Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Disc and The Cats Now Eat Together!

Dear Children,
       Just as I expected, little Disc has had trouble with the kittens. We undertook to feed Disc and the cats from the same dish. The cats did not like the looks of Disc. Now, Disc does not look like a cat, still he has four legs and four feet, two eyes, and one tail just like a cat; but he looks more like a little baby cub bear. Well, Disc went to helping himself, and in his great hurry picked out the biggest piece of meat on the plate. The old mother cat lifted her paw and gave the dog a slap on his ear; but Disc paid no attention to the lick as his coat of hair is very thick, pussy did not hurt him. Then she bowed her back and arched her tail, and said something that all the rest of the cats understood, and then about three stuck their claws into him at once. Disc saw at once that there were too many cats for one little dog, and as there were no other little dogs near, he got close to the floor, turned his head away from the cats, and put his paws up over his ears, as if to say, come on, and thus ended the first fight. When dinner came, Disc was on hand. The food was emptied in a large dish, but neither dog nor cats seemed hungry. Disc looked at the dish and made a move as if to help himself, when old puss raised her paw as if to strike; then Disc raised his paw and ducked his head; puss made a lick at him and he dodged it; then the old mother cat gave a scream, and all at once every cat looked like a fighter. Disc growled, and every cat bent their backs almost double. Old puss then said something, and all at once every cat jumped at the little bear dog. Disc snapped and snarled ; he just bit right and left; every cat was doing their very best to whip poor little Disc. He turned and twisted, sometimes on his back and then on his stomach. Sometimes he had his head in front and sometimes his tail. Disc got hold of one of the best fighters that old pussy had, and the cat cried like a little whipped boy. Some of the cats kept up their spite and spit. Cat fur and dog hair lay around in patches. Disc was fighting for his dinner and would not give up. The cats now saw that this was a lost cause, and left in a hurry, and now Disc and the cats eat out of the same dish, but Disc eats first.

Love, Grandpa.

Puppies feed together at a pinwheel feeding dish.

The donkey and the dog pull a cart...

Dear Children,
       There was a letter in the mail today from your Mama, in which she said the church was getting ready for "Children's Day." You just tell your Mama that the church ought to be ready all the time. When you get older, I want you to read that story in the Bible where five people started out in the dark, without any coal oil in their lamps. And then there is another story that ought to have been in the Good Book; it tells about a man with a lantern looking all around for an honest man.
       There was a funny thing happened today, in the street, right in front of our house. Some boys hitched up a dog and a goat to a little wagon. Now, this kind of a team did not match. That is one did not look very much like the other. I think the goat was older than the dog, because of his beard. They had harness and bridles and lines on them. The boys had a whip, but they didn't need a whip. The team did not seem to know what was said to them. The dog's name was Tray, and the goat didn't have any name at all, and if he ever had a name, he didn't want anybody to know it, for he had been caught in bad company. The dog went entirely too fast for the goat. The dog was a loper, and the Billy Goat was a pacer. The dog barked, but I could not hear what the goat did say about it ; almost sounded like swearing. The dog was going too fast for Billy; so when they came to the street corner, the dog tried to turn alright but Billy tried his best to go straight on, and this didn't last long. The wagon smashed into a gate that was hanging open on the sidewalk, and here the driver was thrown out; but it never hurt him until he struck the ground. Billy had gotten himself turned around in the harness, and seemed as if he wanted to go somewhere, and the dog appeared as if he intended going somewhere else. Just at this time three more dogs came along, and Billy did not seem to be in a very good humor about something, so he reared and plunged, and finally broke his bridle, and started pell-mell down the street; sometimes the goat was ahead, and sometimes the dog. The goat got behind, but some way caught up. On turning the next corner, the wagon upset, and who do you think was coming up the sidewalk, just at this time? Well, it was Grandma, and, among other things, she had a basket of apples carrying along at arms length, and as the dog and goat passed her, the wagon was still coming on, and when it passed her the basket of apples was in the way, and now I am sure she won't ask me to go to prayer meeting with her again for at least two weeks.

Love, Grandpa.

Dixie, a professional cart goat.

A letter from Grandpa about Easter eggs and ducks

Then one little fellow said, "Mister, will you sell me a hen; maybe she will lay us some red eggs.‚"

Dear Children:
       I am going to write something about Easter eggs and ducks. Two little boys came into our house this morning and wanted to buy some Easter eggs - the kind that their Grandma bought of us last week; but we did not have the kind that suited. They wanted blue eggs and red eggs, and all kinds of colored eggs. They said that Grandma told them that our hens laid all kinds of colored eggs. Their sadness at the thought of getting no blue and red eggs was so great that I thought their little hearts would break and bleed. I would have given a dollar apiece for just two colored eggs, rather than to have looked into their little faces and said no. Then one little fellow said, "Mister, will you sell me a hen; maybe she will lay us some red eggs.‚" I took these little men to a corner grocery and bought each of them the biggest stick of red-striped candy I could find.
       I drove to the country yesterday. I wish every little boy and girl could live in the country. There are so many things to see. Everything we eat and wear grows in the country. Nearly all of the hen's nests are in the country, and nearly all the bird's nests are there. Nearly all the good apples grow in the country, and it beats all how much home-made fun a boy can have at his Grandpa's home on a farm. Where do all the cows come from, and the little bossies? They all grow up in the country; and oh, so many flowers! I tell you children, Easter only comes once a year; but flowers last all Summer, and just keep on coming. Yesterday, we stopped at a farm house to keep out of the rain. Mrs. Nelson had an old mother duck, and ten little ducks; and she declared they would drown if they stayed out in the rain. So, out she went hunting for the ducks, and after hunting an hour she found old mother duck and her little ducks swimming in a big pond of water in a pasture near the house. The feathers are so thick and close on a duck that they can stay in the water all day and not get wet, and their feet are so wide that they can push themselves along through the water like so many little boats.

Love, Grandpa.
 

Chickens that lay Easter eggs? 
 

 Now you can see what the goose and the rooster saw in the barnyard by connecting the dots...

Connect the dots by counting 1, 2, 3...44.


