Jump rope rhymes ... in the classroom?

Bubble gum, bubble gum, chew and blow. Bubble gum, bubble gum, scrape your toe. Bubble gum, bubble gum, tastes so sweet. Get that bubble gum off your feet!

(Cole, 1989, p. 38)

Many adults have cherished memories of the jump rope rhymes and street chants that they gleefully recited again and again when they were children. These verses are part of an oral tradition that links communication and play. In addition, the vocal component is often combined with the physical, including rope skipping, ball bouncing and hand clapping. Such rhymes have great entertainment value and are remembered with pleasure well beyond childhood.

Jump rope rhymes and street chants are, however, rarely incorporated into the elementary curriculum. Educators may believe that children will naturally incorporate these verses into their play outside of the classroom, or that they serve no instructional purpose. Yet these verses expose children to the arresting qualities of rhyme, rhythm and humor. Their familiarity may help teachers alter older elementary pupils' negative perceptions about poetry. They can be used as a springboard for many different types of language activities across the curriculum.

Changing Perceptions

Many children are first exposed to the world of literature through Mother Goose rhymes. Youngsters delight in the language patterns, rhyme and rhythm in these brief narratives. Jump rope rhymes and street chants are in some ways similar to Mother Goose rhymes, and serve to maintain children's interest in poetry. At the same time, they offer opportunities for active involvement through language and movement.

Studies show that teachers now spend much less time reading and sharing poetry with their classes, especially in the higher grades (Denman, 1988). A national study showed that children were indeed losing interest in poetry as they progressed through the elementary grades (Terry, 1984). McClure (1990) elaborated on this study and confirmed that teachers can improve student response to poetry by sharing it in a supportive environment. Teachers wishing to foster poetry appreciation would be wise to concentrate first on verses children know and enjoy until they become more familiar with the genre (Lynch-Brown & Tomlinson, 1993).

Teachers can facilitate positive experiences by using jump rope rhymes and street chants with elementary age students. Research indicates that children's enjoyment of poetry increases when the elements of rhyme, rhythm and humor are present (Cullinan & Galda, 1994). Furthermore, children can be enticed to enjoy good poetry by first experiencing nursery rhymes and poems that emphasize movement and rhyme (Godden, 1988). Jump rope rhymes and street chants are an ideal way to accomplish these objectives.

Many excellent collections of jump rope rhymes and street chants exist. Two popular editions are Anna Banana: 101 Jump Rope Rhymes (Cole, 1989) and Miss Mary Mack and Other Children's Street Rhymes (Cole & Calmenson, 1990). These treasuries contain favorite American street rhymes and jump rope verses. Red Hot Peppers (Boardman, 1993) provides well illustrated, step-by-step instructions for basic rope skipping or fancy footwork. The book includes traditional jump rope rhymes and, in an effort to inspire children to write their own verse, includes examples of new creations. Shimmy-Shimmy-Coke-A-Pop (Langstaff, 1973) offers the reader a deeper understanding of the city child's world of play through songs, rhymes and games from ethnic neighborhoods in Boston, Roxbury, Cambridge and New York.

And the Green Grass Grows All Around (Schwartz, 1992) is an extensive anthology of folk rhymes that contains an index of first lines, information on folk poetry and street rhymes, and documentation on many verse origins. This appealing collection celebrates the originality of everyday language and captures the spirit of childhood. Other books such as A Rocket in My Pocket (Withers, 1988) and Children's Counting-Out Rhymes, Fingerplays, Jump Rope and Bounce Ball Chants and Other Rhymes (Delmar, 1983) also emphasize the importance of rhyme and rhythm in our literary heritage.

Opportunities for Student Involvement

Oral Responses. Jump rope rhymes and street chants are meant to be shared aloud as part of a social experience. Children achieve a feeling of pride and self-satisfaction when they learn and successfully perform these verses. Students can be encouraged to zestfully chant the verses in unison, create interesting choral reading arrangements or transform the rhymes into creative and lively raps. Exposure to folk rhymes facilitates oral language development, regardless of a child's background or skill level.

Physical Responses. Verses become more captivating when children can be active participants. They can clap, snap their fingers or sway to the cadence of the rhyme. Rhythm instruments, including bells, sticks or blocks, also encourage pupils' involvement. Many jump rope rhymes and street chants naturally lend themselves to physical responses by suggesting specific movements or motions. Notice how movement is incorporated into this ball-bouncing rhyme:

Number one, touch your tongue. Number two, touch your shoe. Number three, touch your knee. Number four, touch the floor. Number five, learn to jive. Number six, pick up sticks. Number seven, go to heaven. Number eight, shut the gate. Number nine, touch your spine. Number ten, do it all again!

(Cole & Calmenson, 1990, p. 22)

Written Responses. Jump rope rhymes and street chants can launch many exciting written composition activities. By creatively substituting a few words in an existing rhyme, students can create a whole new verse. A group of 4th-graders, for example, savored the appetizing nature of "Cake and Ice Cream" (Delmar, 1983, p. 136) and decided to use it as a model for their own collaborative writing activity. The original verse reads like this:

Cake and ice cream, Pudding and pie. You like them all And so do I.

