Counting and Clapping Rhyme Books - Part IV

One, two, buckle my shoe,

Three, four, knock at the door,

Five, six, pick up the sticks

Seven, eight, lay them straight

Nine, ten, a big fat hen. . .

This is the very first rhyme I choreographed for my first DVD. I jazzed it up a bit, but, it's essentially the same. We set it to tap and I love it. I thought what is more perfect than the rhythm of tap to compliment the rhythm of counting. I mean, counting is where music begins. 

Counting. It's so basic, and after "Mama" and "Dada" and " 'mo pease" it's one of the first things we teach our babies. It's so fun. And dear. And very useful.

There are so many ways to teach counting. You wanna know some of them? Here are a few ways to make the journey of going from 1 to calculus a little easier.

1. Counting-Out Rhymes; A Dictionary

            Edited by Roger D. Abrahams & Lois Rankin

2. Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Mo and Other Counting-Out Rhymes

            Collected by Carl Withers

            Illustrated by Elizabeth Ripley

3. The Counting-Out Rhymes of Children: Their Antiquity, Origin, and Wide Distribution

            "A Study in Folklore"

            By Henry Carrington Bolton, New York, 1883

            D. Appleton & Co.

After we get the counting thing down, we have to learn to clap right? And that leads to all kinds of chaos. Just try keeping up with some of the clapping games that kids do these days! I've tried it and I kind of like it. A lot! 

4. Hand Clap!

By Sara Bernstein, 1994

(Miss Sara was 12 when she wrote it! Which is perfect; can you imagine an adult writing a hand clapping book? Yikes. Comedy would surely ensue.)

Lastly, here a few miscellaneous books that a worthy of a look-see:

5. Cakes and Custard; Children's Rhymes

Chosen by Brian Alderson

Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, 1975

6. Alphabet Dreams

            Adapted and Illustrated by Judith Gwyn Brown (This is beautiful!)

7. Doctor Knickerbocker and Other Rhymes

            Selected by David Booth

            Illustrated by Maryann Kovalski, 1993

This concludes the list of books I borrowed from Tom Dalzell, but, it certainly doesn't conclude my search for incredible children's books. That will never end.

To be continued. . .

A Taste of International Folklore and Rhythms; Rhyme List - Part III

When I was growing up in my little, sheltered, white bread world of Fargo, ND I thought there were just, oh, maybe 10 rhymes in the whole world. Everyone knew them and they were all English. How's that for bland?!

In today's world it is extremely important that we expose our children to the sounds and rhythms of other countries. I don't see this simply as a "politically correct" thing to do, but, more of an obligation to our children's educational enrichment. As I have said before, hearing sounds, rhythms, and stories from other cultures can only expand a child's perspective, phonemic awareness, and help to train their little ears to appreciate and understand literature on a global level.

Fast forward to 21^st century--our daughter is Chinese, so when I was in pre-production for my first children's DVD I wanted to include a Chinese rhyme or a piece of poetry. I found a lovely piece called, "The King of China's Daughter" that was beautifully translated and lent itself perfectly to ballet. It goes like this:

The king of China's daughter
So beautiful to see 
With her face like yellow water, left
Her nutmeg tree.
Her little rope for skipping
She kissed and gave it me
Made of painted notes of singing-birds
Among the fields of tea.
I skipped across the nutmeg grove
I skipped across the sea;
But neither sun or moon, my dear,
Has yet. . . caught. . . me.


What incredible images! Along with an ethereally opaque and gorgeous pink lantern that I found in a shop on Orcas Island in the San Juan's, I used bamboo chimes and a meditation ring to capture the essence of China. 


For the second DVD I was very brazen and included 3 Chinese rhymes (or very short poems) rhymes to the collection. This was a little trickier because I really wanted to pay further homage to the language and the sounds of China, but, alas, I am not Chinese. How was I going to accomplish this when I am doing the voice over work and I don't speak the language? Well, I have a pretty good ear, so, I simply got a little coaching from a couple of Chinese women in the International district in Seattle to make sure my pronunciations were correct. (No accent, just correct pronunciation, she said timidly). The second collection also has 6 French rhymes that were so much fun to bring to life! I am now looking to expand the international appeal of another DVD or CD to include African American rhymes, Australian rhymes, Mexican rhymes, and more Asian rhymes.

