to be irritated by people's inability to sing a decent version of sleeping bunnies?

[ajamore]

This is standard fare at the toddler groups I have been going to for some years now. It seems to me that the success of this song is the gentle "ssshhhh! shushes while the little ones are lying on the floor, followed by (and I believe this is an absolute ESSENTIAL element) the suspenseful "ohhhhh" (getting louder and louder) that then erupts into an enthusiastic clambering upright of the children and a jolly "hop little bunnies, hop hop hop etc.."

So,

"See the sleeping bunnies sleeping till it's nearly noon, come and let us wake them gently with our merry tune"

Oh how still: Ssshhhhh, Shhhhhh (finger to lips action by all mothers/fathers/nannies/childminders etc.)

Are they ill? (always find that bit a bit disturbing to be honest): Shhhh Shhhhh

Wake up soon, Wake up soon

BIT OF A PAUSE then a very slowly building Ohhhhhhhhh and then,

Hop little bunnies hop hop hop; Hop little bunnies hop, hop, hop; Hop little bunnies hop hop hop; Hop then stop.

I am fed up of being at groups where it is all rushed and there are no shushes after the "oh how still, are they ill" bits but then there are a few uncoordinated shushes after the "wake up soon, wake up soon" bit if you're lucky. There are awkward glances from all the mothers/fathers/nannies/childminders etc. with this misappropriation of the shushing part because everbody is looking to someone else to come in with the "Hop little bunnies, hop hop hop" and the children are confused too. The shushes have their place in this song but NOT in this bit!!

I would like to know what the Mumsnet consensus is on this VERY important issue.

Thank you.

[DuchessOfAvon]

Sh-ing to start with to get them to lie down, NO sh-ing IN the song, WAKE UP LITTLE BUNNIES to get them up again. Obvious, I'd have thought.

We then follow it with:
Sleepy Tigers (Roar little tigers roar, roar, roar
Sleepy Bats (Flap little bats, flap, flap, flap)
Sleepy Ducks (quack little ducks etc...)
followed by whatever other animals are deemed to be tired at that session.

We have been requested for Sleepy Giraffes but no-one can work out what giraffes do so we hastily progressed to Heads, SHoulder, Knees and Toes leaving the Mum to deal with the distraught Giraffe-Lover.

[whomovedmychocolate]

Oh no, that's not right (doing an impression of DD here:

It's:

see the little bunny rabbits, sleeping till it's noon, shall we wake them of so gently with a merry tune....

oh so still, are they ill?



Wake up little bunny rabbits! Hop! Hop! Hop! Wake up little bunny rabbits hop and Stop

Tis best to do this at the table in fine restaurants I find

[Pushingonthrough]

Ohhh get v irritated with our music group leader to sings Hop Little Bunnies to totally the wrong tune grrrr...

At other (correct) group the are loud claps on the "wake up soon" line - which my dd2 loves. Only song she joins in with!

[Salleroo]

The good thing about leading the singing is that i choose what we sing, Peter rabbit doesnt get a look in, nor do the sausages, love a bit of row row and only do sleeping bunnies as the children are hilarios in their serious attempts at pretending to be asleep.

I shall give myself a good ousting later

[Shellseeker]

How can the 10 little ducks who went swimming one day actually swim over the hills and far away?

[pinkpip100]

Ah yes, the Sleeping Bunnies dilemma! At the two toddler groups I help with we sing totally different versions for some reason. It became very confusing for my poor brain on the weeks when I led the singing at both, so now i sing the following 'hybrid' version, as loud as i can, and try not to be thrown off course by the myriad of different words and tunes being sung by the other parents!

"See the little bunnies sleeping till its nearly noon, come and let us gently wake them with a merry tune. Oh how still, are they ill...shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......WAKE UP SOON.

Hop little bunnies hop hop hop,
Hop little bunnies do not stop,
Hop little bunnies hop hop hop,
Hop aaaaaaannnnnndddddd STOP!"