Easter Index/ Previous Page/ Next Page

"The Doll Party" letter from grandpa

Dear Children,
       Papa's letter came this morning. I was disappointed in his dog story. I don't suppose  he had a dog when he was a boy, as he had nothing to say about ever having been rabbit hunting when he was young; he surely was a boy, even if it was a long time ago.
       If he ever went rabbit hunting he ought to remember all about it. Your Papa could not have been a very big boy or very old when he was born, else he would know more about dogs, or perhaps, he lived in one of the big towns, about which I am going to write you, sometime, where dogs were not allowed to stay.
       Now, there are about as many little girls in the world as there are little boys, at any rate a good little girl is better than a half dozen bad boys. I am going to write something about dolls. I do not know how many little dollies there are in the world, but there are a great many. I don't know all about how dolls are made, still I do know that they are made, and made mostly for children. Of course, I mean little girls, and I have never met a little girl in all this great big round world but who at some time or other had a little dolly. I wish I could tell you about all the different kind of dolls I have seen, and there are so many pretty names for dolls. Little girls have about as many names for dollies as boys have names for their dogs. You should never give a doll more than one name. Dolls do not know much about names, anyhow, even a short name will in most cases last as long as a dolly does.
       I must tell you about a doll party that your Mama gave when she was a little girl. A great many invitations were sent out; in fact, every little girl in the village was invited, and every little girl came bringing with her one or more dolls. A doll supper was prepared, and, although nearly every dolly came with a new bib or apron of some kind on, not a dolly opened its mouth, and I am going to let you guess who ate the nuts and figs and raisins and other good things. At this doll party, there were many little childish games played, and after supper the dolls were arranged for some kind of services, so they finally agreed to have a doll meeting, and the dollies were seated in chairs, a pulpit was put in shape, made up of some paper boxes; but who would preach? It did not seem well to have a lady doll for a preacher, so a little boy who chanced to happen in, bethought himself that he could supply the needed minister. So, he presented the party the use of his Jumping Jack. "This," said one little girl, "will be just the thing," and they all shouted, "That's all right;" but the Jumping Jack would neither stand up nor lay down, would not sit cross-legged nor look sad; so after several vain efforts on the part of the children to have a church meeting for their dolls, one little girl thoughtfully said: "Girls, this awkward Jack will not do for a preacher for our little dollies, but I‚'ll tell you what we can do - we can make an Evangelist out of him."
       I don't know yet what I am going to write about next time, as much will depend on how Grandma's corns are getting along, and whether she has good luck with her mince pies.

Love, Grandpa.

How to make a jumping jack doll with your grandchild...

A letter about a new dog

Dear Children,
       I am going to tell you something about our new dog. We call him new, because he is not old. I expect forty days would cover all the time he has lived. So far he has had no birthday. I once heard of a great dog party in a great city. There were one hundred and twenty dogs present, and the dinner cost somebody four dollars for each little doggie, and while this dinner was going on on the inside there was a number of Grandchildren in the street crying for bread.
       I don't know much about dog parties, still I remember when your Mama lived at home, she never gave any more birthday parties after she was twenty-six years old.
       You know, Children, that dogs, like people, are not all alike. They are not all the same size or same shape or same color.
       Our dog looks like a little bear, only he is not a bear. He is about the color of a ginger cake, but he is not a ginger cake; in the face he has fur that is a bit darker.
       Our dog is about four inches long, six inches wide; his tail is fully seven inches long and leans over against his back.
       Our dog is a good little boy when allowed to do as he pleases, except when he is shut up in the dog house, and then he talks all kinds of dog talk; but I don't understand a word he says. When he barks I think he is laughing, and when he wags his tail, then he is trying to tell that he is hungry.
       I know some Grandchildren that always cry when they want something to eat. Our dog is not as large as a lion, still, he is bigger than a small cat. We call him all kinds of pet names; so one day Grandma said we must call him some real sure name, and she named him Disc. At first I did not like the name; but she said she got the record from our new graphophone, and, I suppose, now, that Disc will be in tune as long as the Record lasts. Mr. Benson says Disc is one-half Shepherd, but could not say what the other half was, so I just made up my mind that the other half was dog.
       Our dog came sixty miles in a car; was in the express office all night without a bite of anything to eat, not even a drink of cold water. The express man said the dog cried all night, and while little doggie was crying, the man was acting doggedly mean, as he was still growling the next morning.
       I asked him how he would like to be shut up in an empty box all night, and nothing to eat or drink. I hope every good little boy in the world has a good dog. I would rather all my Grandchildren would play with good dogs than bad boys.
       Now, when your Papa writes, have him tell all about your dog, as I am writing letters to a great many Grandchildren, and I want to tell them all about your dog.

Love, Grandpa.

Grandma and Grandpa named their new dog, "Disc" after their new graphophone.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Grandparent's Day Index

Grandparent's Day is frequently celebrated in early learning
centers and kindergartens across the United States. It is a day
for young students to give their grandparents a tour of their
school environment.
       Grandparents are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. In cases where parents are unwilling or unable to provide adequate care for their children (e.g., death of the parents), grandparents often take on the role of primary caregivers. Even when this is not the case, and particularly in traditional cultures, grandparents often have a direct and clear role in relation to the raising, care and nurture of children. Grandparents are second-degree relatives and share 25% genetic overlap.
       National Grandparents Day is a secular holiday celebrated in the United States of America and the United Kingdom since 1978 and officially recognized in a number of countries on various days of the year, either as one holiday or sometimes as a separate Grandmothers' Day and Grandfathers' Day. It is celebrated on the first Sunday following Labor Day, September 10th. in the United States.
      During the week that follows September 10th, young children often spend time with their grandparents at school. Because the holiday falls at the beginning of the school year, there is little time for their teachers to plan elaborate shows or exhibits. So it has become a customary time for sharing the daily routines of young school children with their older visitors.
       Craft or reading activities emphasizing family are often planned in advance by the school sponsor or PTO for these holiday visits.

Crafts for Grandparents Day:
Little Louise and Her Grandmother,
Frances Cordelia McDowell.
Poems About Grandmothers by Lillie Gilliland McDowell:
  1. When Grandma Sews
  2. Grandma's Aprons
  3. Cuddle Time
  4. Grandma's Errands
  5. Grandma's Little Girl
  6. Herb Tea
  7. Tea at Grandma's
  8. When Grandma Knits
  9. A "Blue" Story
  10. Christmas Secrets
  11. Dancing Dolls
  12. Heigh-ho. 'Tis Her Way!
  13. Girls Will Be Girls
  14. When Grandma Comfys Me
  15. Out At Grandma's
  16. My Grandma's Getting Old, They Say
  17. Fellow Feeling
  18. What Kind of Grandma Do You Like?
  19. Grandma's Stories
  20. A Tea Party
  21. When Grandma Loses Her Specs
  22. G-R-A-N-D-M-A
  23. Contrast
  24. I'll Be Your Valentine
  25. Two Proverbs
  26. The Old Sampler
  27. When Grandma Tucks Me In
  28. A Pertinent Question
  29. The Way Out
  30. The Old And The New
  31. When Grandma Was a Little Girl
  32. Counting The Baby's Toes
  33. Grandma's Young Days
  34. Grandma's Hygiene
  35. Grandma's Prayer
  36. Loneliness
  37. When Grandma Punished Me
  38. Grandma's Lullaby
  39. The Old Willow Basket
  40. Retrospect
  41. Grandmother's Garden
More Poets Write About Grandparents:
  1. For Grandma
  2. Grandpa
  3. Grandpa's Glasses
A collection of letters written by a grandparents to grandchildren. I have edited some of these and updated spelling. Use them in a literacy unit or read them aloud for fun. (Letters by children telling Valentine stories here.)
  1. A letter about a new dog...
  2. "The Doll Party" letter from grandpa
  3. A letter from Grandpa about Easter eggs and ducks 
  4. The donkey and the dog pull a cart... 
  5. Disc and The Cats Now Eat Together! 
  6. A letter about Grandpa's childhood
Grandparents Online:

