Introduction

Empower Your Teaching with SING.PLAY.LOVE.

Unleash the magic of learning through play with our simple, step-by-step guide to creating a “Hickory-Dickory” Clock—a fun and interactive craft that brings the beloved nursery rhyme to life! Perfect for young learners, this engaging activity enhances creativity, fine motor skills, and language development.

Materials You'll Need:

Three boxes (I used a Xerox paper box with lid, another smaller box, and the lids from two Xerox paper boxes – so three Xerox paper box lids total)
Paper to wrap the boxes like gifts
11x17 sheets of paper in brown (3 sheets), orange and yellow
Clock face (see attached)
Brass fastener and foam for cutting hands of clock
Spray adhesive, Elmer’s glue or glue stick

Directions

How to Create the Clock

Download Clock Face Template

What to Do:

Put one Xerox paper box lid inside another box lid to form the box for the base of the clock, or find a short wide box.
Wrap the large box and the base like gifts with paper. I used black paper. (Leave the top box where you will glue the clock face unwrapped until you add the construction paper and clock, so that you can properly add the brass fastener for the clock arms.)
Paste the sheet of brown construction paper to the face of the large box.
Cut a 2 ½ x 11-inch piece and 4-inch circle out of the yellow paper. Glue the strip so that it starts at the center top of the box and “swings” at an angle to represent a pendulum. (I messed up my pendulum – it should be centered at the top!)
Cut a 2 ½ x 11-inch piece and 4-inch circle out of the yellow paper. Glue the strip so that it starts at the center top of the box and “swings” at an angle to represent a pendulum. (I messed up my pendulum – it should be centered at the top!)
Glue the yellow circle to the base of the yellow strip.
Cut a 4-inch strip of brown paper. Cut a “heart-shape” along the center of the lower edge to simulate the legs of the clock. Glue the strip to the short wide box to form the clock base
Paste the wrapping paper to the face of the small box you will use for the clock itself. Cut a brown piece of paper with a similar “heart” shape across the top. Glue the brown paper on top of the wrapping paper.
Trim the clock template and paste it onto the center of the brown paper.
Cut two hands for the clock out of the foam provided by Anne. Hole punch both and fasten them to the center of the clock box by poking them through all layers, and opening the brass fastener inside of the box.
Finish wrapping the clock top box like a gift.
Stack all three boxes, and you have a grandfather clock!

How to Create the Mouse

What to Do:

Use the die-cut machine in the workroom to cut ovals and small circles for the body and ears of the mice.
Cut triangles free hand (die cut ones are really big!) to make the mouse heads.
Cut rubber bands or yarn into small pieces for the mouse-tails.
Make a sample. Show your students how to glue the parts together to make their own mice. Tape them to your box or let them make their mice run up and down the clock.

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