#30 MOTHER GOOSE - Updated 7/29/15
- Books
- Characters(Old King Cole, etc.,)
- History
- Ideas and Suggestions
- Musicals
- Programs
- Rhymes
- Skits and Plays
**********************************************************************BOOKS
06/09 I love the "Gettin Down with Mama Goose" series but the songs are long and not true rhymes. I was teaching those songs whenever I went to TMEA and found Singlish "The Classic Nursery Rhymes." I bought book, CD (with and without voices!) and posters!!! The rhymes are all in different styles. This is a great CD with 24 rhymes. --- Diana Morris
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12/09 "The Annotated Mother Goose" is a great book with references, history and 'rumors' about all 'Mother Goose' and 'Father Goose' associated rhymes. (May be out of print but you can get it at the library.
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Jeff & Randy's "Time for a Rhyme" and "2nd Rhyme Around"....both are available from West Music and/or Music in Motion for under $20 each. They will tell you exactly what to do with those nursery rhymes.BACK to Listening topics
**********************************************************************MUSICALS
MUSICAL: Gettin’ down with Mama Goose” Description at musicmart.com
A new twist to favorite nursery rhymes. Reproducible parts and CD, activities, games, and movement are included and incorporate the use of Orff instruments. Gettin' Down with Mama Goose offers a wild new approach to some familiar favorites. This fun blend of music, movement, games, and activities is a valuable educational tool for the music room or the regular classroom. Orff activities are included for: Wee Willie Winkle; Hickory Dickory Hat Dance; and Bate, Bate, Chocolate. Other highlights include Mother Hubbard's Blues; Hey Diddle Hoedown; and Twinkle, Twinkle, March. Young children and teachers will enjoy this fresh approach to learning through rhythm, rhyme, and song. Activities are also included for children with special needs.BACK to Listening topics
**********************************************************************RHYMES
01/07 http://www.zelo.com/family/nursery/index.aspBACK to Listening topics
**********************************************************************SKITS AND PLAYS
01/07 SKIT: HUMPTY(H) AND LITTLE JACK (Horner)(LJ) --- by Sandy Toms
LJ: Boy, have I had a rough day!
H: Yeah, what happened?
LJ: Well… I was eating my Christmas pie and decided to put in my thumb….
H: Your thumb? Why not your index finger or your ring finger?
LJ: I________ ‘m not sure. I hadn’t thought about which finger to use.
H: That is my point. You didn’t think before you stuck in your thumb.
LJ: Right. Well, anyway, I put in my thumb and pulled out a plumb…
H: That makes sense. Have you ever stuck in your thumb and pulled out a raisin?
LJ: Well, then I said, “What a good boy am I!”
H: Again, you’re not thinking before you act. On basis do you deduce you are a good boy?
LJ: I don’t know. I just said it. I guess I should think before I act.
H: Excuse me Jack. I’ve got a date with a wall. (turns and leaves)
LJ: (after Humpty leaves, calls after him) Uh, Humpty, about what you said…….
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LITTLE MISS MUFFET (R=reciter, L=Literate) by Sandy Toms
R: “Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet….
L: Whoa, that word is not used in language today.
R: Ok…. “Eating her curds and whey.”
L: I have to take issue with that as well. Who calls it curds and whey nowadays?
R: Anyway… “Along came a spider….”
L: You could at least use the proper name for air breathing invertebrates!
R: (clenched teeth) Moving on….. “And sat down beside her..” (waiting for S1 to interrupt)
L: Go on. Who’s stopping you?
R: (looking perturbed) “Little Miss Muffett sat on a stool, Eating her Yoplait and that liquid that separates from the yogurt. Along came an arachnid who alighted adjacent toher … And alarmed, startled and terrorized Miss Muffett into fleeing the scene!”
L: Now can’t you truly appreciate the true exactness of the English language?
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01/07 SKITOLD KING COLE KC: I’m tired of work I should like to hear some music. Please call my fiddlers.
Footman: Yes, your Majesty. They are practicing in the great hall. I’ll call them immediately.
