What I've Learned at School

by Robert Pottle

At school I’ve learned a lot of things

I really like to do,

like running in the hallway

and eating gobs of glue.

I’ve learned I’m good at making pencils

dangle from my nose.

I’ve learned to hum and pop my gum.

I practice, and it shows.

I’ve learned I like to cut in line

and love to cut the cheese.

I’ve learned to fake a burp, a cough,

and even fake a sneeze.

You’d think with all this learning

I’d be doing well in school,

but everything I learn to do

appears to break a rule.

An Autumn Greeting

"Come," said the Wind to the Leaves one day.

"Come over the meadow and we will play.

Put on your dresses of red and gold.

For summer is gone and the days grow cold."

At The Zoo

~William Makepeace Thackeray

First I saw the white bear, then I saw the black;

Then I saw the camel with a hump upon his back;

Then I saw the grey wolf, with mutton in his maw;

Then I saw the wombat waddle in the straw;

Then I saw the elephant a-waving of his trunk;

Then I saw the monkeys-mercy, how unpleasantly they-smelt!

At the Seaside

~Robert Louis Stevenson

When I was down beside the sea

A wooden spade they gave to me

To dig the sandy shore.

My holes were empty like a cup,

In every hole the sea came up,

Till it could come no more.

An Alphabet

~Edward Lear

A

A was once an apple pie,

Pidy

Widy

Tidy

Pidy

Nice insidy

Apple Pie!

B

B was once a little bear,

Beary!

Wary!

Hairy!

Beary!

Taky cary!

Little Bear!

C

C was once a little cake,

Caky

Baky

Maky

Caky

Taky Caky,

Little Cake!

D

D was once a little doll,

Dolly

Molly

Polly

Nolly

Nursy Dolly

Little Doll!

E

E was once a little eel,

Eely,

Weely

Peely

Eely

Twirly, Tweedy

Little Eel!

F

F was once a little fish,

Fishy

Wishy

Squishy

Fishy

In a Dishy

Little Fish!

G

G was once a little goose,

Goosy

Moosy

Boosy

Goosey

Waddly-woosy

Little Goose!

H

H was once a little hen,

Henny

Chenny

Tenny

Henny

Eggsy-any

Little Hen?

I

I was once a bottle of ink,

Inky

Dinky

Thinky

Inky

Black Minky

Bottle of Ink!

J

J was once a jar of jam,

Jammy

Mammy

Clammy

Jammy

Sweety-Swammy

Jar of Jam!

K

K was once a little kite,

Kity

Whity

Flighty

Kity

Out of sighty-

Little Kite!

L

L was once a little lark,

Larky!

Marky!

Harky!

Larky!

In the Parky,

Little Lark!

M

M was once a little mouse,

Mousey

Bousey

Sousy

Mousy

In the Housy

Little Mouse!

N

N was once a little needle,

Needly

Tweedly

Threedly

Needly

Wisky-wheedly

Little Needle!

O

O was once a little owl,

Owly

Prowly

Howly

Owly

Browny fowly

Little Owl!

P

P was once a little pump,

Pumpy

Slumpy

Flumpy

Pumpy

Dumpy, Thumpy

Little Pump!

Q

Q was once a little quail,

Quaily

Faily

Daily

Quaily

Stumpy-taily

Little Quail!

R

R was once a little rose,

Rosy

Posy

Nosy

Rosy

Bows-y - grows-y

Little Rose!

S

S was once a little shrimp,

Shrimpy

Nimpy

Flimpy

Shrimpy

Jumpy-jimpy

Little Shrimp!

T

T was once a little thrush,

Thrushy!

Hushy!

Bushy!

Thrushy!

Flitty-Flushy

Little Thrush!

U

U was once a little urn,

Urny

Burny

Turny

Urny

Bubbly-burny

Little Urn!

V

V was once a little vine,

Viny

Winy

Twiny

Viny

Twisty-twiny

Little Vine!

W

W was once a whale,

Whaly

Scaly

Shaly

Whaly

Tumbly-taily

Mighty Whale!

X

X was once a great king Xerxes,

Xerxy

Perxy

Turxy

Xerxy

Linxy Lurxy

Great King Xerxes!

Y

Y was once a little yew,

Yewdy

Fewdy

Crudy

Yewdy

Growdy, grewdy,

Little Yew!

Z

Z was once a piece of zinc,

Tinky

Winky

Blinky

Tinky

Tinkly Minky

Piece of Zinc!

All Things Bright and Beautiful

~Cecil Frances Alexander

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings.

The purple-headed mountain,

The river running by,

The sunset, and the morning,

That brightens up the sky;

The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden,

He made them every one.

He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell,

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

A Light Exists in Spring

~Emily Dickinson

A Light exists in Spring

Not present on the Year

At any other period --

When March is scarcely here

A Color stands abroad

On Solitary Fields

That Science cannot overtake

But Human Nature feels.

