ErieKeaaeway

Illustrated by A/an Rogers

'Don't just sit theR twiddlina your thumbs' - perhaps that

has been said to you at some time. It is a common
expres5ion which implies that 'twiddling your thumb~' is
just about the silliest thing anybody could do; that domg
anything else would be a more interesting or worthwhile
way of spending the time.
Well dlis book will show you that there is more than one
way oftwiddling your thumbs. It will show you, too, that
there are other thina:s to do with your thumbs- and fingers
-beside~ twiddling them. It is surprising what you can do
with a pairofhands and nothlng dse at all. You can p~ay
fi nger games. make pictura. do sums and create all kinds of
magic. One word of warning: you can a]so catch out your
friends with some of these tricks. Do not try to catch them
out too often or they may become distrustful of you and be
unwilling to join you in a finaer aame for which you really
do need them as partners.
Many of the following Micas will be useful to you when
you are unable tO get on with your usual activities> wh~
you arc confined to bed through illness or when trav~
on a kmg joumcy. There will be other ideas that you will
want to try on your family and friends straight away> w
don'tjust sit there twiddling your thumbs. . .

I am indebted to Seishiro Yuasa of the Japan Children's

Play Research Centre for lirat introducing me to the subject
offinaer play; and to Samuel Randlett for introducing me to

much of the literature. Manin Gardner's work on

impromptu magic has once again proved invaJuable. I also
thank John French, Robcrt Harbin, Ela:R: Hill and her son
David. for suggesting Micas which are included in this
c.ollcction.

M)'lterioualwtd tum
Did you know that you can turn your band over without
actually turnina your hand over?lfthat sounds like

nonsense. try the following sequence of moves. keeping

your wrist stiff at all tim~ .

I Stan by holding your hand palm upwards. Then bring
your hand up to the 5houlder on the same ride.

. and out to the fronL

3

Swing it out to the froni.

Brin& it up to the shoulder ...

Your hand ill now facing

palm downK'Grds. How did
that happen?
7

'

'

F1oadaasausaae

Hole ill !hlwHI

1 Roll up a sheet of paper into a tube and hold it to one

eye. Place your free hand uprisht against the side of the tube
with the palm facin& you. (Make sure this hand is'not
hidden from your view by the hand whicb is holding the
tube.) Keep both eyes open and focus them on the far side of

Bring the tips of your forefingers together and hold your

hands about 20cm in front of your nose.

2 Pull yourfingertipJapart slightly. Look through the
space between them. focusing your eyes on the far side of
the room. and a little 'floating sausage' will appear.

the room.
2

You a wear to have 11 hole in the middle of your hand.

One penoD- two pencDs

Cross two of your fingers
and run the insides of the
tips along a pencil. It will
feel as if you are touching
two pencils.

2 Plaec your lips apinat the upper part of your thumbs,

with youtlower lip covering the top end onJy of the cavity;
then blow. This shouJ:d produce the sound of an owl hooting.

Owl hoot
I Make a hollow ball of your hands by cupping them
together, taking care that you do not leave any gaps
between your fingers or bet~ the heels of your hands.
Leave just a narrow cavity between the joints of your
thumbs.

3 BymovingthemiddJe
finger of your left hand, you
should be able to produce
various notes.

Slap your Jmeea aud ohan1 band

I Hold your ri&ht ear with your left hand and your nose
withyourrighthand. Let go.

2 . slap your knees .

. . and take hold ofyour\eftearwith your right hand

and your nose with your left hand.

Repeat these moves. SJap your knees and change hands;
slap your knees and change hands as quickly as you can
-if you can.

;::~"yow-.ruddle~::;yourthi<dftnler,

3 Canyoucu.rl
your
third ft
your little finac:r
fing" ow
r oretinger - like this?et,and your middle

CIID you do lhll7

~~peoplecanbcndthcir
f~
~er pcopk find im h~ds and fingers into

WUii stun"1 Even ;r

poo~ble. Can you do

ome of your friend> ca/ou cannot, you will

fi~that

poo<tion

J Canyoubend
your
wrist?
your hand so that your thumb t ouchCJ

2 Canyoubend
sothattbetwoto
your:rorelingeratthe mlddltjointonly,
.
.
pscctionsarerigid?

.
''

'

~tr.:
1-~~: ~~
.. ' . ,
.

