Old McDonald had a farm is a classic nursery rhyme sung by young children from past generations to the present day. Describing the song is simple. It is about farm animals and the sounds that they make. First, the rhyme would name the animal. After that, a child gets the fun pleasure of making the animal noises. Seeing a child learn through such an engaging song has never been so delightful.
The History of The Old MacDonald Had A Farm
Where did these wonderful lyrics come from? There was an early version of the song called “Ohio”, from Tommy’s Tunes in 1917 in the World War I era. The song was sung by F.T. Nettleingham. Old MacDougal Had a Farm in Ohio was the first line in of song. However, the lyrics were changed to Old MacDonald had a farm. No one knows exactly when the change was made, although there were two other variations of the song before the old macdonald had a farm lyrics became permanent. In all of the different versions, some of the farm animals also changed.
What Children Are Learning
In the present nursery rhyme, a cow, pig, duck, horse, lamb, and chicken are used to illustrate what farmers need for a productive farm. Children not only learn about this being our food source but the animals noise sounds as well. For example, you can teach a child what a cow is and the noise it makes. You can teach them that cows make milk and are also a source of meat for their diet. Because beef comes from a cow, kids can learn about essentials proteins that they need to take in daily to stay healthy. They can also learn that beef is to be eaten in moderation if not, they will get sick. The same teaching can be done with pork and chicken. Also, kids can learn that baking and steaming these meats are healthier than frying them. This way you can not only teach children about animals on the farm but start early on maintaining a proper diet to fight obesity. Although duck would be an acquired taste, you can teach them about the habitation of ducks and their eggs. Learning about lambs will help then get into another nursery rhyme called “Mary Had A Little Lamb”. If a child ever wondered where their wool sweaters and blankets came from, Old MacDonald had a lamb on his farm can open that door.
Yes, children everywhere from preschool to kindergarten will enjoy learning thanks to Old Mac Donald. This nursery rhyme has opened up so many doors to plenty of little minds. A song such as this one will never die out. As long as nursery rhymes including Old MacDonald continue to exist, children will keep being exposed and will continue to learn about the vast world we live in. I love teaching this to my child. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a preschooler sing and dance to Old MacDonald.