PLAGUEY RHYME
With reference to Joanne Wheatley's letter (Nursery World, 10 February), I am not convinced that the rich traditions of nursery rhymes are surviving. Recently, one of our very experienced room supervisors asked me to copy out the Ring a Ring o' Roses nursery rhyme from a beautifully illustrated book, but asked if I would include the second verse. I looked at her quizzically and she went on to recite, 'The ducks are in the water, having a drink of water, a-tishoo, a-tishoo, we all jump up'.
I asked her if she knew the origins of the verse. I pointed out in the illustration the black crow which symbolised the plague, the burning buildings, a reference to the Great Fire Of London and, finally, the 'ring of roses' - blotches on the skin of plague victims.
She was amazed, looked again at the picture and said, 'So you mean that those children lying down with their eyes closed are ...?' 'Yes,' I said ... 'Dead.' So where exactly do the ducks come in?!
Brian Cooper, Meir Park Day Nursery, Stoke-on-Trent
- Our letter of the week wins £30 worth of books
PLAY: NOTHING LIKE IT
One year on from the Marmot Review and the news about children's development is not good.
Just under half of children in the UK are not considered by their teachers to have a good level of development by the age of five, based on their behaviour and understanding. They're not showing the ability to share, self-motivate, co-operate and concentrate by the time they start school.
In the recent news reports, reading to your child, regular bedtimes and cuddling are identified as key factors which have a positive impact on child development.
Of course this is true, but the one thing we know has the biggest impact on children developing critical skills has been overlooked - play. If we can get more children and parents playing together, we'll see improvements in development of key skills that are essential not only for school but for life:
1. Sharing and playing
Through play, children build relationships with each other and the adults alongside them.
2. Becoming self-motivated
Play allows children to learn through and create their own experience doing what they love.
3. Learning to co-operate at play
Play offers children choice, control and freedom within reasonable boundaries.
4. Concentrating on play
Through play, children explore their world, take risks, make mistakes and achieve. By doing this, they learn to use their imaginations, develop creative thinking and solve problems.
Nothing can contribute to the emotional, physical, social and intellectual development of children holistically like play, and it's the one aspect of childhood that is universally shared, regardless of background or circumstance.
If our expectations of children to be ready for school at five are too high, should we not allow them to play for another year or two, instead of marching them into class at such a tender age?
Leigh-Anne Stradeski, CEO, Eureka! The children's museum, Halifax
DON'T SHIELD REALITY
I do understand why settings ban guns and war games and I have also witnessed banning the conversations of such a nature. It would be lovely to shield children from the harsh and difficult side of reality. Yet children are constantly exposed to the news, which contains information on life's violent side. It is part of our reality.
Maybe children deal with this reality by 'playing' with the idea - which can benefit imaginative play, social skills and, most importantly, help to build on a child's moral development. Normally, when a child partakes in war or gun play, it involves a 'baddy' and a 'goody' and the moral implication is that the socially acceptable behaviour is rewarded and any anti-social behaviour is punished.
Another worry is that by allowing children to play with toy guns, it will mean the child grows up recognising the object as 'fun' or a simple way of dealing with problems within society. Yet, just because a child plays 'mummy and daddy' doesn't mean that they will become a teenage parent.
Charlotte Baker, Derby
SEND YOUR LETTERS TO ... The Editor, Nursery World, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP. letter.nw@haymarket.com. 020 8267 8401.