:~~/'

~~

.. .
.. .

-:;:---.. 1,

~ ----"- .

'

And can you do tblo7

~lli=:!~a~~.like the one in the drawin& and lift your

First lift your index finger , ,

'

Jl

2 then your second finger ..

and finally your littJefingcr.

~=run through the sequence again, more quickly tha

Amlwbot about tbls7

Ftaser eoloDdu

Here is a 1imilar stunt:

Perhaps you know the jinJ!c which bqins, 'Thirty day1

bath September, April, June and November. ,.,' It.is
generally used, as a way of remembering how many days
there .are in each month of the year.
Here is a.nother way to remember the number of days in
each month. Start at the lcftmost knuckle of the left hand,
point to each knuckle. and each hollow between tbc
knuckles, in turn; and riame them January. February.

Separate your first and second fingers from your third

and little fingers, like the first drawing.
l

Now bring your second and third fingl7s together,

without moving your first and linlc fingers.

Sec iCyou can continue quickly moving your two middle

finaers together and apart, togetha and apart, without

movinayourtwoouter finaers at all.

March and so on.

When you want to be reminded how many days a catain
month has, count off the knuckl~ and hoUows until you
reach the month in qucstion.lfthe month is represented by
a knuckle(a hiah point) it will have thirty-one days(the
hiJher number of days). If the month iiJ represented by a
hollow (a low point) it will have the kJwcr number of daysthat i1, thirty days, except ror February which has twenty
eight days in a normal year and twenty-nine in a leap year.

Flapr multlplielldoa
Here is an unUJual wayofmultiplyiq certain numbers. At
first it may seem more difficult than the way you have learnt
to multiply at school, tnit give it a try.
I Numbertheflngers of each hand in sequence from lhe
littlcflnger,wbichwecall6, tothethumb,wbi<:h we call 10.

2 To multiply any two numbers between 6 and 10, place:

IOjether the tips of the two fingers which represent those
numbers. For example, to multiply 6 and 8, put the little
finger eXone hand (6) against the middle finger of the other
hand (8). Now we do two :~imple sums and add the answers

toaethac.

First count the two touchlrq; tlngcn and those below them,
then multiply this number by I 0. There are four such fingers
here so the swn is.( x 10. The answer is.W. Next count the
number of lingers and thumbs above tbe two touching
fingers; there are four fingers on one hand and two on tht:
other. Multiplythtsetwonumbers to&ether(2x4). The
answer is 8. Add the two answers together ( 40+8) and we

have our final answer which is 48.

On the next page are two more eXamples.

3 Prob'em:multiply 7x9.
Place the third flnaer ofone hand {7) against the
forcfingcroftheotber{9).
Atthebottomthereisa totalofsiiflngm6 x 10= 60.
At the top there are three fingers and onetl.naer 3x I = 3.
Addthese numberstofindthefinaJanswer 60+3 =63.

4 Problem:mu1tiply6xl0.
Place the fin&ers as abown in the lower picture.
At tbe bottom there are siifinJ;en 6 x 10 = 60.
At the top there an: four finaers on one Ode and none on
theother~x0=0.

Therefore your answer is 60+0 - 60.

!I t,elndfal of tbings
totrgon
gour frienels

Rubber fingers
I If you rub your hands together in a certain way, you will
appear to have unusually long fingers which bend
backwards as well as forwards. The following steps show
you bow to achieve this curious effect.

n
lL

2 Place the palms of your hands tos;cther.

Slide the left hand up ..

strm&hteo your fi

.......

S Slide your right hand up . ..

. and curl your fingertips

~ver

.
7 Then strai ghten your fingers 00(% more

Continueslid.
.
hands and down
u~bending
,bendmgand
will have to do .,
you
finlersto
but
be effective.. I qutckly for the

up
t.hem:t,.Jr:
gerup;doit~owly'

illus!:r~=-

3 Now take hold of tbe Dear lb"'ioowttb yOur left halld. and
loop it around your ri&ht hand . .

Cat'acndle
This is a traditionalaame in which a loop of atrins is pused
bad: and forth between two people's hands - done in sucb a
way tbat the strinascrou and make a series of changina
p~ttems.