There are amazing international rhyme books in the universe. Some are available in book stores, some have to be special ordered, and some are antique or vintage, but they do exist and it is well worth the time to add several to your children's library.

Here is a short list of books that begin to celebrate the sounds and rhythms from other cultures:

1. Apples on a Stick; The Folklore of Black Children

            Collected & Edited by Barbara Michels & Bettye White

2. Step It Down; Games, Plays, Songs & Stories From the Afro-American Heritage

            By Bessie Jones & Bess Lomax Hawes

3. Cinderella Dressed in Yella; The First Attempt At a Definitive Study of Australian

            Children's Play Rhymes

            Edited, with an interpretive essay, by Ian Turner, 1969

4. Sally Go Round the Sun; 300 Songs, Rhymes and Games of Canadian Children

            By Edith Fowke 1969

5. Games and Songs of American Children

            Collected and Compared by William Wells Newell, 1962

6. Zickary Zan; Childhood Folklore

            Compiled by Jack and Olivia Solomon

            Illustrated by Mark Brewton, 1980

7. Miss Mary Mac All Dressed in Black; Tongue Twisters, Jump Rope Rhymes, and Other

            Children's Lore From New England

            By Scott E. Hastings, Jr.

I would love to hear about any other children's poetry, rhyme, or stories that you find particularity enchanting.

Happy Hunting!

To be continued. . .

Jump Rope Rhymes, Clapping Rhymes: Part II

As promised I have a great list of rhyming books for you, courtesy of author Tom Dalzell, to keep in your "to be collected" collection. There are a total of 27 books and 3 categories. I have divided them into; Jump Rope Rhymes, Counting Rhymes, and Rhymes from other countries/miscellaneous.

Before I get to the fabulous list, I have to say; it sure seems like everything vintage is new again. People are buying mid-century modern houses (I have one myself), implementing updated elements of mid-century décor, doing more gardening, canning, sewing, DIY projects, recycling or re-purposing old furniture, the list goes on. I've been wondering why that is. Perhaps we are looking to the past in order to simplify our lives, get back to what is really important, or find the answers to how to turn our upside down world right side up. I know that when I do things my mom did or taught me to do when I was growing up, say, like, canning (please, I am not an expert on this one!) or sewing (kind of good at this), I feel more connected to my creative spirit and my home life. Doing these activities allow me to slow way down and to feel gratitude for what I do have knowing that what I have is more than plenty. When I do these things I don't feel the urge to mindlessly consume and that feels good too.

And when it comes to kids, the same holds true;  when we take the time to introduce our children to the games and activities we did when we were kids we honor our past and our future. This, in turn, allows them to slow down and enjoy the same kind of play that we enjoyed. Rhymes and rhyming games are a big part of this process. After all, rhymes of all sorts require the verbal passing of the torch from generation to generation.

Jumping rope isn't just a vintage activity. It is actually an ancient activity. That's right; jump rope dates back to 1600 B.C. in Ancient Egypt. I have a picture in my mind of Egyptians jump roping on their pyramid building breaks. Could it be that humans actually have an urge to jump rope? Could that be because jumping rope is totally fun? And addicting? Most of us did it as kids. And we did it together. We jumped rope every day at recess. We jumped rope at home after school. We practiced our Double Dutch skills so that we could impress our peers at school. When I was in high school, we even had a jump roping squad, called, The Deacon Dollies that were amazing! How's that for an inventive, artistic, and athletic activity for kids to showcase at basketball games?


When kids jump rope and do rhymes at the same time they are engaging their bodies, focusing their minds, and verbal skills all at once! And as I like to say, this would be "layered learning". Bring it on!

