The Big Night Birds. (Marching Plays for Nursery and Kindergarten.)
Reading edition
Mother recites or sings each verse; children sing tu-whit refrain. A pair of big disks to surround the eyes adds much to the pleasure of the “owls”, easily made of common crimped paper. A pair of tufts, to stand up like the feather “horns” of certain species, may also be worn.
1. Children march with mother behind pointing at them and singing.
2. Children stand, arms pressed close to side, eyes closed, shoulders drawn up, mother behind pointing.
Behold the round-eyed Owls! The puffed-up feathery birds That cry out in the night And speak these two odd words: Tu-whit, tu-whoo! tu-whit, tu-whoo! Light scares these big-eyed birds; They go and hide all day; They sit in hollow trees; Disturbed, they hiss and say: Tu-whit, tu-whoo! tu-whit, tu-whoo!
3. Children slowly circle room, arms stretched out wide, heads inclining forward, mother behind, pointing.
4. Children circle room as before; mother behind, tiptoe, joyous, with tossing, soaring, wavering arm movements.
5. Mother waves her arms backward repeatedly. Children circle, away to their seats, arms extended horizontally as before, repeating refrain until seated.
But out they fly at night; They come round many a house; All noiselessly they sail, A-watch for mole or mouse. Tu-whit, tu-whoo! tu-whit, tu-whoo! They never fly for joy, And soar about the sky They sail, and pounce, and sail— These Owls with their strange cry: Tu-whit, tu-whoo! tu-whit, tu-whoo! Back to your hollow tree, You birds that have no song! No child would like to be An Owl for very long. Tu-whit, tu-whoo! tu-whit, tu-whoo!
THE NIMBLE PENNIES.
Draw two circles, a small one at the top, a large one below and behind it, as in the first two designs. Draw around a small cent and a large copper cent (or two-cent piece, or silver quarter). Add two tiny circles for eyes, then the lines in the following designs, and finally you will have a spring lamb with a tinkling bell.
(Lilybud to herself.)
“O, the bestest dood time I’ve had all alone, A-playin’ wiv such a shiny black stone—
(Lilybud to mama.)
“But, mama! oh, mama! come quick—I dess, I dess I have dot sumfin bad on my dwess!”
P. S. C.