The Children from Monteney Primary School outside the British Library
Researchers from the University of Sheffield took a group of local school children to the British Library in London last week (Tuesday 24 November 2009) to contribute current playground songs and rhymes to an interactive website which will showcase child´s play over time. Twenty-one children from Monteney Primary School were involved in the visit, which was part of a unique research project converting children´s playground songs and rhymes into digital format. The website will also showcase recordings made by the pioneer children´s play researchers, Peter and Iona Opie, in the 1970´s. During the visit the children listened to some of the Opies´ sound recordings now deposited at the Library. The Opies´ collection, from children all over the United Kingdom, laid the foundation for the modern study of children´s traditional language and play. The children from Monteney had the opportunity to contribute their own games and rhymes, including counting out rhymes to decide who is `It´ or `On´ and clapping games, to compare them with those of 40 years ago. These will become part of an interactive website at the British Library which will make a number of important collections of children´s games, songs, rhymes and language available to children, parents, educators and members of the public for the first time.
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