Kids Songs Around the World with English Translations
or French Translations
or Spanish Translations
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This is the Games Archive Page
- Ball Bouncing (1)
- Chess (2)
- Circle Games (3)
- Computer Games (2)
- Geocaching (1)
- I Spy Game (1)
- Inuit Throat Singing (1)
- Jump Rope (5)
- Memory Games (1)
- Pebernodder Cookie Game (1)
- Pool Games (1)
- Puppets (0)
- Skipping Game (1)
- Sports (1)
- Stick Games (1)
- The Dreidel Game (3)
- Wii (2)
- Word Games (2)
- Alfabeto Farfallino (1)
- Jeringonza (1)
- P Language (1)
- Pig Latin (2)
Categories
- 1512 (1)
- Arts and Crafts (21)
- Books (56)
- Children's Songs (431)
- Countries & Cultures (911)
- Customs (42)
- Folk Lore (6)
- Folk Songs (76)
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- Games (40)
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- History of Nursery Rhymes (8)
- Holiday Calendar (1)
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- Questions (309)
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My Tweets
Archive for the 'Games' Category
Contents
Posts
Pig Latin Musical Video
Friday, November 6th, 2009I had to post this… After my post yesterday about Pig Latin in different languages, I started looking for Pig Latin videos and came across this musical one… it’s sort of catchy… well, it probably would be it you were fluent in Pig Latin!
So let’s have a little fun today… below is the original Pig Latin Musical Video, followed by the lyrics translated from Pig Latin into English, and then, if you’re really hooked, you can watch the video with the Pig Latin lyrics on the screen. It is sort of mesmerizing.
But first, here are the rules of Pig Latin…
Take the first letter off the beginning of each word and add it to the end of the word. Then put “ay” after that. So, the word “tomorrow” becomes “omorrow-tay”. If the first two letters of the word are two consonants making one sound, (like “st”, “sp”, “tr”, etc.) both letters get moved to the end of the word. Thus, “star” becomes “ar-stay”.
Enjoy the show!
Translated Lyrics…
Do you speak pig latin?
if you speak pig latin then you’re cool like me!
I love to mess with people cause I am dumb
I speak pig latin every day and you should too! x 2
I believe everybody has brains
I also believe only half get used
I may say that I am dumb, I am
but don’t think I don’t use my own brains, cause I do
are you ready to test your mind with Mr. Safety
REVERSE
RIDDLE*
Do you speak pig latin?*If you can’t figure out the riddle (in the second part of the lyrics)… it’s not in the lyrics above… it’s a riddle… If you can’t figure it out yourself, you can pause the second video (below) at 1 minute 29 seconds for the answer.
aveHay unFay!
amaMay isaLay
Jeringonza – A Spanish Word Game Like Pig Latin, with Portuguese and Italian Versions
Thursday, November 5th, 2009Jeringonza is played in Spain and throughout Latin America. It’s also found in Portuguese speaking Brazil and even in Italy. It’s a secret language for kids – just like the English word game Pig Latin.
(I’m going to make all the changes to the words in bold below to help you learn how to create the secret languages.)
In Pig Latin, you create a secret language – that adults don’t understand unless they played the games themselves. You do it by taking the first letter off the beginning of each word and add it to the end of the word. Then put “ay” after that. So, the word “tomorrow” becomes “omorrow-tay“. If the first two letters of the word are two consonants making one sound, (like “st”, “sp”, “tr”, etc.) both letters get moved to the end of the word. Thus, “star” becomes “ar-stay“.
There are different ways to play Jeringonza depending on the country. The most common way is to add a “P” after each vowel in a word, and then after the “P” you repeat the vowel again. So “Chile” would become “Chi-pi-le-pe“.
In Puerto Rico, you add “chi” before each syllable of the word. So the word “gato” (cat) becomes chi-ga-chi-to. Say it out loud. It’s very rhythmic!
In Brazil, the game is called Língua do Pê (P language). It’s rules are like the “P” rules for Spanish above – you add a “P” after each vowel in a word, and then after the “P” you repeat the vowel again. So “carro” (car) becomes “car-pa-ro-po“.
In Italy, the game is called Alfabeto Farfallino (Farfallino Alphabet) – because you add “F” to words making them sound like the word “farfallino”. Actually, the rules are again like the “P” rules for Spanish above – but with an “F” instead: The most common way is to add a “F” after each vowel in a word, and then after the “F” you repeat the vowel again. So, “luna” becomes “lu-fu-na-fa“.
Have fun having secret conversations!
Please, feel free to share your word games with us in the comments below.
Cheers!
Mama Lisa
Birthday Chant and Jump Rope Rhyme – Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009My daughter and her friend Marisa taught me this birthday rhyme in the car the other day. They chant this in class to talk about birthdays and months of the year.
Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums
Apples, Peaches, Pears and Plums,
Tell me when your birthday comes?January, February, March, April,
May, June, July, August, September,
October, November, December?Some people only chant the first 2 lines and then another person will answer with their birthday.
