Bounce and Rhyme

Wind the bobbin up
Wind the bobbin up
Pull, pull, clap clap clap

Wind it back again
Wind it back again
Pull, pull, clap clap clap

Point to the ceiling, point to the floor, 
Point to the window, point to the door. 
Clap your hands together, one, two, three
Put your hands upon your knee.

I started running Bounce and Rhyme classes when Boy turned 7 months. Coincidentally, I restarted them when Girl reached the same age. Once a week, on Wednesday afternoons, a small crowd of parents, babies and toddlers meet up in a corner of a local entertainment centre  and we sing nursery rhymes, play simple percussion instruments and enjoy other songs, rhymes, puppets and bubbles. The class is a drop-in, so no two weeks are the same. One week may full of busy toddlers running around and demanding their favourite song, while the next may be primarily small babies who sit and bounce on their mammy's knee and expending more energy chewing tambourines rather than hitting them.

Today was a rather smaller group than usual, maybe due to the half-term break. Despite this, there was every age group, from the smallest snoozing newborn, through sitters, crawlers and wobblers right up to the two and three year old pros, some of whom have been coming since they were really tiny.

There is Girl and her wee buddy who sit clapping, dribbling and chuckling through Horsie Horsie, a two year old who spends most of the class running round in circles, only pausing to wag his finger fiercely during Five Little Monkeys and Miss Polly Had a Dolly. Another older toddler who takes great delight in shrieking when we pretend to sleep for Sleeping Bunnies. A 9 month old who has come for her first class threatens to fall asleep during Twinkle Twinkle but soon perks up when the instruments come out. And for myself and the other Scottish mum who showed up today, there's nothing quite like hearing a room full of Irish mammies singing Ali Bali Bee and Ye Canny Shove yer Granny aff a Bus.

When the class is over, the children enjoy the ball pool while the mammies enjoy a well-earned cup of coffee. I feel sad that Boy is missing out on Bounce and Rhyme these days, but not quite sad enough to torture myself by having to mind both my babies while protecting my stash of bubbles and jumping around like a Dingle Dangle Scarecrow. Or am I?

Bounce and Rhyme for children aged 3 months to 3 years is on at City Limits, Oranmore every Wednesday at 2.30pm. No booking necessary.