More circle games M

Miss Sue / Go through your tiny window

Mother Earth, Mother Earth

Mouse, mousie

My little boat turned over

My little dog Buff

My pigeon house (2)

Last updated: 4/10/2023 11:03 AM

These songs are nursery rhymes and other traditional songs compiled, illustrated and music arranged by Dany Rosevear.

Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page

To listen to music from these songs click on 🔊

To watch the author sing a song click on the title at:

You are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the following conditions:

· you must give the original author credit

· you may not use this work for commercial purposes

· for any re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms of this work

· any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder

Your fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.

Miss Sue / Go through your tiny window 🔊

A song from the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia.

This is a singing game from Tony Saletan’s ‘The Song Bag’ Unfortunately there were no instructions for the movements so I have added my own educated guesses.

This arrangement is by Dany Rosevear.

Stand in a circle holding hands high. One child stands outside.

Verse 1. This child weaves in and out of ‘windows’ round the circle. 2. Children lower hands so child has to bend knees to travel in and out of windows. 3. and 4. Raise hands and child moves into the circle and chooses a dance to perform, those in the circle clap a syncopated pattern. 5. The original child chooses another to continue the game.

Go through your tiny window, Miss Sue, Miss Sue.

Go through your tiny window, Miss Susiana Sue.

Now down your tiny window…

Heist your tiny window…

Now let me see your hustle…

Now choose your tiny window…

Go through your tiny window, dear John, dear John.

Go through your tiny window, my little Johnny Brown.

Mother Earth, Mother Earth 🔊

A song for the planting season. In a circle act out the growing cycle.

Music by Dany Rosevear. The steady beat of a drum would go well with this song.

1. Walk round holding hands. Crouch down with hands together, move hands upwards. Stand up with hands stretched, wiggle fingers. Fingers move downwards. 2. Wiggle fingers down like raindrops. Sweep arms over head. Hands together pointed up move towards the sky. 3. Hold hands in a circle and raise them and walk towards the centre and back.

Mother Earth, Mother Earth,

Take our seed and give it birth.

Father Sun, gleam and glow,

Until the roots begin to grow.

Sister Rain, Sister Rain,

Shed thy tears to swell the grain.

Brother Wind, breathe and blow

Then the blade of green will grow.

Earth and Sun and Wind and Rain

Turn to gold the living grain.

Mouse, mousie 🔊

A simple chase game with a steady beat. Two or three smaller circles will allow more children to take on the roles of the cat and mouse.

Children sit or stand in a circle. One child chosen to be the 'cat' outside the circle turns away as the teacher chooses a mouse from the circle. The cat then walks around the outside of the circle. On the word ‘Run!’ the mouse jumps up and runs around the circle. The cat chases the mouse and tries to catch it before the mouse gets back in place. Places are then reversed and the game begins again with a new cat.

Mouse, mousie, little mousie,

Hurry, hurry do,

Or the kitty in the housie,

Will be chasing you. Run!

My little boat turned over 🔊

This song possibly comes from Brazil; It is best played in small circle groups so the game doesn’t go on too long!

Children walk around the circle to the left singing the first verse; as each child’s name is called out they turn round to face the outside of the circle. The second verse is then sung as the children move to the right and the children turn back to face the centre each time their name is sung.

My little boat turned over when the wind began to blow.

It was all because of _____ who had never learned to row.

Now if I were a fishy and could swim down in the sea,

I would rescue little _______ and I'd take him / her home with me.

My little dog Buff 🔊

I found this counting out rhyme, a variation of ‘Drop the handkerchief’, in the Ladybird book of ‘Dancing rhymes’ published 1976. It is from a book of ‘Dorsetshire children’s games’ published in 1889 which has words less acceptable for modern sensibilities!

I had a little dog and his name was ‘Buff,’

I sent him after a penn’orth of snuff,

He broke the paper and smelled the stuff,

And that’s the end of my dog ‘Buff.’

“He shan’t bite you, he shan’t bite you etc. he shall bite you all over.”

Find out more at: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_Folk-Lore_Journal_Volume_7_1889.djvu/237

Music arranged by Dany Rosevear.

Children stand in a circle, one skips around the outside and on the last line taps each child on the shoulder. After the last ‘you’ the child tapped and the tapper run in opposite directions to attempt to reach the empty space first. The child who succeeds stays there while the other is ready to skip round the outside for a new game.

I had a little dog and his name was ‘Buff,’

I sent him up the street for a pennyworth of snuff,

He broke the box and spilt the stuff,

I think my story’s long enough.

It isn’t you, it isn’t you… But it’s you!

My pigeon house (2) 🔊

This delightful song was a very popular one in my infant classes as an end of the day hand play: Video details - YouTube Studio So I was delighted to find there was also a version,(though the words differ) recorded in 1947 played as a circle game.

Sung by Mrs. Martha N. Drisdale, Shefield, 10 June 1947

Children stand in a ring holding hands to make a pigeon house; a second group, the pigeons, settle inside the circle. On the words ‘open wide’ the children in the ring lift hands high to allow the pigeons to fly out and about. On their return to the pigeon house those in the ring raise then lower hands as the ‘pigeons’ settle and place hands on cheek to sleep. Children then swap roles and play once again

My pigeon house I open wide

And set all my pigeons free.

They fly o’er the field on every side,

And light on the roof you see.

And when they return from their airy flight,

You’ll hear them sing and say, 'Good night'.

Coo-oo coo, coo-oo coo, coo-oo coo, coo-oo coo, Coo-oo coo, coo-oo coo, coo coo. x 2

Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page