Calling the people from England

[ich_bin_besser]

My primary school (6-10 year olds) is doing a project week about Europe. I picked those 2 countries: England (not the whole of the UK) and Romania. As there a 1 or 2 peeps from England in here, I could need suggestions for the following:

- classic/old children songs: are there certain songs that survived generations and are still sung?
- food: can you recommend some kind of cold food/fingerfood that we could offer at the following school celebration? Anything typical for your country? Hot food would be to complicated to prepare in my school so I have to go with cold food.
- miscellaneous: is there anything else you think we MUST cover regarding your country?

Of course I have different ideas, but I'd like to hear yours first.

Thanks!  8-)

[catherine]

There are lots of nursery rhymes which still persist today which have deep historical roots... and which parents still sing to their children.
Ring-a-ring of roses (about the Plague), Oranges and Lemons (about the bells in London), Jack and Jill (supposedly relating to Norse mythology) and Sing a Song of Sixpence are a few that spring to mind (although Wikipedia says that the identification is speculative.

As for traditional English food... perhaps jam tarts?

[tomskerous]

A great kids song that's been going in cubs and brownies (junior versions of scouts and guides) is "The Animal Fair"

I went to the animal fair
The birds and the bees were there
The big baboon by the light of the moon was combing his auburn hair.
The monkey fell out of his bunk
He slid down the elephant's trunk,
The elephant sneezed
And fell on his knees,
And that was the end of the monkey, monkey, monkey monkey.....

It's best if you divide the class in half, with only half of them singing at first. They then have to carry on singing 'monkey monkey monkey' underneath the second half doing it. Very hard not to laugh. You should then get the parents to join in...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEgM4BGscro - about 7 minutes in.

[Mooncat]

Food-wise, cold platters usually include
a few thousand sausage rolls
vol-au-vents filled with various non-descript fillings (mushroom-y stuff seems to be stuck in my mind)
cocktail sausages on sticks
and the centre piece of any cold buffet - the cheese and pineapple hedgehog (cubes of cheese and pineapple on cocktail sicks which are then stuck into half a potato (or similar) which is covered in aluminium foil!!!

[Trapezium Artist]

On the question of "anything else we MUST cover regarding your country", one absolute essential which I believe says a lot about the way the English think and would have great appeal to kids in the 6-10 age group is this book by Spike Milligan:



Just two examples which have stuck with me since childhood:

String is a very important thing,
Rope is thicker,
But string is quicker.


Mary Pugh was only two
When she went out of doors
She went up standing up she did
But came back on all fours
The moral of this story
Please meditate and pause
Is never send a baby out
With loosely-waisted drawers


I'd venture to say that the humour of many of the battier denizens of this board is at least in part down to Spike Milligan, a true genius  

[ich_bin_besser]

Thanks for these, folks! Will check it out soon.

 

[rogerg]

scones and tea, no?

[Pedro]

LOL For the grown-ups, yes, not so much for 6 - 10 year olds.

[Dave M]

The kids food I remember from parties ..

Jam Sandwiches, Marmite on toast, Mini sausages on cocktail sticks (British bangers not bratwusrt), Cheese and Pineapple squares on cocktail sticks.

Sticky Toffee Pudding or Spotted Dick with custard (now I feel hungry   )

"miscellaneous: is there anything else you think we MUST cover regarding your country? "
.. yes Monty Python and Faulty Towers are required viewing for all English children from a very early age .. both explain a lot about the English !  :lol:

[Brodie]

As a Scot who's been in England for over 20 years, the single most important thing I've discovered is that when one offers a guest fruit cake......one must also offer cheese !

Still makes me chuckle  

Brodie

[RacingHippo]

...when one offers a guest fruit cake......one must also offer cheese !

OMG! I've never offered you cheese with fruitcake! You must think I'm so terribly Un-English!

Then again, I don't recall every having offered you fruitcake either.
Or cheese.

[catherine]

Nice bit of Wensleydale, Gromit?

[RacingHippo]

Good point, Catherine. Wallace & Gromit are quintessentially English.

[ich_bin_besser]

Okay, I guess I'm ready for that week (I have 90 minutes each day for England) as I already have everything from Wallace + Gromit, Fawlty Towers and Monty Python.

During the rest of the week, we'll listen to some Genesis, Frost* and other goodies.
Serving some crackers and cheese.

On Saturday: cinema time. Who cares for some kind of exhibition?

 8-)

[rogerg]

yeah, make sure you show them the "Oral Sex" scene in Holy Grail!