|Wrens build an interesting domed nest.|
Childhood bird rhyme
I have fond memories of my dad playing a sweet little nursery rhyme finger-play game with me as a child and how it fascinated me to see the little birdies vanish and then reappear.
My children remember well, when Pop-Pop played it with them too. Do you recognize this old nursery rhyme?
Two Little Dickie Birds
(my dad used the names Jack and Jill)
There were two blackbirds
Sat upon a hill,
The one was nam’d Jack,
The other nam’d Gill;
Fly away Jack,
Fly away Gill,
Come again Gill
Finger actions for the rhyme
Here are Daddy’s finger actions for the rhyme:
Out of sight, he would place a small piece of colored tape onto the fingernail of his index finger on both hands.
As he began reciting the rhyme he would show us both of his hands closed into a fist.
The hand actions are: (I adapted this Wiki Chart to Daddy’s version)
|Two little dickie birds sitting on a hill||Both fists are closed|
|One named Jack||With a quick motion, Daddy would flip one of his fists over his shoulder and return it with the index finger extended to show, Jack.|
|One named Jill||He would repeat with the other hand.|
|Fly away Jack||The Jack hand is quickly drawn back alongside the adult’s head. As part of the movement the adult folds the marked finger and sticks out the second finger of the same hand and drops the hand back down to the original position. The child sees that the marking, Jack, is no longer there – it has flown away|
|Fly away Jill||The action is repeated with the other hand|
|Come Back Jack||The action is reversed to make Jack reappear|
|Come Back Jill||The action is reversed to make Jill reappear|
Our Newsletter is published once every three weeks. Each issue is timely and helpful, jam-packed with food, crafts, occasional DIY, gardening and faith resources. Relevant and seasonal posts to inspire and guide you with current trends. Available only to those who request it, so please accept our invitation to stay connected and join the Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart community. Just click the subscribe button below.