This is also a jump rope rhyme. Two kids hold a long jump rope and swing it around in a circle. They chant the rhyme. You jump in on your birthday month. Then the girls start counting 1, 2, 3, etc. until they reach the number of the day you were born on. Then you jump out.
The other way to play the jump rope game is to skip the numbers. You still jump “in” when your birthday month is called. The other kids then repeat the rhyme and you jump “out” when you hear your birthday month the second time around.
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
Geocaching – Fun Treasure Hunting with the Kids and a GPS
Sunday, October 11th, 2009This weekend we geocached with our daughter and a couple of her friends. Geocaching is “a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches…” with the help of your GPS guidance system.
We used my husband’s iPhone to guide us on our adventure. We knew there were a couple of geocaches in a nearby park. So we headed there.
My husband had previously downloaded a geocaching app for his iPhone called Geocaching.com Intro. At the park, the app finds the closest geocache and guides you to it.
The app found a geogache for us to find. The girls took turns with the iPhone pointing the direction on a compass.
Eventually you usually go off the path. (If they were on the path, people who didn’t know about the game might take them.) Then you follow the directions until you (hopefully) find the cache. The two we found today were in small plastic tubs. You’re supposed to sign the log that you find inside the tub. There are also trinkets inside the tub. You’re supposed to leave a trinket and you can take a trinket in return. We made sure all the girls had trinkets to exchange.
It was a lot of fun!
We had tried this last weekend in a more public park and never found the geocaches. Our theory is that people who didn’t know how the game might have found the caches because it was a more public place and took them. The game seems to work better in larger parks with more vegetation.
If you have a regular GPS system you can go to geocache.com and type in the zip code for the area you are going to. Then you can find different geocaches nearby. Pick one and find hints for finding it. I think it will give you the final coordinates too. You’ll need to sign up and read all about it!
Have fun!
Mama Lisa
Lyrics to Anna Banana and Hannah Banana with an MP3
Friday, June 5th, 2009A third grader named Marisa taught me a hand clapping rhyme called “Hannah Banana”. It comes from a jump rope rhyme called “Anna Banana”. The lyrics to “Anna Banana” are:
Anna Banana
Plays the piana.
All she can play
Is the Star Spangled Banner.
Anna Banana split.“Hannah Banana”, on the other hand, is a hand clapping rhyme. What’s interesting to me is that “Anna” switched to “Hannah”. We have two theories about why this might have happened. The first is simply is that “Hannah” is now a more popular name in the US than “Anna”. Children on the playground may have heard “Anna” as “Hannah” since the names sound so similar, and switched it. Our other theory is that “Hannah Banana” is somewhat close to “Hannah Montana”, the popular character from the children’s TV show. Children may have switched the rhyme to “Hannah Banana” based on that similarity. We may never know for sure why there’s now a version of “Anna Banana” called “Hannah Banana”, but it’s interesting to speculate.
Here’s the new rhyme “Hannah Banana”, with instructions for playing it and an mp3 of Marisa chanting it…
Hannah Banana
Plays the piana
All she could play
Is split she’s an idiot.
(Repeat)Istructions for Hand Clapping Game:
1st 3 lines of Rhyme:1. Clap your own hands
2. Clap your partner’s hand diagonally
3. Clap your own hands
4. Clap your partner’s other hand diagonally
5. Repeat 1 – 4Last line of Rhyme: Move feet out (like a little split).
Keep repeating the rhyme – each time moving feet out more on the last line – whoever falls over first loses.
Many thanks to Marisa for teaching me this rhyme and for chanting it for us!
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa Banana
Hiding the Matzo for Passover
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009One Passover tradition that children love is "Hide the Matzoh". An adult hides a piece of matzo that’s wrapped in a cloth napkin or put in a baggie. Then the children try to find it. Whoever finds the matzoh gets a prize. The prize is often chocolate money (gelt) or real money (like a dollar).
“Hide the Matzoh” can also be part of a larger tradition called Afrikoman. Here are some details: In a traditional Seder (Passover meal), there are three whole matzos placed on the Passover table and covered with a cloth napkin. Before the Seder begins, the middle matzo is broken in half. The smaller piece is placed back on the plate and the larger one is wrapped and hidden (if there are kids at the Seder). This piece – the larger piece of the middle matzo – is called the “Afrikoman”.
After the matzo has been found by the children, and the Seder meal has been eaten, the guests eat the Afrikoman.
Some families have a different tradition where the children "steal" the Afrikoman and then hold it for ransom. The adults then have to give money or a gift to the children to get it back!
Traditionally, the Afrikoman is supposed to be the last thing that’s eaten of the day and it should be eaten before midnight.
Chad Gadyo is a traditional Passover song – you can click the link for the lyrics, a translation, midi and score. You can hear one version of it below…
Happy Passover!
Mama Lisa
Learn to Play the New Zealand Stick Game – E Papä Waiari
Thursday, March 12th, 2009E Papä Waiari is a song and a stick game played in New Zealand.
