Title: Patty Cake

General Information About Item:

• Customary: Game
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: US
• Date and Place of Collection: 10/25/16

Informant Data:

Meredith Alaback was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is 21 years old, has two younger brothers, and divorced parents. She attended Booker T. Washington High School and now is a junior at Dartmouth College. Meredith works for the Hanover Chamber of Commerce and is very active in her philanthropic endeavors.

Contextual Data:

Meredith attended pre-school in Tulsa, and her parents did not divorce until she was around 8 years old. When I asked Meredith to describe a game or riddle that her family frequently played, she immediately replied with the widely knows game of “Patty Cake.”

Transcript:

“Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can. Pat it, roll it and mark it with an M. Put it in the oven for Meredith and me!”

Informant Comments:

Meredith says that she looks forward to playing this game with her future children. Meredith has two younger brothers who are much younger than she is, so she played this game with them once they developed the cognitive and motor skills to be able to participate.

Collector’s Comments:

Contextually, Patty Cake can be considered an introduction for children to the basic concepts of cooking or baking, both of which they are exposed to at a very early age. It also engaged basic sensory and motor systems. As a Psychology major, I continuously learn the importance of early childhood exposure to games, social interaction, and new sounds/methods of communication. A lot of times, parents play games or sing to their children, as this is one of the more basic ways that we, as humans, learn words and eventually develop the ability to speak.

Collector’s Name: Addie Chabot ’18

Tags/Keywords: game, customary, rhyme, clapping