Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Bluebells, Cockle Shells...

The warm weather has delivered delightful sounds, such as the birds and squirrels high in the backyard trees. But, the best addition of all has been the sound of children laughing and playing in our neighborhood. More sunlight. More time to enjoy the outdoors. More fun with friends.

As I was picking up sweet gumballs last night, I was able to chat with two kind young girls who live down the street. Their parents were sitting in their front yard, so it was safe for them to walk the short distance toward my place. My! How times have changed. Aaron and I could be out and about with friends who lived blocks away until the street lights came on each evening. There was no worry that we'd be hurt or taken. Now, parents feel like they must watch their children even if they're walking to a trusted neighbor's house. It makes me sad to think of this change in the world.

As quickly my thoughts settled on this, I was reminded that other parts of life do not change. The sisters were carrying their jump ropes, trying to tie two together to make a long rope while waiting for their neighborhood friend to arrive. They started their chants as they headed toward me and were shocked as I chimed in.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Turn Around.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Touch The Ground.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Turn Out The Light.
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Say Goodnight.

It was an amazement to these young ladies that (carefully worded) "someone like you" (definition: OLD) would know the same jump rope songs that the girls said each day on the blacktop near their school, in their driveways, and on the back patios of the neighborhood. So, as they started a new song, I joined right in. I think I was as excited as they were when they began one I didn't know, so I took the opportunity to try to memorize it. I think the girls will be coming back tonight to test me. And, I will be asking them to recite a few that I taught them. If I had a daughter right now and someone asked me to remember the songs I sang each day at grade school recess, I think I would struggle. But, there was something about the feel of those ropes, the young girls' sing-songy voices, their pigtails, and the thump of the wooden and plastic handles hitting the pavement that caused so many memories to rush back.

So, fellow lasses (and any lads who joined in the fun and are willing to admit it), do you have any favorites from your childhood? How about those hand-clapping patty-cake songs? Or, maybe you sang songs while jumping hopscotch? I found a homeschooling link today with many variations. If you're having trouble thinking of some, maybe a few of these might jog your memory.

6 comments:

Sandy-san said...

*clapping with my friends*

Oh Mary Mack, Mack, Mack...
All dressed in black, black, black...
With silver ruffles, ruffles, ruffles...
All down her back, back, back...
She asked her mother, mother, mother...
For 50 cents, cents, cents...
To watch her brother, brother, brother...
Climb up the fence, fence, fence...
He climbed so high, high, high...
He reached the sky, sky, sky...
And he never came back, back, back...
'Til the 4th of July, July, July...

Does it make any sense?! Nah; I think EVERYONE knows this one, though! =)

Sandy-san said...

*clapping*

Miss Lulu had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell

Miss Lulu went to heaven
The steamboatwent to...

Hello operator
Give me number 9

If you disconnect me
I'll kick you in...

...behind the 'fridgerator
There was a piece of glass

Poor Little Lulu
Fell and broke her...

... ask me no more questions
I'll tell you no more lies

The cows are in the meadow
Making chocolate pies!

Yep. We thought we were being so bad singing this song. We would NEVER sing this in front of Grandma or she would wash our mouth out with soap!

Elizabeth said...

My brothers and I were the masters at hand clap game (the one were one have is turned up and the other down) we didn't have any song to, but we sure went fast - I guess the speed was masculine enough for my brothers to take part. We always ended up laugh for usually longer than we played. Definately a concentration game.

strem said...

We were always big hand-clappers to the McDonalds theme at the time:

Big Mac, Filet-o-Fish,
Quarter Pounder, French Fries
Icy Coke, Thick Shake
Sundaes and Apple Pies
And the cup ran away with the spoon.
Yeah!

strem said...

There's one that was really common around us. We said "See, see" at the beginning, but some say "Say, say.

Anyway, here's what we sang.
See see my playmate.
Come out and play with me.
And bring your dollies three.
Climb up my apple tree.
Slide down my rain barrel (or rain bow)
Into my cellar door.
And, we'll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more.

Dani said...

We did Miss Merimack, but ours was only a clapping game and went a little differently...

Oh Miss Merimack, Mack, Mack...
All dressed in black, black, black...
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons...
All down her back, back, back...
She asked her mother, mother, mother...
For 50 cents, cents, cents...
To watch the elephant, elephant, elephant...
Jump over the fence, fence, fence...
He jumped so high, high, high...
He reached the sky, sky, sky...
And he didn't come back, back, back...
'Til the 4th of July, July, July...

seems like there might be a few other verses but I'm not recalling them now.

We had one other hand game one that I remember watching but not playing...

down down baby, down by the water line,
sweet, sweet baby I don't want to let you go.
shimmy, shimmy cocoa puff
shimmy, shimmy oowwww,
shimmy, shimmy cocoa puff
shimmy, shimmy oowwww.
2 dumb kids sitting on a fence trying to make a dollar out of 85 cents.
2 dumb kids sitting on a fence trying to make a dollar out of 85 cents.

There was one more I remeber being done with four people, which I don't recall, the ryhme, but I bet my brother will when he gets home.

Our favorite jump rope song was...

Cinderella, Cinderella
went to a ball dressed in yella.
Cinderella, Cinderella
went upstairs to kiss a fella.
By mistake she kissed a snake,
How many doctors did it take?
(then you would count the jumps till someone messed up)

Two others we used though were...

One two buckle my shoe
Three four close the door
Five six pick up sticks
Seven eight shut the gate
Nine ten start over again
(you would continue until someone messed up)

When I was three I scraped my knee,
When I was four I shut the door,
When I was five I found a hive,
When I was six I picked up sticks,
When I was seven I went to heaven,
When I was eight I jumped the gate,
When I was nine I climbed a vine,
When I was ten I caught a hen,
Now you start all over again.

Those were all ones were someone jumped and two others swung the rope, there was a different song for double dutch were you jumped out and someone else jumed in, so sometimes depending on the caller you might have two or three or no one in the rope. I don't really remember how it went though...