Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush......Musical Monday

I love a good circle game! Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush is a very old nursery rhyme/song.

According to Wikipedia:

The rhyme (Mulberry Bush) is first recorded as a children's game by James Orchard Halliwell in the mid-nineteenth century.  He also noted that there was a similar game with the lyrics 'Here we go round the bramble bush'. Some commentators believe that the bramble bush was the earlier version, and perhaps changed because of the difficulty of articulating the alliteration, not least because mulberries do not grow on bushes.
Halliwell noted that subsequent verses included: 'This is the way we wash our clothes', 'This is the way we dry our clothes', 'This is the way we mend our shoes', 'This is the way the gentlemen walk' and 'This is the way the ladies walk'.

Today "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" is sung or played in preschools. And , you'll note that there are many books based on the song. (see the books listed at the end of the blog)
If you don't know how the tune for Mulberry Bush goes, click here.

These are the traditional words and activities for Mulberry Bush.  As a circle game the children hold hands and go around in a circle during the chorus. During the different verses they stop and act out the verse.

Here we go round the mulberry bush
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush                               
Here we go round the mulberry bush
So early in the morning

This is the way we wash our clothes
Wash our clothes, wash our clothes
This is the way we wash our clothes
So early Monday morning

This is the way we iron our clothes
Iron our clothes, iron our clothes
This is the way we iron our clothes
So early Tuesday morning

This is the way we mend our clothes
Mend our clothes, mend our clothes
This is the way we mend our clothes
So early Wednesday morning

This is the way we sweep the floor
Sweep the floor, sweep the floor
This is the way we sweep the floor
So early Thursday morning

This is the way we scrub the floor
Scrub the floor, scrub the floor
This is the way we scrub the floor
So early Friday morning

This is the way we bake our bread
Bake our bread, bake our bread
This is the way we bake our bread
So early Saturday morning

This is the way we go to church
Go to church, go to church
This is the way we go to church
So early Sunday morning


There are lots of variations to the song:
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning.


For a school song you might use the verses:
This is the way we go to school,
Go to school, go to school,
This is the way we go to school,
On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we come out of school,
Come out of school, come out of school,
This is the way we come out of school,
On a cold and frosty morning.
 
The Mulberry Bush song can be used to teach the days of the weeks, good hygiene habits or any other activities that can be explained simply and incorporated into the songs lyrics.