Ring Around the Rosie

We stayed in Mesquite, Nevada last night on our way to Oceanside, California. In the motel pool Audrey and Sophie (ages 3 and 6) started playing Ring Around the Rosie. Their older brothers and I joined in. What fun! I have yet to come across children in North American who do not know this game. I used to play it with my elementary students. At an ETM conference I was introduced to the idea of singing the song in a round in concentric circles, each circle going a different direction from the one before and after. I used to do this with my students as well especially on days when there were multiple classes in music at one time. Older kids can, in this way, re-discover Ring Around the Rosie, in a way that is challenging and engaging. Of course, Landon and William (ages 11 and 9) were just fine singing the song in the pool because they were singing it with their little sisters. In other words, it doesn't always have to be challenging to be engaging (despite what the optimal experience or zone of proximal development folks say).