III. GUESSING RHYMES
Notes.—The Guessing Rhymes are intended to be read by the teacher to the children, who then try to find out the word. The verse should be repeated slowly two or three times before the children are asked to guess. At first only the familiar and well-known objects should be given, and even then it will sometimes be necessary to assist the imagination of the children by a question or two. Before reading the rhyme, the teacher should say whether it is a flower, object or animal, &c., that is to be guessed.
The rhymes about animals, flowers, and natural phenomena will not be difficult to the children if these subjects have been included in their object lessons, or have formed the subject of 'morning talks' (see p. 14, 'Kindergarten Guide').
The Nursery Rhymes will have been learnt by the children when they were in the Babies' class, and the rest of the rhymes belong to fairy tales that are commonly told to all children.
MISCELLANEOUS OBJECTS
51. I'm tied up in a basin
And boiled well in a pan,
And then turned out and eaten,
So guess me if you can.
Pudding.
52. Two hands I have, my face is round,
In father's pocket I am found,
My hands do move, I make a noise,
Now guess me quickly, girls and boys.
Watch.
53. Are there cobwebs, is there dust,
Are there crumbs upon the floor?
Then you surely bring me out
From behind the pantry door,
And on sweeping days I'm seen,
Making all things nice and clean.
Brush.
54. Sometimes I'm made of willows,
But oftener of wood,
Four legs they always give me,
Or else I am no good;
A back I should have also,
And two strong arms as well,
Now if you think it over,
My name you soon should tell.
Arm-chair.
55. You have me in your pocket,
I'm square and white, 'tis true,
And many things I'm used for
By children, such as you.
Pocket-handkerchief.
56. I may be white, I may be brown,
You draw me up or pull me down,
At night I'm mostly down, you know,
But in the morning up I go.
Window Blind.
57. I glide along or fast or slow,
And only on the water go;
I'm long and narrow, and you see
My pointed end [bow] that first should be;
The broad end always goes behind [stern],
And both have names as you will find.
Boat.
58. By steam alone I move and go,
Men have an engine down below;
Long journeys oftentimes I make,
When o'er the sea my way I take.
Steamer.
59. I skim so lightly o'er the sea,
With wings outspread like bird so free,
What are my wings? [sails] and do you see
How o'er the waves they carry me?
Sail Boat.
60. The fire burns very slowly,
You come to look for me,
I blow it till it blazes,
All bright and cheerfully;
I'm partly made of leather,
The rest is iron and wood,
I always have a round hole,
Or else I am no good.—Bellows.
61. I'm made of wood, or made of clay,
And used at any time of day;
When father comes from work at night,
Perhaps he takes me, strikes a light,
And puffs—ah, then what do you smell?
Now surely you my name can tell.
Pipe.
ANIMALS
62. I watch your house all night,
When you're asleep, my dear,
If any thief should come,
My voice you soon would hear.
Dog.
63. A gentle, timid creature, I
Shall soon run off if you come nigh;
My horns, like branches of a tree,
Above my head you always see.
Stag.
64. A little, creeping thing I saw,
Upon a plant it stayed all day,
And very many legs it had,
And how it ate the leaves away!
Caterpillar.
65. They are frisking in the field,
By the side of mother dear,
Playful, happy creatures, they
Never think of danger near,
And their coats so soft and light
Keep them warm by day and night.
Lambs.
66. I take my trunk with me, wherever I go,
'Tis not made of tin or of wood, oh, dear no,
I use it to lift to my mouth things I eat,
Just give me a biscuit, that would be a treat!
Elephant's Trunk.
67. My coat is made of soft, warm fur,
My tail is thick and round,
My eyes are very sharp and bright,
Among the trees I'm found;
I like to crack the nuts, you see,
And jump about from tree to tree.
Squirrel.
FLOWERS
68. Before the winter changed to spring,
I saw a graceful, white, wee thing;
Its pretty bell was hanging down,
As if it thought, 'Too soon I've grown,'
Although more snow we yet may see,
We give glad welcome, flower, to thee.
Snow-drop.
69. A yellow eye and frill of white,
Which closes up when comes the night,
Sometimes my frill is edged with pink,
Now, surely of my name you'll think.
Daisy.
70. I come in the spring, and my bells are all blue,
A pretty blue carpet I'm spreading for you.
Wild Hyacinth.
(Commonly called 'Bluebell.')
71. Another blue flower, that in summer we see,
Has bells that are larger, in which dips the bee,
And if you should give these blue bells a slight shake,
A pretty, soft tinkle for you they would make.
Harebell.
72. Five petals I have which are white, as I think,
Unless I should blush, then they turn rosy pink,
I smell, oh, so sweetly, now guess me quick, quick!
And mind, when you pluck me, the thorns do not prick.
Wild Rose.
73. All the hedge is snowy white,
Covered with my blossoms bright,
Sweetly I do smell, they say,
And I come in month of May.
May Blossom.
