Baby Shower Nursery Rhymes and Newborns

Rhyme Origins

1. 100 Which rhyme about a baker's man is one of the oldest surviving English nursery rhymes? Response: Pat-a-cake "Pat-a-cake" is one of the oldest surviving English nursery rhymes. Source: Wikipedia, “Nursery rhyme”
2. 200 Which rhyme naming two fruits is sung to the tune of the bells of a London church? Response: Oranges and Lemons "Oranges and Lemons" (1744) is set to the tune of the bells of St Clement Danes, an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. Source: Wikipedia, “Nursery rhyme”
3. 300 Which nursery rhyme from 1730, about a journey to a town, is also a riddle? Response: As I was going to St Ives One example of a nursery rhyme in the form of a riddle is "As I was going to St Ives", which dates to 1730. Source: Wikipedia, “Nursery rhyme”
4. 400 Mary Cooper published the first English collections of nursery rhymes in which year? Response: 1744 The first English collections, Tommy Thumb's Song Book and a sequel, Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book, were published by Mary Cooper in 1744. Source: Wikipedia, “Nursery rhyme”
5. 500 Which anthropologist produced The Nursery Rhyme Book in 1897? Response: Andrew Lang A professional anthropologist, Andrew Lang (1844–1912) produced The Nursery Rhyme Book in 1897. Source: Wikipedia, “Nursery rhyme”

Famous Rhymes

1. 100 Which nursery rhyme egg sat on a wall? Response: Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Source: Wikipedia, “Humpty Dumpty”
2. 200 Who wrote the poem The Star, now sung as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star? Response: Jane Taylor The lyrics are from an early-19th-century English poem written by Jane Taylor, "The Star". Source: Wikipedia, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
3. 300 Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star shares its tune with the ABC Song and which rhyme about a sheep? Response: Baa, Baa, Black Sheep The melody is used in other nursery rhymes, including the ABC Song and "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep". Source: Wikipedia, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
4. 400 Which nursery rhyme is also known as The Cat and the Fiddle? Response: Hey Diddle Diddle "Hey Diddle Diddle" (also "Hi Diddle Diddle", "The Cat and the Fiddle", or "The Cow Jumped over the Moon") is an English nursery rhyme. Source: Wikipedia, “Hey Diddle Diddle”
5. 500 Which American writer first published Mary Had a Little Lamb, in 1830? Response: Sarah Josepha Hale "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is an English-language nursery rhyme of nineteenth-century American origin, first published by American writer Sarah Josepha Hale in 1830. Source: Wikipedia, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

Bedtime Songs

1. 100 In Rock-a-bye Baby, where is the baby's cradle? Response: on the tree top "Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top" (sometimes "Hush-a-bye baby on the tree top") is a nursery rhyme and lullaby. Source: Wikipedia, “Rock-a-bye Baby”
2. 200 The word lullaby may come from soothing sounds plus which goodnight phrase? Response: bye bye The English term lullaby is thought to come from "lu, lu" or "la la" sounds made by mothers or nurses to calm children, and "by by" or "bye bye", either another lulling sound or a term for a good night. Source: Wikipedia, “Nursery rhyme”
3. 300 A 1791 edition of the cradle rhyme opened with which words instead of Rock-a-bye baby? Response: Hush-a-by baby No copies of the first edition are extant, but a 1791 edition substitutes "Hush-a-by baby" at the start of the first line. Source: Wikipedia, “Rock-a-bye Baby”
4. 400 Which composer wrote twelve variations on the French tune now used for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star? Response: Mozart It is now sung to the tune of the French melody "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman", which was first published in 1761 and later arranged by several composers, including Mozart with Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman". Source: Wikipedia, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
5. 500 The cradle rhyme is often sung to a tune based on which 1686 quickstep by Henry Purcell? Response: Lillibullero The only one mentioned by the Opies in The Oxford Book of Nursery Rhymes (1951) is a variant of Henry Purcell's 1686 quickstep Lillibullero, but others were once popular in North America. Source: Wikipedia, “Rock-a-bye Baby”

Newborns

1. 100 About how many hours a day can a newborn baby sleep? Response: up to 18 hours Children need more sleep than adults—up to 18 hours for newborn babies, with a declining rate as the child ages. Source: Wikipedia, “Infant”
2. 200 What are the soft spots on a newborn's skull called? Response: fontanels At birth, many regions of the newborn's skull have not yet been converted to bone, leaving "soft spots" known as fontanels. Source: Wikipedia, “Infant”
3. 300 What is the fine, downy body hair some newborns have called? Response: lanugo Some newborns have a fine, downy body hair called lanugo. Source: Wikipedia, “Infant”
4. 400 In medical use, a baby counts as a newborn for how many days after birth? Response: 28 days A newborn is, in mainstream use, an infant who is only hours, days, or weeks old; while in medical contexts, a newborn or neonate (from Latin neonātus 'newborn') is an infant in the first 28 days after birth (the term applies to premature, full term, and postmature infants). Source: Wikipedia, “Infant”
5. 500 Which white coating on a newborn's skin may act as a barrier against bacteria? Response: vernix caseosa Newborns are wet, covered in streaks of blood, and coated with a white substance known as vernix caseosa, which is hypothesised to act as an antibacterial barrier. Source: Wikipedia, “Infant”

Mother Goose

1. 100 In the rhyme Old Mother Goose and the Golden Egg, what is Mother Goose's son called? Response: Jack Titled "Old Mother Goose and the Golden Egg", this verse prefaced a 15-stanza poem that rambled through a variety of adventures involving not only the egg but also Mother Goose's son Jack. Source: Wikipedia, “Mother Goose”
2. 200 Mother Goose also appears in which kind of stage show, with roots going back to 1806? Response: pantomime The character also appears in a pantomime tracing its roots to 1806. Source: Wikipedia, “Mother Goose”
3. 300 Whose French fairy tale collection was translated into English as Tales of My Mother Goose? Response: Charles Perrault The term's appearance in English dates back to the early 18th century, when Charles Perrault's fairy tale collection, Contes de ma Mère l'Oye, was first translated into English as Tales of My Mother Goose. Source: Wikipedia, “Mother Goose”
4. 400 Which two leading authorities on nursery lore shared the surname Opie? Response: Iona and Peter Opie Iona and Peter Opie, leading authorities on nursery lore, give no credence to either the Elwes-Thomas or the Boston suppositions. Source: Wikipedia, “Mother Goose”
5. 500 The earliest surviving edition of Mother Goose's Melody dates from which year? Response: 1784 Although this edition was registered with the Stationers' Company in 1780, no copy has ever been confirmed, and the earliest surviving edition is dated 1784. Source: Wikipedia, “Mother Goose”

Final round: Rhymes and Real Life

In 1876, at the age of 70, which woman claimed to be the girl whose lamb followed her to school in the famous rhyme? Response: Mary Tyler In 1876, at the age of 70, Mary Tyler emerged to claim that she was the "Mary" from the poem. Source: Wikipedia, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”