Michael Shoulders - D Is for Dump Truck: A Construction Alphabet

A is for Alarm Alarm goes off. Hip-hip-hooray! The wait is over. Todays the day. Round up equipment and the crew. Theres construction work to do, do, do. B is for Bulldozer Bulldozer is tough.

His work is hard. Huffing and puffing across the yard. Leveling land and clearing bushes. Moving dirt, he push, push, pushes.

C is for Cut Cut the lumber for the floors. Plywood sheets and four-by-fours.

Sawdust on my shoes and clothes,
in my hair and nose, nose, nose.

D is for Dump Truck Dump truck delivers a load of sand. We need to have a lot on hand. He backs up with a load piled deep. Reverse horn blares out: beep, beep, beep. E is for Eyeglasses Eyeglasses are a construction must
to protect our eyes from flying dust.

Safety first is always key. We need our eyes to see, see, see.

F is for Front-End Loader Front-end loader moves a pile. Shoveling by hand would take a while. Lower the bucket. Come in swift.

Raise the arm up: lift, lift, lift.

G is for Grab Grab a hard hat, the foreman says. We need protection for our heads. Falling tools leave nasty lumps. Oops, oops! Look out! Bump, bump, bump. H is for Hammer Hammer and nails, you are strong.

With you, our project wont take long. The right tools make any work a snap. Hold pieces together: tap, tap, tap.

I is for Imagination Imagination is an important tool. Dream it, draw it, and make it cool. Gather paper, pen, and ink.

Use our brains to think, think, think.

J is for Jigsaw Jigsaw creates a nighttime scene
to put above us when we dream. It cuts a straight or curvy line. These stars and moon look
fine, fine, fine. K is for Kneepads Kneepads protect us from bumps and knocks. On rough ground covered with stones or rocks,
building is tough on workers knees.

If kneeling, wear them, please, please, please.

L is for Level Levels are handy and cant be beat
for making sure steps are plumb and neat. If the lines dont frame the bubble,
well have trouble, trouble, trouble. M is for Mixer Mixer, back up. Its your turn. Water, cement, spin, and churn.

Twirl-twirl around. We need lots more. Open your chute and pour, pour, pour.

N is for Nuts and Bolts Nuts and bolts connect big things:
metal eye screws and tire swings. A slide is also on the list. O is for Orange Cones Orange cones are carefully placed out on several spots around the lawn. O is for Orange Cones Orange cones are carefully placed out on several spots around the lawn.

They warn drivers to beware, Moms roses are there, there, and there.

P is for Pulley Pulley lifts our bucket high. Our things go upwards toward the sky:
construction tools and water jug. Pull the rope hard: tug, tug, tug. Q is for Quad-Axle Truck Quad-axle trucks are ideal
when heavy loads need extra wheels. Trucks sputter and strain with big cargo.

Ease off the gas, driver. Slow, slow, slow!

R is for Rollers Rollers make painting a cinch. We need to cover every inch. Also use a pan and brush. Careful: do not
rush, rush, rush. S is for Staple Gun Staples hold things in their places:
electrical wires or tall bookcases.

Theres lots to fasten before we stop. Staple gun loaded: pop, pop, pop.

T is for Tape Measure Tape measures help us pick the spot. We must be perfect. We have one shot. Be careful when marking.

Be precise. Measure two times then slice, slice, slice.