(leaves and returns with fiddlers)
F1: Sir we are here at your command. We know several tunes to play. What would you like to hear?
F2: We can play luulabies, or folk songs, or art songs, or troubadour songs, or ballads or love songs. These we are able to play.
F3: But we can’t play rap. No we can’t play rap and we won’t play rap. We’re just not made to move like that!
KC: I beg your pardon. Wrap what? My gift --- you have a gift for me you’ve wrapped? How kind of you!
F1: Please forgive our friend here dear King. He’s IN THE WRONG CENTURY!
KC: Very well then. Carry on.
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SCRIPT:“OLD MOTHER GOOSE” by Sandy Toms
Elizabeth: (seated on throne, to ladies) “Please fetch me my pussycat. I shall want to play with her.”
Lady 1,2,3,4: Yes your Majesty, right away. (all 4 ladies walk in 4 directions and appear to search for cat)
Elizabeth: “Well, come, come now. It can’t be that difficult to look for a cat. After all, a cat is much bigger than a rat!” (ladies return to face Elizabeth)
Lady 1: “But my Lady, I cannot find her. She must be in the kitchen drinking cream from her dish.”
Lady 2: “No, I’m afraid she’s not there. The cook says she has not seen her all day!”
Lady 3: “Then the problem is solved. She must be in the garden chasing butterflies.”
Lady 4: “No, I’m sorry to say. Please forgive me but she isn’t there either. The gardener says only the dogs are there and he says they would have chased her had she appeared.”
Elizabeth: “Then please call my soldiers immediately.” (to audience) “I wonder at times whether I rule England or my cat rules me!” (ladies return to risers and soldiers appear and kneel before Elizabeth)Soldiers: “We are at your service your Majesty.”
Elizabeth: “My cat has gone missing. Search the country high and low, in and out, around and about and return to me with good news.”
Soldiers: “Yes your Majesty.” (soldiers return to risers) (Professor 1 moves to stage front)
Professor 1: “Hearts like doors will open with ease to very, very little keys. And don’t forget that two of there are ‘I thank you’ and ‘If you please.’”(Nine scholars move to front of stage to tell about this rhyme)
“HUMPTY TRIVIA”
Scholar 1: Did you know that there was a game called Humpty Dumpty?
Scholar 2: It used to be a riddle and the answer was “an egg.”
Scholar 3: The name “Humpty Dumpty” is “Boule, Boule” in France.
Scholar 4: In Finland, Humpty’s name is Hillerin-Lillerin.
Scholar 5: Did you know that in the story “Through the Looking Glass,” the poem is read couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty in his place again.”
Scholar 6: And Alice says that’s too long for poetry.
Scholar 7: People who study rhymes are called scholars. They believe Humpty Dumpty is actually thousands of years old!
Scholar 8: “Humpty Dumpty” was also the name for an adult drink!
Scholar 9: (You won’t catch me asking for a silly drink like that!)“HUMPTY DUMPTY” (Seated on the throne is Old King Cole, at his side standing is his footman)
King Cole: “I am tired of work. I should like to hear some music. Please call my fiddlers.”
Footman: “Yes your Majesty. They are practicing in the great hall. I’ll call them immediately.” (footman walks to side of one riser and returns with fiddlers)
Fiddler 1: “Sir we are here at your command. We know several tunes to play. What would you like to hear?”
Fiddler 2: “We can play lullabies, or folk songs, or art songs, or troubadour songs, or ballads or love songs. These we are able to play!”
Fiddler 3: “But we can’t play rap. No, we can’t play rap and we won’t play rap. We’re just made not made to move like that.”
King Cole: “I beg your pardon. Wrap what? My gift - - you have a gift for me you’ve wrapped…….how kind of you!”
Fiddler 1: “Please forgive our friend here dear King. He’s (to Fiddler 3 sarcastically) IN THE WRONG CENTURY!”
King Cole: “Very well then. Carry on.”“OLD KING COLE” (Scholar 2 moves to stage front)
Professor 2: “For every evil under the sun, there is a remedy or there is none. If there be one, try and find it; If there be none, never mind it.!”
