Wexford Wanderings
by Hugh E. Conway
Games Three
Circle games with song and verse were some of the favorite for the children and teachers at the rural Wexford Schools. Two games that were normally played by the younger children are London Bridge and a Hunting We will go. Often, the youngest children will be afraid when starting to play the game and may not want to go under the bridge.
There are two versions of London Bridge game. In the first version of London Bridge, two children who are to be the bridge each choose a word for the caught children to make a choice. For example, one chooses apple and the other pear. The two children then form a bridge by facing each other, joining their outstretched hands, and locking their fingers. The rest of the players go round and round under the bridge one by one stooping low as the children sing:
“London Bridge is falling down, falling down,
My fair lady.
Sticks and stones will build it up,
My fair lady.”
As the last word is sung, the child under the bridge is caught between the outstretched arms of the bridge. He / she is led a little distance away and quietly asked to which the child prefers, “apple or pear”. The child chooses one or the other and stands aside on that side while the game goes on until all are caught and standing in either the side for apple or for pear. The final step is a tug of war between the two teams formed by the members of the bridge by those who have made the corresponding choices for apple or for pear. As they pull they all fall in a heap. Then two new children are picked and each chooses their words to form a bridge anew and the game starts over again.
In the second version of London Bridge, the teacher first has the children sing and memorize the words to the verses.
“London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down, My Fair Lady
Take a key and lock her up, lock her up, Lock her up.
Take a key and lock her up, My fair lady.”
After the children learn the words, two children are chosen to form the bridge. The bridge is formed when the two players face each other, place arms up over their hands, and link fingers. The other children line up in a semi-circle ready to walk under the bridge. As the first child travels under the bridge, he/ she will walk under and join the end of the semi-circle. A circle of continuous bodies should form as a moving circle of players through the bridge.
How the second version of London Bridge was Played:
1. The children start singing the rhyme and walking under the bridge following each other one after the other.
2. When the second “My fair lady” is said, the bridge lowers their arms around one of the players and traps them inside the bridge!
3. They rock the child back and forth for the next verse “Lock her up.”
4. When that verse ends, the child that was locked up has to sit in the mush pot (in the middle of the circle) until the next child is caught by the bridge.
5. When two people have been caught, they create a new bridge, which also tries to trap people! Now the group walks through both bridges during the song, doubling their chances of getting trapped!
6. Eventually you will have a room full of bridges and one child left trying to make it through safely!
The next circle game teaches rhyming through musical verses using a popular folk song and nursery rhyme. The students first learn to sing the first verse of a hunting we will go to start the game. They are then placed into twos to brainstorm pairs of rhyming words to create their own verses to the song. Like London Bridge, there is an initial bridge formed by two children that the other children have to travel through. When the phrase “Then we’ll let him go” ends, the bridge closes and captures a child. That child then becomes part of the bridge and picks the next rhyming verse. The game continues with another rhyming verse and another child caught and added to the bridge. The game ends when there is only one child left that is not part of the bridge.
A hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a fox and put him in a box
And then we’ll let him go.
Each consequent rhyming verse gets modified by putting in a different animal:
A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a fish and put him in a dish
And then we’ll let him go
A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a bear and cut his hair
And then we’ll let him go
A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a pig and make him dance a jig
And then we’ll let him go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a giraffe and make him laugh
And then we’ll let him go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a whale and put him in a pail
And then we’ll let him go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a cat and put him in a hat
And then we’ll let him go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a snake and put him in a cake
And then we’ll let him go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a goat and put him in a boat
And then we’ll let him go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll catch a mouse and put him in a house
And then we’ll let him go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o, a-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go
We’ll just pretend, and in the end
We’ll always let them go!
Children have a wonderful time playing games and often do not realize that they are learning in the process. More children games played at recess will follow next month.