As someone else wisely said, the kids don't really care, at least not until they've outgrown toddler groups anyway (my DS1 has been dissolving into tears whenever the 'wrong' version of a song was sung since he turned 4 earlier this year - he was definitely too old to be there but had to keep coming until he started school last week!).

[giantkatestacks]

No no no its:

See the little bunnies sleeping til its nearly noon.

Shall we try and wake them with a merry tune.

Oh so still....are they ill...?

Wake up now (sung loudly but no shouting or heavy metal thrashing thankyou)

Hop little bunnies hop hop hop
Hop little bunnies hop hop hop
Hop little bunnies hop hop hop
Stop little bunnies stop stop stop

Theres no shhing. Thats just mental.

[Stigaloid]

Oooh we don't stop.

Whilst we are on song topic - can anyone clarify all three versus of dingle dangle scarecrow?

[BornToFolk]

There are three verses!?

[Merrylegs]

"See the rabbits sleeping 'til it's nearly noon.
Shall we wake them with a merry tune?"



"Oh how still - "



"Are they ill?"



"...Hop little rabbits, hop hop hop!
Hop little rabbits, hop hop hop!"

[cookielove]

couldn't really be bothered to read all the post, sorry, but for all those that hate the are they ill line, well we actually sing it are they real? does that help????

[Stigaloid]

Seriously peeps - dingle dangle scarecrow - i've got to know! (pretty please)

While all the cows were sleeping and the sun had gone to bed

what are the next two versus after the dingle dangle bit?

please?

[BagAndShoeLady]

RedTartanLass loving your style with the Jaguar can't wait to see people's faces when I throw that one in next time I lead the singing hee hee

Stigaloid, especially for me you:Dingle dangle Scarecrow...

When all the cows were sleeping and the sun had gone to bed
Up jumped the scarecrow and this is what he said
"I'm a dingle dangle scarecrow with a flippy floppy hat,
I can shake my hands like this and shake my feet like that.

When all the hens were roosting and the moon behind a cloud,
Up jumped the scarecrow and shouted very loud
"I'm a dingle dangle scarecrow with a flippy floppy hat,
I can shake my hands like this and shake my feet like that.

When the dog was in his kennel and the pigeons in their loft,
Up jumped the scarecrow and whispered very soft,
"I'm a dingle dangle scarecrow with a flippy floppy hat,
I can shake my hands like this and shake my feet like that.

[whomovedmychocolate]

We only do five little ducks - I do wonder what social services would make of this duck mummy who despite the fact that every time they go out one of her ducks absconds, continues to allow them to wander alone.

Up jumped the scarecrow and this is what he said Stigaloid.

[stealthsquiggle]

OMG there are more verses to dingle dangle scarecrow - so DD doesn't have to endlessly repeat the one verse

[happywomble]

I don't think social services would like the idea of children catching the hot sausages from the pan either!

And yes surely only 5 little ducks swimming?!

[Stigaloid]

bagandshoelady - thank you! xxxxx

[whomovedmychocolate]

Maybe they all went off and got pregnant on their little adventures happywomble?

[MorrisZapp]

Ok it's not row row row your boat gently 'out to sea', it's gently 'up the stream'.

Rhymes with life being but a dream.

[Stigaloid]

oooh our row row row's are

row row row your boat gently up the stream, if you see a crocodile don't forget to scream

row row row gently down a river, if you see a polar bear don't forget ot shiver

row row row your boat gently to the shore, if you see a lion don't forget to roar.

[FaintlyMacabre]

Yes, in the original. But in one of the variants you do row out to sea, see an octopus and then wave hello from me.

See also shore-lion-roar, river-polar bear-shiver.

[FaintlyMacabre]

Sorry, cross-posts.

[MorrisZapp]

Aha.

(and sorry, it's down the stream not up it, that wouldn't be as gentle. My mistake!)

[pranma]

In 5 little ducks is it
'5 little ducks went out to play
over the hills and far away'
or
'5 little ducks went swimmimg one day....'