So here's the Jump Rope Rhyme list:

1. Jewels. . .Children's Play Rhymes

Selected by Shelley Harwayne/Illustrated by Teresa Farr

2. The Kingfisher Playtime Treasure

A Collection of Playground Rhymes, Games and Action Songs Selected by Pie Corbett/Illustrated 

By Moira & Colin Maclean

3. Children's Counting-Out Rhymes, Fingerplays, 

Jump-Rope and Bounce-ball Chants and Other Rhythms

By Gloria T. Delamar

4. Jump-Rope-Rhymes

Collected and Illustrated by Barbara McGee, 1968

5. Children's Games in Street and Playground

 By Iona & Peter Opie, 1969

6. I Saw Essau. . .The Schoolchild's Pocket Book

Edited by Iona & Peter Opie/Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

            This collection is an absolute must have!

7. Did You Feed My Cow? Street Games, Chants, and Rhymes

Compiled by Margaret Taylor Burroughs, 1969

8. Jump the Rope Jingles

By emma Vietor Worstell/Illustrated by Sheila Greenwald, 1961

9. Miss Mary Mac All Dressed in Black;

Tongue Twisters, Jump Rope Rhymes, and Other Children's Lore from New England

 By Scott E. Hastings, Jr.

10. Halloweena Hecatee & Other Rhymes to Skip to

By Cynthia Mitchell/Illustrated by Eileen Browne, 1979

11. Skipping to Babylon. . .A collection of Skipping Rhymes

Compiled and Illustrated by Carole Tate, 1985

Most of these titles are available through Amazon or ordered through your local indie bookstore.

To be continued. . .

Benefits of Childhood Involvement in Performing Arts

Children have an almost non- stop desire to be creative. They live in a mental space that is constantly curious, expressive, physical, at play, and engaged. The importance of nurturing this creativity is well documented and has amazing benefits. A child who is exposed to and involved in the performing arts often develops a greater capacity for learning. Through the arts, children are encouraged to depend on themselves creatively, so they learn how to solve problems better, while developing the ability to rely on themselves to bring new ideas into the world. They learn to listen to their own compass; speak from their souls.

This is not to say that all children should become professional performers. That would be a whole other conversation. It simply means when they participate in the performing arts they become better equipped to look at the world from many different vantage points. The arts also innately provide a spiritual component. When a child engages in arts activities they are stripped of pretenses. They speak from their heart, their soul. They bring into existence their authentic self.

Then, there are the academic benefits. The following is from Americans for the Arts

Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are:

• 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
• 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
• 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
• 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
• 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem

Add to these the benefits to brain development and you have a recipe for children who grow up to give the world amazing gifts. 

Build a Mini-Stage and Reap the Benefits of Play Acting for Children

One of the most important things you can do for your child to help them develop their creative spirit is to design a special performance space in your house for creative play and dress up. Children love to play act, be on stage, and have everyone watch them perform. They love to create characters, make up dialogue, sing, dance, and invite family and friends to come see them “act out.” 

Here are just a few of the educational benefits and skills they will acquire simply by staging their own plays:

•          They learn to spontaneously write dialogue
•          They learn improvisational techniques
•          They learn how to listen to each other
•          They learn to work together as an ensemble
•          They learn how to tell a story. And that’s what theatre is; telling great stories!
•          They learn to re-enact important and funny moments in their lives and by doing so,
•          They create important, fun, poignant moments for the family at the same time.

When I was little my dad created a very simple space in the corner of our basement. It was a 5’ x 8’ box he built out of plywood. It was sturdy, yet portable, so we could move it around if we wanted to create a different sense of space. My mom simply hung a curtain from ceiling hooks on each side of the stage so we could “make an entrance”. We had a big stash of dress up costumes in a chest and we were set! Places everyone!

The cost of creating this mini theatre space for your child is minimal (under $50.00.) and a simple DIY project. All you need, aside from time, is:

•      1 Sheet of ¾” plywood (Plywood comes in 4’x8’ sheets so you will want to design your stage with these dimensions in mind)
•          Nails
•          Hammer
•          2 large handles screwed into each end of the stage makes for ease of movement
•          Left over paint for the stage (theatre stages are black, but, you can certainly use whatever you have on hand. Very Important: make sure you use flat paint! Higher gloss paint will stick to little shoes and that would be very bad.)
•          Old curtains or sheets
•          Planter hooks that screw into the ceiling

Tip: Bring the exact measurements of the stage to your local home improvement store and they will cut the plywood and base for you. BAM! Mr. and Mrs. set designer; you are mere hours from your first opening night event.

