Learning made fun

Are Apps Harmful For Young Children?

As you may know, Musical Minis recently launched a Nursery Rhymes Puzzle App as part of our 25 Year Celebrations and to demonstrate that despite the age of Musical Minis, we are keeping up to date with the advances in society.

We have started rolling out a change in our membership packs which now gives every new member the App for free, as a gift, to replace a Book Bag. This was not an easy decision to make as we know that not everyone agrees with giving apps to small children and there is some evidence to suggest that over reliance on technology may be harmful. We had our own fears about this and consequently put considerable research into the pros and cons of the app argument. We wanted to share our findings with you to provide an explanation and justification as to why we decided to create our app.

All About Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

10 Things You Might Not Know about ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’

1. The lyrics for ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ come from a poem called ‘The Star’ written by Jane Taylor in 1806.

2. The phrase ‘like a diamond in the sky’ is probably one of the first similes that children hear and also provides a basic introduction to mathematical shapes.

3. ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ is sung to the tune of ‘Ah! Vous dirais-je Maman’ which was arrange by Mozart in his 12 Variations in 1781 when he was only 25 years old.

4. The actions used in ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, especially when children wiggle their fingers like stars, helps to develop fine motor skills which are key to early handwriting.

5. ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ has 6 stanzas but most people only know the first of these.

6. ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ encourages children to think about and explore the wider world by developing their imagination and interest in the solar system.

7. In ‘Alice in Wonderland’, the Mad Hatter sings ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat’ as a variation to ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. The ‘Bat’ is said to refer to Lewis Carroll’s former don and teacher at Oxford University, Professor Bartholomew Price.

8. ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ is highly beneficial to early literacy to the use of simple words which are frequently repeated.

9. ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ has the same tune as ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ and the ‘Alphabet Song.’

10. And finally, ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ has been voted the Nation’s Favourite Nursery Rhyme is a recent online survey conducted by Musical Minis, gaining 38% of the votes.

To see the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star performed at Musical Minis, click here.

Musical Minis Nursery Rhyme Puzzle App - Christmas Offer

Musical Minis has always attempted to keep up with the times and to celebrate our 25 years we have developed a children’s app.

The Musical Minis Nursery Rhymes Puzzles App is available through both the Apple Store and Google Play. The app combines three simple puzzles on three levels to encourage fine motor skills, with the child rewarded for success by seeing and hearing the relevant nursery rhyme.

The app now forms part of the Musical Minis membership pack, to replace the book bag, so new members are receiving it for free. If you wish to buy the App it is presently available as a special Christmas offer in the Apple Store and in Google Play for £0.69 until 4th January 2015 (usually £1.99).

To download the app onto your IPhone, click here. Please note that this app has been optimised for version 5 and requires iOS 7.0 or later.

To download the app onto your smartphone, click here. Please note this will only work with android versions 4.0.3 and up.

We are always looking at ways of making sure that we deliver on our promise of Learning Made Fun and the Musical Minis Nursery Rhymes Puzzles App is another example of this.

Please Vote For Your Favourite Nursery Rhyme

To celebrate 25 years of Musical Minis we have launched a campaign to find the Nation’s Favourite Nursery Rhyme. Just click here to go to the voting page and we will donate 25p to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital when you vote.

 

Monday's Child Is .........

With the birth of the royal baby imminent I wonder if the Monday's Child rhyme  and the day he or she is born will have any impact on the baby's destiny.

I thought the Monday's Child rhyme was just a bit of fun and didn't read anything into it. However, I'm aware that some people see Monday's Child as a fortune-telling song that tells a child's character or future based on the day of the week he or she was born.

The rhyme was first recorded in A. E. Bray's Traditions of Devonshire (Volume II, pp.287-288) in 1838.

Here is the rhyme for those of you who don't know it:-

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

Does your child fit into its determined fate because of the day he or she was born? The days are meant to mean the following:-

Monday - the child is beautiful both on the outside and internally.
Tuesday - the child is graceful and sails through everything with ease.
Wednesday - the child takes life seriously.
Thursday - the child has lots of ideas and wants to do them all.
Friday - the child is kind and loves people.
Saturday - the child works hard and is ambitious.
Sunday - or the Sabbath day as referred to in the rhyme - the child is happy, carefree and full of the joys of life.

