen the jugglers? 

Have you seen the clowns? 

Have you seen the ringmaster 

walking around the ring? 

Have you seen the trapeze artists 

on their lofty swing? 

Have you seen the acrobats 

tumbling all around? 

Hey there! Ho there! 

The circus is in town. 

This little clown 

This little clown likes to play (Hold up thumb.) 

This little clown does tricks all day (Hold up next fi nger.) 

This little clown is tall and strong (Hold up next fi nger.) 

This little clown is wee and small (Hold next fi nger.) 

This little clown can do anything at all (Hold up little fi nger.) 

Clowns 

I’ve been to many circuses 

But I have yet to see 

Clowns that are identical 

Or look the same to me. 

I’ve seen them bald, with curly hair 

And hats of every kind. 

I’ve seen them tall, I’ve seen them small 

And every shape you’ll fi nd. 

I’ve seen them sad, I’ve seen them glad 

I’ve seen them doing tricks 

Like juggling balls and tumbling round 

And walking high on sticks. 

And all their clothes have every stripe 

And every kind of spot 

And every pattern in the world 

But two the same, do not. 

Notes: 


ISBN 978-1-74126-966-6

RIC-20967 Early years Places - The Circus

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