The Paddling Pool: NCERT Class 2 English Poem (Marigold Unit 1)

etmantra13 Jun 20208 min read

This short poem paints a happy picture: green grass, cool water and children who cannot walk past without playing. It is easy to remember and fun to say aloud.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 2, unit 1. NCERT’s newer Class 2 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: The Paddling Pool

Play the video three or four times. The first time, just listen. Then point at the pictures, and from the third time, say the lines along with the video. Short, repeated listening is how CALP builds a child’s English.

What your child learns

Words about water and nature: pool, river, grass
Rhyming words: school, pool, cool
Describing words: green grass, cool water
Saying a short poem aloud with rhythm

What the poem is about

The poem describes a small pool down by the river. The children pass it every day on their way to school.

The grass there is green and the water is cool, so the children stay to play by the pool. The poem has a happy, carefree feeling and shows how much children enjoy water and the outdoors.

New words, with Hindi meanings

paddling: walking or splashing in shallow water (हिंदी: छप-छप करना)
pool: a small area of water (हिंदी: तालाब)
river: a long stream of water that flows across the land (हिंदी: नदी)
pass: to go by a place (हिंदी: पास से गुज़रना)
way: the road or path to a place (हिंदी: रास्ता)
grass: the thin green plants that cover the ground (हिंदी: घास)
cool: a little cold, in a pleasant way (हिंदी: ठंडा)
stay: remain in a place for a while (हिंदी: रुकना)

Explained in Hindi

If your child finds the English hard, watch this explanation of the poem and its word meanings in Hindi, then go back to the English video.

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

Where is the paddling pool?
When do the children pass by the pool?
What are the grass and the water like?
Where do you like to play with water?

Answers for parents

The paddling pool is down by the river.
They pass by it on their way to school.
The grass is green and the water is cool.
For example: I like to play with water in our courtyard with a bucket.

Grammar corner: Rhyming words

Rhyming words end with the same sound. In this poem school, pool and cool all rhyme. Listening for rhymes helps children hear and remember English sounds.

After school, I drink something cool.
The frog sat on a stool by the pool.
Our pool is full of water, and it is cool.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: The grass is ___ and the water is cool.
Which word rhymes with pool: river, school or grass?
Make a sentence with the word 'river'.

Answers: 1. green · 2. school · 3. For example: We saw a boat on the river.

Try this

Pretend the floor is a paddling pool. Your child takes off their shoes and 'paddles' on the spot, lifting their feet high and splashing with their hands. Then draw the pool with green grass and a river, and ask your child to add themselves to the picture.

Tip for parents

Talk in Hindi first about a pond or river your child has seen: 'paani thanda tha? ghaas hari thi?' Then say the English words cool water and green grass together. Let your child answer in any mix of Hindi and English, and praise each English word.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem The Paddling Pool about?

It is about a small pool by the river that children pass on their way to school. The grass is green and the water is cool, so they stop to play there.

Which words rhyme in The Paddling Pool?

School, pool and cool are the main rhyming words in the poem.

Which NCERT book is The Paddling Pool from?

The Paddling Pool is Unit 1 of NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 2. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 2 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →