Oh Little Playmate, Come Out and Play With Me

I was thinking about all the hand clapping games we used to play as kids, and even in my teens and early 20s, we would all try to remember the words. And jump rope games, Lincoln, Lincoln, I've been thinking, what's that stuff that you've been drinking...I don't remember the rest of that one. I have to ask my sister Linda if she remembers. We played so many games like that growing up, and I know even from Brooklyn to Staten Island and Long Island, there were slight differences in the games. I wonder how long these little songs have been around and how different the words are across the miles.

It's funny how things start and you never know why. Families do things and pass it down, it becomes a tradition. Something you don't really mean to make a tradition, it just happens.

When we were kids my mom always made us "soup and soldiers". The soldiers were just white buttered bread cut in long slices to dunk in your soup. We ask the kids now if they want soup and soldiers, especially when they're sick, it's our family tradition. Not too long ago I saw the former Princess Fergie on the View. She mentioned "soup and soldiers" and the hosts asked her what it was. She said it was something her mother did and she think it started during World War II with kids making toy soldiers out of everything. My great grandmother is from England and I guess that's where our "soup and soldiers" tradition started.

I think it would be a wonderful tradition to pass on to the little girls in our lives the jump rope games and clapping hands games we used to play. I loved them, my sisters, and my friends and cousins too. I know with my oldest niece, Irene, I taught her all kinds of songs and games, I was much younger, I remembered so much more than I do now. I got her hooked on so many of the songs I loved. In fact I got her hooked on the movie "My Fair Lady", she was so young, still asking to rewind every movie she watched. My father used to love that movie until Irene discovered it, he couldn't believe how many times she watched it. I of course was in my glory, my little buddy loving the movies I did, and I never mind watching a movie I love over and over again. Though again, it's one of those things that is a big change since I was a kid. I loved waiting for that special night the Wizard of Oz would be on TV. A yearly event, a special night, you did whatever your parents told you that day, all day, yes I'll take a bath early, yes my homework is done, but I want to be in front of that TV before even the first note of music in the film started. Magic!

I'd like to teach Ashley, Gracie and Bella some of these games. Pass down that tradition. I wonder if it's just too old fashioned and they would be bored playing? For me it's just another perfect part of growing up, playing simple games in the streets, parks and schoolyards.

One of my favorite hand clapping game was "Oh Little Playmate". I found this video on youtube and the girls are so cute but they sing different words. When I was a kid it was: Oh little playmate, come out and play with me and bring your dollies three, climb up my apple tree, slide down my rainbow and through my cellar door and we'll be jolly friends for ever more, more, more. Oh little playmate, I cannot play with you, my dolly has the flue, boo hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, can't slide down no rainbows into your cellar door, but we'll be jolly friends for ever more, more, more.



I also loved Miss Mary Mac? And Miss Lucy Had A Steamboat.

Do you remember?

Share some of your hand clapping games, your jump rope games.





Slide down that rainbow today!