| Two little bluebirds | ||
| Sat upon a hill, | ||
| One was named Helen, | ||
| The other named Mary. | ||
| Fly away, Helen, | ||
| Fly away, Mary. | ||
| Come again, Helen. | ||
| Come again, Mary. |
Have the two bluebirds read the words from the blackboard, run to a corner of the room, and stoop down to dramatize the words "sat upon a hill." At the words "fly away" the little birds run around the room with outstretched arms to imitate the flying motion. At the words "come again" they should return to their original position. This exercise gives repetition of words with variety of thought.
XXVIII.
| Rock-a-by, baby, |
| In the tree-top. |
| When the wind blows |
| The cradle will rock. |
| When the bough breaks |
| The cradle will fall, |
| Down will come baby, |
| Cradle and all. |
Memorize the rhyme. Children like to express thought in action, therefore when memorizing the rhyme let them hold imaginary babies in their arms and gently rock them to the rhythm of the words.
Write the rhyme on the blackboard. Write the lines, phrases, and words elsewhere on the blackboard. Let the children observe these and find them in the rhyme. Rock-a-by; In the tree-top; When the wind blows; When the bough breaks; etc.
Find the words that are alike, baby; cradle; when; the; will; etc.
Action Sentences Based on the Rhyme.
Write upon the blackboard the sentence, Bring me the doll. Have the children read it silently. Ask a child to perform the action, and then read the sentence aloud. Continue in this way with other action sentences.