Tea at Grandma's

Tea at Grandma's

When I go to my Grandma's house, she plays I'm
company,
And takes my wraps with such an air and says:
"You'll stay to tea?"
She gets out her best silver, then-great-Grandma
Winslow's plate-
And all her pretty china, and we eat in grandest
state.
But when I'm done, although she's made for me
all that to-do,
She says: "There childie, run along, so Big Dark
won't catch you."

Cuddle Time

Cuddle Time

Each morning, soon as I'm awake,
Before my prayer is said,
Or 'fore I'm ever dressed at all,
I climb in Grandma's bed.
I put my arms about her neck,
She puts her arms 'round me;
And I just lie so comfy there,
While Grandma cuddles me.

She talks to me so soft and low,
About this "clean, new day";
And what I'd ought to put in it.
Of study, work and play.
It really is the queerest thing,
But true as true can be;
It's easy to be good all day,
'Cause Grandma cuddled me.

Grandma's Aprons

Grandma's Aprons

Of mornings, till her work is clone,
She wears a great big gingham one.
It covers her from waist to shoe,
And if she ever had to do
Without it, 'xpect she'd sigh and say,
"I really cannot work to-day."

But after-noons, when work is done,
She wears a nice white starchy one,
With cunning little bows in place,
Or maybe it's all trimmed in lace.
She looks so sweet in this, I say,
"My ! but you're all fixed up to-day."

I wonder, when I look at her,
Which of the aprons I prefer.
The white one is so nice and neat.
The gingham means good things to eat.
But ask me, and I'd likely say,
"I love her most dressed either way."

When Grandma Sews

When Grandma Sews

My Grandma sews so very well;
She makes her stitches small and straight.
While mine look most like
turkey-tracks
(But then,, of course, I'm
only eight).

My Grandma's thread don't crinkle up;
It's always smooth and nice like this-----------
She often has to help
with mine,
But makes me pay
her with a kiss.

My Grandma keeps her
pretty box
So neat it's ever a de-
light,
While things in mine get
tossed about
Until it is a perfect
sight.

My Grandma sews with glasses on;
I manage well enough without.
If seeing were the whole of it,
I'd learn to sew with ease, no doubt.

When Grandma sews her
patch-work blocks,
She fits her pieces neat
and true,

But let me try howe'er so
hard,
This is the best that I
can do.

But Grandma pats me on the cheek,
And tries to cheer me all she can,
And says, "My dear, how well you sew
I'm really proud of little Nan."

Retrospect

Retrospect

It's a long, well-beaten track
That she traces - looking back.
Thorns and stones beset the way;
Clouds obscured each sunny day;
Toil was hers, and stern affray,
Looking back!

Pain she sees, and sorrow's rack
Through a tear-mist - looking back.
Joy, she says, was there as well;
Peace beyond what tongue can tell
Love thanksgivings must impel,
Looking back !

Not a moment did she lack,
Testifies she - looking back,
Grace to meet her every need;
Manna rich her soul to feed,
Far, she says, beyond her meed,
Looking back !

Peace, we know, she'll never lack,
As we watch her looking back.
Peace that glorifies her brow,
Hovers o'er her dear lips now,
Till we wonder why and how,
Looking back!

The Old Willow Basket

The Old Willow Basket

O, poets have sung of the old oaken bucket.
Like-wise of the bootjack that hung on the wall.
My lyre I'm attuning to sing of a treasure
To my humble notion surpassing them all.
I speak of the basket my Grandmother cherished.
And gladly I offer this tribute of praise
To the dear willow basket, quaint willow basket.
The old willow basket of Grandmother's days.

At home it held proudly her mending and knitting.
Her great balls of worsted and gay colored yarns.
Her needles and thread, and her latest quilt piecing.
And even the stockings awaiting her darns.
In short, a receptacle, useful and handy,
Revealing her neat and industrious ways,
Was that blessed old basket, that queer old basket.
That old willow basket of Grandmother's days.

When calling she came how we hurried to meet her !
With whoops of delight the old basket we'd hail.
We knew that a store there of lovely surprises
Its uplifted lid would reveal without fail,
O, still I can smell the rare odors that greeted
Our senses from sweet-meats and apples in store
In that old willow basket, rare willow basket.
Entrancing old basket that Grandmother bore.

But now she is gone, as an heir-loom it's left us,
A cherished reminder of old-fashioned days.
O me! while we praise, admire and adore them,
I fear we've not copied her dear, thrifty ways.
But close in our memory fore'er we'll enshrine it,
Our voices forever in homage we'll raise
To that dear willow basket, precious old basket
That hallowed old basket of Grandmother's days.

Grandma's Lullaby

Grandma's Lullaby

Bright-eyed stars are peeping
'Tween the cloudlets white;
Calling to the sleepy earth,
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!
Tired little flowers
Nod their drowsy heads,
Chicky-bids and birdies, too,
Long since sought their beds.
All the world is sleepy,
Swathed in moonlight white;
Winds are crooning soft and low,
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!

Sweetly sleep, my dear one,
Watched by angels bright;
Fear shall not disturb thy rest,
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!
Darkness hovers o'er thee,
Soon will come the light;
Breezes waft sweet dreams to thee,
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!

When Grandma Punished Me

When Grandma Punished Me

One time out at my Grandma's house
I got a naughty spell.
And Grandma looked so kind o' s'prised,
And said: '"Louise! well! well!
That doesn't seem like you at all.
Whatever shall I do?
So bad you've been I really think
I'll have to punish you.