(Wee Willie Winkie stands with candle in hand on one side of stage, Soldier 1 approaches him from other side)
Soldier 1: “Excuse me sir but I am looking for the queen’s cat. Have you seen a white cat in this village?”
Wee Willie: “No I have not and I’m much too busy to bother with those silly felines. I must be on my way. I’ve calls to make. Now please excuse me.”
Soldier 1: “Thank you for your time. Good evening.”
Wee Willie: (walking away, calling with hand to mouth) “Eight O’Clock. All is well. All good children to bed.”“WEE WILLIE WINKIE”
(2 Townspeople stand talking together & from the other side Soldier 2 is approaching)
Townsperson 1: (to Townsperson 2) “I’ve heard the Queen is coming to our town soon.”
Townsperson 2: “She won’t come now, look! (points someplace above audience) We may not have a town left for her to visit!”
Soldier 2: “Good afternoon, ______________. Please excuse me but have you seen a grey cat with fluffy fur in or around this town?”
Townsperson 1: “No I haven’t and I must hurry. We’ve a fire to attend to and I have to get my bucket.” (exits)
Townsperson 2: “Neither I. Please come with us. We need every hand we can get.”
Soldier 2: “Well, this sounds more like soldier’s work anyway. Let us depart.” (both exit)“SCOTLAND’S BURNING”
(Tom and Soldier 3 on opposite sides of stage)
Soldier 3: “Good day sir. I am searching for the Queen’s cat. She is a black and white Tuxedo cat with a pink nose. Have you seen such an animal in these parts?”
Tom: (singing his lines) “No sir (gently blows flute) I have not (blows again) But I must be on my way.” (blows again).
Soldier 3: “Thank you sir and have a merry day.”
Tom: (singing while bowing) “And you sir also!” (both exit)“TOM, TOM THE PIPER’S SON”
(Simple Simon, pieman on side of stage, soldier 4 on other side)
Simple Simon: (to pieman) “Sir, could you please allow me to taste your goods. Those pies look especially tasty and I’ve not had one in many a day.”
Pieman: “Sir, I will be glad to lighten my load but unfortunately, these foods do not
come without cost. Please make an exchange, give me some pence and then
my efforts will not be lost.”
Simple Simon (pulls out both empty pockets)
Pieman: “Then sir, our business is concluded.” (exits)
Soldier 4: (to Simon) “Sir, high and low have I searched for the silly brown calico feline that belongs to our Queen. In your travels, have you seen such a creature?”
Simple Simon: “No sir, I have not. By the way, you don’t have a “Big Mac” or maybe a ‘Whopper’ on you, do you?” (Soldier 4 looks puzzled)
Class: “SIMON, IT’S THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY!”
Simple Simon: (lifts hands and shrugs shoulders; both exit)“SIMPLE SIMON” (Scholar 3 move to stage front)
Professor 3: “One thing at a time and that done well, is a very good rule as many can tell.”
(Narrator moves to stage front)
Narrator: “Meanwhile back at the castle……” (show with hand, Queen who is sitting on throne leaning forward looking out imaginary window)“OUT MY WINDOW” …..T. Jennings
(Reenter 4 Ladies in Waiting, 4 soldiers; they approach Queen with 4 different cats)
Elizabeth: “Why Pussy, you’ve returned and brought your friends! How delightful!”
“PUSSYCAT, PUSSYCAT, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”
Narrator: “Now you may wonder which cat was the Queen’s? Who can tell? She actually had more than one .....(cups one hand to mouth) ......Not to mention the fact that the cat never left the castle! Well, finally as all things are and will always be, good things must come to an end.”
