Okay, I will admit that I upgraded my website to allow videos and I wanted to try it out.  Here is the Oscar-worthy film of the activity that this post will help you make:

I know: it needs music.

Children in the days of Johnny Appleseed did not have a lot of actual toys.  Someone might carve them a “jumping jack” toy out of wood, sort of like this one, which is made of paper. It’s joined together with brads (paper fasteners).  Separate holes are connected with string, and when you pull on the string, Johnny dances!  Here is a pic of Johnny taking a break between songs:

You can learn about Johnny Appleseed in the new picture book, Seed by Seed: the Legend and Legacy of John “Appleseed” Chapman, written by Esme Raji Codell and illustrated by yours truly.

And here is the drawing you can print out to make your own Johnny Jump-up.  I printed mine out on my nothing-special desktop printer, on poster board cut to 8-1/2 x 11″.    Color in the pieces before cutting them out.  No need for being super-precise either in coloring or cutting.  It is helpful to have a holepuncher for the holes, and it’s helpful if the holes it punches are smaller than the heads of the paper fasteners.  Have fun!

For another fun Seed by Seed/Johnny Appleseed activity, click on this post.

And if you just want to color, here is a coloring page:

johnny coloring page