Now just you stand behind that door
Till you can better be."
"It tires me so to stand," I said.
"And hurts me in the knee." 
"Try sitting then. Right here's a place.
Beside that window there.
Where you can have the morning sun.
And plenty of good air."

"I hate to sit schrunched up." I cried.
"Why, Grandma, now you know
That every single time I sit.
It always cramps me so!"
"What then," she frowned, "for well you know
That spanking I won't try:
I don't believe in it at all."
"No, ma'am," I said, "nor I."

"Dear me! Dear me!" poor Grandma sighed.
"That there should come to me
So sad a time as this when I
My duty cannot see!"
I hugged her hard. "Poor thing," I cried,
"I truly pity you.
I mustn't worry you like this:
I'll tell you what to do!

Just put me out there 'neath the tree,
Upon that grassy spot;
With cookies three, and make me eat.
If I want them or not."
And grandma laughed and looked relieved,
And brought the cooky pan.
And said: "I'm glad you thought of that,
It is the very plan!"

Loneliness

Loneliness

Grandma's gone a-visitin',
And O, my dearie me!
I never really knew before,
How lonesome I could be.

I mope and mope around the house,
And do not care to play;
And nothing seems to be just right,
Since Grandma's gone away.

I miss her apron from it's nail
Her bible from the shelf;
But most of all I think I miss,
Just dear Grandma herself.

Grandma's Prayer

Grandma's Prayer

Each evening when I say my prayer,
I kneel at Grandma's knee;
And Grandma always bows her head,
And folds her hands like me.
I thank Him for his loving care,
As all dear children should:
And ask Him for His tender grace,
To help me to be good.
And Oh. He hears my prayer I know.
And keeps from me each harmful foe.

Then Grandma says a little prayer,
As soon as I am through;
I fold my hands and bow my head,
And try to join in too.
And Oh, the words seem brimming full
Of faith and love most sweet,
Although it is a simple prayer.
And easy to repeat.
Just: "Father, guard me through the nigh'
And keep me safe 'till morning light."

Now Grandma prays, I'm very sure,
A dozen times a day;
I often linger near her door.
To hear what she might say.
She asks Him for enough of strength
To help her bear her load:
And pleads that He will hold her hand,
As she toils on the road.
And that He hears and gives her grace,
We know it by her peaceful face.

But Oh, I think the sweetest prayer
I ever heard her pray.
Is that brief one she says with me.
At closing of the day.
It seems to me 'tis good enough
To whisper when you die;
And all the angels bright would bend
To listen from the sky,
To "Father guard me through the night,
And keep me safe 'till morning light."

Grandma's Hygiene

Grandma's Hygiene

My Mamma says that little girls
Should eat what makes them strong;
That when I eat what injures me,
I'm doing very wrong.

She says that pies and cakes and such,
Are far too rich for me,
And if I hope to sturdy grow,
I'll have to let them he.

But Grandma says to Mamma, "Fie!
Let her eat what she craves;
These squeamish notions going 'round
Are making people slaves."

Don't think about yourself at all,
If you would healthy be.
I always eat just what I want
And nothing e'er ails me."

I don't know which of them is right.
But this I truly know;
When Grandma writes, "Come spend a week,"
I'm always glad to go.

Grandma's Young Days

Grandma's Young Days

Once Grandma was a young lady, she says.
It's hard to believe, but it's true.
She showed me a gown she used to wear then,
All soft, and all lace-y and blue.

She showed me the fan she carried, which she
Coquettishly swung to and fro.
I'd like to have seen her smiles and her frowns
At Grandpa, who then was her beau.

She showed me her slippers, spangly and white.
(So tiny and cute were her feet.)
I'd like to have seen her glide through a dance.
Her steps so precise and so neat.

She showed me the ring Grandpa gave to her
One evening of love and of bliss.
I'd like to have seen her young lover plant
On her brow his chaste, proper kiss.

She showed me the locket which she used to wear.
His picture and hers, both inside.
Were taken, she says, upon the glad day
She became my Grandpa's young bride.

Oh, Grandma! you then were so sweet and so fair
Of lip, and of cheek and of brow.
I'd like to have seen you, far different then,
But not a bit sweeter than now!

Counting the Baby's Toes

Counting the Baby's Toes

"Inkum, blinkum, winkum, niddle and nod,
Every one sweet as a rose."
Dear Grandmother croons this sleepy-time song,
Counting the little toes.

"Lively, frolic, kick-y, upum and go,
How much fun no-body knows!"
Dear Grandmother chants this waking-up lay,
Counting the little toes.

When Grandma Was a Little Girl

When Grandma Was a Little Girl 
When Grandma was a little girl
Her dresses came 'most to the floor
And over them she used to wear
A pretty ruffled pinafore.
Her bonnets, though, were very plain.
She carried a small reticule
And wore a little shoulder cape
Of mornings, when she went to school.

My Grandma always was most neat,
Obedient, and good, and true;
It was a pleasure, so she says,
To do as she was told to do.
And when she sewed she always set
Her stitches firm and neat and fine;
That sampler on the parlor wall
She worked: "Cordelia, aged nine."
She pieced a quilt 'fore she was eight,
'Twas made of white and gay maroon.
She'd sit most patiently each day
And stitch the whole long afternoon.
Her stockings, too, she always knit.
And turned with skill the heel and toe.
She darned and patched - such useful things
She says, each young girl ought to know. 

When Grandma was a little girl
She was, I think, so very dear.
Such eyes! Such smiles! Such lovely hair
This is her picture hanging here.
I'd like to look as she did then,
(Such praise, I know, her beauty got)
But as for doing as she did,
I really think I'd rather not!

The Old and the New

The Old and the New

My sister had her picture taken
To-day. It's cute as cute can be.
Her hair is bobbed, her dress correct.
It's not in inch below her knee.

She slipped the picture in the album.
It happened then that right beside.
There was a photo of our Grandma.
Taken the day she was a bride.

And Grandma's dress was in the fashion:
That is, 'twas stylish for her day.
Though, could she step now in our ball-room,
Sue says, she'd be thought "quite passe."

Her waist was small; she wore a bustle;
A tiny little fan she bore;
Her dress was widened out by hoop-skirts.
And barely it escaped the floor.

A cute and dainty little ringlet
So jauntily hung o'er her ear.
She looked so odd, and quaint and funny.
But 'spite of that so very dear.

They say that girls to-day are silly;
The way they dress is most unwise.
Sue's picture looks as well; is Grandma's:
At least it seems to in my eyes.

Sue says she feels so free, unhampered,
And has no bother with her clothes.
How in the world dear Grandma managed.
Why surely only goodness knows!

