Patty-cake polka

Heel and toe, heel and toe, slide, slide and stop.

  Heel and toe, heel and toe, slide, slide, slide and stop.

Right, right, right.   Left, left, left. Both, both, both.   Knees, knees, knees.

Turn your partner once around and on to the next.

Partners face each other, holding both hands in a double circle, greasy-barrel joined up at the ends.

Heel and toe   (with clockwise foot)   Slide  (sashay to clockwise)

Repeat in opposite direction.

Clap R hand w. partner,  then L, then both, then knees.

Take both hands, turn around in a clockwise direction until the inside partner gets back to where she was.  She stops. Drop hands.   The outside partner keeps going a couple of steps to where the person on her left was formerly.  Everyone has a new partner, and the game goes again.


( You can change the last line to "Turn your partner once around and curtsy so politely" if you want to get the hang of the dance before adding the complication of changing partners.)

Tune: 355- 466- 7-67 89mi
355- 466- 7-67  988-
mi 88- 866- 777- 655-
mi 888 8667 7-67 8---

Basically, a variant of "Little Brown Jug."

Dr. Knickerbocker

Circle game, standing.

IT is in the center, doing the song and motions with everyone else.

Dr. Knickerbocker, Knickerbocker, Number One,

   He sure got stung by the bumbley bum.

Now let's get the rhythm of the hands (clap clap).

  Now we've got the rhythm of the hands (clap clap).

Now let's get the rhythm of the feet (stamp, stamp).

  Now we've got the rhythm of the feet (stamp, stamp).

Now let's get the rhythm of the hips ("Woo woo!").

  Now we've got the rhythm of the hips ("Woo woo!)"

Now let's get the rhythm of the eyes-----.

  Now we've got the rhythm of the eyes-----.

Now let's get the rhythm of the number five!

On the beginning of the word, "Knickerbocker" everyone starts a touch-clap-touch-clap rhythm (Touch hands of people beside you, fingers pointed up, clapping your palms together.)  

(Be careful at the claps after "let's get the rhythm of the hands," as there will be actually three claps in a row.  )

The other moves are all inserted in the two beats where the rhythm is NOT clapped. 

The "hips" movement is a little bump and grind while saying "Woo woo!"

The "eyes" movement goes with a long-sounding vocal slide on the word (pitch rises).

 I hope this makes sense.  It's easier done than said.

At the end of the song, IT spins around with her eyes closed, pointing outward.

When she stops, the person at whom she is pointing shouts, "Five!"  Then the next person counter-clockwise shouts "Ten," and the next people continue, one at a time, counting by five.

Whoever gets to say "100!" is the new IT, and goes to the center.

"Dollar, dollar, how I wonder. From one hand to the other. 
Is it fair? Is it fair, to keep that pretty girl standing there?"

Circle game, seated on the floor.  IT is in the center, eyes closed.

Someone has a rock. Everyone puts their left hand on their left knee, palm up, fingers cupped.  In rhythm, everyone puts their right hand to their left hand as if picking up an imaginary dollar, then transfers that "dollar" to the cupped hand of the person on the right.   If there really IS a dollar in that hand, you can transfer it to the next person.  Or not.

(I get the movement started by chanting, "Yours, theirs, yours, theirs..." before starting the song.

IT keeps his/her eyes closed during the first rendition of the song, then opens them and tries to spot the dollar moving around the circle.  IT points at someone, they show their hands.  If the dollar is there, that person becomes IT and the game begins again.

Orff bourdon:   1 5 1 5  1 5 1 5  1 5 1 5  5 5 5 5 

Pass the shoe

Everyone, take off your shoes.  Put one in the corner of the room, and keep the other.  Form a circle and sit down with the shoe in front of you.  We are going to sing this song:

We will pass this shoe from me to you, to you.
   We will pass the shoe, and do just what I do.

On the word "pass," take your shoe and set it in front of the person to your right.
On the word "this," reach in front of you and pick up the new shoe that has appeared there.
On the word "shoe," set that shoe in front of the person to your right.
On the word "me," reach in front of you and pick up the new shoe that has appeared there.
Continue this pattern UNTIL the word "do."


On that special word "do,"  DON'T LET GO OF THE SHOE. Tap it in front of that person, take it and tap it in front of yourself on "I," then on the last word, "do," put it in front of the other person and let go.

Start again.  When chaos ensues, stop, everyone get a shoe and start again.

Here We Go Round the Mountain

Sugar's on the floor!!

Here we go round the mountain, two by two. 
Here we go round the mountain, two by two. 
Here we go round the mountain, two by two. 

Rise up, sugar, rise!

Give us a little motion, two by two.
Give us a little motion, two by two.
Give us a little motion, two by two.
Rise up, sugar, rise!

That's a fine motion, two by two.
That's a fine motion, two by two.
That's a fine motion, two by two.
Rise up sugar, rise!.

Circle game.
Vs 1: Partners promenade around IT couple.
Vs 2: IT couple does a motion.
Vs 3: Everyone does the motion.
Vs. 1 again: Everyone promenades, IT couple slips into the circle behind another couple, and that couple becomes IT, goes to the center and decides what the next motion will be.

Tune: 3331335- 3331332- 3331335- 54321----

Source: Richard Spalding

Here We Go Looby Loo

Here we go looby loo. 
Here we go looby light.
Here we go looby loo.
All on a Saturday night.

I put my right hand in.
I take my right hand out.
I give my hand a shake, shake, shake
and I turn myself about.

(Hold hands, walk around a circle, then stop and do motions.)

Queen Queen Caroline

Hands on your lap, lap, lap, clap! Lap, lap, lap, clap! (continue)

Queen Queen Caroline
  Washed her hair in turpentine.
Turpentine made it shine.
  Queen Queen Caroline.

(change clapping pattern and start again.)

Zing, zing, zing, Jacqueline! (rhythmic circle game)

Players form a circle.  #1 is leader.
All shout "Zing, zing, zing, Jacqueline!"    On the word "Jacq," jump up and clap hands above heads, which starts a rhythm of touch (hands outstretched on the side of you, fingers up, palms outward), then clap, touch, clap..., continue throughout round.  'Touch' is the beat.
Starting with leader, count off.  Remember your number.
"One!" (clap) "Two!" (clap)...
All: "Who stole the cookies from the (touch) cookie jar?"
All: "Number One stole the cookies from the (touch) cookie jar!"
#1: "Who me?"
All: "Yes, you!"
#1: "Couldn't be."
All: "Well then, who?"
#1 chooses a number.  "Number five stole the cookies from the (touch) cookie jar."
#5: "Who me?"
All: "Yes, you!..."
Continue.   When anyone makes a mistake, stumbles, breaks rhythm, calls a number that's already been called, whatever (according to the skill level of the group), the game stops.  The person who stumbled goes to the end of the line and it all starts over.

(this one came from Richard Spalding in Orff class)