By Meredith Lamothe

Hi there! I am the Lead Educator at The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire and also the host of Baby Storytime. I have a Bachelors Degree in Theatre from The University of Southern Maine and a Masters of Library and Information Science with a focus in Children’s Services from Simmons College.

I’m passionate about early literacy and excited to share information with you about our weekly Baby Storytime stories and activities. Join us for the next Baby Storytime which meets every Wednesday in the Museum's Primary Place exhibit at 9:45am.

NURSERY RHYMES

I had a request for the lyrics to “The Royal Duke of York” (otherwise known as "The Grand Old Duke of York") as well as the motions – so here they are!

BOUNCE: The Royal Duke of York (This is sung to the tune of “A Hunting We Will Go”)

Bounce babies on lap. When you say “up,” lift them up, when you say “down,” sit them back down in your lap.

Oh, the Royal Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men,
He marched them up the mountain top
and marched them down again.
Oh, when you’re up, you’re up.
And when you’re down, you’re down.
And when you’re only halfway up,
You’re neither up nor down.

He rolled them to the left.
He rolled them to the right.
He rolled them backwards down the hill
Oh what a silly sight!

LITERACY TIP

Singing and saying Nursery Rhymes is a great way to get babies ready to read! Children who know nursery rhymes by heart tend to have an easier time learning to read because playing with the rhymes (whether saying them or singing them) helps them to understand how words come together and go apart!

The Mother Goose Story book we used today is one of my favorites and is illustrated by Rosemary Wells, here’s a link to the Amazon listing: http://www.amazon.com/My-Very-First-Mother-Goose/dp/1564026205