Cat' I Cradle is tl'lc name Jiven to the fir' t pattern in the

series-each pattern has its own n&me- but nobody knows
for 1utequitewhattbe name means.
Yoo will need a picce ofsmooth strin& about two metres
long. Form this into a loop by knotting the ends together
neatly.
1 Fint person. Place the loop around your hands as
shown. Take hold ofthenearstring witn the finger and
thumb of your ri&ht hand: take it across your left palm and
loop it around the back of your hand ..

2 . . likethis.

R~your~thandtoiu

preYJOut posatiOn.

l
- ~

4 ... like this.

Return you r left hand to
iu: previou1 position.

411
~1

S Move your left hltld to the ri&ht; llip the forcfin&cr

under the riaht palm otring IDd -.m, pulling !he otring
with it.

6 Simil&rly with the riaht hand, 11ip the forebaer under

the left palm strin& and pull it acJOII to the right.

8 .Tatetbecroucd Jtrinp under the parallel st:rina: and

up mto the middle. Extc:od your foreft.n&en and thumb&,
takin& up the tension and cveatually carryina the ltr'ina; oo
yowown.
Ffrst pv~on. Release your hands gently, alk>wina your
partner to take over the string.

This pattc:ro is caDcd a 'bed'.

This pattern is the 'eat's cradle'.

First ~non. Take bold of the: crosted strinp and pull

apart . ..
10 . .. and, as in atep8, take them underthepara.lld.
strinp and up into the middle. Extend your fordingcn and
thumbs to support the st:ring.
Second penon. Release your hands aendy.
S<ndperson. Notice the two places, marked with

circles, where the strings cross. Take hold of these crossed

ltrin.&s between finger and thumb and pull apart like this.

11

This pattern is called 'two candles'.

~I ~~

12

S<OI<<penon.Hooltlhclittk11npnofooc hhand

under the inside atrina: of the oppotite side, pulling the

strings over.

I 4 This pattern is c.llcd 1 mqcr'.

First JID'IOtL Take hokl of the croued strinp: and pull
them outwards. , .

I !'i . . up and over the parallel strings and down into the
centre. &tend your fingers and thumbs to support the

strina:.
Second persoN. Release your hands.

13 Keep hold of them while you push your fore6ngcn

and thumbs under the puallel strings and up into the centre.
El.tend your fingers and thumbs to support tbe string.
First penon. Remove your hands gently.

16 This pattern is called 'St ADdrew's Cross'. Sec how

many moves you can invent for yoursclf in order to create
new patterns.

NIDe ftnaer
Clasp your bands toaet)ler in an apparendy normal
way, but keep one fincer bidden. Point out that you have
only ninefinaers showing and ask your friends to JUCSS
whlch one it
l

rrumna.

Ftaaer wblllle I
Can you whiide with your
finaers?Trythi smethod:

Brin& the tipa of the

forefinger and little finger of
one hand toaether. Curl
your tonaue back, push

your two li.naertipa qainst

the underside of your
tongue and Now.

Give the answer by revealin& the inside of your clasped

hands and wi&&lins the miasin& fin&er.

Or try thil method :

Bend the two top joints of

the forc:finacr of one band so
that the space: between tbe
joints forms a small bole.
You can try t.bis trick several times, hidin& any one of your
ftnaen similarly in the pt.lm of your hand.

Placethisbc:ntf inger
aaainst the underside of
Yourtonaue and blow.

Scouman'aflqo n
I

Getafric:odtoplacehi s

lwKU . . . - u ollown
berc: - the knuckles of the
mktdlc ftnacn placed finnly
toa;cther and the tips of the
thumbs and the other pain:
offinaen touchin&each

other.

2 Put penny between the

tipl ofhia foreBnacrs and
say, 'Here's a penny for the
Enpshman.' Next put a
penny between the tips of

the third fin&en and say,

'Here's a penny for the

Scouman.' Lastly put a
penny between the little

fingersandsay,'Ha-e'sa
pe:nnyforthelrishman.'

liUittthatyourfriend

keeps the knuckle~ of his

middle finacn toactber and
uk hlrn to drop the pcnniu
bypull.in.ghia:6ngertips

apart. The 'EnaJishman'

and the 'Irishman' will drop
theirperuticabutthe
' ScotsmaD' wiU keep atiaht

hold on his!

