There are songs about the birds' nests, always pleasing to the little folks, and doubly so when they have held in their own hands the wonderful bit of weaving, so strong and yet so soft, woven by the mother-bird for the baby-birds. Mrs. Spider is also very interesting with her lace-like webs which are to be found even in well-regulated schoolrooms, and the songs of the bleating sheep who give us their wool fill every little heart with delight. Miss Poulsson's Finger Play, "The Lambs," gives the restless fingers something to do and the "eight white sheep all fast asleep" afford a chance for a good laugh over the "two old dogs close by" (the thumbs). One has the opportunity, too, of noticing whether the eight white sheep on the tiny hands are really white enough to do the weaving. A smiling allusion to some small black sheep will bring them back clean for the next session.
A weaving game
The following weaving game can be played in several ways. This extract is from the "Kindergarten Guide," by Lois Bates: "Six children stand in a row; a tall one at each end for the border of the mat and the other four representing the strips. The child who is to be the weaver holds one end of a long tape, while the other is fastened to the left shoulder of the first child. The weaver weaves the tape in and out among the children, placing the second row lower down. It will be easily seen that the children who had it passed in front of them in the first row, had it behind them in the second, and vice versa."
The following weaving song in the Walker and Jenks book can be sung during the weaving. To be sure it is not really "over and under" when you think of them as children. Remember that they represent a mat, and they are for the time the strips and border.
(Sung to the tune of "Nellie Bly.")
Over one, under one,
Over one again.
Under one, over one,
Then we do the same.
Hi, weavers! Ho, weavers!
Come and weave with me!
You'll rarely find, go where you will,
A happier band than we!
Kate Douglas Wiggin (Mrs. Riggs) in her "Republic of Childhood" describes the game in this way:
Explanation of the game
"First choose a row of children for threads of the warp, standing at such a distance from each other that a child may pass easily between them. Second, choose a child, or children, for thread of woof. After passing through the warp, each child takes his place at the end and other children are chosen." In this way more children can take part than if a tape were used. Some teachers play it in a different way, using the desks with the seats turned up for the warp and the whole number of children for the woof, winding in and out all over the room. This is very delightful, indeed, if there is enough space for the children to pass easily without tripping on the iron supports of the desks. This is a good game for a rainy day, when there is no outdoor recess.
Bird games