Articles about 'USA'
May 17th, 2013
Here’s a lovely poem about The Wind by Robert Louis Stevenson with a couple of mp3 renditions.
MP3 of The Wind
2nd MP3 of The Wind
The Wind
I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies’ skirts across the grass–
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind,...
May 10th, 2013
Debra wrote asking for help with a Yiddish rhyme:
The following has been passed down through the ages (at least 150 years) by my mothers family, though we can only guess what the words mean now or the correct spelling of the words. I am hoping you may recognize it or be able to decipher it...
May 10th, 2013
Jeff wrote asking for help with a Yiddish song. Here’s his email:
Hi,
I grew up reciting a Yiddish rhyme or song where we pinched the skin on the back of each others hands and bobbed them up and down while saying something like (and I’m just writing what it sounded like):
"Sipicle sipicle amadal, kimsimir and kamadal,...
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May 10th, 2013
Reduplications are words or phrases that contain a duplicated element. An example is the phrase "riffraff". The two parts of the word are almost the same (i.e. "riff" and "raff"), but they have a small change (the vowels).
When you have a rhyming reduplication, the duplicated element rhymes with the original element in the phrase. ...
May 9th, 2013
Rachel wrote looking for help with an Italian song:
My Italian grandmother used to sing to me a song that went something like.
Peter peter pastela. canavane canela canela cususi felule mascule di...
May 9th, 2013
Jeff Gilpin sent this lullaby with the following note, "Here is a song I wrote after visiting my wife’s sister in Ayase which is outside of Tokyo, Japan. I think it is very kid friendly and I hope you like it add it to your list of children songs. It is called Ayase Lullaby. Here...
May 8th, 2013
Peter wrote asking for help with a song his grandmother sang him. Here’s his email:
Hello, I was hoping you’d be able to help with a song my grandmother sang to us when we were kids. It seems nobody can remember the whole thing but it starts like this:
"There was a young man who lived on...
May 3rd, 2013
MP3 of Hope is the thing with feathers
"Hope" is the thing with feathers By Emily Dickinson
"Hope" is the thing with feathers- That perches in the soul- And sings the tune without the words- And never stops-at all-
And sweetest-in the Gale-is heard- ...
April 26th, 2013
Booktrust did a survey of over 2,500 people in the UK to determine the top nursery rhymes. Here they are with links to their lyrics (most of the links have mp3’s or videos too):
1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
2. Incey Wincey Spider
3. Round And Round The Garden
4. Baa Baa Black Sheep
5. The...
April 11th, 2013
My family and I took a trip to Washington DC last weekend. It’s the first time we’d been there in many years and there have been a lot of changes. Several new major monuments have opened.
One of the most impressive is the FDR Monument. It’s a particularly great destination if anyone in your party...
April 1st, 2013
"La nuit porte conseil" is French for "sleep on it". It means, think about it overnight and don’t make a decision until tomorrow… often good advice!
The photo is this saying on the door of a Broom closet in Herald Square (New York).
–Mama Lisa
March 31st, 2013
My nephew Alex made this creative penguin egg for Easter! He dunked a hardboiled egg into blue egg coloring leaving the "belly" white. Then he drew on the eyes, beak and wings with a sharpie marker.
How cool is that! It shows how creative you can be when dying Easter eggs.
Thanks for sharing Alex!
xo (Aunt) Mama...
March 22nd, 2013
Cristina wrote asking for help with a childhood song her grandma sang to her. Here’s her note:
Mama Lisa,
I am trying to figure out the name of a song my Nonna used to sing to me as a baby. She is from Bari and I cannot find the song anywhere. It went something like “chic de...
March 22nd, 2013
The song "Pussy Willows" used to be taught in schools. Some people have written to me about it because their grandparents sang it to them as kids. It’s a sweet little song!
Here are the lyrics to Pussy Willows, with a musical score and midi tune…
Midi Tune of Pussy Willows
Pussy Willows
Pretty pussies down by the...
March 16th, 2013
The Ninepenny Fidil (Fiddle) is a song about playing a fiddle and about meeting a leprechaun.
The song was written by Seosamh Mac Cathmhaoil and arranged by Herbert Hughes to old Irish melody.
Below you can listen to a video of the song, followed by the lyrics.
The Ninepenny Fidil
My...
March 16th, 2013
The leprechaun is a fairy shoemaker eagerly sought by people who like to get rich quick. If the mortal who meets him will only keep his eyes fixed upon the fairy, the little chap will have to disclose the hiding place of a certain crock of gold. But the leprechaun is so full of tricks...
March 16th, 2013
The leprechaun is one of the symbols of St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s a poem about the leprechaun for the holiday…
The Leprechaun,—the omadhaun*!—that lives in County Clare,
Is one foot wide and three foot high without an inch to spare.
He winks the sea-blue eye of him, like other saucy rogues,
And underneath the blackthorn-bush he...
March 15th, 2013
To increase your family’s intake of fruit and veggies in school or at work, here’s a simple trick…
Cut an apple or orange and place a rubber band around it. Then place it in a baggy or container.
It keeps the fruit fresh and juicy on the inside, yet it’s easy to eat.
Enjoy!
–Mama Lisa
March 14th, 2013
Here’s a great list of 100 Ways to Be Kind to Your Child.
Because kindness starts at home!
Love,
Mama Lisa
March 12th, 2013
Here’s an Irish Blessing just in time for St. Patrick’s Day…
Irish Blessing
May your pockets be heavy
And your heart be light.
May good luck pursue you
Each morning and night.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
-Mama Lisa
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