Dogs in the Garden, Catch 'Em, Towser Lyrics
Trouble all over the farm: dogs in the garden, cows in the corn, cats in the cream, and a fire on the mountains. Everyone runs.
Dogs in the Garden, Catch 'Em, Towser
Dogs in the garden, catch 'em, Towser;
Cows in the cornfield, run, boys, run;
Cats in the cream-pot, run, girls, run, girls;
Fire on the mountains, run, boys, run.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/dogs-in-the-garden/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Shouted, with a running beat
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Dogs in the garden, catch 'em, Towser | Point and shout to an imaginary dog. |
| Cows in the cornfield, run, boys, run | Jog on the spot. |
| Cats in the cream-pot, run, girls, run, girls | Tiptoe fast, shooing with both hands. |
| Fire on the mountains, run, boys, run | Run in a circle and stop with a big jump. |
What Does Dogs in the Garden, Catch 'Em, Towser Mean?
Every line is a farmyard alarm. Towser is an old-fashioned name for a dog, a cream-pot is the jar where cream was kept, and in an American book like this one the cornfield is a field of corn that the cows must not trample. The last line, fire on the mountains, also shows up in old American folk songs, so the jingle probably traveled around before anyone printed it.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in The Little Mother Goose (1912), among the book's short jingles, with no note about where it came from. It reads best as a game of shouting and running rather than as a story.
Learning Activities
- Shout and move: the leader calls each line and the children act out the animal and the action.
- Add your own: make new lines such as "Ducks in the duck pond" or "Goats on the roof", and decide what everyone should do.
- Farm sounds: bark, moo and meow in the order the animals appear.