Hunt the Squirrel Lyrics
A child circles the ring with a knotted handkerchief while chanting about a squirrel in the wood, then taps another child who must chase back round the other way.
Hunt the Squirrel
Hunt the squirrel through the wood,
I lost him, I found him;
I have a little dog at home,
He won't bite you,
He won't bite you,
And he will bite you.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/hunt-the-squirrel/
- Type
- Action Songs
- Tune
- Chanted while running around the ring
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Hunt the squirrel through the wood | Walk around the ring on tiptoe, peeking about. |
| I lost him, I found him | Shade your eyes with one hand, then point. |
| And he will bite you | Tap a child on the shoulder with the handkerchief. |
What Does Hunt the Squirrel Mean?
This is the rhyme that goes with a chasing game. The players make a ring, and one child runs around the outside carrying a knotted handkerchief. As the child goes, the rhyme is said: a squirrel is hunted through the wood, lost and found, and there is a little dog at home that will not bite you, will not bite you, and then "he will bite you". On the last words the child taps someone on the shoulder with the handkerchief and starts to run.
The tapped child picks up the handkerchief and runs the other way. When the two meet, they each bow three times, and the runner tries to reach the empty place in the ring first.
History and Origin
William Wells Newell describes the game as number 117 in Games and Songs of American Children (1884) and takes the rhyme from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He notes that in Philadelphia the rhyme begins "I carried water in my glove, I sent a letter to my love", and that a New York form has the words "I tisket, I tasket, a green and yellow basket". In England, he says, the game is called Drop-glove.
He also describes an older way of playing that goes under the same name.
Learning Activities
- Play the ring: sit in a ring, pass the handkerchief outside and chase back the other way.
- Squirrel hunt: hide a toy squirrel and look for it.
- Tie a knot: practice tying a knot in a handkerchief or scarf.
- Other names: compare this game with Drop the Handkerchief.