The Way Out

The Way Out

At home my Mamma says: "Oh, shame!
You are by far too big
To gobble: 'sides you'll get too fat.
Now, don't eat like a pig."

At Grandma's, Grandma always says;
"You are so small, I know
You'd ought to try out eating more,
I'd like to see you grow."

Now maybe both are half way wrong.
To Grandma I'll indite
A note: "Please keep me half the time,'
Then I will grow just right!

A Pertinent Question

A Pertinent Question

When I contradict my mamma,
She always says just so:
"I'm older far than yon, my dear,
Don't yon think I'd ought to know?"

But whenever mamma spanks me,
My Grandma shakes her head,
And says, "No, no, a gentler way;
Just you love her hard instead."

And mamma always says to that:
"Indeed! you'd spoil her, though."
Now Grandma's very, very old,
Don't you think she'd ought to know

When Grandma Tucks Me In...

When Grandma Tucks Me In

Mamma puts me to bed o' nights,
And after I have said my prayers.
She sits and talks awhile before
She leaves me and goes back down stairs.

And when I am about asleep,
I hear a whisper, "Little Min!"
And slipping softly to my bed,
My Grandma comes and tucks me in.

I'm glad for Mamma's thoughtful care,
Her talks of goodness and of sin -
Please don't tell her I could not sleep
'Thout Grandma came and tucked me in.

The Old Sampler

The Old Sampler

I found it in the attic,
All covered o'er with grime.
Scarce could I read it's letters,
So faded now by time.
A queer, old-fashioned sampler,
My tears bedew each line.
Grandmother set these stitches.
When she was "aged nine."

I seem to see her working
If I but close my eyes,
Dear wee one, bravely tackling
Her stent. So great it's size!
With patience rare she wove them,
These gaudy stitches fine.
How I love each straggling one!
"Cordelia, aged nine."

The sampler is an heir-loom
We'll always hold most dear.
It sets for us the lesson
That we should persevere.
Your patience made you saintly,
Your memory we'll enshrine,
Your virtues try to copy,
"Cordelia, aged nine."

Two Proverbs

Two Proverbs

My Mamma always says to us -
To me and Tom and Kate -
"Oh, hurry, hurry, hurry now!
To school you will he late!

You've heard it often. I am sure
The proverb you should know
About the tortoise, and the hare
Who lost, 'cause he was slow."

But Grandma always says to us.
"Now why this anxious haste?
Try to be calm and cool, my dears.
Remember, 'haste makes waste.' "

I am not wise enough to know
Which way I should prefer
For living by, but I am sure
Grandma's is pleasanter!

I'll Be Your Valentine

I'll Be Your Valentine

I took some paper, pen and ink,
And tried so hard to make
A pretty one and write on it
"For your own dear, sweet sake."
But soon I found that drawing things
Is clearly not my line,
But if you think I'll do for one
I'll be your valentine.

Perhaps I should have bought you one
But cents I had but few,
And really nothing they would get
Was good enough for yon.
I asked Mamma. "Why send such things
She said : "They are love's sign."
So, if I can mean that to you,
I'll be your valentine.

Of course you may get heaps of 'em:
I fear, tho', 'cause you're old,
That folks will think you know their love
Without a-being told.
So to make sure you will get one
That's extra nice and fine,
Why Grandma, if I'll fill the bill,
I'll be your valentine.

Contrast

Contrast

'Tis queer to think of our Grandmas,
That once they were but little girls,
And wore their hair in long pigtails,
Or else in funny, bobbing curls.

'Tis queer to think they ran and played,
And laughed and romped in childish glee.
I wonder if they ever tired,
And rested on their Mother's knee.

But sad to think they had to work,
And learn to sweep, and bake, and mend.
'Tis painful how they had to sit
And stitch those long seams without end.

There's much to envy 'bout those days,
And much looks most unpleasant, too.
I think I'd rather live to-day,
Because there is much less to do!

G-R-A-N-D-M-A

G-R-A-N-D-M-A

I'm four years old and can't know much.
I'm proud, though, that I write and spell
A great big word, and Mamma says
I really do it very well.

Course Mamma showed me how to print
This word - it's letters slow I'll say.
Can you pronounce it when I've done?
It's G-r-a-n-d-m-a.

When Grandma Loses Her Spec's

When Grandma Loses Her Spec's

Sometimes when Grandma's sewing,
She'll stop and say, "Dear me !
I had them just a while ago,
Where can my glasses be?"
I say, "I'll find them, Grandma,"
Then I look everywhere;
But wouldn't for the world she'd guess
I know just where they are.

I hunt around until I am
So tired I'm almost dead:
Then laugh and say, "Why Grandma dear.
They're right there on your head!"
What d'ye 'spose she tells me then?
It drives me almost wild, -
"I do declare! just every day 
I grow more like a child!"

A Tea Party

A Tea Party

Sometimes I get so awful cross,
When it's a rainy day,
And not a thing I want to do,
And nothing I can play.

But soon there cames a gentle rap,
Right by me on the wall;
And Grandma says, "How do you do?
I thought I'd come to call.

How are you, Mrs. Wilson, now?
Are all the children well?
This is a welcome rain we have.
And breaks a long dry spell."

And then I offer her a chair.
With just my nicest smile;
And say, "I'm glad to see you, ma'am,
I hope you'll stay awhile."

And Grandma laughs, "Ah-ha ! I guessed
That I would welcome be;
If this is not too broad a hint,
I thought I'd stay for tea."

And then we have the mostest fun,
And not a thing to eat;
But Grandma plays the game so well,
You'd think we had a treat.

She says: "These rolls are very fine,
Why, yes, I'll take some jell.
Fried chicken! and so nice and brown,
'Twill suit me more than well.

And cake! I never knew before
How light a cake could be!"
And "Thank you, yes ma'am, if you please
Another cup of tea."

And then she says: "Why bless my heart,
If there is not the sun!
I've had a lovely time, my dear,
And now I home must run."

Grandma's Stories

Grandma's Stories

At evening by the fire-light
We gather 'round her knee.
There's John and Sam and Jennie.
And 'course there's always me.
She tells the finest stories
A body ever heard.
We sit so interested
And never say a word!

There's one about Queen Esther
Of course that Jennie likes.
While John's and Sammle's fancy
The "Lions' Den" just strikes.
But I - I pick young David
Pastin' G'liath with a sling.
How could he kill a giunt
With such a little thing?

Mother tells us dainty tales
'Bout fairies and all such.
Daddy tells us hunting ones;
We like them very much.
But Grandma's kind of stories.
Why,, they help us to be good.
So always we prefer them,
And don't you think we should?