.
.
'

Sweet surprise
For this trick you will need a
sweet wrapper or a similar
stnaiJ piece of eoloured

paper.
I Bend the forefinger of
one band forward.

2 Fold the sweet wrapper

in half and place your
forefinaer between the two
layers. Twist the two ends of
thepap<7.

~A:~~~~~

forefinger WJth your thumb,

so that you appear to be

holdina a sweet in the palm

of your hand. OtTer it to
friends-they will get a
surprise when they try to
picldtup!

Tbe mummy' ftqer

Armawlna

This trick is similar to the Sweet Surprise. You will need the
inside part of a matchbox. some cotton wool (or something
similar) and a pair of scissors.

In this routine your ann swings around iD a circle as though

it had no bones in iL Stcpa6--9 should be performed in ooc
continuous movement so that the tumina; o( the hand pauea
UMOticed by your audience.

1 The trick : you show a friend a little box filled with

cotton wool, then carefully remove this paddinl to reveal a
buman finacr. You persuade your friend that this is the
fina;er of an Egyptian m~o~mmy, thouaanda of years old.

2 The facts : actually it is your own flngerwhich you slip

into the box throuah a hok cut into its bottom.

Raise one elbow to shoulder heiJht and let the forearm

hang loose.
2 Take hold orthe hanging arm with your ochcr hand ..
. .. and lift it acrost your body. Let. it go .

.4

froma1your elbow,leA

ourarmto~'Nln&
and all~ come aradually to ab t.

and righ' and

S Take hold of the hanainl arm once I1\0R,

bmc, push it away.

Lift ;und,

thi~

7 Continue the circular movement , ..

8

... and turn tbe hand around u it reaches your

houlder.

Af\ercomptenng
. the circle, let YOW' forearm hang
acain and IIWina to a halt.

loo,.

M.pcerou
1 Wrth pen and ink (not a ball-point pen) or with a fiDe
bruslt and wdl.-mixc:d watercolour paint, draw aline ICtoSS
thecreaseofyour Jd\ palm.

Turn your hand over

and th~ is a cross wbere

only alinewubefott. lbe ,_, .:.line you drew on the back of __......~
your hand really seems to
have p&Med through to this
2

Turn your hand ovt:r and draw a similar line on the

side.

other side.
The secret : the cross is formed in step 2 when you tum your
hand over for the first time. Undercoveroftheturn,you

3 Now aay, 'I'm going to rub this line right through to the
othersideofmyh&nd.' Moisten a flnaer and rub the back of quickly close andopenyourhand and thewetirok line will
bec:omc imprinted across itsdf.
your hand vigorously until the linedisappeara.

Amp-eel arm
To peri'onn this simple stunt you will nocd to wear a coat of
10mc kind. Pull thec:uffofyour left sleeve down u far u
you can and then rest your arm on a table or dak top.
I

Chop sharply at your left elbow with your riaht hand.

CncklnJ your note

I

Pushthetipofyour

nose to one side with the

forefinger of one band.
Suddenly there will be a
cracking sound u ifyour
nose wc:rc breaking.

2 Now take hold of your Id\ hand and pull it slowly out of
the alceve u far u poss:tlMe. For a moment it will look u if
you really have chopped off your arm!

2 Youdothisbysecre tly
putting your thumbnail
behind your two front teeth;
bringing your thumb
forward sharply makes the

crackina noise.

The spirit flnaer

When you are alorte w:ith a friend, uk him if he believes in
ahosts. then tell him you can summon a Jhost with his help.

I Place your two forefingers on his forehead and lightly

run them down his face two or three times. (This is really
just to get him used to seeing your two hands in front of his
face.)

2 Aak bim to ck>ec his eyes. Whm hedoel, quickly substitute two tiftaers ofone band for the two fingers you have
been usinJ. This fl'ftl:S one of your hands. As you run the

ftn&ers of one hand over your friend's eyes,liJ,htly tap him

on the back nfthe head with the other hand. Immediately
return your hands to the earlier position with both
forefingers touchina his face. When your friend opens his
eyes and sees your two fingers apparently still occupied, be
should be unable to explain who- or what -tapped him.

Knuckle saap
Here is an unusual way of making a sna.ppina or poppinc
noise with your fingers.

