A rhyming story of a mouse and a monster. Little mouse goes for a walk in a dangerous forest. To scare off his enemies he invents tales of a fantastical creature called the Gruffalo. So, imagine his surprise when he meets the real Gruffalo… Enjoy the story with seventeen kids yoga poses and a relaxation at the end.
A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood (Mouse: We kneel down and tuck ourselves up into a little tiny ball like a mouse / Tree: Standing tall, place the heel of your foot on top of the other. Bring your hands together at your heart and grow your branches up tall). A fox saw the mouse and said “Where are you going to, little brown mouse? Come and have lunch in my underground house.” (Fox: From all fours, tuck the toes and lift one leg. Stretch it straight back then bend at the knee, lifting the toes to the sky. Imagine your leg is a big bushy fox tail. / House: Standing with your legs wide, hands together above your head, making a pointy roof for your house or cave) “It’s terribly kind of you, Fox, but no – I am going to have lunch with a Gruffalo.” “A Gruffalo? What is a Gruffalo?” “A Gruffalo! Why, didn’t you know? He has terrible tusks, and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.” (Bad Guy: Standing tall, we lift one leg and tuck it up towards our bottom. We make our hands into hook shapes and close one eye. We finish the pose with a nice big Arrrggghh!) “Where are you meeting him?” “Here, by these rocks, and his favorite food is roasted fox.” “Roasted fox! I am off! Goodbye, little mouse,” and away he sped. “Silly old Fox! Doesn’t he know, there is no such thing as a Gruffalo?”
The mouse went through the deep dark wood. An owl saw the mouse and said “Where are you going to, little brown mouse? Come and have tea in my treetop house.” (Owl: Kneeling up, we point our wings downwards into our lap, then as we stretch and open our wings we lift up off our heels saying to witt to woo as we fly up and down) “It’s frightfully nice of you, Owl, but no – I am going to have a tea with a Gruffalo.” “A Gruffalo? What is a Gruffalo?” “A Gruffalo! Why, didn’t you know? He has knobbly knees, and turned-out toes, and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose.” “Where are you meeting him?” “Here, by this stream, and his favorite food is owl ice cream.” (River: Sitting up tall, legs out long in front of you. Point your toes and place your hands behind your bottom with your finger pointing towards your bottom. Lift up your hips) “Owl ice cream? Toowhit toowhoo! Goodbye, little mouse!” and away Owl flew (Flying: Standing up tall, step forward and tilt, lifting your back foot off the ground, sending it long and strong our behind you like a tail. Stay balanced as you take your arms out wide like wings). “Silly old Owl! Doesn’t he know, there is no such thing as a Gruffalo?”
On went the mouse through the deep dark wood. A snake saw the mouse and said “Where are you going to, little brown mouse? Come for a feast in my logpile house.” (Snake: We come onto our tummy. Placing our hands underneath our shoulders. We wiggle up into a snake)“It is wonderfully good of you, Snake, but no – I am having a feast with a Gruffalo.” “A Gruffalo? What is a Gruffalo?” “A Gruffalo! Why, didn’t you know? His eyes are orange, his tongue is black, he has purple prickles all over his back.”(Mouse with prickles: Coming to our knees we lean forward, putting our forehead on the ground. We place our hands on our back like we have prickles) “Where are you meeting him?” “Here, by this lake, and his favorite food is scrambled snake.” “Scrambled snake! It’s time I hid! Goodbye, little mouse!” and away Snake slid. “Silly old Snake! Doesn’t he know, there is no such thing as a Gruffal…”
Oh! But who is this creature with terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws? He has knobbly knees and turned-out toes and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose. His eyes are orange, his tongue is black. He has purple prickles all over his back (Dinosaur/Monster: Standing up, legs wide, bend forwards and take hold of your ankles. Lift up one foot after the other going clump clump) “Oh help! Oh no! It’s a Gruffalo!” “My favorite food!” the Gruffalo said. You will taste good on a slice of bread!” “Don’t call me good! I am the scariest creature in this wood. Just walk behind me and soon you will see, everyone is afraid of me.” “All right, you go ahead and I will follow after” said the Gruffalo, bursting with laughter.
They walked and walked till the Gruffalo said “I hear a hiss in the leaves ahead.” “It is Snake” said the mouse. “Hello, Snake!” Snake took one look at the Gruffalo and off he slid to his logpile house (Snake: We come onto our tummy. Placing our hands underneath our shoulders. We wiggle up into a snake) “You see?” said the mouse. “Amazing!” said the Gruffalo. They walked some more till the Gruffalo said “I hear a hoot in the trees ahead.” “It is Owl” said the mouse. “Hello, Owl!” Owl took one look at the Gruffalo and off he flew to his treetop house (Owl: Kneeling up, we point our wings downwards into our lap, then as we stretch and open our wings we lift up off our heels saying to witt to woo as we fly up and down). “You see?” said the mouse. “Astounding!” said the Gruffalo. They walked some more till the Gruffalo said “I hear feet on the path ahead.” “It is Fox” said the mouse. “Hello, Fox!” Fox took one look at the Gruffalo and off he ran to his underground house (Fox: From all fours, tuck the toes and lift one leg. Stretch it straight back then bend at the knee, lifting the toes to the sky. Imagine your leg is a big bushy fox tail.).
“Well, you see? Everyone is afraid of me!” said the mouse. “But now my tummy is beginning to rumble. My favorite food is Gruffalo crumble!” (Rub tummy/Pat head: Sitting with our legs crossed, we roll a hand round and round on our tummies, then we pat our heads at the same time) “Gruffalo crumble!” the Gruffalo said, and he quickly fled. (Running: Standing tall, with one arm lift the opposite knee and run on the spot)
All was quiet in the deep dark wood. The mouse found a nut and the nut was good (Savasana: We lie back, our arms and legs heavy and long, enjoying this rest).
Relaxation:
What an adventurous story of the Mouse! How smart he is! How coolly he is handling the situation… He does not only deal with all the animals that intend to eat him but also manages to scare the Gruffalo. It is sometimes necessary to be brave in life, to continue on the road calmly despite the obstacles we encounter. That is exactly what the Mouse does! So, when you run into a problem, stop and take a deep breath first; this will calm you down. Then, be courageous!… Now it is time to wake up.
When you feel ready, you can slowly start to move your fingers and toes. Pulling your knees to your chest, give them a big hug. Rolling over to one side, lift up to a comfortable sitting position. Bring your hands together in front of your chest. Thank you for doing yoga with me today. Namaste!