“NOW THE DAY IS OVER”
33 Roles: (with number of lines) Elizabeth I - 7; Ladies in Waiting: #1 - 2, #2 - 2, #3 - 2, #4 - 3; Soldiers: 2 together;
Humpty Dumpty Scholars: #1,2,3,4,6,8,9 all 1 line, #5, 7- 2 lines; Old King Cole - 3;
Fiddlers #1 - 3, #2 - 2, #3 - 2; Footman - 2; Professors #1-3 - 2 lines each;
Soldier #1 - 3, #2 - 3, #3 - 3, #4 - 2; Wee Willie Winkie - 3; Tom - 2 (sung);
Townspeople: #1 - 2, #2 - 2; Simple Simon - 4; Pieman - 3; Narrator - 3;
BACK to Listening topics
**********************************************************************IDEAS and SUGGESTIONS
10/12 MOTHER GOOSE SOCIETY; (Ideas, costumes, etc.,) http://www.delamar.org/mgs-rhy&rec.html
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HOT CROSS BUNS Hot cross buns are semi-sweet rolls containing spices, raisins, and citron, decorated with a cross-shaped glaze. During the nineteenth century, street peddlers selling the buns would cry out the now popular “Hot Cross Buns” rhyme. The rhyme was also traditionally sung by children while eating hot cross buns for breakfast on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The song often accompanies a game in which players’ hands are placed one on top of the other in a stack. The lowest hand is removed and placed on the top, and the game continues on.
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12/11 MOTHER GOOSE ROCKS: www.mothergooserocks.com They have great versions of the classic mother goose songs. This Old Man sounds like Brittany Spears, Itsy Bitsy Spider sounds like Faith Hill and the Mulberry Bush like Gwen Stefanni! The kids love them so we sang our hearts out as well as doing both Pete The Cat Books and a movement activity that had them moving to the beat and changing directions every time they heard titi ta (turn around) They were exhausted when they left me, but then again, that was the point! ---- Robin Lavinder; music teacher, Franklin County Public Schools.
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01/02 RAP: Add an A section using the "rap" below.
It can introduce the other nursery rhymes in ABA fashion. Have a Mother Goose dressed up in a cape, bonnet and with a magic wand. All students recite this as she moves:
"Mother Goose is on the loose, Looking for a nursery rhyme.
Eeny meeny, stitch in time, She's discovered another rhyme!"
Mother Goose dances about waving her magic wand and then stops in front of the group performing their rhyme. They can create an interesting performance -act out, add instruments, chant ostinatos, etc. Then return to A section, etc. My Mother Goose carries a stuffed goose, too.
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01/07 DVD: www.mothergooserocks.com It is a hoot!!! I've only watched a few of the music videos, but I think my favorite so far is the "Lonely Amigos" singing Down By the Bay (in the style of the Los Lonely Boys "Heaven") -- RaeAnna Goss
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BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP - Make sheep costumes. (Using poster board, cut out ovals for students' faces. Either add stuffing and paint black, or use black styrofoam packing material.) Get 3 grocery bags and fill with "wool." (The sheep costumes can also be used for Little Bo Peep and Little Boy Blue, however all the costumes don't have to be black.) Assign students to be the "master", the "dame", and the "little boy".
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HICKORY DICKORY DOCK as a chant. While one group chants this poem, another can add a complimentary ostinato pattern made up of three rests (two dotted quarters and one quarter rest) followed by the words "tick- tock" (eighth and dotted quarter notes). Just this simple ostinato makes the entire nursery rhyme much more of a musical experience. Verbal expression (nonsense words and noises) can be used in the same way. In the same example, substitute "squeak, squeak, squeak"(mouse sounds) for the three rests. Now there are three levels of musical independence; the poem, the speech ostinato and the verbal expression ostinato for a simple but effective musical composition. Word chains are an easy way to create and make excellent music. Using a specific topic, list various related words. Choose several that have interesting rhythms and put them into an order within a phrase.--- Alice Olsen
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POCKET CHART
The Nursery Rhyme Pocket Chart sets that I use in my kindergarten curriculum can be found in the Calloway House Catalog: 1-800-233-0290 or online at www.callowayhouse.com < BR> Set One includes Little Miss Muffet, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, Little Boy Blue, Wee Willie Winkie, Down By the Station, Six Little Ducks, A-Hunting We Will Go, The Little Turtle, Five Little Monkeys, and Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. Set Two has Hey Diddle Diddle, Sing a Song of Sixpence, There Was a Crooked Man, Pop! Goes the Weasel, Yankee Doodle, Old MacDonald, One Elephant Went Out to Play, Eency Weency Spider, Peanut Butter & Jelly, and Down by the Bay. Each set has posters with at least the first verse printed on it, sentence strips, word and picture cards and a cassette with both a vocal and instrumental version of each song. The vocal portion of the song usually introduces the words by echo-singing and eventually suggests motions or ways to invent new lyrics for each tune. The Teacher's Guide for each song has a reproducible page that could be bound together to make a songbook for each child. Each set costs $66.95.