Grip the middle linger ol one hand finnly between the

forefinger and middle finaer of the other hAnd u shown.
PuU your hands apart to make the popping noise.

Two people can grip each other's fin&en in lhis way to

snap them. It can also be used as a priVIte hand!hakt

between members of a secret society or club.

Dloappeariaa tlaprulh
1 Clup your handl toactbet as shown and rat the back
of your right hand on the table. Draw attention to the fact
that your ftnaemail.J are showing.

2 Turn your hands over

quickly and point out that

there are no finaernails on

thi1 side. Repeat this action
two or three times.

Now aay the magic word,

turn your hands over qain

and this time there are no

ftnaemails on the other sKle
either!Tumyourhands
back andforthtoahow that
your fingernails have corn

pletely diSIIppeared.
3 Thisisthcsccrct:while
turning your wri1ts you
quickly close the extended
fingm and raise the closed

If

ones. The turning-over

movement hides the
opening and closing of your
fin gen.

DeadfiDior

FIDplrap

Aak a friend to clasp your left hand with bil riaht hand; then
each nisc your fordinacr 50 that they both reat apinst

I Cron.'two fingers ofeach hand as shown in the illWJtration. Ask somebody to put his finaer into the bole.

each other.
Take hold of these two tlqers with the thumb and
fordinacr of your riaht hand and ruo than aently up 1nd

2 When he hu done 10, draw your own fingc:n cloft

tosether to trap your victim's finaer. He abould flnd it

down. You will have the curious feetinathatonelideof your

finacr hu become numb.
Let your partner do the same; he will feel that lW fl.naer is
partly numb, too.

difficult to escape.

All other ftqer trap

1 Ask somebody to place his or her foreftnaen and
middlelilllerstocetherlikethls.

Feat ofatreastb
Place one hand on top of your head and press down firmly,
then challenge someone to lift your hand from yow bead.

They should find it impossible.

Cocklns a slow snook

1 Raise your dhows high and let your hand& hang
together one in front of the other. The thumb of your Jiaht
hand should rest a&ainst the little finser of your left hand.
Ask somebod.y to assist you in performing this stunt by
standing in front of you and pressing aently down on your
dbows.
As ht: does so, slowly lower your elbows and lt:t your
hands ever so gradually swivd into a horizontal position.
With continuing pressure ..

. .. continue to lower your dbows and swivel your

hands gradually so that the fingers point upwards.
4 Now your hands are placed so that you can bring your
1el't thumb back to your nose and wig&k: your lingers at
your assistant until he nalises that he has been 'had'.

Mqnetlc hand

2 Sud<knly open YDW' llft&en- and thepcncilappcan to

I Hoki a pencil in your left hand, the back of which

be suspended without support.
should be towards your audience. Rub the inside of your left
wrist with the other hand. explaining that this is to create
'rnqnc:ticforcc'.

ActuaUy you hold the pencil with the tip of your right
forefinger, which your audience cannot sec.
3

