Bringing Back the Classics: Week of the Young Child

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“Little pig, little pig, let me come in!”
“Not by the hair on my chinny, chin, chin!”
“Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down!”

Everyone knows the story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, right? Well, adults do. But what about about children? I was surprised when I read this story to my preschoolers and less than a third of them had heard it before.

Each year, the preschool where I work participates in Week of the Young Child™ (WOTYC). You can find information about WOTYC on the National Association for the Education of Young Children website here. It says the “the purpose of the Week of the Young Child™ is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early programs and services that meet those needs.”week-of-the-young-child_logo

My preschool celebrates by transforming our hallways into a chosen theme using child-generated artwork. This year our theme was fairy tales and nursery rhymes. One reason for this choice was that many young children have never even heard of some of these classics. Here are the phenomenal displays our staff came up with and the stories and nursery rhymes that inspired them.

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Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory, dickory, dock,

The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
Old MacDonald had a Farm    DSC_0685   

 

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 There was an Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe
She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do
She gave them some broth with plenty of bread
And kissed them all fondly and sent them to bed.

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Jack and the Beanstalk
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Stone Soup
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Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Mary, Mary quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
That’s how my garden grows.                                                                            

 

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Hansel and GretelDSC_0707DSC_0704

 

Pease Porridge HotDSC_0691
Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old.
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot, nine days old.

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Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

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 The Tortoise and the Hare

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The Little Red Hen

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The Enormous TurnipDSC_0692

Pat-a-cake
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man,
Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it, and pat it, and mark it with a “B”,
And put it in the oven for baby and me.

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 The Three Little Pigs 

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If reading any of these titles made you smile because they were a part of your childhood, then go share them with a child. Help the classics, like The Three Little Pigs, become a part of their childhood too.

What were some of your favorite stories and nursery rhymes when you were little?

 

 

 

 

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