Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Nursery Rhymes and Kiddie Tunes

A post about Fairy Tales should go hand in hand with one about Nursery Rhymes.

I wonder if children these days are still being taught classic nursery rhymes, particularly Mother Goose stuff. Apart from London Bridge Is Falling Down, Three Blind Mice, Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I grew up with these (some have accompanying midis, the rest - too lazy to find):-

As I Was Going To St. Ives

A Diller A Dollar

Ding Dong Bell

Hey Diddle Diddle (I really like this one)

Hickory Dickory Dock

Hot Cross Buns

Humpty Dumpty

I Had A Little Nut Tree

I’m A Little Teapot

Jack Be Nimble

Jack & Jill

Little Bo Peep

Little Jack Horner

Little Miss Muffet

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Monday’s Child

Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone

Old MacDonald

Old Mother Hubbard

One Two Buckle My Shoe

Pat A Cake

Pease Porridge

Pop Goes The Weasel

Polly Put The Kettle On

Pussycat, Pussycat

Rockabye Baby

Row Row Row Your Boat

Sing A Song of Sixpence (the music is different from the one i know)

There Was An Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe

Thirty Days Hath September

This Is The House That Jack Built

This Little Pig Went To Market

To Market To Buy A Fat Pig

Yankee Doodle

You Are My Sunshine (not quite a rhyme, but a kiddie song)

Zipadeedoodah (similarly, a kiddie song)

I have three old friends having babies soon. I hope their babies will be introduced to at least a few of those nursery rhymes.

My all-time favourite is this!!!! Three Little Kittens. It was taught to me by my Khai Phor, mum’s godmother, the only adult whose ever made me feel totally safe and specially loved. I have no photographs and only hazy memories, but I’ll always have that smile-in-my-heart feeling whenever I sing the Three Little Kittens.

I think Sesame Street should be made compulsory viewing for children between 3 and 8. Learn songs like Rubber Ducky (one of my favourites) and C is For Cookie instead of picking up pop songs from the radio, you’re kids, for goodness sake.

(cue undescribable sound that lightbulbs make when lighting up) Oh goody. I know what I’m going to give out during that impending baby shower next month…

3 comments:

Biow said...

yup http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/ is in my pre-school favorite links!

but these days, ken will only go hi-5.. hi-5..

"L-O-V-E, i love you, you love me.. "..

i can even hear the song/music in my ears when i'm abt to fall asleep!

Anonymous said...

Yes, I will sing all those good ole rhymes to my baby! I gotta! Fyi, London Bridge Is Falling Down doesn't exist in French and Teddy thinks itz hilarious!!

Goat

Anonymous said...

I have been singing and teaching JJ some as i know probably only half the list. (I wonder what my mum knew herself?) I must say though that there are some other'aussie' ones which have more catchy tunes and seems to be "in".