For the more fully loaded domestic theatre here are a couple of optional items you may want to include:

• A couple of directors chairs; one for the director and his/her assistant
• A few music stands in case a Reader's Theatre production is on the boards
• A few hand held instruments
• A piano is always a nice touch in case there is an original musical in the works; say at Christmas time or as a summer time homage to Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney?

Remember, the arts are a very important part of a child’s life. Aside from teaching self expression, the arts also help a child to develop a broad and empathetic world view. So, get out that hammer, build a little stage, and encourage those kids to write, direct, act, sing, and dance in their own neighborhood repertory theatre productions. Who knows, you may be nurturing the next Meryl Streep or Lawrence Olivier!

Jump Rope Rhymes, Clapping Rhymes: Part I

Did you ever jump rope? Double Dutch? Oh, and did you rhyme while you were doing it? If you did, I bet you are super smart. If you did, I bet you are super coordinated.  If you did, do you think you would be able to remember any of your super cool rhymes? If not, don’t worry. I am here to help. Well, I am here to help by sharing an amazing and comprehensive list of rhyme books courtesy of my friend and author Tom Dalzell.

Tom is a slang expert. He isn’t just a slang expert, he is the authority on slang in the country having written or co-written several books on the subject including the definitive dictionary on slang in the English speaking world entitled:

 The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English

When Hollywood needs to make sure the slang in a movie is accurate, Tom gets the call. This thing is so big it is in two volumes and if you want to beef up your biceps try these on for size. They are enormous. And fascinating. 60,000 Slang entries in all!

A couple of Tom's other books are:

Flappers to Rappers: American Youth Slang

and

Damn the Man!: Slang of the Oppressed in America

Tom has graciously shared his incredible collection of new, vintage, and antique children’s rhyming books with me since I have become somewhat of a nursery rhyme aficionado/freak. These books are so exciting that I am going to put them into categories and share the list with you. We have jump roping rhyme books, counting rhyme books, and traditional rhyme books. The point is; there are wonderful old books out there that can add magic to your child’s story time while enhancing language and rhythm skills at the same time.

So, turn off the computer and become a rhyme tutor! (See what I did there?)

Up first:

1. Rimbles, A Book of Children’s Classic Games, Rhymes, Songs, and Sayings

Written by Patricia Evans & Illustrated by Gioia Fiammenghi

How’s that for a title? In this book, first published in 1955, the author speaks quite eloquently about how all of these rhymes and stories are passed down from child to child:

“Children . . . in their relaxed, unsupervised playtimes, they sometimes come out with phrases or verses dating back hundreds of years. While they have occasionally learned these from grandparents, they have usually learned them from children just a few years older. Since a “generation” of childhood playtime is scarcely six to eight years in duration, this transmission is real and direct and still vital, with few if any forgotten words.”

Clapping, jump rope, and rhyming games definitely take place in a child’s life between 1^st and 6^th grade. By the time kids are 12 they are way too cool to be bothered with rhymes and go off to other activities. Our daughter did clapping games obsessively between the ages of 4 and 11. By the time she turned 12 it was soooooo over.

2. Over in the Pink House . . . New Jump Rope Rhymes

Written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

 School Library Journal says:

“Grade 1-5-These 32 original rhymes are infused with fresh, colorful imagery and toe-tapping rhythm. Appropriate for reading or chanting aloud while jumping rope, each one has a lighthearted, whimsical quality.”

Well, anything that is toe-tapping works for me!

3. Schoolyard Rhymes . . . Kid’s Own Rhymes for Rope Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun

Selected by Judy Sierra/Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

This book includes several nonsense rhymes which are always a blast to do with double dutch so let’s get out our jump ropes and have a twirl.