//,/~

----

.~-- ~Ill
~~~~(."
~!
41
~. ~.

.-'-"'_ _..

, 1I

~ - .

~---:. ..\

'-"

... ~

flaacr IJuouih luuul

3 . . like this. Hokl your hands high and wigle your two

1 PlaceyourlwKls qethcr. Brin& tberi&ht midd)cftngcr

middlefinicn.

down between the tint two flnacr o( the left hand. Then
bmd the left middle ftnger down .
2 .. . like this. Rotate your bands in opposite directions 10
that your palms face upwardsanddoWl'lwards .

You appear to have one Ions fin&cr passing right

tbroush your hind.

Thumb Slllllcb

3 PuU your hand away and thC thumb aocs too.

1 Hold your left hand in front of you with the palm

towards you and the thumb standing up.

This is the secret: yourthumbisreallybentintothe

palmofyourhand.Jn step 1, brinayourria:ht hand tietween

your left thumb and your audience so that you can bend the
thumb without it being seen.

Flqer otretcblaa
I Place one hand in front of you with theforetin,:erpoincing down. Curl the forefinger of your other hand around the
pointing linger, then move the pointing fin& er up and down
rapidly lndrepcatcd.ly .
2

The finger will appear to be much longer than it rtally is.

Flnpr break
J Tbetrick: takchoMofyourri&htforefln&er with your
left hand and . ..
2

. . break offthe end!

3 The facta: in step l,yourri&htforefinaeris hidden and

your left thumb, tucked behind one finger, is what your
audience sees u youi' riabt forefinger.

Rest your left rorefin&er against the fingers of your right

hand and, in step 2,slide yourlefthandjust 2or 3cm to the

k:ft. Slide it back qain to 'mend' your finaer.

,,,

---

i i.t
~
,,.
_.)lo-J<- '

~~
Thumb break
1 The trick: your Jet\ hand
grupsthethumbofyour
riaht hand. You bend it back
and forth and with a great
dcalofeiTort" '

''

-~

'

--..-r~-

The facts : in step I, the

thumbofyourriahthand il
hidden in your right pahn;

the thumb on view is the

thumb of your left hand.
In step 2, do not brin&
your bands much more than
J or lcm apart. Then return
your thumb to 'meod' your
bond

Patoadrub
Pat the top of your head with your rizht hand while
rubbina: your stomach in circles with your left hand.
1

2 Now rub your bead with your right band and pat your
atomach with the left.
Get some of your friend& to do thi1J with you and take it in
turns to eaU out 'Change!' At thi1 command everybody
should immediately stop patting and start rubbing or vice
vena. In fact, of coune, it is very easy to become confused.

Mind over matter

1 Tell a fricod that you
have supernatural powersthat you can act him to act
in a certain way simply by
willi.nghimtoactinthat

way. Todemonlltnte, ask

him to clasp his hands

toaether with the forefingers

stickin& out as shO'IVIl.

2 Tcllhimtordax,and
cell h.im you will concentrate
your mind on making his

fln,;ertips come together, If

he remains relaxed hls
fingertips really will come
together- Dot becaWJe of

. -u~

your supernatural powera

but because it is quite
naturalforthemtodoso.

Wlgle dull tiDpr

1 Get a friend to croaa his wristl and then 10 clup hit
hand toa;ether.

3 Point to one of his fin&ers (but make sure you do oot

touch it) and tell him to wia&lc that finger. He will probably
wiggle one of the fln&ers on his other hand.

The elusive ftiiJOr

J Bend down the middlefinaer ofyourriaht hand.-Take
the remaining finaers across into the palm of your left hand,
pushing the little finger of your let\ hand across to the left
with them. Wrap the left hand around the five fingertips.
(With practice you will be able to do this more quickly and
more naturally than at your first attempt.)

2 Ask a friend totakeholdofwhatbebelievesto be yoUr

middJefi.nger.
3 When he has done so, quickly remove your left hand
and spread the fingenofyour right hand to reveal which
finger he has chosen. Of course, it will be the wrong one,
because the middle finger simply was not there to choose.

Scluon, paper, atone

In the Far East. instead of tossing a coin to decide who is to
have first go in any game or contest, they play the 'scissors
paper, stone' &ame.
The two contestants each show a band in one of three
ways to represent scissors, paper or stone. Here are tbe
hand positions and the customary way of describin& the
winninJ and loai.na bands.
1 Two outstretched finaers represent scissors; an open
hand represents paper. Scissors cut paper (i.e.scissora win).
2 A band ronned into a fist repte$trttS stone. Stone blunts
scisaors {i.e. stone wins).

3 Paper wraps stone (i.e. paper wins).

That is to say, each of the hand positions can beat, and ean