John Archer, of the site New Zealand Folk Song, wrote me, “Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world learn the Maori stick tossing song ‘E Papa Waiari’.” According to his site, this is a stick game which are called “Tï Räkau”. These games consist of “the rhythmic throwing and catching of sticks from person to person.”
Here are the lyrics to “E Papä Waiari” in Maori, followed by an English translation and two YouTube videos of the game and song…
E Papä Waiari
1. E papä Waiari, taku nei mahi
Taku nei mahi, he tuku roimataChorus:
Ë aue, ka mate au; E hine hoki mai rä
Ë aue, ka mate au; E hine hoki mai rä2. Mäku e kaute öhïkoitanga
Mäku e kaute öhïkoitangaChorus
O Elder Waiari
1. O elder Waiari my habit has been
My habit has been to shed tearsChorus:
Alas I will die; oh girl, return to me
Alas I will die; oh girl, return to me2. I will count your footsteps
I will count your footstepsChorus
I like this video because you can clearly hear the lyrics…
This video has slow parts, so you can learn how to play the stick game (though it gets silly at times):
Here are more Maori Stick Games/Dances:
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa
Can Anyone Help with Any Belgian Kids Games?
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009Donna Bratton wrote to me on the Mama Lisa Facebook Group:
I am looking for games that children in Belgium play for a project. Does anyone know any? Thanks
If anyone can help out, please comment below.
Thanks in advance!
Mama Lisa
Danish Kids Songs Sites plus a Danish Children’s Song
Thursday, February 19th, 2009Richard wrote to me recommending a Danish kids song site…
Hi
On this web page Rimogremser.dk there are several Danish kids songs with midi files.
Thanks for a good a good web-site ;)
Best regards
Richard
Thanks for the recommendation Richard. The site is nice! It has cool line drawings to go with most of the songs and tunes – though no English translations.
I picked one of the songs on the site that’s in the public domain (possibly 100 years+ old) and tried my hand at translating it. Below you’ll find the lyrics in Danish, the illustration from the site, a link to the midi and my translation…
Når vi sejler op og ned
Når vi sejler op og ned,
ser vi fisken svømme.
Ære, være, du er min.
Lise, Lise, hvor vi elsker dig.Når vi sejler op og ned,
ser vi fisken svømme.
Ære, være, du er min
Michael, Michael, hvor vi hader dig.Midi of Når vi sejler op og ned
Rough English Translation:
When we sail up and down,
We see the fish swim.
Glory, be, you are mine,
Lisa, Lisa, we love you.When we sail up and down,
We see the fish swim.
Glory, be, you are mine,
Michael, Michael, we hate you.I welcome improvements to my translation!
I searched around some more and found another nice Danish site called Dansk Folkemindesamling (the link here is for the kids song section of the site). This one had a different version of the same song (also in Danish only). This one also had a Quicktime recording of children singing it. It’s where I learned that the song goes back to at least 1900. It’s a circle game. One goes “swimming” under the “circles” raised arms. At the end of each verse one joins the circle. One joins them to walk around so that together they form a chain which gets longer and longer.
Here’s the second version of the song…
1 Når vi sejler op og ned
så ser vi fisken svømme
ære være vi er her
for Mia, Mia hvem elsker du?2 Når vi sejler op og ned
så ser vi fisken svømme
ære være vi er her
for Per, Per hvem elsker du?3 Når vi sejler op og ned
så ser vi fisken svømme
ære være vi er her
for Ebbe, Ebbe hvem elsker du?This version is friendlier. Here’s the English translation I came up with:
1 When we sail up and down,
We see the fish swim.
We are honored to be here
For Mia, Mia, who loves you?2 When we sail up and down,
We see the fish swim.
We are honored to be here
For Per, Per, Who loves you?3 When we sail up and down,
We see the fish swim.
We are honored to be here
For Ebbe, Ebbe, Who loves you?Once again, I welcome improvements to my translation!
Mama Lisa’s World also has some Danish kids songs with English, French and Spanish translations and midis. We always welcome more songs if anyone would like to contribute any and also if anyone would like to sing any for us… Feel free to comment below or email me!
Mama Lisa
Obwisana Song with a Translation and YouTube Video
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009LisaMarie wrote to me asking about the Ghanaian song Obwisana. I posted her email below, followed by the lyrics, an English translation, two YouTube videos of the song and finally a link to the score.
Here’s LisaMarie’s email…
Hi
I was hoping you could help. I’m training to be a teacher and for my music assessment I have to discuss a piece of music and have chosen to look at Obwisana but was wondering if you could tell me where I could obtain a free version of the traditional song.
Yours
LisaMarie SheppardHere are the lyrics to Obwisana:
Obwisana
Obwisana sa nana
Obwisana sa
Obwisana sa nana
Obwisana sa.English Translation of Obwisana:
The rock has crushed my hand, grandma
The rock has crushed my hand.