It waits upon the Lawn,

It shows the furthest Tree

Upon the furthest Slope you know

It almost speaks to you.

Then as Horizons step

Or Noons report away

Without the Formula of sound

It passes and we stay --

A quality of loss

Affecting our Content

As Trade had suddenly encroached

Upon a Sacrament.

Above the Bright Blue Sky

~Albert Midlane~

There's a Friend for little children

Above the bright blue sky,

A Friend who never changes

Whose love will never die;

Our earthly friends may fail us,

And change with changing years,

This Friend is always worthy

Of that dear name he bears.

There's a home for little children

Above the bright blue sky,

Where Jesus reigns in glory,

A home of peace and joy;

No home on earth is like it,

Nor can with it compare;

And everyone is happy,

Nor could be happier there.

A race, a race to Moscow,

Before the close of day!

A race, a race to Moscow,

A long, long way!

First comes a butterfly a-riding on a frog,

Next comes a water rat a-floating on a log;

A caterpillar on the fence, a hopper in the hay—

Who’ll get to Moscow before the close of day?

A race, a race to Moscow,

Before the close of day!

A race, a race to Moscow,

A long, long way!

First comes a butterfly a-riding on a frog,

Next comes a water rat a-floating on a log;

A caterpillar on the fence, a hopper in the hay—

Who’ll get to Moscow before the close of day?

Who hung his hat on the moon?

The owl in his bubble balloon.

One bright summer night

He sailed out of sight,

And, hooting like Lucifer, hung in delight

His three-cornered hat on the moon.

A man came from Malden to buy a blue goose.
And what became of the gander?
He went and got tipsy on blackberry juice,
And that was the end of the gander.

A little boy ran to the end of the sky

With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.

He cried: “Three cheers for the Fourth of July!”

With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.

He saw three little donkeys at play,

He tickled their noses to make them bray,

And he didn’t come back until Christmas Day—

With a rag and a pole and a gooseberry pie.

Some children are so naughty,

And some are very good;

But the Genteel Family

Did always what it should.

They put on gloves when they went out,

And ran not in the street;

And on wet days not one of them

Had ever muddy feet.

Then they were always so polite,

And always thanked you so;

And never threw their toys about,

As naughty children do.

They always learnt their lessons

When it was time they should;

And liked to eat up all their crusts—

They were so very good.

And then their frocks were never torn,

Their tuckers always clean;

And their hair so very tidy—

Always quite fit to be seen.

Then they made calls with their mamma

And were so very neat;

And learnt to bow becomingly

When they met you in the street.

And really they were everything

That children ought to be;

And well may be examples now

For little you—and me.

Mister McCune

Can whistle a tune,

Old Uncle Strong

Can sing us a song,

Benjamin Biddle

Can play on the fiddle,

Captain O’Trigg

Can dance us a jig,

And I, if I’m able,

Will tell you a fable.

A dillar, a dollar,

A ten o’clock scholar;

What makes you come so soon?

You used to come at ten o’clock,

But now you come at noon!

A bundle of hay

From Baffin’s Bay,

A johnny-cake from Rome,

A man and a mule

From Ultima Thule

To carry the cargo home.

A big, fat potato lay down on a clod

In the shade of some burdock and tall goldenrod,

And he dreamed he were king of the whole garden plot,

With a palace and throne, and a crown with a lot

Of jewels and diamonds and gold till it shone

Like the front of a show when the lights are turned on.

He had to be minded by all of the plants;

When he whistled the radishes knew they must dance;

When he tooted his horn the cucumbers must sing

To a vegetable crowd gathered round in a ring.

He made all the cabbages stand in a row

While a sunflower instructed them just how to grow;

The bright yellow pumpkins he painted light blue;

Took the clothes off the scare-crow and made him buy new.

He strutted and sputtered and thought it was grand

To be king and commander o’er all the wide land.

But at last he woke up with an awful surprise

And found a blind mole kicking sand in his eyes.

A beetle once sat on a barberry twig,
And turned at the crank of a thingum-a-jig.
Needles for hornets, nippers for ants,
For the bumblebee baby a new pair of pants,
For the grizzled old gopher a hat and a wig,
The beetle ground out of his thingum-a-jig.

A robin and a wren, as they walked along one night,
Saw a big brown beetle on a broomstraw.
Said the robin to the wren: “What a pretty, pretty sight—
That big brown beetle on a broomstraw!”
So they got their plates and knives,
Their children and their wives,
And gobbled up the beetle on the broomstraw.

A candle, a candle
To light me to bed;
A pillow, a pillow
To tuck up my head.

The moon is as sleepy as sleepy can be,
The stars are all pointing their fingers at me,
And Missus Hop-Robin, way up in her nest,
Is rocking her tired little babies to rest.

So give me a blanket
To tuck up my toes,
And a little soft pillow
To snuggle my nose.

Cut up a caper,
You’ve got a paper
And I’ve got a widget of string.
You be the army
And let nothing harm me
For I am the captain and king.