My complete list of rhyming books will take a few blogs, so, stay tuned. I think it will be worth it!

To be continued…

I Beg You. . .Please Help the Drama of the Read

The human voice is capable of an infinite variety of sounds and qualities. It has always amazed me that when people read aloud to their children they choose to read in the most deadpan, uninteresting, uninspired, unchildlike way. Why is this?

Anecdote:  I grew up in Fargo and went to Catholic school my whole life until college. So, this is what bugged me from the time I could read; going to Mass every Sunday and listening to whoever was “chosen” to read the Bible passages. It was as though a horrible sentence had been passed down and the “chosen reader” person read as though they were barely alive. Every single one of them read as though all of the life had been sucked out of them. There they were at the lectern microphone for the whole world to hear their abysmal effort and as they read amazing words like; Love, Humility, Damnation, Hell, Devil, Sin, Resurrection, and End of the World, with no feeling whatsoever, I was actually taking notes in my head and wanting very badly to just stop and say, “OK, your read makes me feel like it’s the end of the world people! And that goes for you too Father Smith! Let’s take this again from the top! What are you saying? What do you think the intention of the writer was? Could you possibly put a different spin or “read” to the word love than you do with the word hell? Do you understand the meaning of this at all?” It was as though every single word had the same meaning and was spelled exactly the same way and that word was “Drone. Drone, drone, drone, drone, drone. And then the drones droned. Droning on they droned some more. Drone to the Father, the Son, and the Droning Spirit. Drone-men.” Praying that God would let me intervene, I begged, “Please God let me save the parishioners from this torture. Let me be the “chosen reader” person! Let me read to the people! Then everyone will FEEL and UNDERSTAND the words, not just hear them in hushed, dull, monotonous, tonal hell!”

I was 10 at the time.

This illustrates something that I think most adults fall prey to; reading aloud to children with no feeling. No animation. No imagination. We forget how incredible it is to communicate through words and how each word has its own energy. Expand your reading and vocal repertoire! Read aloud and with feeling; not only for your children, but for yourself. Feel the yumminess of those well crafted words swirling around in your mouth. Authors of children’s book write in a style that is meant to be read aloud. Go ahead; surprise yourself by utilizing your vocal range. Your child will thank you. Or imitate you. Or make fun of you, but, who cares? At least they, and anyone else who may be near by, will perk up, take note, and really listen instead of saying, "when is this going to end?" 


Be a brave reader. I dare ‘ya!

And guess what? Nursery Rhymes are the perfect place to start with your new and incredible reading style. You can have your own Reading Repertory Theatre starring YOU!

Comptines de France! Nursery Rhymes From France!

Something that I like to encourage parents to do is to expand their nursery rhyme horizons and vocabulary. Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star are fine, but, there is so much out there to explore when it comes to word play, rhythms, and rhymes. Plus, it is extremely important these days that our children are exposed to rhythms and rhymes from around the world so that they develop an ear and appreciation for music and languages from other countries. I believe, when they hear a smorgasbord of sounds, early on, children find it easier and fun to learn a second or third language in school.

One of my very favorite finds is Nursery Rhymes From France translated by Olive Beaupre Miller and illustrated by two of America’s best known illustrators in the first half of the last century, Maud and Miska Petersham. It was published by The Book House For Children; Chicago. This book, as you will see, is a visual treasure and auditory feast for young eyes and ears. The illustrations are incredibly well researched and executed; they are playful, childlike, colorful, and filled with humor. Every illustration is also a nod to the historical back story within each rhyme. A little history lesson never hurts as a rhyme side dish!

The illustrations in Nursery Rhymes From France also capture the full array of the French sensibility and class structure; from peasants to royalty and from Paris, to Versailles, to Avignon.

Another bonus of this gorgeous book is that several of the rhymes include the musical score with the original French lyrics and many with the translated English lyrics. When you begin to learn these little ditties they become just as contagious and fun as any of our traditional English rhymes.

