ENGLISH

Nursery Rhyme: HUMPTY DUMPTY

Humpty Dumpty poem

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses, And all the King’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again!

The History and Origins of the Rhyme
Humpty Dumpty was in fact believed to be a large cannon! It was used during the English Civil War ( 1642 - 1649) in the Siege of Colchester (13 Jun 1648 - 27 Aug 1648). Colchester was strongly fortified by the Royalists and was laid to siege by the Parliamentarians (Roundheads). In 1648 the town of Colchester was a walled town with a castle and several churches and was protected by the city wall. Standing immediately adjacent the city wall, was St Mary’s Church. A huge cannon, colloquially called Humpty Dumpty, was strategically placed on the wall next to St Mary’s Church.

Nursery Rhyme: SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE

Sing a song of sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened they all began to sing,
Now wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the king?
The king was in his counting house counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey
The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,
Along down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose.

Nursery Rhyme & History

Action words to the poem " Sing a song of sixpence" Rhyme with some history!
Lovely words to this children’s action nursery rhyme which is often referred to as blackbirds baked in a pie probably because the image that blackbirds baked in a pie would create in a child’s mind . The rye ( a pocketful of rye) was purchased to feed birds. Blackbirds, and other song birds, were actually eaten as a delicacy! However a court jester may well have suggested to the court cook to bake a pie pastry crust and place this over some live blackbirds to surprise and amuse the King! It would not be unreasonable for the blackbirds to look for revenge hence "When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!" It is interesting to note that the references to the counting house and eating honey were the common man’s perception of what a King and Queen spent their time doing. The nursery rhyme Sing a song of sixpence or blackbirds baked in a pie always end with the tweaking of a child’s nose!

Nursery Rhyme: LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN

London bridge is falling down

London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair Lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,
Iron and steel, iron and steel,
Build it up with iron and steel,
My fair Lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Bend and bow, bend and bow,
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with bricks and mortar,
Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
My fair Lady.

Bricks and mortar will not stay,
Will not stay, will not stay,
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
My fair Lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,
Silver and gold, silver and gold,
Build it up with silver and gold,
My fair Lady.

Silver and gold will be stolen away,
Stolen away, stolen away,
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
My fair Lady.

The Wooden Bridge
The ’London Bridge is falling down’ Nursery Rhyme is based on the one of the most famous landmarks in London. It’s history can be traced to the Roman occupation of England in the first century. The first London Bridge was made of wood and clay and was fortified or re-built with the various materials mentioned in the children’s nursery rhyme. Many disasters struck the bridges - Viking invaders destroyed the bridge in the 1000’s which led to a fortified design, complete with a drawbridge. Building materials changed due to the many fires that broke out on the bridge.

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Here you have a cartoon video about the history of the boy and man who became Saint Patrick, the patron of Ireland.

Enjoy it!!

17th March: SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Next Tuesday it’s Saint Patrick’s Day.

Don’t forget to wear something GREEN that day.

Nursery Rhyme: THE MAN IN THE MOON

The man in the moon

The man in the moon,

Looked out of the moon,

Looked out of the moon and said:

"Now that I’m getting up

it’s time all children went to bed!"

The Elephant Song

Hi kids!!

Do you remember this song from last year?

I’ve just came across it by chance and wanted to share it with you. I’m sure you’ll love to hear and watch it again.

Enjoy it!

Nursery Rhyme: MARY HAD A WHITE LAMB

Mary had a little lamb

Mary had a little lamb its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day, which was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play, to see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out, but still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about till Mary did appear.
"Why does the lamb love Mary so?" the eager children cry;
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know" the teacher did reply.

Mary had a little lamb - use of language
The words of the American nursery rhyme Mary had a little lamb would appeal to a small children and introduces imagery of similes (white as snow) as part of use of the English language. The words also convey the hopeful adage that love is reciprocated! No specific historical connection can be traced to the words of
Mary had a little lamb but it can be confirmed that the song Mary had a little lamb is American as the words were written by Sarah Hale, of Boston, in 1830. An interesting historical note about this rhyme - the words of Mary had a Little Lamb were the first ever recorded by Thomas Edison, on tin foil, on his phonograph.

