Jenny O,

Aren't vibes amazing?! I was sleeping, but woke up and decided to peek at Mudcat and the first thread I glanced at was this one, and what do I see but that you had just posted a comment that included my name. I musta heard you callin me, girlfriend]


What is also amazing is the selective power of memory. I now recall that when I was a child I also learned that second verse about Kooaburra eating gum drops. I'm not sure why I forgot it-esepecially since now I know what gum drops are but I don't think I knew that when I was a young school child.

Btw, Jenny, I like the website whose link you posted. I think that children's songs should be used more often in the classroom-for fun and to reinforce all kinds of social and academic skills. However, that lesson plan strikes me as a bit too rigid. For instance instead of sticking exactly to the performance instructions that are given on that website, I think it would be interesting to see how children would choreograph the moves to make to that-and to other songs.

And-fwiw- I think American children & youth & adults * would really have problems with these directives:

"Make a circle. On the first line of the song, take one jump to the circle center and assume a slight squatting position with hands on top of thighs. On line two, stand upright and flap arms like bird wings. On first "Laugh kookaburra," shake your shoulders in a pantomime of a laugh. On the second "Laugh kookaburra," hold your belly in continued pantomime of a laugh. On the last line, jump back to original circle area and nod heads at one another".
-snip-

Mostly I think that they {we} would have problems with the "assume a ...squatting position" instruction. To Americanize this instruction, "assume a" could be changed to "make a" . But 'squat'?!!? Hmmm. Why do I think about people going to the bathroom when I read that word? Maybe it's me...

I think that there is probably another word or phrase that could be substituted for squat, but I can't think of it right now.

Then there's the line "hold your belly in continued pantomime of a laugh".... Hmmm, again. Sure, you could explain what a pantomine is. And that's good, but would kids "get" that laughter involves holding their "stomach} {which is a more easily understood USA English word for children for belly}? I don't think so, unless you evoke the image of fat, jolly Santa Claus who would hold his stomach when he laughed. Then, some of the overweight children might get laughed at which is definitely not a desired outcome...

I guess that I'm being too analytical. I just think that not only should the game instruction not be too rigid, it should also not take so long to explain how to play the game that children get bored or figgity while waiting for the actual game performance to begin.

That said, I feel like I just trashed a gift. In the real world, I would have just said "thank you" and left it like that. But instead, I went into my analytical mode. Jenny, please don't think that I don't appreciate you hipping me to that website. I do appeciate it. Thanks again.

Now it's back to bed for me.

Goodnight and good day and best wishes,

Azizi

* I said "children, youth, and adults" because I've found that it's fun and good for all age groups to experience playing singing games together.