This game is titled, The Farmer’s in the Dell. It is performed by St. Saviour’s C of E Primary School in Venice, London. The instrumentation for this game is voice. The Farmer’s in the Dell is singing game, and children’s song. The song was first recorded in Germany, and is believed to have made its way to North America by German immigrants.
Play is important in the learning and development of young children. Lew and Campbell state, “In addition to learning the repertoire of chants and games, Indian children learn the social skills of establishing membership in a peer group and of learning game rules and ritual actions, while continually reinforcing physical skills (e.g., running, walking, hopping, and skipping) that are important in their growing years.” This is not specific to just the Indian culture, but globally. Many students around the world partake in games that promote social skills, guidelines and physical activities. In fact, circle games are prevalent in many cultures. Musical games such as The Farmer and the Dell, can help children learn how to follow routines by simply following the game rules. This game can also help students develop social skills by allowing them to hold hands, and allowing the child in the middle of the circle to pick a friend. Physical activity and coordination skills are also affected when children have to skip sideways in a circle. Students develop social skills in this game, when selecting the farmer's family. They may select friends, or classmates they may not know yet, allowing them to find ways to interact with unfamiliar people. This game also helps students take turns, and the moving encourages them to interact with one another.
Children join hands and dance around the farmer, who stands in the center of the circle as they sing. At the end of the first verse, the farmer chooses his wife, who joins him inside the circle. At the end of the next verse, the wife chooses a child. The verses continue with students being selected as the nurse, bow, dog, rat, and cheese. Who ever ends up being the cheese becomes the farmer for the next round. The lyrics are as follows:
The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell
The farmer takes a wife
The farmer takes a wife
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer takes a wife
The wife takes a child
The wife takes a child
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The wife takes a child
The child takes a nurse
The child takes a nurse
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The child takes a nurse
The nurse takes a cow
The nurse takes a cow
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The nurse takes a cow
The cow takes a dog
The cow takes a dog
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The cow takes a dog
The dog takes a cat
The dog takes a cat
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The dog takes a cat
The cat takes a rat
The cat takes a rat
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The cat takes a rat
The rat takes the cheese
The rat takes the cheese
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The rat takes the cheese
The cheese stands alone
The cheese stands alone
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The cheese stands alone