The children generated the following variation:

Hot dogs and mustard, Soda, oh my! You'll eat them all And so will I!

In addition, the children selected a rhyme from a published collection and used it to compose their own variation. Whether the activity calls for modifying existing jump rope rhymes or composing original verses, it should culminate with a celebration of the children's authorship. In-class recitation will give children the chance to experience the pleasure of poetry. Compiling these original or modified verses into a classroom anthology provides continued opportunities to read, write and recite folk rhymes.

Integrating Across the Curriculum

Jump rope rhymes and street chants originated in diverse cultures, making them a valuable reflection of what is unique to one culture and familiar to all of society. Street Rhymes Around the World (Yolen, 1992) presents children with the multicultural and international character of jump rope and street rhymes. The rhymes were collected from 17 nations and republics and are illustrated by artists native to the represented countries. Children should be encouraged to read the verses in the native language, as well as the English translations. The book helps pupils recognize that although many different languages are spoken in the world, the language of play is universal.

Children will be fascinated by the variations of certain verse, the content of which may differ by region. Consider the variations of "My Mother":

My mother and your mother Live across the way. Every time they have a fight, This is what they say: Ichabocker, ichabocker, ichabocker, boo! Ichabocker, soda cracker, out goes you! (Langstaff & Langstaff, 1973, p. 42)

Other refrains for this verse include:

Ocka, bocka, soda, crocka, Ocka, bocka, boo. Your old man chews tobacco. And so do you.

(Delmar, 1983, p. 121)

Ocka, bocka, soda, crocka, Ocka, bocka, boo. In comes Uncle Sam, And out goes Y-O-U.

(Cole & Calmenson, 1990, p. 34)

Another variation on this same theme is called "My Pop."

My Pop, your Pop Live across the street Thirty-nine twenty-six Pennsylvania Street. Every night, they have a fight, And this is what they say: Inky, dinky feet so stinky, Dip them in the muddy drinky. Hear them shout. You are out.

(Delmar, 1983, p. 122)

Layered beneath many jump rope rhymes and street chants are counting rhymes that convey mathematical ideas and understandings. These rhymes can provide students with a welcome break from more formal activities or they can be used as an introduction or culmination to a mathematics lesson. The riddle "As I Was Going to St. Ives" combines analytical calculations with folk rhymes:

As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks, Each sack had seven cats, Each cat had seven kits - Kits, cats, sacks, wives, How many were going to St. Ives?

(Schwartz, 1992, p. 87)

Jumping rope can be an excellent physical fitness activity, as well. Many children participate in jumping teams sponsored by the American Double Dutch League and the International Rope Skipping Organization. In addition, the Jump Rope for Heart Program, sponsored by the American Heart Association (Boardman, 1993, p. 60), teaches children the basics of rope jumping. Jump rope rhymes entertain children as they exercise and learn the power of poetry, all with a minimum of equipment.

Many folk rhymes have been set to music. Whether the verses are recited or sung, their sounds and silliness offer pupils a source of pleasure, a mechanism for expressing their feelings and a rhythm for ball bouncing, hand clapping and rope jumping.

Where Do We Go From Here? Once children's enthusiasm for poetry has been recaptured through jump rope rhymes and street chants, they need to be exposed to many different forms of poetry including narrative poems, limericks, ballads, free verse and haiku. Teachers should enthusiastically integrate these selections into the curriculum. Teachers should also encourage children to think about how poems make them feel and allow them time to savor the satisfaction provided by sharing poetry. Poetry can capture children's hearts and emotions, but only if it is nurtured through positive and satisfying experiences. Jump rope rhymes and street chants serve as an important beginning.

References

Boardman, B., & Boardman, D. (1993). Red hot peppers: The skookum book of jump rope games, rhymes and fancy footwork. Seattle, WA: Sasquatch.

Cole, J. (1989). Anna Banana: 101 jump rope rhymes. New York: Morrow.

Cole, J., & Calmenson, S. (1990). Miss Mary Mack and other children's street rhymes. New York: Morrow.

Cullinan, B., & Galda, L. (1994). Literature and the child. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace.

Delmar, G. (1983). Children's counting-out rhymes, fingerplays, jump-rope and bounce ball chants and other rhymes. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

Denman, G. (1988). When you've made it on your own: Teaching poetry to young people. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Godden, R. (1988). Shining Popocatepetl: Poetry for children. The Horn Book, 64, 305-414.

Langstaff, C., & Langstaff, J. (1973). Shimmy shimmy coke-a-pop: A collection of city children's street games and rhymes. New York: Doubleday.

Lynch-Brown, C., & Tomlinson, C. (1993). Essentials of children's literature. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

McClure, A. (1990). Sunrises and songs: Reading and writing poetry in an elementary classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Schwartz, A. (1992). And the green grass grew all around. New York: HarperCollins.

Terry, A. (1984). Children' s poetry preferences: A national survey of the upper elementary grades. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Withers, C. (1988). A rocket in my pocket: The rhymes and chants of young Americans. New York: Henry Holt.

Yolen, J. (1992). Street rhymes around the world. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong.

Rita Buchoff is Instructor, Department of Instructional Programs, University of Central Florida, Orlando.