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.

[CheerfulYank]

In my world the little ducks go OUT one day, over the hills and far away. No swimming involved

[nickschick]

5 little ducks went swimming one day....
Over the hills and far away,mummy duck said quack quack quack quack but only 4 little ducks came back....

3 little ducks

2 little ducks

1 little duck

5 little ducks came swimming right back,concludes the song.

[CNyle]

SINCE WHEN CAN DUCKS SWIM uphill fGS

[nickschick]

I dunno i just sing the songs i dont write 'em/.

[magicOC]

Cant believe i'm replying to this thread

Re sleeping bunnies, I always assumed over the hill meant beyond the hill you'd find the river/lake/pond or whatever where the ducks went for a swim????

Also, how about

Baa Baa White sheep
Have you any spots?
Yes sir, yes sir, lots and lots
One on my ear and one on my toes
and one on the end of my long furry nose.

[magicOC]

TBE I remember that one, haven't heard it for years tho so obviosly not one of the popular ones lol.

Tail go swish wheels go round (horse an cart???) god I really must get a life .

In my defence tho I work on a daily basis with babies/toddlers so hear these all the time .

Someone save me PLEASE

[ninja]

ducks go swimming over the POND and far away obviously

[TALLULAHBELLEOFTHEBALLROOM]

I sing the In A Cottage song to DD, Butterfly. I remember it from my time at playgroup as a child. Used to love the actions of stroking the little saved bunny at the end.

Horsey's wheels go round - assume cart.

Ducks swim over the pond. When I was in Oz they sang over the hill. I thought it was weird but then again they sang it to the tune of One Elephant goes Out to Play . Also upset me singing Jungle Jim as Tiny Tim and making him a turtle not a monkey. Never went back to that group!

[cookielove]

In a cottage in a wood
A little old man at the window stood
Saw a rabbit running by
Knocking at the door

Help me Help me Help me he cried
See the farmer on the hill
come little rabbit come in side
Safe with me you'll be

I nice way of singing instead and it has actions

and yes its wheels that go round on the horsey song

[cookielove]

oh and to conclude duck song when all the ducks are gone daddy duck says quack in a really loud stern quack, and they all come home

[Horton]

Ears go round makes no sense. I mean, I know horses move their ears but surely not in a complete circle? And why would that make you any more likely to be homeward bound? The tail swishing I get, what with trotting along and all.

[townie]

[nickschick]

cookie we sang

in a cottage
in a wood
a little old man at the window stood
saw a rabbit hopping by
knocking at the door
help me,help me ;help me he said
or the farmer will shoot me dead
come little rabbit come with me
happy we shall always be.

very pc lol well it was mid 70s

[NorkilyChallenged]

Wow, my whole life I've known a French song about a rabbit on the run from a hunter/farmer and now I discover there's an English version too!!

Very funny thread.

[ajamore]

Ohh that's a lovely sounding song - the little old man in the cottage. Is it sung to a recognisable tune?

[Horton]

I liked that rabbit one. We sang it at Brownies before they chucked me out.

[BagAndShoeLady]

Here I go again ;O)

Horsey horsey don't you stop,
just let your feet go clipety clop,
your tail goes swish and your wheels go round,
giddy-up we're homeward bound.

My version of in a cottage - makes dd1 6 giggle:

In a cottage in a wood
a little old man at the window stood
saw a rabbit hopping by
knocking at the door
help me,help me ;help me he said
or the farmer will shoot me dead
come little rabbit come with me
I'll eat you for my tea!!!! ;O)

[NorkilyChallenged]

ButterflyEffect - here is the French one. I realise when I try to write it down that I know it by heart and have never seen it written down so I might have some mistakes in it.

Apologies - I can't figure out how to do accents so there aren't any

Dans sa maison
Un grand cerf
Regardait par la fenetre
Un lapin venir a lui
Et frapper ainsi.

"Cerf, cerf, ouvrez-moi,
Ou le chasseur me tuera"
"Lapin, lapin, entrez viens
Me serrez la main"

There are actions to each line and then you say it the next time not speaking the first line, just doing the action, then the next time you don't speak the first two lines, etc.

My two (who know no other French) love it and do the actions and DC1 (2.7) can say some of it by heart. I imagine it's probably to the same tune as the English version.

[NorkilyChallenged]

A quick google gave me this version, which looks more grammatically likely. My mum definitely sings "venir a lui" and "frapper ainsi" though:

Dans sa maison un grand cerf
regardait par la fenêtre
un lapin venir au loin
et frapper chez lui.

Cerf, cerf,
ouvre moi !
ou le chasseur me tuera !
Lapin lapin
entre et viens,
me serrer la main.