Games

The Reception Of Flowers
When flowers are sent to you, each stem should be cut with a ...

Remarks On Acting
The drawback to all charades and dressing up at a party is th...

Music Box
_3 to 60 players._ _House party; schoolroom; playground....

Raking
When seeds are sown, the beds should be nicely raked. Some se...

The Wind Blows
Players stand as for gymnastics. Leader stands in front of cl...

Roque
This game may be called scientific croquet. A roque mallet ha...

Steal The Handkerchief
Players form in two lines facing each other and about eight y...

Bean Bags
This game is known to every one by name and yet its simple ru...

Oats Peas Beans

Source: Games For The Playground, Home, School And Gymnasium
Category: SINGING GAMES





_6 to 60 players._

_Indoors; out of doors._


Oats, peas, beans, and barley grows,
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grows.
Nor you nor I nor nobody knows
How oats, peas, beans, and barley grows.

Thus the farmer sows his seed,
Thus he stands and takes his ease,
Stamps his foot and claps his hands,
And turns around to view his lands.

A-waiting for a partner,
A-waiting for a partner,
So open the ring and choose one in,
Make haste and choose your partner.

Now you're married, you must obey.
You must be true to all you say.
You must be kind, you must be good,
And keep your wife in kindling wood.

The players form a ring, clasping hands, and circle about one of their
number who has been chosen to stand in the center. They all sing the
first four lines, when they drop hands, and each player goes through
the motions indicated by the words: sowing the seed with a broad sweep
of the arm as though scattering seed from the hand; standing erect and
folding the arms; stamping the foot; clapping the hands; and at the
end of the verse turning entirely around. They then clasp hands again
and circle entirely around, singing


Waiting for a partner,
Waiting for a partner,

standing still for the last two lines


So open the ring
And choose one in.

On these words the one in the center chooses one from the circle as a
partner. The player who was first in the center then returns to the
circle, and the one chosen as partner remains in the center while the
game is repeated.

If large numbers are playing, four players may stand in the center
instead of one, and in that case, of course, four partners will be
chosen. This form of playing the game has traditional sanction, and at
the same time adapts itself nicely to the large numbers that often
have to be provided for under modern conditions of playing.

This is one of the games that Mr. Newell calls "world-old and
world-wide." It is found in France, Italy, Spain, Germany,
etc., was played by Froissart in the fourteenth century, and by
Rabelais in the fifteenth. The game is supposed to have had its
source in a formula sung at the sowing of grain to propitiate
the earth gods and to promote and quicken the growth of crops.
Mrs. Gomme notes that the turning around and bowing to the
fields and lands, coupled with pantomimic actions of harvest
activities, are very general in the history of sympathetic
magic among primitive peoples, from which doubtless came the
custom of spring and harvest festivals.

Mrs. Gomme also points out that the choosing of the partner
indicates the custom of courtship and marriage at these sowing
and harvest gatherings.




Next: Round And Round The Village

Previous: Nuts In May



Add to Informational Site Network
Report
Privacy
ADD TO EBOOK


Viewed 3888

Game Sources

Games For Halloween
Outdoor Sports And Games
Games For Everybody
Games Without Music For Children
School, Church, And Home Games
The Book Of Sports
What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games And Pastimes
Games For All Occasions
Games And Play For School Morale
Ciphers For The Little Folks
Indian Games
Games For The Playground, Home, School And Gymnasium

Game Categories

Games For Adults
Games For Special Days.
Thanksgiving
Feats And Forfeits
Eighth Grade
Quiet Games
Zigzag Games
Group Games For Adults
Ball Games
Washington's Birthday
Games For The Home
Pets
Ball Games
Thinking, Guessing, And Acting Games
Easter
Games For A Story Play Hour
Outdoor Games For Boys
Lincoln's Birthday
Gardening
Schoolroom Games For Intermediate Pupils
Balls And Bean Bags
Fourth Grade
Games For Children
Second Grade
Playhouses Of Other Peoples
Games With Marbles.
Outdoor Games For Boys
Games For Adults
Rainy-day Games
Suggestion For Conducting Play Leaders' Training Class
Schoolroom Games For Advanced And High School Pupils
Games For Cold Weather.
Table And Card Games
Guessing Games
Writing Games
Games For The Playground
Schoolyard Games For Intermediate Pupils
One Hundred Outdoor Games
First Grade
Picnic Games
Swimming.
Christmas
Outdoor Games For Older Boys And Young Men
Sociable Games For Young People
Bean Bag And Oat Sack Games
St. Valentine's Day
Games For The Schoolroom
Keeping Poultry.
Sports
Hazard Games
Carpentering.
Fifth Grade
In The Train Or During A Wait At A Railway Station
After Dinner Games For Christmas
Bees.
Graded Games For Schools And Community Recreation
In The Country
Trick Games For Sociables
Dangerous Games.
New Year's Day
Singing Games
Out For A Walk
Hallow-e'en
Third Grade
Competitive Stunts
Outdoor Games For Girls
Fourth Of July
Stunt Athletic Meet
Schoolyard Games For Primary Pupils
April Fool's Day
Schoolyard Games For Advanced And High School Pupils
Dolls' Houses
Counting-out; Choosing Sides
Dolls' Houses And Dolls Of Cardboard And Paper
Miscellaneous Active Games
Playing Alone, And Games In Bed
At The Seaside
Seventh Grade
Candy-making
Sixth Grade
Schoolroom Games For Primary Pupils
Ice Breakers For Sociables
Games At The Dining Table
A County Fair Play Festival
Woodcraft
Gymnastics.
May Day
Games Of Strength
Games For A Party
Gardening.
Sociable Games For Grownups
Cricket.
Drawing Games
Games And Pastimes For Washington's Birthday
Games For Tiny Tots
Racing Games For Picnics
Indoor Occupations And Things To Make
For The Younger Children
An Indoor Sports Fair