I love these and use them almost every week with my kids. It would be easy to come up with a little program for these songs and use the instrumental version on the tape as an accompaniment. I have successfully written grants to purchase these by using them to combine music and literacy objectives.
I have two sets of nursery rhyme pocket charts that I use with my kindergartens. They come with a poster of each song, sentence strips, a teacher's guide and reproducibles, as well as a tape that has each song both sung and instrumental only. The vocal version almost always has some type of movement to go along with the song. Sometimes it suggests that the kids make up new words or verses. There are ten songs in each set, twenty in all. I have ordered these for both my schools from general education catalogs, not music catalogs, and they cost about $60-65 per set. The first set I purchased with grant money for teaching literacy through music. After using them for a year, I decided to use them for a big portion of my kindergaten curriculum since we focus on nursery rhymes at that level.
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PROGRAM
Songs: Old Mother Goose (I wrote music for the poem with instr. parts) Three Little Kittens, Wee Willie Winkie (in Orff preschool text), (I added the verses for Tommy Snooks & Little Keys to this melody for voice and xylos), There Was An Owl (Orff preschool text), There Was An Old Woman (trad. in old Mother Goose books at library - we also sang a second verse adapted from a chant about King Harry who this song was parodied after & learned some history about this king)
We also did: recorders: "Long Long Ago"; recitations of Mother Goose verses, a limerick about King Harry(which "There Was An Old Woman tossed up in a blanket" was all about) and sang an all school song: "Friends" to close the program. The program included footnotes and trivia from the text: "The Annotated Mother Goose"
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PRESCHOOLERS
"Many of our preschoolers do not know the standard Nursery Rhymes. Many have only heard them sung by Barney or another friend and mispronounce many words. Get props and costumes and have the children 'act out Mother Goose Rhymes.' Once the action has been rehearsed and costumes are donned, get out the video camera and make a movie to watch at rest time or when caught in the rain. "Also, use a polaroid and take pictures of each scene. Add these photos to the actual script. Xerox and give a copy to each child to keep. (Yes, photos xerox quite nicely!) "The children will have much better comprehension of the vocabulary from having actually 'done' the actions described in the rhymes. They will increase their vocabularies. They will learn treasured melodies that will be used in later years to play recorder or regular band instruments (the beginning books use them all)."
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06/06 MOTHER GOOSE with UPPER ELEMENTARY: I've discovered that my 4th and 5th graders have a serious lack of nursery rhyme exposure, so I decided to make that my focus with 1st this year. So far we've done Jack and Jill, Hickory Dickory and Humpty Dumpty. For this lesson, I start by reading "Max Found Two Sticks." Then we sit in our circle and practice our 3 nursery rhymes by patting on our laps, just thinking the words. They're so thrilled when they realize they're all stopping and starting together. They just love the break at the end of each phrase. Then I choose 2 boys and 2 girls to sit in the center of the circle with klaves. They play one of the rhymes together, then pick classmates to take their places. After doing this 3 or 4 times, I have the 4 of them play one rhyme while I play another. Next the 2 girls play one rhyme while the 2 boys play another. The group I had today, otherwise not normally stellar, was sailing with this. I decided to see how far they could go. The group in the middle played one rhyme, I played another, and the kids in the outer circle patsched a third. No matter how I mixed it up, they consistently got to the phrase breaks and the end together. -- Andrea Cope
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10/05 LESSONS, VOCABULARY, RHYMES, SONGS, PICTURES for the following Kinder poems:
Had a Little Lamb
The 3 Little Kittens
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
Little Boy Blue Little
Bo Peep
Three Blind Mice
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hey Diddle Diddle