NATURAL PHENOMENA
74. All the trees have buds of green,
Pretty, yellow flowers are seen,
Lambs are frisking, happy, free,
Pray what season can this be?
Spring.
75. Sunny days so bright and long,
Sweet, new hay, and mower's song,
Honeysuckle, roses sweet,
Holidays, that are a treat.
Summer.
76. The reapers' scythes are heard among the yellow corn,
There's harvest moon at night, and frosty air at morn,
The hunter sounds his horn, ripe nuts and fruits are here,
The leaves go whirling by, and colder days draw near.
Autumn.
77. Now we have the North wind bold,
Bringing frost and snow and cold,
Sliding, skating, oh what fun,
When this season is begun!
Winter.
78. Four sisters come past, one by one, every year,
The first, in a dress of green buds will appear,
The second brings roses and flowers, oh, so sweet,
The third scatters gold and brown leaves at our feet,
The fourth often wears a white robe—now please tell
The names of these sisters, you know them quite well.
The Four Seasons.
79. We are sometimes dark and heavy,
Then you think there will be rain,
We are sometimes light and fleecy,
And the blue sky shows again,
If you would see us, look above,
Across the sky we always move.
Clouds.
80. On a frosty morning, you may sometimes see
All the fields and houses white as white can be,
If the sun arise, the whiteness soon will go,
Pray what can its name be? for it is not snow.
Hoar-frost.
81. In the early morning
Drops are shining clear,
On the leaves and grasses,
In the flower-cups here;
Through the night 'tis falling,
But by noon of day,
Sunshine warm and pleasant
Sends it quite away.
Dew.
82. You want me very much when you go to fly your kite,
I send it soaring upwards, to such a great, great height,
Sometimes I lift your hat off, and you to catch it fly,
You wonder where I come from, so now to guess me try.
Wind.
NURSERY RHYMES
83. A little boy once had a horn,
I think he lived among the corn,
And wore a pretty dress of blue,
I've nearly told his name to you.
Little Boy Blue.
84. A boy and girl walked up a hill,
But tumble, tumble, down they came,
And where's the water? where the pail?
Of each poor child you know the name.
Jack and Jill.
85. Somebody has a garden,
We ask her how it grows,
Such funny things she says are there,
A-growing all in rows.
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary.
86. Who sat down in a corner,
One Christmas, long ago,
And thought himself a good, good boy,
While eating pie, you know?
Little Jack Horner.
87. 'Twas something about a supper,
And something about a knife,
And something about a boy that cried,
And something about a wife.
Little Tom Tucker.
88. 'Where is your flock, my little maid?'
'They're lost, all lost, kind sir,' she said,
'I slept and dreamed, but found not one,
Ah! here they are with tails all gone!'
Little Bopeep.
89. She had a dog, and he could smoke,
And dance, and laugh or cry,
This woman and her dog you know,
To find her name please try.
Mother Hubbard.
90. He tumbled from a wall so high,
And if to pick him up they try,
They find it is in vain, in vain,
He cannot be picked up again.
Humpty Dumpty.
91. She sat upon a little stool,
To eat her food one day,
A spider came and frightened her,
And quick she ran away.
Little Miss Muffet.
FAIRY TALES
92. Who was it went her Grandmamma to see,
In cloak and hood as pretty as could be?
Red Riding Hood.
93. And pray whom did she meet, that said 'Good-Day,
I'll race you, little maiden, all the way?'
Wolf.
And when, at last, she reached her Grandma's house,
Who lay there in the bed, still as a mouse?
Wolf.
94. She sat by the fire, and she looked oh, so sad,
Until a kind fairy made everything glad,
Away drove the maiden in carriage so bright,
With slippers that sparkled like jewels that night.
Cinderella.
What time did the fairy tell someone to come
To her carriage, and quick, oh, so quickly drive home?
12 o'clock.
And what did she lose? [Her slipper.] I think you know well,
And what was the end of it all, can you tell?
95. They say she slept a hundred years,
Her hair down to her feet had grown,
And then the brave prince woke her up,
And claimed the maiden for his own.
Sleeping Beauty.
96. He climbed a stalk so wondrous high,
It seemed almost to reach the sky,
And then he slew, so we are told,
A giant who was bad and bold.
Jack the Giant Killer.
97. Who was it had a pussy cat,
And sent it o'er the sea,
And then became Lord Mayor, they say,
And rich as rich could be?
Dick Whittington.
Works by the same Author
1. 'The Dinner Table Song'} by Lois Bates,
'The Tea Table Song' } 1s. 4d. each
Song, 'Washing Dishes' }(E. J. Arnold.)
2. Foot-Rules, 9d. per dozen.
3. 'Kindergarten Guide,' by Lois Bates, 6s. (Messrs. Longmans.)
4. Cardboard Coins. Box of 220, 1s. 8d.
5. Wooden Knitting-pins. 10d. per dozen pairs.
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Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
[Page x], "Hubbare" changed to "Hubbard" (89. Mother Hubbard)
[Page 77], two facing brackets are used to show a drawn square in the text.