The rock has crushed my hand, grandma,
The rock has crushed my hand.Here are two YouTube renditions of Obwisana. The first video is an expanded version of the song that includes other lyrics…
The second version includes lots of sound effects and beats…
Obwisana is a circle game. Kids sit in a circle while singing ob-wi-sa-na and they pass around a rock. Each kid taps the rock on the ground and passes it to the next kid. The taps make a beat at each syllable of the song.
Susan Arnold wrote me:
“I know this song as an Akan song from Ghana. ‘Obo asi me nsa, nana, obo asi me nsa’ which is sung in a circle by children. The Akan place great importance on co-operation and this circle game can’t be played without that and a high degree of accuracy when placing the stone, especially as it gets faster and faster and more intricate with 2 stones tapped together or going round in the opposite direction.”
Here is an Obwisana Score.
You can visit our Obwisana song page for a midi tune and for Spanish and French translations!
I hope this all helps you LisaMarie!
Mama Lisa
PS If anyone knows more about the extended lyrics to this song, please let us know about it in the comments below. Thanks in advance!
Can Anyone Help with a Polish Circle Game Song?
Friday, January 23rd, 2009Lorena wrote:
Hi,
I’m Argentinian, my grandfather was Polish and he would always sing a circle game song in Polish. Now that I’m a Mommy, I’d like to sing it to my daughter. I don’t remember it well. Since my grandfather passed away some years ago, I’m writing to you to see if you can help me.
The song goes phonetically something like this…
Kowo miski sa te de reski, kowo…
I’m sorry but I don’t know anything about Polish, I remember that we used to end the game sitting on the floor.
Thanks so much… Lorena
If anyone can help Lorena with this song, please comment below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Video Game Gift Ideas for Kids
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
I asked my children to tell me what they’d consider to be their favorite video games. In case there are people out there still looking for last minute gift ideas, below are some recommendations.
I recommend going to Game Stop to buy video games since they’re small stores that you can find anywhere. If you’re looking online, you can also try Amazon.
Here are my teenage son’s favorite games:
For the Wii:
For the DS:
For the PC (Computer):
Spore
World of Goo (It can also be downloaded onto the Wii*.)For the N64 (Some old N64 games can be downloaded onto the Wii* – that’s how my son played it):
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Here are my 7 year old daughter’s favorites:
Disney Princesses: Enchanted Journey – available for the PC, Wii and PS2
Littlest Pet Shop Video Game – available for the PC, Wii and DSBratz Baby Ponies – this is free online – all you need is a Flash player! You choose a pony and style its hair. Great for girls!
Frogger – another game that has a free version online – good for boys and girls (My daughter played it on the GameCube – which is an older system.)
For the DS:
For the PC:
World of Goo (It can also be downloaded onto the Wii*.)
Most kids seem to like games in the Mario Bros. franchise. You can see that Mario games are on both of my kids’ lists and I’ve bought them for many other children in our lives who have enjoyed playing them.
If you’re interested in stuffed animal and robotic animal gifts you can click the link to see an earlier post I wrote with recommendations.
Feel free to let us know about the games the kids you know like in the comments below…
Mama Lisa
*A Note About Downloading Games onto the Wii: There’s a Wii Shop Channel on the Wii Menu on the Wii. You can buy a Wii points card at a video game store or you could by points through the Wii Shop Channel. To use the card you just enter the code on the card into the Wii Shop Channel and search for a game. If it’s there it should come up. Most games cost $15 or less. 100 points costs $1. You can get old games on it and some games that are programmed specifically for it. The old games are from NES, SNES, N64 and some other systems.
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: How High Can You Do?
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
In my last blog post, I gave a couple of variations of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe that go up to the number twenty. It’s rare that this rhyme goes past that. When it does, it seems to be to play it as a ball bouncing game… how high can you go bouncing the ball?
This whole search for different variations of the One, Two, Buckle My Shoe rhyme, was all inspired by an email I received from Fran. She wrote…
Lisa, We used to do this rhyme up to 40 when we were kids. Have you ever heard the second part? I am trying to find the parts I can’t remember. Thanks, Fran
As I mentioned in my last post, most people know One, Two, Buckle My Shoe up to 10. Some people know it up to 20. Most people don’t know it past that. I myself had a hard time finding versions beyond 20. After some research, the highest I was able to find was 30. Given Fran’s email, there seems to be a version of this rhyme that goes up to forty. Do you know any versions that go that high?
Below are the different versions I found that go higher than twenty…
First are two versions that go up to twenty-four. They’re from Southern California Jump-Rope Rhymes: A Study in Variants by Ray B. Browne (Western Folklore, Jan. 1955). The first one was “Given as a ball bouncing game”…
One, two,
Buckle my shoe.
Three, Four,
Open the door.
Five, Six,
Pick up sticks.
Seven, Eight,
Lay them straight.
Nine, Ten,
A big fat Hen.Eleven, twelve,
Mind your self (or, roast ‘er well).