Old MacDonaldYou might want to check these out. For instance, Mary Had a Little Lamb was used as a way to develop classroom expectations! I work in a district with a lot of children who live in poverty, and research shows that these kids come to school with hundreds less vocabulary words than kids from middle class homes. So, I like the oppportunity these lesson plans give to consciously increase vocabulary along with the musical aspects of strong rhyme and rhythm. They need to be tweaked for the music class, but they are interesting. ~Suzanne Knutzen
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10/05 OPERA for K-2 students called "Mother Goose." It has 16 nursery rhymes set to classical pieces of music. There is a short rhyme at the end of each song to transition to the next song. I offer a printed copy that is bound for $20 + $1.50 Shipping. That will include the booklet and the rights to perform. I taught it by rote as they are short and sweet.You can mail payment to: Rhonda Schilling >210 S Shuman St >Verona, WI 53593
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07/05 MUSIC: Children's Symphony by McDonald "borrows" some familiar tunes, including Pop Goes the Weasel, so it ties right in with the Mother Goose lesson. - Pat Price
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07/05 STORY: Find a copy of The Missing Tarts by B.G. Hennessey. It's a fun literacy compliment to all of the Mother Goose activities.BACK to Listening topics
**********************************************************************HISTORY
BOOK: "The Annotated Mother Goose" is a great book with references, history and 'rumours' about all 'Mother Goose' and 'Father Goose' associated rhymes. (May be out of print but you can get it at the library.
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SILLY PEOPLE in the MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES: Simple Simon, Tom, Tom the Piper's Son, Jack Sprat, Humpty Dumpty, Wee Willie Winkie, Nine O'Clock Scholar, Jack Be Nimble, Little Jack HornerOLD PEOPLE: There Was An Old Woman, This Old Man, Doctor Foster, One Misty Moisty Morning, Old King Cole
MONEY: If I'd As Much Money, Olver Song, Hot Cross Buns, A Diller, A Dollar
ANIMALS/INSECTS: Little Bo Peep, I Like Little Pussy, Hickory Dickory Dock, There Was an Owl, Baa Black Sheep, Cock Robin, Bow Wow, Eency Weency Spider, Two Little Blackbirds, Hey Diddle Diddle, Northwind Doth Blow, Pussycat, I Saw a Ship A-Sailing, Little Miss Muffet
LULLABIES: Sleep Baby Sleep, Lullaby, Golden Slumber, Bye Baby Bunting, Hush Little Baby, Dance to your Daddy, Go to Bed First, Dance Thumbkin
FOOD: Pease Porridge Hot, Hot Cross Buns, Sing a Song of Sixpence
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12/03 OLD KING COLE: second verse
Now when he had his fiddlers three, he asked them to play a tune.
A song about stars and night and owls and a very old pale faced moon.
And every fiddler fiddled very fine and a very fine fiddler was he
Tweedle dee, tweedle dum, tweedle dum, tweedle dee,
ROCK-A-BYE Baby
The Opies also are of the opinion that Rockabye Baby is to be taken at face value and that the practise of hanging cradles in trees to be rocked by the breeze was fairly widespread throughout Europe. I hope this is O.K . ; as I said these are all substantially condensed and the opinions of only one reference book, however the Opies are probably THE recognised authority on this type of work [at least in England]TWINKLE, TWINKLE....
Written by Jane Taylor [1783-1824]. published as The Star in ' Rhymes for the Nursery' in 1806.
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LITTLE MISS MUFFET
Suggested that Miss Muffet was Patience the daughter of entomologist Dr. Thomas Muffet 'whose admiration for spiders has never been surpassed'. Hoever since he died in 1604 and the earliest reference to the rhyme in that form is 200 years later it may not be such a good bet. There are many variations the main point of which is someone sitting and waiting and something important arriving and it's possible that they are all parodies of whichever was the earliest and that the form may pre-date Christianity. First pub'd Songs For The Nursery, 1805 ;1812 ed'n 'Little Mary Ester'
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MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB
Written by Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale [1788-1879] of Boston 'early in the year 1830'about an incident which was 'partly true'.Published in September 1830 over her initials in the Juvenile Miscellany, a periodical edited by Mrs. L. M. Child.Authorship claimed for several other writers all of which were refuted by Mrs. Hale.