What Kind of Grandma Do You Like?

What Kind of Grandma Do You Like?

What kind of Grandma do you like?
Mine has soft, silv'ry hair.
And eyes that twinkle kindly.
And a brow that's soft and fair.
She smiles a sort of crinkly smile
At me when I am good.
It always makes me try my best,
And don't you think it would?

What kind of Grandma do you like?
Mine gives me sweets and toys.
And never, never scowls at me
Or says. "Now hush that noise !"
What kind of Grandma you may have.
Or what your choice might be,
I do not know, but I am sure
Mine is the one for me !

A Fellow Feeling

A Fellow Feeling

Once when I was a little tot
I was naughty as I could be.
(I'm 'shamed to tell how bad I was,)
And my Mamma punished me.

She set me down upon a chair
With a frown so cross at me
And said, "Now, missy, you stay there,
And you don't get any tea."

Soon Grandma came and sat down near,
And she looked so very sad
I wondered what on earth it meant,
Had my Grandma, too, been bad?

And then I said, "Why, Grandma, dear,
Now whatever did you do?
I think things are at pretty pass
If my Mamma's punished you."

My Grandma's Getting Old, They Say

My Grandma's Getting Old, They Say

My Grandma's getting old, they say.
Her hair is white, her step is slow.
She never goes a-pleasuring,
She'd rather sit and knit, or sew.
Her shoulders stoop and 'thout her specs
She'd find it hard, indeed, to see.
My Grandma's getting old, they say.
But, oh ! She is not old to me.

My Grandma's getting old they say,
But, oh ! She is not old to me.
A finer pal than Grandma is
I don't believe you'd ever see.
She mends my toys, and when I like
She'll play "make calls," or "drinking tea.'
My Grandma's getting old they say.
But NEVER will be old to me,

Out at Grandma's

Out at Grandma's

They is roses out at Grandma's,
Growin' low an' growin' high.
I can pick jist all I want to,
Ner don't have to on the sly.

They's a well, too, out at Grandma's,
With a bucket to let down.
Water's cold enough to freeze you.
'Taint like what you get in town.

An' they's green grass out at Grandma's,
Plenty, growin' all around,
S' thick that when you waller in it,
You don't know you're on the ground.

They is fruit trees out at Grandma's,
Fruit, too,, on 'em, hangin' thick.
Grandma says: "Jist help your-self, dear,
I don't care how much you pick."

They's a garden out at Grandma's.
In it's all good things to eat.
Posies, too, in beds a-growin',
Edged with cockle shells so neat.

They is bees, too, out at Grandma's,
Bees a-buzzin'. Hear 'em hum !
Biscuits hot with honey on 'em !
Ain't they good ? Oh, yum, yum, yum !

When I'm big I'm goin' to have me
A nice home like Grandma's is.
An' my kids will get to live there.
Won't they have the fun? Gee whiz!

When Grandma Comfys Me

When Grandma Comfys Me

Sometimes I hurt myself so bad
When I am at my play,
That I just simply have to cry.
If 'taint the bravest way.

Then I run quick to Mamma,
But she only says, "Oh, fie!
You're almost six years old, my dear,
And far too big to cry."

And then I go to Grandma.
She takes me on her knee,
And gives me bear-hugs in her arms
As tight as tight can be,

And says, "There, Grandma's baby.
Is this the place? do tell!
I think a little lip-salve, dear,
Will quickly make it well."

And then she says, "Now Mr. Bruise,
Here's kisses, one, two, three,"
And I get well just awful quick
When Grandma comfys me.

"Girls Will Be Girls"

"Girls Will Be Girls'

My Mamma and my Daddy say,
When we make lots of noise,
"Such harum-scarum girls you are!
You're rude as any boys."

But my Grandma, who's lots older,
(You'd think she'd be the one
To fuss and frown at our rough ways)
Says, "let them have their fun."

Then she rings-a-rosy with us
Until my head just whirls,
And when we stop, she pants, "Heigh-ho!
You see girls will be girls."

Heigh-So, 'Tis Her Way!

Heigh-So, 'Tis Her Way!

Grand-mother, why do you wear a frilly lace cap?
And why every day must you have your short nap?
And why, when to the church each fair Sunday
you go,
Must the strings of your bonnet be folded just so?
"Heigh-ho,"
Hear her say,
" 'Tis my way!"

Grand-mother, you are so nice to rude girls and
boys.
Now, why don't you scold when we make such
great noise?
Why give us seed cakes and such good things to
eat,
'Till coming to your house is our very best treat?
"Heigh-ho,"
Hear her say,
" 'Tis my way!"

Dancing Dolls

Dancing Dolls

Sometimes our Grandma'll call us:
"Come John and little Sue,
Let's see what my sharp scissors
Can find to-day to do."

Then she takes a bit of paper
And folds it up just so,
Then slashes with her scissors
And 'fore our eyes there'll grow

A row of dogs or horses,
Or pretty parrot Polls,
But oh, we like the best of all
The little dancing dolls.

They bow and prance and caper,
All dancing in a row;
They are such queer, quaint creatures,
But oh, we love them so.


Christmas Secrets

Christmas Secrets

I tell mine all to Grandma,
And she tells hers to me,
And we have just the mostest fun
That ever you did see.

Each time I get a new one,
I whisper in her ear,
And Grandma whispers back again,
And laughs and says, "Dear ! Dear!'

But I've one now I have to keep.
I can't tell her, you see.
I wonder - do you 'spose she might
Be keeping one from me?

A "Blue" Story

A "Blue" Story

It stands here on the mantle,
My Grandma's queer old plate.
I'd tell to you the story
I've heard her oft relate,
Only it's written on it
As plain as plain can be.
No need for any telling
If one has eyes to see.

A princess has a lover,
(As most king's daughters do.)
You see him here a waiting,
Beneath this tree of blue.
Blue grass is all around him;
A blue sky bends above;
And o'er the blue tree's branches
There hovers a blue dove.

Far in the blue, dim distance,
A castle blue you see,
And shrubs and flowers a growing
Upon a deep blue lea.
Blue cows feed in the meadow.
Blue lambs disport there, too.
It certainly's unusual,
This landscape all in blue.

She goes to meet her lover,
The princess, all in blue.
What seems so very funny,
Even her hair's blue, too.
A boat-man near awaits them.
His craft a neat blue boat,
And if they can but reach it,
They'll safely be afloat.

The king in blue advances
Across a blue draw-bridge.
Their sole way of escaping
Is up a steep, blue ridge.
And so the pair just stand there,
All stiff from fright. And blue!
Small wonder they're discouraged,
What can the poor things do?