I was born on a Friday and I do like people. Rob, my husband, was born on a Saturday and he does work hard. Matthew my eldest was born on a Friday but I think he is more of a Tuesday or Saturday child - he does work hard but sails through life easily too. Alex, my middle child was born on a Saturday but I think he's more of a Thursday child. Emily, my youngest, was born on a Tuesday but she is more of a Saturday child as she works hard.

Does the rhyme work for you or your child?

The Importance Of Nursery Rhymes

I know some people think nursery rhymes are just a bit of fun. Whilst they are fun there is also a lot that they can teach children.

A number of nursery rhymes are based on English historical events. Whilst young children who learn nursery rhymes are not aware of this it does help the adult teaching them to the child to focus on the fact that they aren't just meaningless. I have written posts about some of these previously.

As well as being fun, nursery rhymes can teach children basic language skills. They contain both usual and some more unusual vocabulary. They are rhythmic and can help young children learn sentence formation and syllables. The breaking down of words helps children learn how to communicate. For example, mama developers into mummy as the child's speech progresses.

Many nursery rhymes contain rhyming words, for example,
"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall."
This is a great way for children to discover words and forms the basis of reading skills.

Many nursery rhymes have actions to accompany them. This helps both the child's coordination and understanding of the words as they perform the actions.

Nursery rhymes are a lovely way for adults to interact with their child. The actions for a number of rhymes are done with the child sitting on the adults lap facing each other. For example, "Row row, row, the boat." This encourages eye contact and is great fun for both the adult and child. It can help bonding between the adult and child.

In our Musical Minis classes we find that the adults enjoy the nursery rhyme part of the programme as much as the children. A number of adults have found that they missed out on learning traditional nursery rhymes when they were children and are eager to teach them to their children. Adults for whom English is not their first language are especially keen to embrace English culture and learn the nursery rhymes.

There are a few nursery rhymes that are old fashioned and personally I feel have no place in today's society. Georgie Porgie is one of these - the little boy who kissed the girls and made them cry.

Traditional nursery rhymes carry much more importance to today's children than made up current rhymes. They can be backed by historical events and can be found in books. Once children attend nursery and later school, their teachers will be able to carry on with these traditional rhymes. The modern rhymes used in individual settings aren't known by others outside the setting where it was used.

Nursery rhymes are an ideal way to show 'learning made fun' ties in with the Musical Minis philosophy perfectly. If there is a nursery rhyme you are unsure about or one you want to discover the meaning of please let me know and I'll research it for you.

Photo by Flickr abakedcreation

Where Do Nursery Rhymes Come From? London Bridge

Watching the Queen's Diamond Jubilee River Pageant I was intrigued by the nursery rhyme London Bridge. In researching it, I've found it relates to difficulties experienced in bridging the River Thames.

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

London Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks in London. Before 1750, London Bridge was the city's only crossing over the Thames. The current London Bridge is located between the City of London and Southwark. A bridge has existed at or near the present site for almost 2000 years.

The first London Bridge, built by the Romans sometime around AD 46, was made of wood and clay as in the nursery rhyme (build it up with wood and clay) and was re-built over the years with the various materials mentioned in the song as numerous disasters struck the bridge. 

It is commonly thought that the rhyme originated when London Bridge was burned down in 1013 by King Ethelred to split apart the invading Viking forces. The reconstructed London Bridge was destroyed twice again - first by a storm in 1091 (wood and clay will wash away) and then by fire in 1136. Building materials changed due to the many fires that broke out on the bridge. The first stone bridge construction (build it up with bricks and mortar) started in the reign of Henry II in 1176. 

By the 1300's the bridge contained 140 shops, some of which were more than three stories high. The reference to build it up with silver and gold, refers to the trading which was conducted on the bridge. The shops and houses on London Bridge put pressure on its arches and also created a fire hazard.

In 1212 fire broke out on both ends of the bridge killing 3,000 people (silver and gold will be stolen away). In 1633 another blaze destroyed more of the bridge. London Bridge survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 but its arches and foundations were weakened.

In 1799, an engineer proposed a bridge with a single iron arch, (build it up with iron and steel) however, this design was never used. In the 1820s a new London Bridge was built on another site and the old bridge was demolished. However, the new bridge was sinking an inch every eight years and by 1924, the eastern side of the bridge was already three to four inches lower than the western side.

The present-day London Bridge was built during the period 1967 to 1972.

The fair lady in the nursery rhyme could be Matilda of Scotland who was responsible for the building of a series of London bridges. However, the most popular view is it is Queen Eleanor who was given custody of the bridge income in 1269 by Henry III . She was the "fair lady" who didn't use the money on actually maintaining the construction.

