Put your finger where?!

Our preschool uses an English curriculum series called Gumdrops, and overall I think it's pretty solid. Unfortunately for me, I am very hard to please when it comes to children's music. About 80% makes me want to puncture my own eardrums with safety scissors, and the CD that accompanies this curriculum falls into that bracket. That doesn't mean it isn't effective– the kids were singing along in English after the first week or so– but I don't have to like it.

These are gumdrops. They teach English.

However, the songs have a few pitfalls even aside from a music appreciation standpoint. The first unit in the Level One curriculum (three-year-olds) introduces the words "boy," "girl," and "teacher." The corresponding action song is titled, "Put Your Finger On The..." and is sung to the tune of "If You're Happy And You Know It," only instead of clapping and stomping, you put your finger on the boy– or the girl, or the teacher. Depends on what verse you're singing.

As far as simple action songs go, I've heard worse, and like I said, the kids responded pretty well. It sounded a little risqué to my ears, but I thought that maybe I've just worked with teens for too long to not see dirty humor everywhere.

Then, after English class one day, I heard a girl singing to herself: "Put your finger in the boy, in the boy... Put your finger in the girl, in the girl..."  In, on, whatever.

I'm hoping she forgets this little gem of her childhood before she turns 16 and goes on an exchange trip to a U.S. high school.