Thirteen, fourteen, maids are sporting.
Fifteen, sixteen, maids are kissing.
Seventeen, eighteen, maids are waiting.
Nineteen, twenty, maids are plenty.
Twenty-one, twenty-two,
If you love me as I love you
My knife can cut our love in two.
Twenty-three, twenty-four,
Mary at the kitchen door
Eating apples by the score.
One, two, three, four.[Original Source: Nebraska: Sue Hall, "That Spring Perennial-Rope Jumping!" Recreation, XXXIV (March, 1941), 713-716. (verbal changes only, 11. 1-2)]
Here’s a variation Brown gave on the second verse:
Eleven, twelve, in the well.
Thirteen, fourteen, boys are courting.
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen.
Seventeen, eighteen, maids in waiting.
Nineteen, twenty, my plate is empty
(and sometimes ends,…
Twenty-four, Mary’s at the cottage door
Eating grapes upon a plate,
Five, six, seven, eight.)[Original Source: Paul G. Brewster, "Rope-Skipping, Counting-out, and other Rhymes of Children," SFQ, III (1939), 173-185. (verbal changes only, 11. 1-2)]
Western Folklore by California Folklore Society (1954) has the ending simply as:
Twenty-one, twenty-two,
If you love me as I love you
My knife can cut our love in two.The book 10,000 reasons for everything; How to win; Why you lost; Folklore supporting our best superstitions (1998), by William Carroll, has the ending as:
Twenty-one, twenty-two,
That will do.Beverly Flanigan, from the American Dialect Society, posted this: “I only know the 4-and-20 rhyme as the ending of ‘One, two, buckle my shoe’ which we chanted while trying to bounce a ball non-stop without grasping it or losing it (I can still do it!)”…
One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four, shut the door
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, a big fat hen
Eleven, twelve, dig and delve
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting
Fifteen, sixteen, maids a-kissing
Seventeen, eighteen, maids a-waiting
Nineteen, twenty, the larder is empty
Twenty-one, twenty-two, my old shoe,
Dressed in blue, died last night at half-past two,
Twenty-three, twenty-four, last night at half-past four,
Twenty-four burglars came up to my door;
I opened the door and let them in;
I knocked them down with a rolling pin!Finally, here’s an incomplete version of the rhyme that goes up to thirty. It’s from The Counting-out Rhymes of Children by Henry Carrington Bolton (1888). Bolton wrote that it was “Used in Wrentham Mass as early as 1780″…
One, two, buckle my shoe
Three, four, open the door
Five six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight
Nine, ten, kill a fat hen
Eleven, twelve, bake it well
Thirteen, fourteen, go a courtin’
Fifteen, sixteen, go to milkin’
Seventeen, eighteen, do the bakin’
Nineteen, twenty, the mill is empty
Twenty-one, charge the gun
Twenty-two, the partridge flew
Twenty-three, she lit on a tree
Twenty-four, she lit down lower
Twenty-five*,
Twenty-six*,
Twenty-seven*,
Twenty-eight*,
Twenty-nine the game is mine,
Thirty make a kerchy.*Asterisks denote portions forgotten by the aged contributor.
If anyone knows of any other versions of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe that go higher than twenty, please let us know about it in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
Illustration from “National Rhymes of the Nursery” (circa 1895), illustrated by Gordon Browne (with a little graphical editing by Lisa Yannucci).
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Most people know One, Two, Buckle My Shoe up to the number 10. Here’s a well-known version…
One Two,
Buckle my shoe.
Three, Four,
Open the door.
Five, Six,
Pick up sticks.
Seven, Eight,
Lay them straight.
Nine, Ten
Do it again.Some people know One, Two, Buckle My Shoe up to 20. Below is the version from Walter Crane’s The Buckle My Shoe Picture Book (1910). I’ve posted his illustrations after the rhyme…
One Two,
Buckle my shoe.
Three, Four,
Open the door.
Five, Six,
Pick up sticks.
Seven, Eight,
Lay them straight.
Nine, Ten,
A good fat Hen.Eleven, Twelve,
Ring the Bell.
Thirteen, Fourteen,
Maids are courting.
Fifteen, Sixteen,
Maids in the Kitchen.
Seventeen, Eighteen,
Maids in waiting.
Nineteen, Twenty,
My plate is empty.
Here’s another version that goes up to 20, from A Gift for All Seasons, edited by Lawrence Lovechild (1847)…
One, two, buckle my shoe ;
Three, four, open the door ;
Five, six, pick up sticks ;
Seven, eight, lay them straight ;
Nine, ten, a good fat hen ;
Eleven, twelve, I hope you ‘re well ;
Thirteen, fourteen, draw the curtain ;
Fifteen, sixteen, the maid ’s in the kitchen ;
Seventeen, eighteen, she ’s in waiting ;
Nineteen, twenty, my plate is empty ;
Please, mamma, to give me some dinner.The Counting-out Rhymes of Children by Henry Carrington Bolton gave this variation of the second part of this rhyme…
9, 10, a good fat hen,
11, 12, roast her well,
13, 14, boys a courtin’,
15, 16, girls a fixin’,
17, 18, maids a bakin’,
19, 20, weddings plenty.Check out more versions of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe on my nursery rhyme site.
