Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home,
your house is on fire and your children are gone.
Jack Sprat, could eat no fat
his wife could eat no lean
and so between the two of them
they licked the platter clean.
(or as Emma says, the "splatter.")
There was an old woman who lived in a shoeShe had so many children she didn't know what to do
She fed them some broth without any bread
Then whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed.
Does anyone else find these bizarre? We all learned them as kids, and think them to be whimsical, but as I've been teaching them this year as a part of the standard Kindergarten curriculum, I'm wondering what the heck is wrong with us? "Your house is on fire and your children are gone"? What child would not be disturbed by this! And then there's the old woman, who beats her kids for no darn good reason. Child abuse is not whimsical. It's just not.
4 comments:
I am with you. A few years ago I was reading Mother Goose to the boys...completely warped!!!
Here, here. Take Dr. Seuss as another example. All Marvin K. Mooney wanted was a friend, and here we have to read how the guy wants Marvin to leave the room immediately.
And the poor cat in Green Eggs and Ham! He does not want to try green eggs and I do not blame him. We're teaching our kids to eat moldy food in my opinion. Just once I'd like that story to end with the cat standing firm in his convictions and then we later find out he resisted the green eggs, which were actually laced with some lethal fungus.
Ha! I was about to recommend Dr. Seuss in place of nursery rhymes. Some of the main purposes of nursery rhymes are: 1) They rhyme 2) Kids easily memorize them therefore allowing them to read it over and over again, giving them confidence and practice in fluency.
Since Dr. Seuss' birthday is this Friday we've been reading a lot of silly Seuss books. Benefits I've noticed: 1)The kids think they are hilarious. 2) A lot of them rhyme (Cat in the Hat's the best!). 3) Kids can memorize one page to read, therefore practicing fluency and confidence in reading.
Anyway, I agree with you on the psychotic nursery rhymes. I hope ya'll are doing great!
Love from Austin,
Jenn :)
Hey I just found out Robbie Seay is your brother. He is so SO talented. I have their CD and listen to it like everyday. HOW COOL! And I've been to eclessia before (just to the coffee shop and art gallery) with some of my friends when we were planning the invisible children night commute last year. Also very cool.
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