March 9, 2011

Hopscotch research

There's a scene in one of my books where two little girls are playing hopscotch. Though I racked my brain, I couldn't recall what girls used to chant when they played this game. So I used the Intertubes to find out.

I found a lot of rhymes that were familiar to me, but they seem to be jump-rope rhymes, not for hopscotch at all. I'm hoping for reader input on this. Are any of the following used in hopscotch? And if not, can you tell me what girls say when they play this game?

(I'm not being sexist here by saying "girls" rather than "kids". Let's face it: no boys played except us gay boys. In elementary school, I always wanted to play with the girls when they were jumping rope or playing hopscotch. And I did play with them, after which the boys hated me. Since I'm huge this did not present a problem.)

Anyway, here's what I found on the Intertubes:

Miss Lucy had a baby

And she named him Tiny Tim.
She put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim.

He drank up all the water.
He ate up all the soap.
He tried to eat the bathtub
But it wouldn't go down his throat.
Miss Lucy called the doctor,
Miss Lucy called the nurse.
Miss Lucy called the lady
with the alligator purse.

Rooms for rent,
Inquire within.
As I move out
Let Jenny come in.

A sailor went to sea sea sea
To see what he could see see see
But all that he could see see see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea.

As I went down to my grandfather's farm.

A Billy goat chased me around the barn.
It chased me up a sycamore tree,
And this is what it said to me:

'I like coffee, I like tea,

I like _________ to jump with me.

All I have to say in closing is this: what's with the alligator purse? Everybody knows it's the lady with the "big, fat purse". Any feedback from the peanut gallery?

4 comments:

Anna Guess Pick said...

These are all jump-roping songs: Here are a couple I remember -

Mother, Mother

Mother, Mother, I am ill
Call for the doctor over the hill.
In came the doctor,
In came the nurse,
In came the lady with the alligator purse.
Measles, said the doctor.
Mumps, said the nurse.
Nothing, said the lady with the alligator purse.
Out goes the doctor, out goes the nurse,
Out goes the lady with the alligator purse.

Spanish Dancer

Not Last Night but the night before.
Twenty-four robbers came knocking at my door,
They called me out for the world to see,
And this is what they said to me–

Spanish dancer turn around,
Spanish dancer touch the ground,
Spanish dancer do the kicks,
Spanish dancer do the splits!

Spanish dancer, do the split.
Spanish dancer, give a kick.
Spanish dancer, turn around.
Spanish dancer, get out of town.

Spanish dancer, do the splits,
Spanish dancer, do high kicks.
Spanish dancer, clicks a shoe,
Spanish dancer, chooses YOU!


I played hopscotch but never remember a rhyme with it, just being lucky enough to have a really good lager - a key chain worked best, it wouldn't bounce away after it was tossed.

Anna Guess Pick said...

Oh and our hop-scotch board was:
1
2
3
4-5
6
7-8
9
10 (circle and turn-a-round spot)

writenow said...

More "alligator purse" heresy. I'm shocked, I tell you: shocked! Nah, I guess the whole thing is regional, huh? And like you, I'm beginning to wonder whether we chanted anything when playing this game. Perhaps a true hopscotch maven will wander by and let us know.

Anna Guess Pick said...

Well, what can I say, I grew up pretty POSH.........rofl If it was terribly hot we would have our maids do the jumping for us.