Should Greek Mythology Replace Nursery Rhymes?
Mythology VS Nursery Rhymes
Yes
Side Score: 16
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No
Side Score: 20
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Sounds like a great idea to adapt famous stories - not necessarily just Greek mythology, but also the myths of other cultures, classic novels, historical events - for preschool age children. It helps give them a foundation in things that are common knowledge without boring them with rote learning, and perhaps they'll develop a lifelong interest in history or literature because of a story they heard. Side: yes
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Yes, it should. Greek Mythology has great lessons that a child from an early age should know. Nursery rhymes are okay in teaching kids but I know for a fact that there are many greek mythology stories that still stick with me today and taught me lessons. There was one on narcissism, one on perseverance, many about love....not only do they tell interesting stories but they have a great meaning behind them and would be more educational and helpful to kids. Some of the nursery rhymes, although catchy, do not have such a great meaning. Side: yes
I agree that our nursery rhymes are very lame...in the past, cultures told the sorrows of their heritage as a way to both pass down important history, and also educate the tribe. Our waymhas dumbed down the whole passing along of history. But, we do have books and the Internet tomhelpmus out. Andy Side: yes
If we are taught Mythology as a kid it would make school so much easier. I am a high school student and hate Mythology. I know if I had been brought up learning Mythology it would make so much more sense. That is why I think it should replace nursery Rhymes. Also it might create a growing intelligence in our societies . Learning mythology when you are younger rather than jack and Jill. Side: yes
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Nursery rhymes such as those by Richard Scarey are good for children and are actually poetry for kids; it introduces them young to the world of poetry which is a wonderful, creative endeavor. Greek mythology is lies and violence and harmful to the formative minds of the very young. Nursey rhymes are the opposite: wholesome and healing. Side: only one can be correct
Of course Greek myths are fictional, but so are nursery rhymes for the most part. And not all nursery rhymes are particularly wholesome. "Queen of Hearts" is about theft and violence. "Jack and Jill" is about injury. "Ten Little Indians" originated from a song about coloured people getting themselves killed. Whether you pick nursery rhymes or Greek myths, you just have to be picky about which stories you tell, and how you tell them. It's quite possible to come up with a repertoire of Greek myths that can be told to young children. Side: yes
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It depends at what age you are implying. Can you clarify? Nursery rhymes are actually beneficial to infants and babies in development. (Although I think this applies to any rhyming song for infants since they have no or little comprehension of the human language). The second link is clearly aimed at morons though. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ I doubt reciting Greek Mythology tales to babies and toddlers is going to achieve much, they're a little to complex for most to understand compared to your average bedtime story. I did find a link with some lovely Greek Mythology for children http://www.starfall.com/n/greek-myths/ However, I think this reading language is definitely suited for 3-4 years plus in order to be fully beneficial to educational development. I can't really see myself replacing 'if you're happy and you know it' with 'Midas Touch' for my 8 month old anytime in the near future. It will probably be a good educational idea for slightly older children, but by 4 or 5 they generally outgrow the appeal of nursery rhymes anyway so it's not really a replacement. Side: No
Don't know about the debate creator, but personally I'm thinking of the age 1-5 category - going into the realm of fairytales as much as nursery songs. I agree that that nursery rhymes don't need to be replaced entirely, just that they could be supplemented with other material. Retellings of myths could be shaped to fit particular age groups. I'm sure talented songwriters can come up with easy and catchy rhymes about almost anything, including myths and historical events. (Think "Remember remember the fifth of November".) For older toddlers they can go into proper storytelling. I'm particularly in favour of telling stories that explain the origin of a phrase, like why people say "beware Greeks bearing gifts", as this sort of knowledge will be useful all their lives. Another thing is that children don't need to fully understand a story in order to have fun or to benefit from it. They absorb information so easily that even if you tell them a story a bit beyond their comprehension level and they only catch half of it, they'll still learn a lot of words and ideas. And unlike adults, children actually tend to be quite patient about continuing to read or listen to stories that they only half understand. One thing that I greatly enjoyed as a young child was picking up books that were way too hard for me, only understanding a fraction of what they said, then picking them up again a couple of years later and getting more than I did last time, and picking them up again later on and getting an even better picture. It's like a detective unravelling a mystery bit by bit. Simplified retellings of myths are perfect for this multi-layered approach - you could tell progressively more complex versions of a tale as your child grows up. P.S. "The second link is clearly aimed at morons though" made me lol irl :) Side: yes
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I did elaborate that any rhyming song would have the same benefits as nursery rhymes. My daughter loves when I sing The Smiths to her. I do sing action nursery rhymes simply because they make her laugh. Action rhymes definitely help to develop motor skills, she learnt to row back and forth to 'row your boat' and to clap to 'if you're happy and you know it'. (Just to clarify I had been trying to get her to clap and the only way she responded was through song). I'm not sure how actions would relay in myths and historical events in relation to rhyming songs. They could well be shaped to fit age groups (the link I posted to the Greek story for children proves that) I just don't think there would be a big enough demand for it. People have already created 'fun' ways in which to learn about history and mythology. 'Horrible Histories' series is a wonderful example of how it can be popularized. But then this debate is about replacing nursery rhymes with Greek mythology so I assume you'd need to create rhyming songs about Greek mythology. If we were talking about changing children's stories to Greek mythology I'd understand a little more. Side: No
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