Monday, June 26, 2006
Fun Rhymes and Songs
We started back at our schoolwork this morning after taking several weeks off. We had an extra light day and I split up lessons with some neat rhymes I found in "A Child's Seasonal Treasury" by Betty Jones.
Beehive
Here is the beehive, where are the bees? (Hold out clenched fist)
Hidden away where nobody sees! (Look at fist; shake head "no.")
Here they come creeping out of the hive, (Open fist slowly, gradually
extend fingers.)
One, two, three, four, five,
ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM, see they're alive! (Flutter fingers all around.)
My Horses
My white horses like to step
Peaceful and slow,
Over mountains, through valleys,
So upright they go.
My brown horses merrily
Trot in the sun,
With their silver hooves beating
The ground as they run.
My black horses gallop
With courage around,
And they throw up their heads
As they hammer the ground.
(Children enact horse movements as described, my kids ran around in a circle in the livingroom)
Little Birdie
I saw a little birdie coming hop, hop, hop!
And I said, "Little Birdie, won't you stop, stop, stop?
Won't you stop a moment and play with me?"
But he wagged his little tail and away flew he!
(Beginning in a circle, children hold their hands under their armpits like wings, hop, stop, and fly away.)
Big Cow
I saw a big cow saying, "Moo, moo, moo,"
And I said, "Big big cow, how do you do, do, do?
Can't you come awhile and play with me?"
"I'm busy eating grass to make milk for your tea!"
(Beginning in a circle on hands and knees, say Moo, and pretend to eat grass.)
Little Fish
I saw a little fish come swimming past,
And I said, "Little Fish, why do you go so fast?
Can't you stop a moment and play with me?"
But he wagged his little tail and swam down to the sea.
(Beginning in a circle, children make a breast stroke swimming gesture and swim all around and then away.)
Little Horses
Far out at sea there are horses to ride,
Little white horses that race with the tide,
Their tossing manes are the white sea foam,
And the lashing winds are driving them home,
To shadowy stables, fast they must flee,
To the great green caravan under the sea.
(Children pretend to mount their seahorses, then trot and gallop going in one direction around a circle. Shake heads and return to original place in circle.)
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12 comments:
How funny, my Hannah was just reading that poetry book yesterday. *Ü*
How neat that you have the same book! It is full of wonderful poems and rhymes. Definitely a favorite of mine.
Kelli
Re "White horses" by Irene Pawsey (I think) -- isn't the last two lines:
to the great green caverns [not caravan]
down under the sea
?
I just looked it up and in this particular book it definitely says "caravan."
Kelli
Interesting. I would've sworn... I'll have to see if I can find it in the book I had at home, when I get home tonight! (I might have it wrong -- it's one I've known by heart for about 20 years.)
I just happened on your blog while looking for a print out of that particular poem while at work.
Nice blog!
Hmm, I'm home now, and found the poetry book (Junior Poetry Workshop, ed N Russell and HJ Chatfield, Nelson, 1966) I remember "White horses" from and, in this version, it definitely has:
To the great green caverns
Down under the sea.
So, we'll have to agree to disagree on that one! :-) It is by Irene F. Pawsey.
Anyway, interesting to find your blog this way!
I wonder which book has the typo. Mine or yours? ;0) Actually it was probably mine, since it was published after 1966. Very interesting!
Kelli
Maybe neither. Maybe the author revised it? I agree though: it's more likely one is a typo. Also looks like the titles varied a little: "Little horses" versus "White horses". (And yes our punctuation's going to differ too -- mine's correct Australian, whereas yours is, of course, correct American.)
(Though looking at my first post, I should've used "aren't" not "isn't". That wasn't correct Australian or American!)
Anyway, I was interested to see that you were using the poem as a game for children. What a great way to share poetry -- make it fun for the kids. Too many kids get put off poetry at school -- it's nice to see someone using it in a positive, creative way. Good for you!
Hi, I've been saying that poem "My horses" for years after I heard it once at a workshop. I'm doing a Diploma of Children's services at the moment and wanted to find a reference for that poem. So i typed the 1st verse into google and came across your site. I must say the was I heard it was the way you have it written on your site. I must say it's a lovely poem and a favourite with every child I say it with. As i say it I slep on my knees, slowly at first and then speeding up. I'm very grateful that you have it posted so I can finally get a reference for it after all these years. Thanks again.
I was so happy to find this. I am aged 71 and I learned that poem "Little White Horses at infant school and used to recite it to my mother, but now I could only remember "Little White Horses", I used to follow the title with the auther's name, now forgotten. I was probably aged 7. so thats 64 years ago. Thank you. Roger
I am now 56 years old and can remember learning this poem in primary school in Australia. I learnt the last lines as "great green caverns down under the sea."
To shadowy stables fast they must flee,
To the great green caverns, down under the sea.
It's definitely not 'caravan' but caverns. I recited this poem several years in a row for Elocution exams in primary school. The author was Irene Pawsey.
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