Nursery Rhymes Story Telling

Following our little lamb visit the other day, Mary had a little lamb was one of the favourites nursery rhymes this week plus some others.   We have noticed little pockets of  children discovering new ways to enjoy the nursery rhymes....and retell them in different ways. 

 

London Bridge is falling down!

While sharing the ipad, Ben, Finlay and Finn discovered the London Bridge nursery rhyme.  They were so excited to have found it and played it over and over, singing along with the tune.   The graphics showed children playing the old fashion game of London Bridge and the boys wanted to do it too.

 

 Next we shared it with everyone at mat-time.

Mat time is always an opportunity to involve everyone.  So we dramatized the London bridge nursery rhyme with everyone joining in.  All the children made a really long London Bridge by joining their hands and 2 by 2 the children would have turned crawling through the bridge and forming it again at the end.

 

Admittedly, it was a bit of a challenge to keep it going, as not everyone understood the concept right away... but it was so much fun... and practice makes perfect...

 

... and eventually everyone had a turn going under the bridge.

 

Children find meaning and make connections in lots of different ways.  Dramatic acting enables them to be expressive with their ideas and cement their understanding. They gain familiarity with songs, tones, words and phrases which enables them to safely experiment with ways of story telling.

 

 

...And what happened to Mary's Lamb?   Just ask Keira and Finley

 

Keira and Finley discover using the magnetic board a lovely way of expressing the nursery rhyme, Mary had a little lamb and retelling it as a story in their own words.  

 

 

 

    

 

Keira:    "It followed her to school one day... oh no, to school one day, you cant go to school, oh no no no!" 

 

 

 Keira:   "It made all the children be naughty!"

 

Finley:  "I don't want to go home, I want to stay at school!"

(Finley hides the lamb behind the school house)

"No I'm not coming out"

(Mary comes along)

Keira:  "Its ok now, come on."

 

This is such a wonderful moment of Keira and Finley collaborating their ideas expressively and creatively, almost adlibbing, using the foundation of the nursery rhyme and with flexible thinking, telling the story in their own way.  Both focussing on a particular character, and giving that character more personality. 

 

 

I cant wait to see what other ways children find to explore these nursery rhymes....watch this space!