Nursery Rhyme: THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN

There was an Old Woman

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children she didn’t know what to do!
So she gave them some broth without any bread,
And she whipped them all soundly and sent them to bed!

There are two choices of origin!
The first relates to Queen Caroline (There was an old woman) wife of King George II who had eight children. The second version refers to King George who began the men’s fashion for wearing white powdered wigs. He was consequently referred to as the old woman! The children were the members of parliament and the bed was the Houses of Parliament - even today the term ’whip’ is used in the English Parliament to describe a member of Parliament who is tasked to ensure that all members ’toe the party line’. As a point of historical interest the wigs worn by women of the period were so large and unhygienic that it became necessary to include mousetraps in their construction!

ROBIN HOOD: Theatre Play on Tuesday 3rd March

Summary of the play by IPA Productions:

England has a problem: the Sheriff of Nottingham, the rich and greedy tax collector. Our valiant hero, Robin Hood is convinced he is the only one who can save the country. With bow, arrow and sword he heroically fights in the name of justice. He is brave. He is fearless. Unfortunately he is also wrong!

Here is a video with scenes from the Disney’s film with a nice song (Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve). I love it!

WHO'S BEHIND THE MASK?

Fun for all of us! Can you work out who is hiding behind the masks.

Music is Radetzky March by Johann Strauss.

Enjoy it!

Nursery Rhyme: HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE

Hey diddle diddle rhyme

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such sport
And the dish ran away with the spoon!

Imaginative words to the Hey diddle diddle rhyme!
Hey diddle diddle is a fantasy rhyme designed to delight children with impossible images such "the Cow jumped over the Moon"! Walt Disney’s team of animators use this type of imagery in animated films to great effect! The term ’ Hey diddle diddle’ can be found in the works of Shakespeare and was a colloquialism used in much the same vein as "hey nonny no" which can be found in traditional English folk ballads. The original title was ’High Diddle Diddle’ but this has been altered to ’Hey Diddle Diddle’ over the years with changes to the English language. The first known date of publication for the words of the Hey diddle diddle rhyme is 1765.

Valentine's Poem: ROSES ARE RED

Roses are red,

                    Violets are blue.

Sugar is sweet,

                    And so are you!

Nursery Rhyme: HOT CROSS BUNS

Hot Cross Buns nursery rhyme

Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!
One a penny two a penny - Hot cross buns
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons
One a penny two a penny - Hot cross buns

Nursery Rhyme: JACK AND JILL

Jack and Jill: lyrics

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

Up got Jack, and home did trot As fast as he could caper
He went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper.

French (history) connection!
The roots of this child’s nursery rhyme is in France and the Jack and Jill referred to are Louis XVI who was beheaded (lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette (who came tumbling after). The words and lyrics were made more palatable for the nursery by giving it a happy ending and has further been altered by the passage of time - the actual beheadings occurred in 1793. The first publication date for the lyrics of this nursery rhyme is 1795 which tie-in
with the history and origins

Nursery Rhyme: RUB-A-DUB-DUB

Rub-a-dub-dub: Lyrics

Rub-a-dub-dub

Three men in a tub,

And how do you think they got there?

The butcher, the baker,

the candlestick maker,

They all jumped out of a rotten potato,

’Twas enough to make a man stare.

This is another traditional English nursery rhyme. Traditional songs and rhymes may have different lyrics in different places. Even though we are singing the same song, our lyrics and the ones in the video are not the same.

Nursery Rhyme:THIS LITTLE PIGGY

This little piggy: lyrics

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy cried...
"Wee wee wee wee" all the way home...

Finger or toe rhyme for "This little piggy"!

Action nursery rhyme for baby or young children.
The lyrics for this particular nursery rhyme include action based words where the little piggy is each one of the child’s toes! The last line is used to accompany the child being tickled by the teller of the rhyme! This is a typical rhyme which will be passed down from one generation to another - it has no origins in history! The lyrics for this nursery rhyme were first published in 1728.