Woke Rhymes from Raffi and Lindsay Munroe; Cali Kids Club Starts May 4

Remember the old proverb, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The premise behind the saying is clear: Your attempt to improve something that is already sufficient may backfire." In the case of the new collaboration between Raffi and Lindsay Munroe, one could amend the maxim as, "If it ain't woke, don't fix it."

NURSERY RHYMES FOR KINDER TIMES updates a bunch of anachronistic Mother Goose chestnuts from decades – and centuries – ago and hardwires them for modern, spoonfed kids. Sure, you could call "Three Blind Mice" outdated...just look at the title. The same goes for "London Bridge Is Falling Down." But are children so coddled that they can't hear about "Humpty Dumpty," an egg, for omelet's sake, falling off a wall? Does Humpty really not get scrambled and put back together? The original intention of the ditty was teamwork (all the king's horses and all the king's men) and now it's "well, Humpty's friends came running to make sure he was okay." 

I'm not on board with the small-brained thinkers in Florida pushing a "Don't Say Gay" agenda for preschoolers. But I'd think "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" is still kind of relevant in this environment. However, 20-year-plus preschool music teacher Pam Gittleman (a member of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative) wanted to reinvent these rhymes to nurture caring and compassion, and promote social and emotional intelligence. Those principles are the hallmark of Raffi's Child Honouring program. I've got another idea – how about creating NEW rhymes? It might be more difficult to market them, since you lose the selling "hook" of modern woke-ness. I guess now parents have a choice. I know what mine is.

NURSERY RHYMES FOR KINDER TIMES is available on May 6 from Raffi's website, Lindsay's website, Spotify, Amazon, or Apple Music.

Here is the video for "Three Kind Mice":

Speaking of nursery rhymes:

Twinkle Twinkle
Kindie star
Is back hosting Kids Club
For tykes near and far

Well, mostly for children who live near Santa Monica, California. After a two-year pandemic break, the monthly concert series returns, with Twinkle (Alitzah Navarro Dallas) kicking things off at 11 PM on Wednesday, May 4 at Santa Monica Place. 

Featured guest artists include Kids Imagine Nation (June 1), Laura Doherty (July 6), Jason Mesches (August 3), Ruth and Emilia (September 7), Andy Z (October 3), Rory Gardiner (November 2), and Baila Baila (December 7). You can check the venue's website for additional information closer to each event.