Up in the Green Orchard Lyrics
A tree heavy with ripe apples, and two boys, Reuben and Robin, ready to gather every one. A four-line rhyme about harvest time.
Up in the Green Orchard
Up in the green orchard there is a green tree,
The finest of pippins that ever you see;
The apples are ripe, and ready to fall,
And Reuben and Robin shall gather them all.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/up-in-the-green-orchard/
- Type
- Mother Goose
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
What Does Up in the Green Orchard Mean?
An orchard is a field of fruit trees. Pippins are a kind of apple, and the name lives on in varieties such as Cox's Orange Pippin. The apples are ripe and ready to drop, and Reuben and Robin will pick them all.
History and Origin
The rhyme is printed in The Only True Mother Goose Melodies, published in Boston in 1833. Apple picking in autumn was a big event on farms in England and New England alike, and children were often given the job of gathering fallen fruit.
Learning Activities
- Apple picking: visit an orchard or market and taste different apples.
- Count apples: draw a tree and add apples while counting.
- Apple names: look up apple varieties with pippin in the name.