Please feel free to post any versions of this rhyme that you know in the comments below.
Mama Lisa
Coming next on the blog: Versions of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe that go past the number 20!
Photos of a Phillies Parade – A Sea of People All in Red
Saturday, November 1st, 2008The Phillies won the American baseball World Series on Wednesday. Yesterday they had a parade in Philadelphia to celebrate it.
My friend Ray Lee sent me this photo below. He took it from his office building when the parade was passing by. I love the photo and wanted to post it here. After the original picture, you’ll see a couple of attempts I made to crop it and enhance the color. It’s interesting to see such a mass of people wearing red!
Thanks to Ray for sharing his photo!
Mama Lisa
A Well-known Spanish Kids Song called “Saw, Saw” with a YouTube Video
Monday, October 27th, 2008Here you can watch some Chilean children singing Aserrín, aserrán – Saw, Saw – a popular Spanish childrens song. Below the video you’ll find the lyrics in Spanish, followed by an English translation.
Here’s the version of Aserrín, aserrán that the kids are singing…
Aserrín, aserrán,
Los maderos de San Juan
Piden pan,
No les dan,
Piden queso
Le dan hueso
Piden vino si les dan,
Se marean y se van, van, van.Saw, Saw,
The woodsmen of San Juan
Ask for bread,
They’re given none,
Ask for cheese,
They’re given a bone.
Ask for wine, if they’re given some
They get sick and go back home.Many different versions of this song exist. Below you’ll find links to the lyrics of this song from some other countries, along with directions about how to play the game…
Aserrín, aserrán from Spain
Aserrín, aserrán from Peru
Aserrín, aserrán from ArgentinaFeel free to add the version of Aserrín, aserrán that you know in the comments below. Please let us know which country it’s from.
Mama Lisa
Halloween Rhymes for Divination (or How to Predict Your Future Love!)
Friday, October 24th, 2008I recently read “Games for Hallow-e’en” by Mary F. Blain (1912). In her book, Blain tells how to throw a Halloween Party. Though you must keep in mind that it’s from the perspective of almost a century ago. I like her description of Halloween:
Hallow-e’en or Hallow-Even is the last night of October, being the eve or vigil of All-Hallow’s or All Saint’s Day, and no holiday in all the year is so informal or so marked by fun both for grown-ups as well as children as this one. On this night there should be nothing but laughter, fun and mystery. It is the night when Fairies dance, Ghosts, Witches, Devils and mischief-making Elves wander around. It is the night when all sorts of charms and spells are invoked for prying into the future by all young folks and sometimes by folks who are not young.
At the end of Blaine’s description, she mentioned “the night when all sorts of charms and spells are invoked for prying into the future”. She was talking about how people felt that Halloween was an especially good time for divination – predicting the future. Kids especially played games where they could predict their future spouses’ names or occupations. This seems like a fun idea for kids, so I pulled out of Blaine’s book the games that specifically relate to predicting future loves and/or those that have rhymes or chants involved. Here they are, quoted directly from the book:
LOVER’S TEST
A maid and youth each places a chestnut to roast on fire, side by
side. If one hisses and steams, it indicates a fretful temper in owner
of chestnut; if both chestnuts equally misbehave it augurs strife. If
one or both pop away, it means separation; but if both burn to ashes
tranquilly side by side, a long life of undisturbed happiness will be
lot of owners.These portentous omens are fitly defined in the following lines:
“These glowing nuts are emblems true
Of what in human life we view;
The ill-matched couple fret and fume,
And thus in strife themselves consume;
Or from each other wildly start,
And with a noise forever part.
But see the happy, happy pair,
Of genuine love and truth sincere;
With mutual fondness while they burn,
Still to each other kindly turn;
And as the vital sparks decay,
Together gently sink away;
Till life’s fierce trials being past,
Their mingled ashes rest at last.”PERPLEXING HUNT
In this game the seeker for a prize is guided from place to place by
doggerels (verses) as the following, and is started on his hunt with this rhyme:“Perhaps you’ll find it in the air;
If not, look underneath your chair.”Beneath his chair he finds the following:
“No, you will not find it here;
Search the clock and have no fear.”Under the clock he finds:
“You will have to try once more;
Look behind the parlor door.”Tied to the door-knob he discovers:
“If it’s not out in the stable
Seek beneath the kitchen table.”Under the kitchen table he finds another
note, which reads:“If your quest remains uncertain,
You will find it ‘neath a curtain.”And here his quest is rewarded by finding the prize.
