Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History BookOpen Original Text nd here's the baby's cradle." (Fig. 10)
Another play is a little act in which three persons are supposed to take
part, and it has come down from the old times of long ago.
The middle finger is the Friar. Those on each side of him touch each
other and make the door, the little finger is the Lady and the thumb is
the Page. (Fig. 11)
The Friar knocks at the door.
_Friar._ "Knock, Knock, Knock!"
_Page._ "Somebody knocks at the door! Somebody knocks at the door!"
_Lady._ "Who is it? Who is it?"
_Page._ (Going to door) "Who is it? Who is it?"
_Friar._ "A Friar, a Friar."
_Page._ "A Friar, Ma'am, a Friar, Ma'am."
_Lady._ "What does he want? What does he want?"
_Page._ "What do you want, Sir? What do you want, Sir?"
_Friar._ "I want to come in. I want to come in."
_Page._ "He wants to come in, Ma'am. He wants to come in."
_Lady._ "Let him walk in. Let him walk in."
_Page._ "Will you walk in, Sir? Will you walk in?"
So in he pops and takes a seat.
When each player is supposed to speak he or she must move gently,
bending forward and back and when the Friar is invited to enter, the
door must open only just far enough to let him "pop in."
These are only some of the plays with which the baby I knew used to be
amused; but they will suggest others to parents and older brothers and
sisters. The baby cannot make all of these things himself but he will be
quite as much interested when they are made by older hands.
MONDAY
Here's a little wash bench,
Here's a little tub.
Here's a little scrubbing-board,
And here's the way to rub.
Here's a little cake of soap,
Here's a dipper new.
Here's a basket wide & deep,
And here are clothes-pins two.
Here's the line away up high,
Here's the clothes all flying.
Here's the sun so warm & bright,
And now the washing's drying.
Edith Goodyear.
Finger Play.
By Edith Goodyear.
The little space 'twixt fingers & thumbs
Is round as a circle you see!
While in there, a tiny square
Shows corners four to me.
Circles are like daisies while,
Like pennies, candies and plates,
Like Grandma's cookies and pumpkin pies;
And best of all, the pretty blue
In Baby's laughing eyes.
The square makes me think of the rug where he sits
On the nursery floor at play;
Of the lawn where he rolls in the sunshine bright,
And the dainty spread that covers his bed
When he's fast asleep at night.
COUNTING THE FINGERS
This is the thumb, you see;
This finger shakes the tree;
And then this finger comes up;
And this one eats the plums up;
This little one, says he,
"I'll tell of you, you'll see!"
That one is the thumb;
And this one wants a plum;
This one says, "Where do they grow?"
This one says, "Come with me--I know."
But this little one, he says,
"I will not go near the place!
I don't like such naughty ways."
Now, I think that through and through
Little Finger's right--don't you?
This one fell in the water,
And this one helped him ashore,
And this one put him into bed,
And this one covered him o'er;
And then, in walks this noisy little chap,
And wakes him up once more.
This one walked out into the wood,
And caught a little hare;
And this one took and carried it home,
For he thought it dainty fare;
And this one came and cooked it up
With sauces rich and rare;
And this one laid the table out,
And did the plates prepare;
And this little fellow the keeper told
What the others were doing there.
AN OLD NORSE FINGER PLAY
Thicken man, build the barn,
Thinner man, spool the yarn,
Longen man, stir the brew,
Gowden man, make a shoe,
Littlen man, all for you!
BABY'S TOES
Dear little bare feet,
Dimpled and white,
In your long nightgown
Wrapped for the night.
Come, let me count all
Your queer little toes,
Pink as the heart
Of a shell or a rose.
One is a lady
That sits in the sun;
Two is a baby,
And three is a nun.
Four is a lily
With innocent breast;
And five is a birdie
Asleep on her nest.
"BABY'S TOES"
BY EDITH A. BENTLEY
Five little piggie wiggies
Standing in a row,
We always have to toddle
Where the baby wants to go;
Up-stairs and down-stairs,
Indoors and out,
We're always close together
And we never fall out.
_Chorus:_
Father-Pig and Mother-Pig,
And Big-Brother Pig,
And Sister-Pig, and darling little
Baby Piggie-Wig!
Oh, sometimes we are all tied up
In a bag so tight.
This is when the baby goes
"To sleepy-bye" at night.
Then there's nothing else to do
But cuddle down and rest--
Just as little birdies cuddle
In their little nest.
_Chorus:_
Father-Pig and Mother-Pig
And Big-Brother Pig,
And Sister-Pig, and darling little
Baby Piggie-Wig!
THIS IS THE WAY MY FINGERS STAND
_To the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush."_
This is the way my fingers stand,
Fingers stand, fingers stand,
This is the way my fingers stand,
So early in the morning.
This is the way I fold my hand,
Fold my hand, fold my hand,
This is the way I fold my hand,
So early in the morning.
This is the way they dance about,
Dance about, dance about,
This is the way they dance about,
So early in the morning.
This is the way they go to rest,
Go to rest, go to rest,
This is the way they go to rest,
So early in the morning.
THUMBKIN, POINTER
Thumbkin, Pointer, Middleman big,
Sillyman, Weeman, rig-a-jig-jig.
NAMING THE FINGERS[A]
BY LAURA E. RICHARDS
This is little Tommy Thumb,
Round and smooth as any plum.
This is busy Peter Pointer:
Surely he's a double-jointer.
This is mighty Toby Tall,
He's the biggest one of all.
This is dainty Reuben Ring:
He's too fine for anything.
And this little wee one, maybe,
Is the pretty Finger-baby.
All the five we've counted now,
Busy fingers in a row.
Every finger knows the way
How to work and how to play;
Yet together work they best,
Each one helping all the rest.
[A] _From "Songs and Music of Froebel's Mother Play"; used by permission
of the publishers, D. Appleton & Company._
ROBERT BARNS
Robert Barns, fellow fine,
Can you shoe this horse of mine,
So that I may cut a shine?
Yes, good sir, and that I can,
As well as any other man;
There a nail, and here a prod,
And now, good sir, your horse is shod.
"SHALL I, OH! SHALL I?"
A little boy and a little girl
Lived in an alley;
Said the little boy to the little girl,
"Shall I, oh! shall I?"
Said the little girl to the little boy,
"What will you do?"
Said the little boy to the little girl,
"I will kiss you."
(_As the last words are sung, the mother kisses
the little one in the folds of the neck._)
[Illustration: OFF WITH MOTHER GOOSE
FROM A DRAWING BY MABEL LUCIE ATTWELL]
JACK, BE NIMBLE
Jack, be nimble,
Jack, be quick;
(_Jack is one hand walking along on
its fore- and middle-fingers._)
Jack, jump over
The candlestick.
(_Fist closed; uplifted thumb for
candle. Jack jumps over it._)
TWO LITTLE HANDS
Two little hands so soft and white,
This is the left--this is the right.
Five little fingers stand on each,
So I can hold a pl Previous Next |