Teachers play wheels on the bus for their students, when they board a school bus for field trips. It is an educational song that children enjoy singing to keep them occupied, until they get to their destination.
The Origins of the Song
Wheels on the Bus originated in 1939 by a songwriter named Verna Hills. It is an American folk song that is sung by children in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, as well as the United States. It is also based off of another nursery rhyme called ” Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush”. The rhythm is very repetitive using not only wheels but other parts of the bus as well. While children are singing about various parts of the bus, they enjoy the noises that accompany them. For instance, when singing about the horn on the bus, the noise is beep, beep, beep. There are other versions that were written by Andrew Jeffery, and Mad Donna. This nursery rhyme has been used for political context. Why anyone would use a child’s song for that is weird. However, Wheels on the Bus has been used to portray despairing capitalism. It is meant to say that the government does not care about the people. According to different people, this song is dark and refers to not hearing the cries of the poor and desolate. Whatever the case may be, children themselves sing this song as a favorite past time.
What are some of the benefits
One of the benefits is always an educational one. Kids learning about the parts if the bus can set up an exploration into how the mechanics of a machine works. Since some children in particular boys, like to dismantle things and look at them, a rhyme such as this could peak their curiosity. They can take apart their toy buses or trains to understand what gets them going besides the batteries you put in. This is a way to explain what different parts are used to make up an automobile or any moving object. Family time us another benefit. You can substitute the word bus for car or van when you take a road trip somewhere. This not only keeps your children minds off of the driving length but offers a fun way to keep the trip pleasant. Should your son or daughter have a question about certain parts of the vehicle, you show them what gets it running, such as the battery. One of the topics that Wheels in the Bus explore is how does the bus move. You can teach your child about the importance of tires. You can take them to a tire store and let them touch a display and fill all of the zigzag crazy treading that keeps them safe on the road. This nursery rhyme is not going anywhere as long as road and field trips are part of a child’d life.
