BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Round and Round the Garden

**Posted by Wholocked** September 18, 2012 1:56 am

Does anyone else find it mildly amusing that Sherlock has "deleted" information regarding the solar system, but has retained the childhood rhyme?

**Posted by tobeornot221b** September 18, 2012 3:56 am

Yes . Sherlock's knowledge and behaviour are always difficult to guess - even for someone like John ("Sherlock doesn't follow me everywhere..."). One of his conspicious characteristics is his incalculability.

**Posted by sherlockskitty** September 18, 2012 4:37 pm

what child hood rhyme?

**Posted by Davina** September 18, 2012 5:29 pm

Round and round the garden
Like a teddy bear
One step...
Two step...
Tickily under there.

I expect he calls it because it is deeply buried in his long-term memory and is partially sub-conscious, not something he consciously learnt. I could be wrong though.

**Posted by sherlockskitty** September 18, 2012 7:08 pm

that's a very cute rhyme, thank you. I'd never heard it before. and i LOVE nursery rhymes!!

**Posted by KeepersPrice** September 18, 2012 8:44 pm

Mushy me - I like to think maybe Mycroft recited it to him when Sherlock was a very little boy - when mummy and daddy were too busy for them, and right before the nursemaid tucked him in, and long before sibling rivalry reared it's ugly head. Yes, it could definitely be buried in his sub-conscious.

But then, Mycroft was probably always too stuffy for that kind of child's play and was probably already off at public school most of the time anyway *sigh* Oh well..........

**Posted by Banbha** September 18, 2012 11:25 pm

Davina wrote:
I expect he calls it because it is deeply buried in his long-term memory and is partially sub-conscious, not something he consciously learnt. I could be wrong though.

I think you're right. I remember a nursery rhyme my Polish grandmother used to sing to me (in Polish) when I was too young to remember much of anything else.

I also like KeepersPrice's idea that Mycroft sang it when they were very little.

**Posted by The Doctor** July 17, 2013 1:54 am

Seems Australians are following this trend:

More than 40 per cent of Australians do not know how long it takes the Earth to travel around the sun, according to a new survey.

The Australian Academy of Science surveyed more than 1,500 people, asking them basic scientific questions.

It found nearly 30 per cent did not know if humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs, and that 41 per cent did not know it took the Earth a year to travel around the sun.

...

The survey also found a decline in young people's scientific knowledge in recent years.

Back in 2010 when people aged between 18 and 24 were asked the sun orbiting question, 73 per cent got it right.

But the most recent survey found that statistic had fallen to 62 per cent.

Professor Field suggested the decline was most probably from an increased reliance on technology to provide the answers quickly.

Survey should be a 'wake-up call'

He says there could be an even further decline in science literacy if things do not change.

Brainy is the new sexy, eh?

**Posted by sj4iy** July 17, 2013 2:18 am

That's so sad...but it's pretty much everywhere. In this age of instant information, young people (AND TEACHERS) think that they don't actually have to "learn" things anymore...they can just look it up. My nephews can't read or write cursive. I was looking up old censuses from the 1700 and 1800's, and I realized that my nephews wouldn't have been able to read those at all.

**Posted by mohsinj677rr** August 1, 2013 10:35 am

{{{{{{{{{{ This post is so great and nice }}}}}}}}}

{}{}{} The Australian Academy of Science suryed more than 1500 people, asking them basic scientific questions.{}{}{}{}{}{}

**Posted by Sherlockismyfix** July 28, 2014 2:03 pm

'Round and round the garden' is a British nursery rhyme, I think. As an American growing up I never heard it, but I learned it while living overseas in an expat environment when British friends would visit us and our new baby. It is much like 'This little piggy' in that it includes specific touches with a surprise at the end that makes the baby laugh. Delightful, really.

It was a very humanizing to see Sherlock recite it, loved that scene!

**Posted by maryagrawatson** July 28, 2014 2:20 pm

Ah! Thank you for explaining that phrase! The whole solar system discussion is lifted straight from ACD canon almost word for word, but that phrase was added by the writer and I thought it was an odd choice of words for Sherlock. Now, I'm having visions of mummy singing that to him.

Mary