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MARY MARY QUITE CONTRARY
Possibly has a religious background i.e. it it a word picture of Our Lady's Convent; the bells =sanctus bells, cockleshells=badges of pilgrims, pretty maids= nuns; however there is disagreement about the piece as a whole. Catholic writers feel it to be a lament for the persecution of the Roman Church, Protestant writers for it's reinstatement.Popularly believed tobe Mary Queen of Scots where the pretty maids = the four Marys [her ladies in waiting and the cockleshells= decorations on a dress given to her by the Dauphin, however this is mere guesswork. First published in Tommy Thumbs Pretty Song Book c. 1744
12/03 ORFF ARRANGEMENT I wrote Orff arrangementS of Old King Cole and "Old Mother Goose" If you want a copy, write me (Sandy Toms) See my address on the HOME PAGE HOME
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01/02 AFRICAN MOTHER GOOSE: "Jaha And Jamil Went Down the Hill--An African Mother Goose" by Virginia Kroll and illustrated by Katherine Roundtree is a great book. The kids have fun listening to the rhyme and then trying to figure out which one it is.
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JACK BE NIMBLE
Believe it or not this was probably quite literal,candle leaping both as a sport and as a form of fortune telling was practised in England for some centuries! For example St Catherines Day was celebrated in Wendover in Buckinghampshire with many odd observances by the lacemakers there the festivities being brought to a conclusion by 'jumping the candlestick for luck'. A candlestick with a lighted candle was placed on the floor and if it was not extinguished when jumping it good luck was sure to follow during the coming year. Douce MS c. 1815BACK to Listening topics
**********************************************************************INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERS and RHYMES
HICKORY DICKORY DOCK
One child plays a constant tick-tock in a steady beat on a hollow wooden instrument.
When the costumed mouse runs up the clock, which could be represented by stairs with a clock face on top, another child does an upward gliss on a xylophone. When the clock strikes one, a child clashes a cymbal or other loud ringing sound. When the mouse runs down, gliss downward on the xylophone.Formerly used for counting out, the rhyme retains in it's first and last lines a hintof it's origins; Westmorland shephers telling numbers include hevera, devera, dick [8,9,10] numbers not inappropriate in connexion with a clock.A writer in Blackwoods magazine in 1821 stated that in Edinburgh it was used by children to decide who was to begin a game. First pub. Tommy Thumb's Pretty Songbook c. 1744
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10/08 LITTLE BO PEEP: I divided them into small groups and each group is making up their own verse and will act it out. One group chose "Little Bo Peep has lost her Chevy..." It's going to be hilarious :) My theme is "Rhyme Time". Some classes are performing nursery rhymes "STOMP" style with buckets and cans I got from the school kitchen. I didn't know they just recycle all their cans! Now I have a class set! Great with mallets and you can play the sides like a guiro... Jody Eggen
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MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY: girl dresses up, three others wearing a flower cut out and Mary has a sprinkling can as they sing.
One Two.... this is cute, she has five students lined up 1st one buckles his shoe. 2nd one has a small door he shuts, third one picks up sticks, 4th one lays them straight on the floor, 5th ones has a chicken costume on and runs around the others.
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OLD KING COLE One child, wearing a Burger King crown and a towel robe, sits on a throne (or a blanket-draped chair) and smiles as the chorus sings. At the line "calls for his pipe", the king says, "Bring me my pipe!" A "servant" brings a bubble pipe. He says "Bring me my bowl" and a servant appears. Each servant bows and says "Yes, your majesty." The king orders, "Bring me my fiddlers three". Three children in towel robes with posterboard violins and bows (great art project) line up and bow. Then they pretend to play as the chorus sings a famous violin melody "like the one Jack Benny used to play".