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

See Saw Margery Daw

Little Miss Muffet

Wee Willie Winkie

Jack and Jill

Five little monekys jumping on the bed - it's a mystery

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning

Politically correct nursery rhymes

At Musical Minis, we sing various songs and have fun with music to help your child develop. We aren't a stuffy music lesson but a chance for your children to enjoy themselves with music. Hope to see you there! Watch the video on the right for a good idea for how a session unfolds.

Photo by Flickr Wallyg

Where Do Nursery Rhymes Come From? See Saw Margery Daw

The nursery rhyme of See Saw Margery Daw first appeared in its modern form in Mother Goose's Melody, which was published in London in around 1765.

See-saw, Margery daw,
Johnny shall have a new master
He shall have but a penny a day
Because he can’t go any faster

I have come across a few possible meanings of the rhyme. One is just linked to a children's game. The see-saw is one of the oldest 'rides' for children and before they were constructed and put in playgrounds, children could play see-saw with logs of different sizes. The words of "See Saw Margery Daw" can reflect children playing on a see-saw and singing this rhyme to accompany their game. See-saw is played by two children sitting opposite each other holding hands and moving backwards and forwards in a rocking motion. When my children were babies I found it a great way to see which teeth had come through, as I was facing a smiley baby with an open mouth!

I couldn't identify anyone with the name Margery Daw and it is assumed that this was purely used to rhyme with the words 'see-saw'.

The rhyme may have its origins as a work song for people sawing logs, helping to keep rhythm when using a two-person saw.

"Daw" sometimes is said to mean a lazy person or an untidy woman, which links the rhyme with a nasty undercurrent..Johnny is sometimes substituted for Jacky or Jack.

The end of the rhyme could be linked to the use of child labour in work houses, where those with nowhere else to live would be forced to work for hardly any money, that is, a penny a day. They could be paid by the amount of work they managed to do, so only a penny a day because they can't work any faster. The words of "See Saw Margery Daw" could have been used to taunt a child by implying his family were poor and destined for the workhouse.

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

Little Miss Muffet

Wee Willie Winkie

Jack and Jill

Five little monekys jumping on the bed - it's a mystery

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning

Politically correct nursery rhymes

At Musical Minis, we sing various songs and have fun with music to help your child develop. We aren't a stuffy music lesson but a chance for your children to enjoy themselves with music. Hope to see you there! Watch the video on the right for a good idea for how a session unfolds.

Where Do Nursery Rhymes Come From? Little Miss Muffet

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
eating her curds and whey
along came a spider, who sat down beside her
and frightened Miss Muffet away.

The nursery rhyme of Little Miss Muffet dates back to the late 16th century. I have come across two possible meanings of the rhyme. One is simply about a young girl eating and being frightened by a bug. The other links the characters in the rhyme to real people prominent in 16th century English history.

In the first version, Little Miss Muffet was a small girl whose name was Patience Muffet. Her stepfather, Dr. Thomas Muffet (1553-1604) was a famous entomologist (someone who studies insects) and he wrote the first scientific catalogue of British Insects. Whilst eating her breakfast of curds and whey Little Miss Muffet was frightened by one of his spiders and ran away!

In the second version it is claimed that the nursery rhyme refers to Mary Queen of Scots (1542–87), who was said to have been frightened by the minister and religious reformer John Knox (1514–72). Some believe John Knox wanted to scare Mary off the throne due to religious differences.

Perhaps Little Miss Muffet was the first person with arachnophobia. Maybe she purposely spilt her curds and whey as the mixture of curdled milk and the acidic watery part of the milk just didn’t appeal to her. Possibly she blamed it on a spider to stay out of trouble. Spiders if swallowed, have supposedly been reported as curing various illnesses. Maybe the curds and whey gave her a stomach ache and she was being fed a spider to cure her stomach ache!

Previous posts: Where do nursery rhymes come from?

Wee Willie Winkie

Jack and Jill

Five little monekys jumping on the bed - it's a mystery

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Humpty Dumpty

Ring O' Roses

London's Burning

Politically correct nursery rhymes

At Musical Minis, we sing various songs and have fun with music to help your child develop. We aren't a stuffy music lesson but a chance for your children to enjoy themselves with music. Hope to see you there! Watch the video on the right for a good idea for how a session unfolds.

Photo by Flickr Seabeak