Monday, February 26, 2018

When Grandma Knits

When Grandma Knits

My Grandma loves to sit and knit.
Click, clack, her needles go ;
While "squeak, squeak" says her rocking chair,
A-rocking to and fro.

My Grandma knits such lovely things,
Mufflers for Tom and Will,
And bouncy-balls for baby dear
To help to keep her still;

And little stockings for my doll,
And horsey-lines for Ned, 
And wristlets, too, for Jack and Joe
Of yarn so bright and red,

And mittens for the very poor,
And hoods all nicely lined;
It seems to me a lot of work,
But Grandma doesn't mind,

But only sits and smiles and smiles,
And knits the live-long day,
And seems to have a better time
That I do when I play.

I like to watch my Grandma knit.
Click, clack her needles go,
While "squeak, squeak" says her rocking chair,
A-rocking to and fro.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Herb Tea

Herb Tea

One time I was just awful sick,
And weak as I could be.
'Twas when I was at Grandma's house.
She dosed me with herb tea.
She didn't call the Doctor man;
She said there was no need,
That I was just a mite run down,
And kinder off my feed.

Now usually I fume and fret
When Mamma calls him in.
The Doctor gives such awful dope.
And it tastes worse'n sin.
If all the stuff I ever took
Could mixed together be,
It wouldn't taste one-half as bad
As Grandma's bitter tea.

Surprisin', though, how quick it worked
To make me feel so well.
If you won't give it all away,
The reason I will tell.
Because I found one nasty dose
Was quite enough for me
To suit my taste, so I got well
To dodge another. See?

I'm Grandma's Little Girl

I'M GRANDMA'S LITTLE GIRL

I'm Grandma's little girl, she says.
That makes me proud as proud can be.
She calls me that when I'm dressed up
And Ma says, "Run, let Grandma see."

Sometimes she calls me her big girl.
That makes me, oh, much prouder still.
'Tis when she's let me do some work,
(Like fetching drinks when she is ill.)

Grandma's Errands

GRANDMA'S ERRANDS

My Grandma Gray is very old,
And when she sews I'm apt to hear,
"I find I can't my needle thread,
Come be my eyes, my dear."
Or if she tries to go up stairs,
She'll likely say, " 'Tis very plain
That I will have to have some aid,
My dear, just come and be my cane."

Or if she needs an errand done,
She'll say, "It is too far, I fear.
I could not make it there at all,
Go be my feet, my dear."
I like sometimes to comb her hair;
She likes it, too, 'tis very clear,
For mornings, 'fore she dons her cap,
She'll call, "Come be my hands, my dear.'

My Mamma says such kindly deeds
Are far the best way I could show
To Grandma, so she'd understand
Her Grandchild loves her so.
And Grandma is so nice to me,
I could not bear to give her pain,
So that is why I gladly run
To be her eyes, her hands, her cane.

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Sequencing Printables

       In cognitive psychology, sequence learning is inherent to human ability because it is an integrated part of conscious and nonconscious learning as well as activities. Sequences of information or sequences of actions are used in various everyday tasks: "from sequencing sounds in speech, to sequencing movements in typing or playing instruments, to sequencing actions in driving an automobile." Sequence learning can be used to study skill acquisition and in studies of various groups ranging from neuropsychological patients to infants. According to Ritter and Nerb, “The order in which material is presented can strongly influence what is learned, how fast performance increases, and sometimes even whether the material is learned at all.” Sequence learning, more known and understood as a form of explicit learning, is now also being studied as a form of implicit learning as well as other forms of learning. Sequence learning can also be referred to as sequential behavior, behavior sequencing, and serial order in behavior.
       In the first half of the 20th century, Margaret Floy Washburn, John B. Watson, and other behaviorists believed behavioral sequencing to be governed by the reflex chain, which states that stimulation caused by an initial movement triggers an additional movement, which triggers another additional movement, and so on. In 1951, Karl Lashley, a neurophysiologist at Harvard University, published “The Problem of Serial Order in Behavior,” addressing the current beliefs about sequence learning and introducing his hypothesis. He criticized the previous view on the basis of six lines of evidence:
"The first line is that movements can occur even when sensory feedback is interrupted. The second is that some movement sequences occur too quickly for elements of the sequences to be triggered by feedback from the preceding elements. Next is that the errors in behavior suggest internal plans for what will be done later. Also, the time to initiate a movement sequence can increase with the length or complexity of the sequence. The next line is the properties of movements occurring early in a sequence can anticipate later features. Then lastly the neural activity can indicate preparation of upcoming behavior events, including upcoming behavior events in the relatively long-term future."
       Lashley argued that sequence learning, or behavioral sequencing or serial order in behavior, is not attributable to sensory feedback. Rather, he proposed that there are plans for behavior since the nervous system prepares for some behaviors but not others. He said that there was a hierarchical organization of plans. He came up with several lines of evidence. The first of these is that the context changes functional interpretations of the same behaviors, such as the way “wright, right, right, rite, and write” are interpreted based on the context of the sentence. “Right” can be interpreted as a direction or as something good depending on the context. A second line of evidence says that errors are involved in human behavior as hierarchical organization. In addition, “hierarchical organization of plans comes from the timing of behavioral sequences.” The larger the phrase, the longer the response time, which factors into “decoding” or “unpacking” hierarchical plans. Additional evidence is how easy or hard it is to learn a sequence. The mind can create a “memory for what is about to happen” as well as a “memory for what has happened.” The final evidence for the hierarchical organization of plans is characterized by "chunking". This skill combines multiple units into larger units.