Give it a try! Check Amazon or your local used book stores. Let me know if you find any other wonderful nursery rhyme books from other countries! I’m always in hunt and gather mode when it comes to nursery rhyme books and resources.

Rhyming, Rhythm, Reading, Success

What is it that we want for our children? That they are smart, creative, that they are exposed to the brilliance of the planet, that they are successful, that they love art, music, and dance, that they love to be physical, and love words, that they can spell like crazy, that they love to read and do it easily?

We, as a society, have been obsessed with getting our children to read earlier and earlier. What we should be focused on, in my opinion, is repetition of rhymes, rhythm, and music. These are the tools by which a child then connects those repeating sounds to the visual. This is how they learn to read. It’s not by seeing first, it’s by hearing first.

The following is a very clear, simple, explanation of phonemic awareness from the Weber County Library in Ogden where the thoughtful librarians have put together a wonderful reading list of rhyming story books that promotes phonemic awareness in the small child.

Phonemic awareness is the understanding that words are made of discrete sounds. If children cannot distinguish individual sounds, or phonemes, within words, they have difficulty learning to read and write. 

The books on this list help pre-readers focus on the sounds in words. They are meant to be read to the child, and caregivers can guide listening by asking questions such as: “What sound do most of those words end with?” or “Where do you hear the /b/ sound?” http://www.weberpl.lib.ut.us/content/booklists/sort/t/24

There are a total of 29 books listed in Phonemic Awareness Books for Children. Check the list out. It is an invaluable resource! Or ask your local librarian for suggestions.

The good news for all of us well meaning parents is that with regular repetition of something as simple as nursery rhymes and rhyming story books we can have a high impact on our children’s future and their ability to read and write. Never mind that it is just plain, silly, fun!

A Joyful Activity

That voice inside my head! It’s there for all of us. We just have to listen. Then our job is to follow through on the inspiration. Those little nuggets of inspiration, nearly every one of them, are gifts. When we follow through and breathe life into the ideas we have, they become real, and then those manifested ideas, in turn, become our gifts to the world.

The fact of the matter is – as far as creativity goes – the more one immerses oneself in it, the more fulfilled and authentic one becomes. It is a joyful activity. You know when time stops and you don’t want to be interrupted you are on the right track. Those are my words of wisdom du jour.

Now – nursery rhymes. Why nursery rhymes? Because they are the very beginning of story telling.

When I began my intense research and was looking for rhymes to stage I found out that there was a plethora of material just waiting to be theatricalized! I mean, we’ve always seen nursery rhymes brought to life through illustrations in breathtaking, gorgeous, artistic ways, and they’ve occasionally been animated, but, never “acted” out or “choreographed”.  This is odd because nursery rhymes are inherently rhythmical, musical, and action oriented; almost like mini musicals. I wanted to bring something new and fresh to the nursery rhyme table; to see what else was out there worthy of a pair of tap shoes, Pointe shoes, or hip hop!

I began the journey of my search starting with a list of about 500 nursery rhymes that I edited down to 30. My criterion was that they had to be visual, dramatic, and rhythmically interesting. It was a child like process. One of my students, Brynn Bromley (who was a very important part of this process) and I sat on the floor of my performing arts studio and worked on the rhymes for about a month. We used simple hand held musical instruments to enhance the rhythm for some, some we simply sang and others I felt needed updating or tweaking with additional original dialogue. In general, for each rhyme, we played around with the rhythms, repetition, and tempos until we found, what we thought, were a perfect match.

Finally, the rhymes had to be something I could frame, theatricalize, and choreograph from the waist down. No faces. I wanted the focus to be on the dance and the rhythm. This was also a practical decision based on budget; if I had framed my shots head to toe I would need a much larger cast, hair, makeup, makeup artist, and actors who could act, sing, and dance. The budget would have quadrupled. I knew I was taking an artistic risk, but, it was also an artistic challenge. Once we did a test I thought, “This is different, fun, creative, and slightly cutting edge.” We moved forward and I was convinced kids would love it and imagine themselves inside the rhyme and dance instead of simply being observers.

