Kininmonth Primary
Kininmonth Primary is a braw wee school with just 23 pupils, located just north of Mintlaw along the main Aberdeen to Fraserburgh Road.
The school was built in 1876, just 3 years after Annie was born and 4 years after the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act made school compulsory for all children aged 5 to 13 years old.
We do not know which school Annie attended, but Kininmonth is one of the schools closest to where she lived as an adult.
P1-4 New Rhymes - Created by the whole class and Pauline
Pauline visited the P1-4 class and told them all about Annie Shirer. They learned how she would escape the hard work at home and go off on her bicycle, visiting farms and villages to collect songs and rhymes. Here is their poem about Annie on her bicycle:
Annie Shirer rode her bike
Roon the Kininmonth fairms
Sangs an poyems and riddles she got
Fae the fairmers, wives an bairns
Here are 5 fantastic drawings from P1-4 of Annie Shirer off on her bicycle collecting rhymes! (Click to see full image)
The class wanted to write a rhyme about animal noises. Pauline said she had no idea how noisy it could be in the country - and so this is the rhyme they wrote!
Fowk that bide in Aiberdeen
Think Kininmonth is quiet
Maybe they shuild bide here
Maybe they shuild try it
Ye see they’re wrang, the city fowk
The country isnae full o peace!
There’s hee-haws, oinks an moos an neighs
An the honkin o the geese
Pupils in the P1-4 class illustrated their rhyme about noisy farm animals:
The P1-4 classes heard some of Annie’s original rhymes and illustrated them!
Workin’ hard and livin’ sober,
It’s a better trade than bein’ a robber.
A Riddle!
Doon in yon meadow there lies a lair,
Four an’ twenty carpenters a’ work there;
Some in blue bonnet, some in straw hat,
I’ll say ye’re a clever scholar if ye’ll tell me that? (a bee’s hive)
What will my Grannie say when she comes hame the morn?
The broon coo’s broken oot, and eaten a’ the corn!
P5-7 New Rhymes - Created by the whole class and Pauline
Pauline and the P5-7 class learned about Annie and how life in her day was very different to our lives now. The P5-7s made a list of Doric and Scots words they knew on the board. Pauline then worked with the class, looking at one of Annie’s original rhymes, translating it and then creating a New Rhyme Fur Auld by choosing a favourite time of year—Halloween!
All schools taking part in the project worked with this rhyme as we felt that "Fan The Loons an Lassikies Cam Oot Tae Play" would be a fitting subtitle to the project.
The rhyme Annie collected:
Yule has come, and yule has gone,
And we’ve a’ fared weel;
Jockie’s at his flail again,
And Jennie’s at her wheel,
And a’ the loons and lassiekies,
Are back at the skweel.
The class created a new rhyme about things they do and don’t like!
It’s called “Craiturs”
Kittlens, dugs, yowes an shelties
They are the best o craiturs
Bit wi dinna like wee beasties
Like midgies, flechs an slaters!
P5-7’s Halloween rhyme
Hallowe’en is on its wiy
An we will howk a neep
We’ll dress up as a boodie
An fae ahent a dyke we’ll leap
An wi a skirl we’ll gie a fleg!
An mak the bairnies weep
P5-7 New Rhymes - Created by the pupils in groups
The class then split up in to groups to work with Annie’s original rhymes, creating their own versions using the Doric and Scots words they already knew and some words from vocabulary sheets.
See "Resources for Schools" tab to find the vocabulary sheets and sheets used for creating new rhymes in the workshops.
Annie's Collected Rhymes
New Kininmonth Rhymes
If ye canna ate ye canna work,
If ye canna work ye canna wear,
If ye canna wear ye canna shear,
So shear, wear, work and ate,
And that’s the wye tae’ mak ye great.
If ye brak yer beens ye canna waak
If ye canna waak, ye canna gan tae skweel
If ye canna gan tae skweel, ye canna get a degree
So waak, skweel, degree
And that’s the wye tae be free
(by Ella-Rose, Connor and Ruby)
Gi’es my breeks and my jacket, my westcoat and my hose;
And that mak’s a mannie fit for his brose.
Gies my kilt and my bag pipes, my westcoat and my sheen
And that maks a piper fit for Chairlie and his Queen
(by Ella-Rose, Connor and Ruby)
Me and my Grannie, and a great lot mair,
Kicket up a row gaun hame fae the fair;
By cam the watchman and cried, Wha’s there?
Me and my Grannie, and a great lot mair.
Me and my Grannie went to the zoo
And then we saw a right auld coo
Then we wunnered fit next to do
So we went awa hame to fill oor mou
We went outside and saw a puddock wi a big shoe
I widna hae a baker ava, ‘va, ‘va,
I widna hae a baker ava, ‘va, ‘va
For he sits and he cracks
And he burns a his babs
And I widna hae a baker ava, ‘va, ‘va.
I widna hae a fisherman ava va va
I widna hae a fisherman ava va va
For he’s a bowfin moustache
Has a yokey rash
He guffs o fash
He’s got nae cash
And I widnae hae a fisherman ava va va
Charlie Chat, he milk’d the cat, and Dorothy made the cheese;
And feathery breeks sat at the door, and ca’ed awa the flees.
Sheltie Shoo picked a feather aff a coo
And selt it to Beltie Boo
Who has a coo named Sue
Hunky Chunky did a moo
And then he bought a shoe
The shoe said boo
So Sheltie Shoo is tired noo
Guid faith! I’m sure your pans will sell,
For brose at ilka toon;
Jist swing them on yer back my lad,
And hawk them roon’ and roon’.
Good luck, to all people who go an hawk
You’ll be the best o’ them aa!
Just ging an get ur matirials
Ging an hurl, roon the toon
Come chise me oot, come chise me in,
Come chise me for a rabbit skin;
Come chise me east, come chise me west,
And give me the very one I love best.
You can chase me here syne chase me ere
Come chase me for a teddy bear
Come chase me roon an roond
For o them aa you are the best loon
(by Hamish, Lia and Jessica)
Here’s John Henderson dwells in the moss of Savock,
He’s nae breid in his hoose, nor meal in his pock;
His bairns are a’ barfit, and his wife wints sheen,
An gin ye fin him, gentlemen, ye’ll never be forgien.
(This rhyme has a story behind it! It was written in 1830 by a man called John Henderson who had broken the law. In the poem he gives reasons why he shouldn’t be put in jail.)
Micky Buchan pinched a car
To gang to jile he must gang far
His mither and faither are gye sad
He mibye shoodna hiv bin so bad
(by Angelica, Alivia and Sienna)
Up to the knees amon’ dubs and clay,
Up to the knees amin water,
Altho’ I’m only a darger chiel,
I’ll mairry my maister’s daughter.
A Riddle
Wee curlie tailie, snochterin snoot
Flappin luggies
Rowin in the dubs
Humshin meal oot the tubs
(a pig) (by Madison, Skye and Koen)
A Riddle
Foure redrootrees, foure upstanders,
Twa lookie-oots, twa crookit boots
Twa leatherin’ cloots, and a waggie?
(a cow)
Up to the knees in cald fite snaa
Up to the knees in ice
Altho I’m only shovilin snaa
I wid like to bide somewye nice
(by Angelica, Alivia and Sienna)