       I have included these explanations above in order to further describe the importance of teaching sequence to young learners through the use of sentence and story printables. Many of these are available on the web for free. Teachers and home schooling parents alike may introduce many educational concepts to their students ages 4 through 8 by the manufacture and study of simple materials like these. Encourage your little ones to color their own mini-books and to also print their name on the inside cover of their minibook.
  1. Mother Goose Auto Parade - mini book
  2. Five Little Angels Mini Book
  3. The Wee Squirrelees by Grace Drayton
  4. Ten Silly Number Pages for Coloring or Mini Books

The Means And Ways of Occupation In The Kindergarten

Portrait of Friedrich Froebel.
       Before entering into a description of the various means of occupation in the Kindergarten, it will be proper to state that Friedrich Froebel, the inventor of this system of education, calls all occupations in the Kindergarten "plays" and the materials for occupation "gifts." In these systematically-arranged plays, Froebel starts from the fundamental idea that all education should begin with a development of the desire for activity in mite in the child: and he has been, and is universally acknowledged, eminently successful in this part of his important work. Each step in the course of training is a logical sequence of the preceding one; and the various means of occupation are developed, one from another, in a perfectly natural order, beginning with the simplest and concluding with the most difficult features in all the varieties of occupation. Together they satisfy all the demands of the child's nature in respect both to mental and physical culture, and lay the surest foundation for all subsequent education in school and in life.
       The time of occupation in the Kindergarten is three or four hours on each week day, usually from 1) to 12 or 1 o'clock; and the time allotted to each separate occupation, including the changes from one to another, is from twenty to thirty minutes. Movement plays, so called, in which the children imitate the flying of birds, swimming of fish, the motions of sowing, mowing, threshing, etc., in connection with light gymnastics and vocal exercises, alternate with the plays performed in a sitting posture. All occupations that can be engaged in out of doors, are carried on in the garden whenever the season and weather permit.
       For the reason that the various occupations, as previously stated, are so intimately connected, glowing, as it were, out of each other, they are introduced very gradually, so as to afford each child ample time to become sufficiently prepared for the next step, without interfering, however, with the rapid progress of such as are of a more advanced age, or endowed with stronger or better developed
faculties.
       The following is a list of the gifts or material and means of occupation in the Kindergarten, each of which will be specified and described separately hereafter.
       There are altogether twenty gifts, according to Froebel's general definition of the term, although the first six only are usually designated by this name. We choose to follow r the classification and nomenclature of the great inventor of the system.

LIST OF FROEBEL'S 20 GIFTS:
  1. Six rubber balls, covered with a net work of twine or worsted of various colors.
  2. Sphere, cube and cylinder, made of wood.
  3. Large cube, consisting of eight small cubes.
  4. Large cube, consisting of eight oblong parts.
  5. Large cube, consisting of whole, half, and quarter cubes.
  6. Large cube consisting of doubly divided oblongs.
  7. Square and triangular tablets for laying of figures.
  8. Sticks for laying of figures.
  9. Whole and half rings for laying of figures.
  10. Material for drawing.
  11. Material for perforating.
  12. Material for embroidering.
  13. Material for cutting of paper and combining pieces.
  14. Material for braiding.
  15. Slats for interlacing.
  16. The slat with many links.
  17. Material for intertwining.
  18. Material for paper folding.
  19. Material for peas-work.
  20. Material for modeling.

Dolch Word Lists

       The Dolch word list is a list of frequently used English words compiled by Edward William Dolch, a major proponent of the "whole-word" method of beginning reading instruction. The list was prepared in 1936 and was originally published in his book Problems in Reading in 1948.
       Dolch compiled the list based on children's books of his era, which is why nouns such as "kitty" and "Santa Claus" appear on the list instead of more high-frequency words. The list contains 220 "service words" that have to be easily recognized in order to achieve reading fluency in the English language. The compilation excludes nouns, which comprise a separate 95-word list. Between 50% and 75% of all words used in schoolbooks, library books, newspapers, and magazines are a part of the Dolch basic sight word vocabulary.
       These lists of words are still assigned for memorization in American elementary schools. Although most of the 220 Dolch words are phonetic, children are sometimes told that they can't be "sounded out" using common sound-to-letter implicit phonics patterns and have to be learned by sight; hence the alternative term, "sight word". The list is divided according to the grades in which it was intended that children would memorize these words.

Pre-primer: (40 words) a, and, away, big, blue, can, come, down, find, for, funny, go, help, here, I, in, is, it, jump, little, look, make, me, my, not, one, play, red, run, said, see, the, three, to, two, up, we, where, yellow, you
Primer: (52 words) all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good, have, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes
1st Grade: (41 words) after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, giving, had, has, her, him, his, how, just, know, let, live, may, of, old, once, open, over, put, round, some, stop, take, thank, them, then, think, walk, were, when
2nd Grade: (46 words) always, around, because, been, before, best, both, buy, call, cold, does, don't, fast, first, five, found, gave, goes, green, its, made, many, off, or, pull, read, right, sing, sit, sleep, tell, their, these, those, upon, us, use, very, wash, which, why, wish, work, would, write, your
3rd Grade: (41 words) about, better, bring, carry, clean, cut, done, draw, drink, eight, fall, far, full, got, grow, hold, hot, hurt, if, keep, kind, laugh, light, long, much, myself, never, nine, only, own, pick, seven, shall, show, six, small, start, ten, today, together, try, warm

Dolch Listing of Nouns: (95 words) apple, baby, back, ball, bear, bed, bell, bird, birthday, boat, box, boy, bread, brother, cake, car, cat, chair, chicken, children, Christmas, coat, corn, cow, day, dog, doll, door, duck, egg, eye, farm, farmer, father, feet, fire, fish, floor, flower, game, garden, girl, good-bye, grass, ground, hand, head, hill, home, horse, house, kitty, leg, letter, man, men, milk, money, morning, mother, name, nest, night, paper, party, picture, pig, rabbit, rain, ring, robin, Santa Claus, school, seed, sheep, shoe, sister, snow, song, squirrel, stick, street, sun, table, thing, time, top, toy, tree, watch, water, way, wind, window, wood

The Country Round, The Country Faith

THE COUNTRY ROUND
THE COUNTRY FAITH

Here in the country's heart,
Where the grass is green,
Life is the same sweet life
As it e'er hath been.

Trust in God still lives,
And the bell at morn 
Floats with a thought of God
O'er the rising corn.

God comes down in the rain,
And the crop grows tall-
This is the country faith,
And the best of all!

The Cow

THE COW

The friendly cow all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple-tart.

She wanders lowing here and there.
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
The pleasant light of day;

And blown by all the winds that pass
And wet with all the showers,
She walk among the meadow grass
And eats the meadow flowers.

Jingle by G. G. Wiederseim

Jingle.
by G. G. Wiederseim.

Papa's a-riding away to town
To buy my mama a beautiful
gown
With laces and ruffles and rib-
bons of red,
And a dear little bonnet to put 
on her head.

Singing

SINGING

Of speckled eggs the birdie sings
And nests among the trees;
The sailor sings of ropes and things
In ships upon the seas.

The children in far Japan,
The children sing in Spain;
The organ with the organ man
Is singing in the rain.

The Cradle That Walked On Two Feet

THE CRADLE THAT 
WALKED ON TWO FEET

The Japanese sister jumps rope all the
day,
And skips 'round the yard in her Japa-
nese play.
While tied on her back is her brother,
dear me!
His head is as wobbly as wobbly can be!