APPLE SEEDS
Apple seeds act as charms on Hallowe’en. Stick one on each eyelid and
name one “Home” and the other “Travel.” If seed named travel stays on
longer, you will go on a journey before year expires. If “Home” clings
better, you will remain home. Again, take all the apple seeds, place
them on back of outspread left hand and with loosely clenched right
hand strike palm of left. This will cause some, if not all, of seeds
to fall. Those left on hand show number of letters you will receive
the coming fortnight. Should all seeds drop, you must wait patiently
for your mail.Put twelve apple seeds carefully one side while you cut twelve slips
of blank paper exactly alike, and on one side of each write name of
friend. Turn them all over with blanks uppermost and mix them so that
you will not know which is which; then, holding seeds in your left
hand; repeat:“One I love,
Two I love,
Three I love I say;
Four I love with all my heart
Five I cast away.
Six he loves,
Seven she loves,
Eight they both love;
Nine he comes,
Ten he tarries,
Eleven he courts and
Twelve he marries.”Stop at each line to place a seed on a paper, and turn slip over to
discover name of one you love or cast away. Continue matching apple
seeds with papers as you count, until all twelve seeds and twelve
papers are used.KISMET
Take half as many apples as guests, tie two long strings, one red and
one yellow, to each apple.Place them in one large or several small baskets or receptacles on a
table. The girls choose the red and the boys the yellow strings and at
a signal they carefully pull the strings and follow them up until each
finds his or her mate holding the string of the opposite color,
attached to the same apple. The apples are then to be divided between
each couple and the seeds in each half, counted as follows:One–I love thee.
Two–he (she) loves me.
Three–Wedded we will be.
Four–he (she) loves me dearly.
Five–he (she) loves me nearly.
Six–a friend forever.
Seven–we must sever.
Eight–we met too late.
Nine–why hesitate.
Ten–he (she) is my chosen mate.AROUND THE WALNUT TREE
Of all Hallow-e’en spells and charms associated with nuts, the
following is one of the oldest: If a young man or woman goes at
midnight on Hallow-e’en to a walnut tree and walks around three times,
crying out each time, “Let him (her) that is to be my true love bring
me some walnuts,” future wife or husband will be seen in tree
gathering nuts.GAME OF FATE
Guests take part, seated in a circle. Three Fates are chosen, one of
whom whispers to each person in turn name of his (her) future
sweetheart. Second Fate follows, whispering to each where he (she)
will next meet his (her) sweetheart; as, “You will meet on a load of
hay,” or, “at a picnic,” or, “at church,” or, “on the river,” etc. The
third Fate reveals the future; as, “You will marry him (her) next
Christmas,” or, “You will be separated many years by a quarrel, but
will finally marry,” or, “Neither of you will ever marry,” etc. Each
guest must remember what is said by the Fates; then each in turn
repeats aloud what has been told him (her). For example, “My future
sweetheart’s name is Obednego; I shall meet him next Wednesday on the
Moonlight Excursion, and we shall be married in a week.”WHERE DWELLS MY LOVER?
Steal out unobserved at midnight; plucking a small lock of hair from
your head, cast it to breeze. Whatever direction it is blown is
believed to be location of future matrimonial partner.“I pluck this lock of hair off my head
To tell whence comes the one I shall wed.
Fly, silken hair, fly all the world around
Until you reach the spot where my true love is found.”ROSE TEST
Take two roses with long stems. Name one for yourself and one for your
lover. Go to your room without speaking to any one; kneel beside bed;
twine stems of roses together, and repeat following lines, gazing
intently on lover’s rose:“Twine, twine, and intertwine,
Let my love be wholly thine.
If his heart be kind and true,
Deeper grow his rose’s hue.”If your swain is faithful, color of rose will grow darker.
THE MIRROR
Walk backward several feet out of doors in moonlight with mirror in
your hand, or within doors with candle in one hand and mirror in
the other, repeating following rhyme, and face of your future
companion will appear in glass:“Round and round, O stars so fair!
Ye travel and search out everywhere;
I pray you, sweet stars, now show to me
This night who my future husband (wife) shall be.”NOTE FROM MAMA LISA – I’M NOT RECOMMENDING THAT CHILDREN PLAY THIS NEXT GAME! IT’S JUST INTERESTING TO READ ABOUT FROM AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE…
JUMPING LIGHTED CANDLE
Place a lighted candle in middle of floor, not too securely placed;
each one jumps over it. Whoever succeeds in clearing candle is
guaranteed a happy year, free of trouble or anxiety. He who knocks
candle over will have a twelve-month of woe.[Another Note from Mama Lisa: This sounds like what's being described in the rhyme Jack Be Nimble.]
APPLE-SEED TEST
Cut an apple open and pick out seeds from core. If only two seeds are
found, they portend early marriage; three, legacy; four, great wealth;
five, a sea voyage; six, great fame as orator or singer; seven,
possession of any gift most desired.If you’re interested, you can read the whole book that these rhymes are from. It’s online at: Games for Hallow-e’en.
Enjoy predicting your future on Halloween! It’s all in good fun!
