Dusting Bluebells (rhyme) facts for kids
In and Out the Dusty Bluebells is a fun children's playground song and dance. It became very popular with girls in the 1960s and 1970s, but you don't see it played as much today. This game probably started in the early 1900s.
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How to Play In and Out the Dusty Bluebells
Playing In and Out the Dusty Bluebells is easy and fun! It involves a group of friends and some singing.
Setting Up the Game
To start, all the children form a big circle. Everyone holds hands, and they lift their arms up high. This creates arches between each person in the circle.
The First Dancer
One child is chosen to be the first dancer. This child starts to weave in and out of the arches made by the other children. As they move, everyone sings the first part of the song:
- In and out the dusty bluebells,
- In and out the dusty bluebells,
- In and out the dusty bluebells,
- Who will be my master?
Choosing a New Dancer
When the song gets to the word 'master', the dancer stops. They then gently tap the shoulder of the child closest to them in the circle. While tapping, they sing the next part:
- Pitter-patter, pitter-patter on my shoulder,
- Pitter-patter, pitter-patter on my shoulder,
- Pitter-patter, pitter-patter on my shoulder,
- You will be my master.
Growing the Line
The child who was tapped now joins the first dancer. They hold onto the first dancer's back, forming a small line. Together, they both start weaving through the arches, and everyone sings the first verse again.
This continues! Each time the song finishes, another child is chosen and tapped. They join the line of dancers. The line gets longer and longer as more children join in.
Starting a New Round
The game goes on until only one child is left in the original circle. All the dancers then dance around this last child. After that, they form a new circle, and the last child becomes the first dancer for a brand new round of the game!
Where Did the Song Come From?
The first time this rhyme and song was written down was in 1898. A person named Alice Gomme included it in her book, Round and Round the Village.
Bluebells and Fairy Tales
Some people think the song might be connected to old stories about bluebells. The author Karen Maitland has suggested this idea. In folklore, a wood full of bluebells was often seen as a magical place where fairies lived.
People used to believe that if a child picked bluebells alone, the fairies might take them away. This was sometimes called being "mastered" by the fairy folk. Even grown-ups who went into a bluebell wood by themselves were thought to be in danger. Pixies might lead them around in circles, making it impossible to find their way out!
This old belief might have come from the fact that bluebell bulbs are poisonous if eaten. The famous children's author, Beatrix Potter, even used these old superstitions in her book for older kids, The Fairy Caravan (published in 1929).
Hiring Fairs and Old Traditions
Another idea about the song's origin comes from old English traditions. Sometimes, hiring fairs were held in the countryside around springtime, which is when bluebells bloom. At these fairs, people looking for work would meet employers. A simple tap on the shoulder from an employer could be enough to agree on a job for the next year! While most of these fairs happened in the autumn, there might be a small connection to this idea in the song.