be beaten by, one or the others. Whatever hand position you
choose the chances of winning, losing or drawm, are
numerically equal. But you must try to read your
opponent's miod and anticipate his movea. The winner is
lik:dy to be the person wbo has the better uadcrstandin& of
his opponent's character,

(/!;v .

To~ that each contena~tthowl hil band at the

samctimc.,c:bant together, ooc, two. t~uce. and sbow your
band on the finaJ number.

~:::~::::,.bebmd
I Swmayourann up at

your back on the count of

'two'.
3

Show your hand on the

count of'threc.

l
/1

~ besrdful ef wags
toe.mase
el smesll ebild

RCIUJKI and round the prdca

V cry small children enjoy this bit or nonsense - you
probably remember being amused by it yourself.

... two step . . .' (alitde fv.rtber up ber arm).

Trylq to catcb your tbumb

Steallna ~aby' ao""

SomesmaDc:hlldrenlike to see you try to eatchyourthumb.

i Say to baby, 'l'maoing to uealyournose.' and take

hold of his nose betwa!n two of your knuckle joints.

L Hold up your thumb andloopthefinaersofyourother

hand around it. Stare hard at your thumb like a cat
watching a mouse.

2 Pull your hand away with your thumbtip peeping out

between the knuckles. It will look very much like baby's
nose. Pretend to put it back again afterwards.

2 Then suddenJy grab ror it. Too late - it's gone. Better
luck next time!

~
~

Ply away Peter

I Prepautwosmall
scraps of paper. Stick one,
with a lick, on the nail of
each mickBe finger. Rest
thesefillj:erson thecdaeofa
table and recite the following
"crse.
'Two little dkky birds sit
on a wall
One named Peter, the

other named Paul .

--
f
-

..

<!5. .-

~ i''

-~fQ

2 'Fly away Peter ..

(Raise your right hand and
return ~t immediately, but
now W!lh your third finger
showing and your middle
finger conculed.)

E~

3 'Fly away Paul .. :

(Now repeat step 2 with
yourlefthand.)
4 'Come back Peter, come
. back Paul.' (Raise each
hand in turn, switching
fi~ers again to bring the
~die finaers

->

back into

Pata-eakc

baker's man,

Pat-a-cake.=-~~~

~::a

you
Bak.emeac . andmari.itwt

Roll it ~d .pat'! oven for Baby and me.

And put tt m th
This is a

... man, ..

ur own hands, or

dap hands to. Clap yhoown in the draw~

rhy~eht:nds,
in the sequenceesfollowing phrases.

yow-partn"'
Uablofachofth
. g onthfin"Y
~.
'

~
..

,.. J\. ... . . ..

"'

1 Pat-a-cake...

_'

... f8$t as yo\1 can.

baker's

Thla Is the chlll'Cb

This is atinacr rhyme- a rhyme which you can recitewtille

performina certain band movements at the same time. Here

are the verses in full:
This is the church,
This is the steeple.
Open the doors
And see all the peop)e.

This is the minister

Going upstairs,
Up in the pulpit
Saying his prayers.

__ _

,~

;J[--

~-= -~::::.;
....._: Vt: .,., _,,--~
.,.::.~;-:
~------.... .
' ' '
Here are the words again with the accompanying hand
movements:

This is the church. (Bend the fingers of both hands and

interlock them. Rest thetipsofyourlittJefingers together.)

2 This is the steeple. (Raise your forefingers and place the

tips together to fo rm the steeple.)

4 And see Ill the people. (Turn your hands over and
wiggle your fingers.)

5 This is the minister going upstairs. (Separate your

hands. Turn the left hand over and 'walk' the fingers of you r
right hand up the fingers of your left hand. Then clasp

your forearms.

hands.)

6 Up in the pulpit. (Bring your clasped hands up between

Saying his prayers. (Wi&a:le yOur thumb.)

Wlakllla baacl
I

Draw 'araceonthepalm

of your )eft:hand(oryour
right hand if you are lefthanded). Place one eye
acroSs the crease as shown.

Bend forward the third

and little fingers, and the

face will wink at you.

Galloping horse
Draw a picture of a horse on the back of your band with
afdtor baD-point pen. Draw him so that his legs stand out
at the front and rear.
I

2 Now touch the back of your hand lightly with a fingertip

and make small circling rriotions. The skin will move and
stretch, making the horse appear to gallop.

Haud puppet
1 Drawafaceonthebackofyourlefthand.. To make it

look more lifelike, use coloured felt-tip pens- blue for the
eyes, red for the mouth, black for the eyebrows. Make the
lips large and place them between the thumb and forefinger.
Draw a nose on the first knuckle above the mouth; then add

eyes and eyebrows to complete the baSic face.

Keep you r thumbtip against the dosed forefinaer. Move

the middle of your thumb to make the mouth open and

close. The face will appear to talk and yawn.
