Chris Kelly & Dan Jones in the Playground

Hopscotch at Columbia School, Bethnal Green, 1997

When photographer Chris Kelly sent me these exuberant pictures taken in East End primary schools, I realised it was the ideal opportunity to invite Dan Jones to select children’s rhymes to complement her playful images, drawing from the thousands he has collected in playgrounds here and elsewhere since 1948.

Asked to produce photographs for an education brochure, Chris Kelly turned up at six schools between 2000 and 2002 with camera, lights and optimism. There was never any shortage of ideas or young art directors, and the pictures you see here are the result of a collaboration between photographer, teachers and pupils, with the children aways having the biggest say.

Meanwhile, the heartening news from the playground that Dan Jones has to report is that the culture of rhymes is alive and kicking, in spite of the multimedia distractions of the modern age. The endless process of repetition and reinvention goes on with ceaseless vigour.

(Click here to go to an interactive painting by Dan Jones commissioned by The Museum of Childhood entitled “The Singing Playground” where you can to listen to recordings he made of all the different rhymes in the picture.)

Susan Lawrence Junior School

School dinners, school dinners,

Squashed baked beans, squashed baked beans,

Squiggly semolina, squiggly semolina.

I feel sick! Get a bowl quick!

It’s too late, I done it on the plate!

(Manya Eversley, Bow)

Susan Lawrence Junior School

Everywhere we go

Everywhere we go

People always ask us

People always ask us

Who we are

Who we are

And where we come from

Where we come from

So we tell them

So we tell them

We’re from Stepney

WE’RE FROM STEPNEY

Mighty, mighty Stepney!

MIGHTY, MIGHTY STEPNEY!

And if they can’t hear us,

IF THEY CAN’T HEAR US

We sing a little louder

WE SING A LITTLE LOUDER!

(Call and response chat from Rushmore Junior School)

Bonner Primary School

Inky Pinky Ponky,

Daddy had a donkey.

Donkey died,

Daddy cried,

Inky pinky ponky!

(Dip from St Paul’s Church of England School, Wellclose Sq)

Susan Lawrence Junior School

Zum gali gali gali,

Clap clap clap

Zum gali gali

Clap clap clap

Zum gali gali

Clap clap clap

Zum

clap clap clap

We can work with joy as we sing

Clap clap clap

We can sing with joy as we work

Clap clap clap

(Israeli round from the children of Kobi Nazrul School)

Olga Primary School

Pepsi Pepsi came to town,

Coca Cola shot him down,

Dr Pepper picked him up,

Now they order Seven Up!

(Clapping game  from Honor, Sadia, April and Jahira of Bangabundu  Junior School)

Bangabandhu Primary School

Im Pim Safety pin

Im pim

Out!

Change your nappies inside out

Not because they’re dirty

Not because they’re clean

Not because your mother says

You’re the Fairy Queen!

(Counting out rhyme from the children of Bangabandhu Primary School)

Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down.

London Bridge is falling down, My Fair Lady.

Build it up with sticks and stones, sticks and stones, sticks and stones.

Build it up with sticks and stones, My Fair Lady.

Sticks and stones will wear away…

Build it up with iron and steel…Iron and Steel will rust away…

Build it up with bricks and clay…Bricks and Clay will wash away…

(Arch game from children of Bluegate Fields School, Stepney)

Susan Lawrence Junior School

Down in the valley where nobody goes,

There’s an ooky spooky woman who washes her clothes.

With a rub-a-dub here and a rub-a-dub there,

That’s the way she washes her clothes.

(Clapping game from children of St Paul’s Church of England School, Wellclose Sq)

Susan Lawrence Junior School

Marion Richardson School

Once I had a snail

And I 1 it

I 2 it

I 3 it

I 4 it

I 5 it

I 6 it

I 7 it

I ATE (8) it

(Riddle from Colin and his mother at Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green)

Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School

Racing car number 9

Losing petrol all the time

How many gallons did you lose?

(6!)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

You’re OUT!

(Counting out rhyme from Shamima, Natalie Abida and Shazna of Hermitage School, Wapping)

Susan Lawrence Junior School

Twinkle, twinkle, chocolate bar, 
Daddy (or Mummy) drives a rusty car

Push the button, pull the choke,

Off we go in a puff of smoke,

Twinkle, twinkle, chocolate bar, 
Daddy drives a rusty car.

(Miming game from infants at Christchurch School, Brick Lane)

Olga Primary School

I like coffee

I like tea

I like climbing up the tree

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

(Dip from the children of Year 4 Christchurch Primary School, Brick Lane)

Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!

My knickers flew away

They came back yesterday

From a little holiday

I said “Where have you been?”

They said ‘To see the Queen

At  Windsor Castle!”

You little rascal

(Comic song from Katie, Lizzy Alison (Ashford) at Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green)

Susan Lawrence Junior School

Olicker Bolicker

Suzie Solicker

Ollicker boliker

Knob!

(Dip from Sonny and Marina of Wapping)

Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School

Ecker decker,

Johnny Cracker,

Ecker decker do,

Ease, cheese,

Butter, bread,

Out goes you

(Counting out rhyme from Columbia School, Bethnal Green)

Bonner Primary School

Jee Jai Jao (Brother-in-law)

Kabhi upor Kabhi nicheh   (You’re going up, you’re going down)

Kabhi ageh Kabhi pitcheh   (You’re going in front, you’re going behind)

Kabhi eke Kabhi ekh dui teen  (Going 1. Going 2. Going 1, 2, 3)

Pushu!   (Punch!)

(Hindi dip from Christchurch Primary School, Brick Lane)

Susan Lawrence Junior School

Boom Boom

Shakalaka

Out goes you

Out goes another one

And that is YOU

(Dip from children of Bangabundhu School)

Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School

In a golden treasure, with an East and a West,

I took my boyfriend to the Chinese shop.

He bought me ice-cream, he bought me a cake,

He sent me home with a bellyache.

I said: “Mama, Mama, I feel sick.

Call me a doctor quick, quick, quick!

Doctor, Doctor, am I gonna die?”

“Count to five if you’re alive

With a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

You’re dead again!”

(Skipping song from children of year 5 at Arnhem Wharf School)

Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School

Miss Polly had a dolly that was sick sick sick

(Rock baby in arms)

She called for the Doctor to come quick quick quick

(Hold telephone to ear)

The doctor came with his bag and his hat

(Touch imaginary bag and hat)

And he knocked on the door with a Rat Tat Tat Tat!

(Knock on door)

He looked at the dolly and he shook his head

(Shake head)

He said “Miss Polly, put her straight to bed”

(Wag finger to indicate telling her off)

He wrote out a paper for a pill pill pill

(Write on imaginary paper)

“I’ll be back in the morning with my bill bill bill”

(Clapping and miming game from Rukhaya and Siobhan at Christchurch Primary School, Brick Lane)

Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School

Sally go round the sun,

Sally go round the moon,

Sally go round the chimney pots

on a Sunday afternoon.

WHOOPS !

(Dancing game from Redriff Primary School, Rotherhithe)

Photographs copyright © Chris Kelly

A playground painting by Dan Jones is being hung in Bethnal Green Children’s Library on 8th March.

You may also like to take a look at

Chris Kelly’s Columbia School Portraits 1996

Chris Kelly’s Cable St Gardeners

and read about

Dan Jones, Rhyme Collector

Dan Jones’ Paintings

Here are some earlier collections of photography of children in the East End

Colin O’Brien’s Travellers’ Children in London Fields

Horace Warner’s Spitalfields Nippers