Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
What do all those crazy old words mean? A tuffet is a small stool to sit upon. Curds and whey are the lumps and liquid found in today’s cottage cheese! One story about the origin of this rhyme is that it was written by Dr. Muffet (1553-1604), a famous entomologist who wrote the first scientific catalogue of British insects. He may have written it for his stepdaughter, Patience, who was frightened by one of his spiders while she was eating breakfast. Who knows????
I’ve created several big books around nursery rhymes, including this one, for Really Good Stuff (www.reallygoodstuff.com) complete with retelling pieces for use in whole group, small group, and at literacy work stations.
Debbie Diller 
The stories behind these little rhymes are fascinating. As a child, I just loved twirling the words around in my mouth…but now I love that and such stories too. A.
Interesting! So many of those nursery rhymes we know so well are really mystifying.
Hi, Debbie. Thanks for sharing this story. It’s funny to think that I’ve said that rhyme over and over so many times, and I’ve never really thought about what it means or where it came from!
So cool to know what that curious little rhyme might be talking about. I love the idea of a little peek into a curious domestic moment in a science geek’s house.