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.

[tethersend]

Hang on... we all know frogs go "Sha-lalalala"...surely?

[TALLULAHBELLEOFTHEBALLROOM]

T'was I that asked about the little green frog. Always did la-di-da but now it's bloody sho-be-do & I don't like it.

[TheHeadbangingWombat]

After reading this thread I've made a vow never to go to toddler groups when I have a child. They sound like hell on earth. All that singing.

[MrsJamin]

waking up the bunnies with a wooden spoon? That's way more inappropriate than asking if they're ill!

[Caz10]

Ours are sleeping RABBITS !!

Controversial or what?!

[swottybetty]

who is minnie? is her bus a ferrari, or does she have a bus and a ferarri? why do you have to smooth your hair when singing about the ferarri?

[bergentulip]

I HATE that song! Ugh.

[giantkatestacks]

HeadbangingWombat - thats ok you can stand in the bah humbug corner with Rachel Cusk...

[hanaboo]

ok, i don't personally kno this little bunnies song but was on fone to a friend while reading this thread and for all of u who are worried by the "are they ill" part, she assures me its "are they real" , oh and she does the shus and the shouting wake up!

but wats any one got against peter rabbit? and am i thinking of the wrong song? cos which part would he jump 5000 feet?

[hanaboo]

shush

[lisad123wantsherquoteinDM]

now dont get me started on different ways of singing Zoom ZOoom Zoom!!!

[TwoManyFallsAndYouGetABadScore]

everyone sings it perfectly at my toddler group.



you should come along ajamore, there is no awkwardness, it isn't rushed, no confused children. You;d love it.

[hanaboo]

zoom zoom zoom? i don't know half these songs! my poor dd must be missing out on a lot

[FlamingoDuBeke]

He can't jump 50,000 feet, but there's another funny song that is the same tune - not really appropriate for toddler groups though:

He jumped from fifty thousand feed without a parachute,
He jumped from fifty thousand feed without a parachute,
He jumped from fifty thousand feed without a parachute,
And he ain't gonna jump no mor-or-ore!

Glory, glory, what a helluva way to die,
When you're hanging by your knickers and you don't know how to fly,
Glory, glory, what a helluva way to die,
And he ain't gonna jump no mor-or-ore!

He landed on the tarmac like a lump of strawberry jam...

They put him in a matchbox and they sent him home to mum...

She put him on the mantelpiece for everyone to see...

The Vicar came to dinner - they had strawberry jam for tea...

The toddlers would love it! Mine do!

[FlamingoDuBeke]

Oh, and I have been to about four toddler group session in my 6.5 years of parenting four children! Hate them, hate them, hate them!

[BellaBear]

Flamingo: the vicar spread him on his bread and ate him up for tea!

[juneybean]

Hanaboo are you thinking of:

Little Peter Rabbits got a fly upon his nose?

Because that's the only Peter Rabbit song I know!

[hotchachachaingbunny]

Rock rock rock your boat gently to and fro
Watch out, give a shout
Into the water you go!
(sort of needs dc to be on your knee, and then you duck them) IYSWIM?

[giantkatestacks]

Flamingo - we used to sing that at school on trips and suchlike...its great...

[hanaboo]

oooooh thanx flamingo, my dd will love that one, shes a bit funny like that her fav song is the one about the taking home, squishing and eating of the bumble bee! (i quite like that one myself)

[hanaboo]

yes juneybean, i am... the only one i kno too
i thought it was kinda cute lol

[hanaboo]

i like flamingo's version, its to the same tune

[FlamingoDuBeke]

Oh remind me of the bumble bee one, Hanaboo - it really rings a bell!

Bellabear - thanks for that extra verse

[troutpout]

Listen to yourselves

[BellaBear]

we used to sing on on Woodcraft Folk trips.

Along with

'I've got myself a baby bumble bee, won't my mummy be so proud of me' etc (it gets gruesome)

and the quarter-master stores. that got gruesome as well!