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RUB-A-DUB-DUB cut out of a bath tub and three students stand behind the cut out and pop up. They have hats and aprons on.
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PROGRAM I have a book called "Hey, Gang! Let's Put On a Show!" published by Instructor Books. The author is Linda Williams Aber. There's a whole section on revised nursery rhymes - one example is Georgy Porgy: Georgy Porgy, pudding and pie/ Kissed the girls and made them cry/ The girls didn't cry because they were sad/ They cried because Georgy's breath was so bad!/ My other favourite is "Mary Had a Little Lamb", but I don't think you'd want to do this with the little kids (for obvious reasons): Mary had a little lamb with fleece as white as snow/ And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go/ She brought the lamb to school one day, now all she does is sob/ For now the cafeteria serves Mary's lamb shish-ka-bob!/ (Hey, it just appeals to my sense of humour!) I don't know if it is still available (it was published in 1987), but the item number is IB434.BACK to Listening topics
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12/09 Use one of the scripts (see "scripts" on this page) and insert the songs. Many of the songs are found in books at the library. "Old Mother Goose" I wrote music to with optional Orff parts. (See "HOME" and look for email link to Sandy Toms
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All stand, no props, sing, hand motions Little Miss Muffet - student dressed like miss muffet, sits on stool with bowl, another child dressed in a spider costume One Two Buckle My Shoe - already gave you this one, they say this one, not sing Little Bo Peep -one person dressed as LBP, 2 or 3 others as sheep There was an old Lady - Big cut out of a shoe, old lady, many children, pretnsds to give them bread, then pats each one on the behind sends them to bed, says "go to bed" at the end. real cute Humpty Dumpty- person dressed as Humpty, 3 others as horses, you can use the little stick horses, sits on a low wall, jumps off the men rush to help him Three Blind Mice - 3 children as mice, one farmer's wife.Other children do the motions sitting down, hold up 3 fingers, cover eyes, indicate ears Baa Baa Black Sheep, each character respresented acted out Little Boy Blue - something to look like a hay stack, boy, sheep and cow Mary Had a little Lamb - lamb, Mary, other children - we do five verses Rain Rain Go Away - Three or four children standing with umbrellas and raincoats on Georgie Progie - Georgie, 2 or 3 gilrs , 2 or 3 boys, act out The Farmer in the Dell - all the characters dressed, then do it like we normally do We did this with 2 classes of about 25 children each class. Magic Penny - everybody singing and doing motions The World is a Rainbow- everyone - you can have some kids on stage hold up a world and rainbow colors. this is a Greg and Steve song
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At this particular school we have a stage that has steps in the front that go the length of the stage. Students sit here then go up to the stage when it is their turn to perform. Every child gets to do something in the program. Friends - everyone seated and singing. Simple sign language
Little Bo Peep - one child dressed as LBP, two as sheep Little Miss Muffet - Miss Muffet sits on a stool, bowl in hand, another child dressed as spider One Two Buckle My Shoe - They say this, not sing. Stand in a row. one child buckes his shoe, another child has a small door he closes, another picks up sticks, another lays them straight, another child is dressed has a hen and runs around the other children
Humpty Dumpty - Humty Dumpty sits on a low wall, children ride on stick horses
Mary Had a little Lamb - 5 verses - Mary and her lamb, plus a few children and a teacher.
There was an Old Lady who Lived..... big cut out of a shoe, many children and a mother. at the end the mother taps them on the behind, they lay down and she says, "go to bed"
Three Blind Mice - 3 mice and the farmer's wife. Children on the steps do motions( 3 - hold up 3 fingers, blind, cover eyes, mice, scurry with fingers)
Mary Mary - Mary and students dressed as flowers. Mary has a wtering can
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep - sheep, 3 characters
Little Boy Blue - cut out of a hay stack, boy and sheep
Hey Diddle Diddle - characters on stage
Rain Rain Go Away - a few children with rainslickers and umbrellas stand on stage
Georgie Porgie - Georgie, few girls and boys
Rub a Dub Dub - cut out of a bath tub, 3 characters dressed
The farmer in the Dell - each character dressed perform the song on stage
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