A nursery rhyme is one of the simplest and earliest forms of literacy. Search online for five minutes and you'll find heaps of research supporting the benefits of itsy-bitsy spiders, blind mice, and fiddling cats (not to mention all those sheep - misplaced, sheared, off to school, etc.). Nursery rhymes introduce and strengthen vocabulary, phonemic awareness, and even mathematical concepts, for goodness sake. They are that essential.
Several months ago I was on the lookout for a good CD of nursery rhymes that my daughter and I could listen to in the car. We had already borrowed a few from the library, but I had grown tired of generic children singing to fairly common arrangements. Then I discovered Classic Nursery Rhymes by Susie Tallman, and all changed.
I adore this CD. Listen to the first song, Six Little Ducks, and just try not to dance all over the room. My daughter demanded Ten Monkeys in the Bed (Track #9, in case you were wondering) for an entire half-hour car ride home and I'm happy to say that I arrived back at the house perfectly sane.
What I love most about Classic Nursery Rhymes is that each song has its own personality. No generic children, no creepy, computerized instruments. The presentation of each rhyme is so lively and unique, I can almost imagine them being performed by a Muppet back in the heyday of The Muppet Show (listen to Betty Botter and you'll see what I mean).
Hop on over to Rock Me Baby Records and be enchanted!
Oh! I'm going to have to check this one out! And, Clara approved!
ReplyDeleteYou must. Listen to "Hickory Dickory Dock" and tell me you don't picture Cool Dog rapping along.
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