Rabbit Trails (and Caterpillar and Crocodile)
Collecting some of the links and detours we’ve explored so far this week.
(Thank you Wikimedia Commons)
Our Round Buildings, Square Buildings reading took us to the Flatiron Building, which led to the Chrysler Building (cue “Hard Knock Life”), the Empire State Building, the old and new Manhattan skylines, and much discussion along the way. I got a bit homesick for NYC. Somewhere around here I have a copy of a letter I wrote to friends back home during my first year in New York—a long description of the view from the top of one of the Twin Towers. Ouch. It would be a good thing to post tomorrow, if I could find it, but them’s slim odds.
A friend posted a caterpillar pic on Facebook, looking for an ID. Beanie was game, and we wound up meandering around this ID site for a good long while. Didn’t find our friend’s critter, but I learned a whole lot about ghost moths…
Rilla is interested in French, which led to an hour on YouTube this afternoon, listening to French children’s songs (and marveling at their unabashed gruesomeness, some of them). It all began with Alouette:
Little lark, nice lark, I am plucking you?! Who knew? (French speakers, that’s who.) Oh, the belly laughs this generated.
Many videos later, we discovered the Most Persistent Earworm of All Time.
Les crocrocro, les crocrocro, les crocodiles will be haunting my dreams tonight.
Jen Lynch says:
I first learned the crocodile song at age 4 or so. I can still sing the whole thing to this day. I do think there is an even more potent french earworm in this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAGV2pcLaAg
The gist of the translation is “Do you know how to plant cabbages the way we do at our house?” Good luck with that one!
As for Alouette, as a very sensitive kid I always refused to sing that one!
On September 11, 2013 at 2:55 am
Melanie B says:
Oooh. I’ll have to share those videos with Sophie, my resident Francophile. Somehow I hadn’t thought to feed her desire for French with You Tube….
On September 11, 2013 at 8:51 pm
Amy C. says:
Fun links! We love a different but equally earwormy version of the Crocodile song: the one sung by Beausoleil. The whole album is worth checking out!
http://www.discogs.com/Michael-Beausoleil-Doucet-With-Family-And-Friends-Le-Hoogie-Boogie-Louisiana-French-Music-For-Childr/release/2457343
On September 12, 2013 at 2:00 pm