Can Anyone Help with a Slovenian Rhyme about St. Matthew Breaking up Ice?

Frank wrote to me: A long time ago, my dad told me a rhyme in Slovenian about St. Matthew. I can't write it in Slovenian but the English translation is as follows: St. Matthew breaks up ice. If he doesn't have it, he makes it. Do you know the origin of the rhyme and when in the calendar [...]

Counting-Out Rhymes

We're thrilled to add counting-out rhymes to our collection of English nursery rhymes whenever we come across them. Counting out rhymes help choose who goes first in a game, or who's “It”. I found these rhymes below in a book of games called What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes [...]

The Poem “Little Things” with an MP3 and a Request for the Hand Movements

“Little Things” is a poem written by Julia A. F. Carney (1823 – 1908). Here it is followed by a recording by Kaylee Kay: LITTLE THINGS By Julia A. F. Carney Little drops of water Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean, And the pleasant land. So the little moments, Humble though they be, Make the mighty ages Of eternity. So our little errors Lead [...]

It's Groundhog Day Today – The Groundhog Saw His Shadow, Meaning 6 More Weeks of Winter!

The significance of Groundhog Day is really that it marks the midpoint of winter. We're halfway there folks! Here's the famous saying that's told on this day… MP3 Recording of Groundhog Saying If the groundhog sees his shadow We will have six more weeks of Winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, We will have an early Spring. The groundhog did [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Rhyme that Sounds Like “Bunka Bunka Roona”? It's Most Likely Norwegian.

Rachel wrote asking about a childhood rhyme… Hello, My Norwegian Grandfather – passed away 30 years ago – used to put me on his knee and do something like: Bunka Bunka Roona, Smacka Smacka Doona, Kahoong and Kahoong & Set the Butchin up! How Many? At the end, he’d put so many of his fingers on my back and I had [...]

Japanese Hand Rhyme called Nabe Nabe Sokonuke – Bottomless Pan Pan

Erin Yuki Violet Taylor wrote: If you are on the lookout for Japanese hand rhymes, this one is called Nabe Nabe Sokonuke… Nabe nabe sokonuke, sokogenuketaro kaerimasho. While you're saying it, you hold hands with the other person and swing your hands, and when you say “Kaerimasho” (let's go home), you turn around and swing back to back. Then you turn [...]

Double, Double, This, This – Handclapping Rhyme with YouTubes

Erin Yuki Violet Taylor wrote on the Mama Lisa's World Facebook Group Hand Clapping Rhyme Discussion: When I was little we always played “double double”… Double double, this, this, Double double, that, that, Double this, double that, Double double, this, that. Whenever you said “double”, you tapped the side of your fists with the other persons, when you said “this” you [...]

Slovakian Nursery Song

Gini Smith sent me the following email with a Slovakian nursery song… It is an old song which I know the English and the Slovakian. However, I could not write the Slovak, only phonetically. My grandmother taught it to us kids and we loved it. The Slavonic translation may have variations depending on the area the people [...]

Pat-a-cake Songs from Indonesia with MP3's and YouTubes

Back in November I posted a French Pat-a-cake Song and talked about how this type of song seems to be universal throughout the western world. It looks like Pat-a-cake songs are sung in parts of Asia too. Lin Fadelan from Indonesia sent me these Indonesian Pat-a-cake songs below… Tepuk Tepuk Tangan (Bahasa Indonesia) Tepuk Tepuk Tangan Berputar-putar Tangan [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Norwegian Rhyme That Sounds Like “Row row da fiska…”?

Tyler wrote: My grandmother used to sing us kids a song all the time. I never knew the name of it or the entire song. Here is what I remember… Row row da fiska shad munga fisk and a drov e ded entel far entel mor entel suster and entel brod…? Sorry I don't have any idea [...]