Your birthday is a very special day. Only eighteen million other people share it (unless you were born on February 29, in which case you really are special since only 4.5 million people have your birthday).

The custom of lighting candles originated with people believing that the gods lived in the sky and by lighting candles and torches they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods so they they could be answered. When you blow out the candles and make a wish this is another way of sending a signal and a message.

The volume of blood in your body is approximately 5 litres. The heart pumps about 280 litres of blood around your body every hour - that’s 2,688,000 litres per year!

The Earth is zooming around the sun at around 66,780 miles per hour! Since your last birthday the Earth has completed one journey around the sun travelling about 584,337,600 miles.

The earliest birthday parties in history were held because it was feared that evil spirits were attracted to people on their birthdays.

If you laugh 100 times it’s the same thing with cycling 15 minutes on your bike. Energetic laughter boosts the heart rate deepens the breathing rate, and bring into play muscles in the face, stomach, and diaphragm.

Apart from enhance our moods, laughter can cut down stress, cooperate fighting infection, and reduce pain.

Laughter generate helpful changes in brain chemistry by delivering endorphins, and it leads more oxygen into the body with the deeper inhalations.

Laughter is instinctive and contagious. Our laughter is under minimal conscious control, and it challenges the hypothesis that we are in full control of our behaviour.

Italian author Pietro Aretino who in 1556 was laughing so hard at a bawdy story being told to him by his sister that he fell backwards in his chair and died of suffocation from “laughing too much.”

Laughter amplify the natural killer cells that attack viruses and some types of cancer and tumour cells.

Top 10 Funny Laughing

Halloween, referred to as All Hallows Eve, was originally a pagan holiday in which they honored the dead. It was celebrated on October 31 since this was the last day of the Celtic calendar. The celebration dates back some 2,000 years.

Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.

The black cat has become an important symbol of Halloween because they have been connected with the viewpoint that they could protect the powers of a witch from negative forces – a past belief.

Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!

Halloween is the third biggest party day of the year behind New Year’s and Super Bowl Sunday, respectively

86% of Americans decorate their homes at Halloween.

Why are the colors of black and orange typically associated with the holiday of Halloween? It is thought that orange represents the harvests, which Halloween actually marks the endpoint of the harvest. As for black, it is the color that is most associated with death.

The biggest pumpkin in the world tipped the scales at a whopping 1,446 pounds. This gigantic gourd was weighed in October 2004 at a pumpkin festival in Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada.

Barbie is named after the daughter of the original inventor, Barbara.

The first Barbie dolls were made in Japan. On the bottom of the right foot they are marked Made In Japan.

Barbie doll was introduced in Europe in 1961.

Every second, two Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world.

The first Black, and Hispanic Barbie dolls were introduced in 1980. Barbie has appeared in over 40 various nationalities.

The first Barbie doll sold for $3.

Barbie has had over 80 careers. The first was as a teenage fashion model.

Only stamp collecting is more popular in the U.S. than doll collecting.

Barbie has over 40 pets. Among them are cats, dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub and a zebra.

Barbie is eleven and one half inches tall.

1) The Rainbow Bridge is the world's largest natural bridge. It is located at the base of Navajo Mountain, Utah and is as long as a football field.

2) There are tree frogs which glide through the air and are referred to as Flying Frogs.

3) If a rainbow is seen from a plane it is possible to see the rainbow as an entire circle and not just an arc.

4) The first box of Crayola crayons that was ever sold had the same eight colors that are sold in the box today consisting of red, blue, yellow, green, violet, orange, black and brown. The box was sold for five cents in 1903.

5) Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

6) There are more chickens than people in the world.

7) A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.

8) A snail can sleep for 3 years.

9) You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world.

10) The largest litter of kittens ever produced is 19.

"All things are difficult before they are easy" - Thomas Fuller.

Alice in Wonderland

What's the matter with Hatter?

Cry Baby Bunting

Ali Baba and Forty Thieves

The Lost Scimitar of Arabia

Jungle Book

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi to the Rescue

Three Blind Mice

A was an Actor,

'Tis clear to your view:

B was three Boys,

Forming letters for you.

C was a clown, who clever was found.

D was a dunce, and Harlequin bound,

E was soon formed with the aid of a child,

F in a frolic appear'd to be wild.

G was George Godfrey, a truant I fear,

H hand in hand, like two pillars appear.

I was an Indian figure for thee:

J was Jemima Mermaid, only see.

K was Kail Knowledge, to Kew he was bound,

L was Luke Lazy, he's now on the ground.

M Master Merryman, mark what I say,

N Neddy Noodle the Vicar of Bray.

S Simon Sobersides, serious and soft,

T Timothy Touchstone, tomboy and torch,

U Uniform, Union, and Unicorn trot,

V very vexatious his letters forgot.

W Walter and William

Were vex'd,

X in the Alphabet,

Is sure to stand next.

Y was a Youngster,

He'd play with his betters;

Z was a Zany,

For not knowing his letters.