My goal, always, is to inspire children to not just be exposed to the arts, but to become involved in the arts. When they are involved in the arts they learn to hear their own creative voice; to express that voice from an authentic place, and become brave enough to share their gifts with the world. 

Why Nursery Rhymes You Say?

1.                  For starters, nursery rhymes are just fun and every country has an important collection so there is oodles of material to choose from.

2.                  Nursery Rhymes are miniature nuggets of literature that have survived over the centuries and helped us raise our children. They are complete. They are incredibly theatrical. They have wonderful use of words, rhythm, rhyme and have interesting, easy to digest little morals to the story. Some rhymes are nothing more than nonsensical hilarity that are simply delicious to say.

3.                  Nursery Rhymes are extremely compact; within a few lines there is a story line with a beginning, middle, and end, a mini plot, and character development. For instance, let’s take a look at There Was a Crooked Man:

There was a crooked man,

And he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence,

Beside a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat,

Which caught a crooked mouse, and they all lived together,

In a little crooked house.

This is not only clever and visually funny; it is unique and yet uncomplicated with a very clear thread for a child to follow. The first line tells us everything we need to know; there is a man and he was crooked. Everything else in the rhyme fits the crooked man’s paradigm. In 7 brief lines the crooked man finds a little cash, decides to buy a companion, the cat catches a companion, and they all live happily ever after in their little crooked world. The sound, repetition, and visual component of the word “crooked” aids in making a complete package. We all learn in our studies as actors that certain sounds have more comedic impact than others. The hard “C or K” sound of “crooked” has that built in comedy. Children love this because it’s catchy, humorous, and warrants massive repetition!

4.                  When we become parents Nursery Rhymes are part of our past that instantly become part of our present and our children’s future.

5.                  For Nursery Tap, we used dance as the visual and physical stimulant and the audio portion as the mental stimulant.

6.                  Finally, words, rhymes, repetition, rhythm and movement through nursery rhymes can excite and energize a child into a love of reading and dance for a lifetime.

So, there you go! Let me know what your favorite rhymes are! 

Flash of Inspiration; Nursery Rhymes + Tap = Fun!

Several years ago we (one husband, a daughter, and self) had just moved 30 minutes south of Seattle to Gig Harbor; an idyllic fishing village. I was feeling a little out of my element since Gig Harbor is the opposite of an urban jungle. I had been very used to, and might I add, extremely comfortable, being surrounded by concrete. Now all of a sudden there were 120' tall trees! 18 in the front yard alone. Huge yards. No street lighting at night. Remote. I could go on, but, you get the idea. I was a little freaked. Anyway, I thought, (and here's a logical segue way!)"why not go back to tap class." I had enrolled our daughter, who was 5 at the time, at the local dance studio and there was a master tap teacher on staff who was pretty amazing. Watching the adult tap dancers gave me the itch so I went ahead and enrolled. I had tapped in New York and in college, so, I thought, "what the heck, if I don't remember anything or I suck really bad I will just not continue." I dusted off my tap shoes, went to class, and began an incredible journey, that, to this day, I never could have predicted.

One day in class I literally had a voice inside my head that said, " nursery rhymes and tap go together." After an hour of flap ball changes, time steps, and pull backs, I say to Sandy, my teacher, "Listen, I just had an amazing thought; what if we take nursery rhymes and set them to dance? We could shoot it from the waist down so the small child can see tap up close and on their level." She was jazzed to say the least.

After class I told my husband the idea and his response was, "Juleen, you have to do this! It's a no brainer."

In the mean time, we sold one house, fixed up the fixer house, opened a performing arts studio, and lived a very full life. Two years later I finally had a window of opportunity to shoot what had been percolating in my brain which was to rehearse, update, and record 30 nursery rhymes and set them to tap, ballet, and hip hop in a theatrical way! The idea was to introduce the small child to the performing arts through rhyme, rhythm, song, dance, and theatre. The way I decided to go about this was beyond fun and a completely freeing creative process. I will be more specific very soon. In the mean time here are a few pix from shooting our first rhyme; Little Miss Muffet.