Mama Lisa
Horse Trotting Rhymes to Play with Older Kids
Sunday, July 27th, 2008In my previous blog post I mentioned some English rhymes which can be played with children sitting on adults’ laps, with either babies or older kids.
This time, I’d like to discuss another genre of lap rhymes called Horse Trotting Rhymes.
Horse Trotting Rhymes are usually done with older kids. You wouldn’t want to play these babies since you don’t want to jiggle their heads.
When singing these songs you move your legs up and down with the child on your knees as if they’re riding a horse. Older kids love these rhymes.
Ride a Cock-horse to Banbury Cross is one of the best-known English Horse Trotting Rhymes…
Ride a Cock-horse to Banbury Cross
Ride a cock-horse* to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
And she shall have music wherever she goes.*A cock-horse is anything a kid rides on and pretends is a horse (i.e. someone’s lap, a rocking horse or a wooden stick with a wooden horses head).
Trot, Trot, Trot to Boston is another well-known Horse Trotting Rhyme. Below I’ve listed some of the variations of the rhyme…
Trot, Trot, Trot to Boston
Trot, trot, trot to Boston
(Gently bounce the child on your knees)Trot, trot, trot to Lynn.
(Gently bounce again)Watch out Little One/Girl/Boy/or kids’ name
(Gently bounce knees again)Or you’ll fall in/You’re going to fall in!/or Cause you might fall in!
(Open knees/Gently bring child down between knees and then lift back up)Variation:
Trot, trot to Boston
Trot, trot to Maine
Trot, trot
And home, home again.Or:
Trot, trot, to Boston;
Trot, trot, to Lynn;
Trot, trot, to Salem;
Home, home again.When singing this next song you move your legs up and down with the child on your knees. With each verse you move your legs a little higher…
This Is the Way the Ladies Ride
This is the way the ladies ride,
Tri, tre, tre, tree,
Tri, tre, tre, tree!
This is the way the ladies ride,
Tri, tre, tre, tre, tri-tre-tre-tree!This is the way the gentlemen ride,
Gallop-a-trot,
Gallop-a-trot!
This is the way the gentlemen ride,
Gallop-a-gallop-a-trot!This is the way the farmers ride,
Hobbledy-hoy,
Hobbledy-hoy!
This is the way the farmers ride,
Hobbledy-hobbledy-hoy!Here’s a similar one…
Here Goes My Lord
Here goes my lord
A trot, a trot, a trot, a trot,
Here goes my lady
A canter, a canter, a canter, a canter!Here goes my young master
Jockey-hitch*, jockey-hitch, jockey-hitch, jockey-hitch!
Here goes my young miss
An amble, an amble, an amble, an amble!The footman lags behind to tipple** ale and wine,
And goes gallop, a gallop, a gallop, to make up his time.*To jockey is to ride a horse like in a race as if you’re a jockey. To hitch is to raise with a jerk. So I believe jockey-hitch describes riding a horse quickly, yet, fitfully up and down.
**To drinkHere’s one more…
Little Shon a Morgan
Little Shon a Morgan
Shentleman of Wales,
Came riding on a nanny-goat,
Selling of pigs’ tails.Chicky, cuckoo, my little duck,
See-saw, sickna downy;
Gallop a trot, trot, trot,
And hey for Dublin a towny!If you would like to share any more Horse Trotting Rhymes with us, feel free to tell us about them in the comments below.
The illustration comes from The National Nursery Book.
Enjoy and have fun!
Mama Lisa
French Handclapping Song called X. A. X. B.
Monday, July 21st, 2008Here’s a nice, simple hand clapping song that the kids in France do. The lyrics are spelled exactly the same in French and English, although they are pronounced differently.
In French, you can hear a play on the word “alphabet” and the sound of the letter “b”. This is because in French, the word “alphabet” ends with the “bay” sound and the letter “b” sounds like “bay”. You can hear this play on sounds in the recording below…
X. A. X. B.
Alphabet,
X X A A
X X B B
X A X B
X alphabet.Many thanks to some girls from Monique Palomares’ school for singing this song for us and to Monique for recording them!
Merci beaucoup!
Mama Lisa
Cinderella Dressed in Yellow – Jump Rope Rhyme with Recording
Saturday, June 28th, 2008Marisa taught me this jump rope rhyme below (many of you might know some version of it)…
Listen to Cinderella Dressed in Yellow – MP3
Cinderella Dressed in Yellow
Jump Rope SongCinderella
Dressed in yellow
Went to kiss a prince,
By mistake,
Kissed a snake.
How many doctors
Did it take,
Was it,
One!
Two!
Three!
Four!
Five…Game Instructions
Jump rope while reciting the rhyme. When you get to the counting part, you jump on each number. If you miss, you stop. Whatever number you’re on, that’s the number of doctors Cinderella needs!
Please feel free to let us know about the version of the Cinderella rhyme that you know or other jump rope rhymes in the comments below.
-Mama Lisa
Thanks to Marisa for contributing and reciting this rhyme, and for explaining how to play the jump rope game!
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