3 Now try drawing a face on either hand so that lhe eyes
are turned towards each other. You can make them tell

jokestoeachotherl

Gn!my
To make this hand puppet you will need a paper
handkerchief and two or three used matchsticks.
I Fold the paper handkerchief diagonally in half to make
a trian&uJar shape. then turn the folded edge down. Make
your hand into a fist with the thumb at the bottom. Tuck the
turned-down edge of the handkerchief under your little
finger and ~old the two side ends with your thumb. Your fist
is now beginning to resemble a head wearing a headscarf.

Two matchsticks can be used to form eyes. Slip these

between your third and middle fingers . Break the third
matchstick a.t its head end to fonn an L-shape- granny's
pipe.

3 Here is granny puuing

out her tongue very rudely.
To do this, t&keholdofthe
two ends of the headacarf
with your right hand; this

releases your left thumb

which forms the tongue by
being poked out betwoen the
fordin.i.er and middle fin2er.

Baby'o Cootolcpl
Have you noticed how moisture sometimes forms a misty
swfacc on windows whea it is a cold day? Perhaps you
have c:n.joycd making pictures by !,racing a fingertip through
iL Here is 10metbing similar you can try when next you find

a window covered in condensation.

Press the heel of your fist against the glass.

Bunch your fingertips IUld press them above this m.uk.

3 You now have what looks like a tiny footprint. Make

severaJ footprints, left and ri&ht, by using both hands. It will
look as though your baby brother or sister had somehow
managed to walk up the window!

FlDJer and thumb pletureo

lt's fun makinJ pictures in which yow thumb, or one or
more of your tinzcn, appears as part of the design. If you
have paper, pencil,lcisson and ruler handy, try thls for a
stArt'

ClowD

Drawthefaceofa

clown on a shed of paper

about IO x lScm.
2 Cut a hole. about 2cm in
diameter,in the centre of the
fo=

3 Put your thumb through

the hole from the back, and

suddenly your clown hu a

Reshy,lifelikenose. Wiggle
your thumb to make hls
nose twitch.

4 If you want to give your

friends a surpri.&e, turn the
paper over and write
instructions on the back,
such as, ' Put thumb in here
and turn paper over.' P&5ll
the paper to your friends
with the instructions

upperm<nt.

PUT TffUMB
IN HERE

ANI> TURN

fAPEROVEK

WJoldo&pl
l

Onlwthefaceof'aairl

on 1 piece of paper Cut out

~e holes of about lcm
diameter.

Ntttdrawalargedot

on each of your thumbnails.

~

Hokiing your fists like

e one below, slip your

thumbs into the holes to

f~m eyes.. (See the Ulp
pteturc opposite.)

~"~~!bring thetipofyour

:ating
...

umbdown by
your thumb like

s...

~.andthegirlwill

lfyouftndthistrick

=cult to perform because

moves, get a
fi
toholditforyou.
n

.:.;per

n..o ................

Hand obadowo

Here are aome further ideas

ll's fun making pictures by cutinasbadows of your handl

qainst the wall of a room. It is best to do this in_the evenin&
with not more than one light on ~ a desk lamp or bedside
lamp will provide a" suitable light..Stand between the lamp
and the wall at a point which allows you to throw a strorlJ

forfinacrpictures:
1 One finger is used to
make an elephant's trunk.
2

Usetwoftnge:rstomakc

shadow.

the paddling legs of a child.

1 Dog: place the paJms of your hands to&ether and curl

your forefinaers. Stick up your thumbs to represent the

dog's ears and move your little fingers up and down to make

Usetwofl.ngerstomake

tbcdevil's homs.
Try to think of some more
ideas to use in this way.

Wl5tl YOU

WERE HERE

him bark.

2 Cat:yourkft list forms the eat's head; raise the knuckle

joints of your forefin&er and little finger to represent ears.
Cup your right hand around your dbow and stick out a
finger to form his tail. You can hold a few blades ofgrus in
your~ hand to represent the eat's whiskers.

4 Swan: one hand forma the swan' bead; hold the 1lm
two flnaers with your thumb and let the remainillg two
fingers fonn the beak. The other hand forms the wing.

5 Bull: with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand,

form the hull's hems. Hold your other hand at an angle, so
that the shadow of your lingers is fore-shortened, to form
the hull's oose.

6 Elephant: balding your left: hand palm down, stick out

the forefinscr &nd littk finger to represent tutk:s lfld stretch
thetwomidd1efl.ngersdown to represent the elephant's
trunk. Place your ri&ht hlfld on top, fingertios to knuckles,
to shape the top ofhis head.