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."

REALLY Make it Rain. (Large group)

Whistle and chirp:  Make bird sounds and calls.

Breeze starts to rustle: Swish hands together, slowly, then faster.

Raindrops start to fall: Snap (or flick) fingers.  Birdsound stops.

Rain increases:  Tap 2 fingers into palm of other hand, then 3, then 4.

Thunder:  Stamp on floor while tapping fingers.

Thunder claps:  Small groups of 3 leap together and land feet together.

Reverse order until the birds come out 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

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)