Nievie, nievie, nicknack,
Which hand will ye tak’?
Tak’ the right, or tak’ the wrang,
I’ll beguile ye, if I can.

Ah, the old shell game or a round of three card monte. Scammers have always been out there and will always be. The beggar child asking you to buy a gallon of milk, the millionaire Nigerian prince who needs you to rescue him, the woman in town for a business conference who has run out of gasoline, the Craiglist overpayment and refund, the IRS calling to tell you that you have a warrant out for your arrest, and the current favorite – fake news. You’ve got to have your wits about you. Did you know there is a Foundation for Critical Thinking? There are also tons of logic puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, brainteasers, and other resources out there that encourage you to exercise your brain in new ways. Investing five minutes a day is time well spent.

Verdict: Write this rhyme on a deck of blank playing cards and use it to teach a lesson to people gullible enough to still fall for these scams.

It’s widely understood that Aesop’s fables had a lesson to impart to the reader. It’s less commonly known, but no less true, that the original Grimm’s fairy tales contained a lot of violence and sexual content that was inappropriate for children. But what about Mother Goose? Were the colorfully illustrated nursery rhymes in your Little Golden Book really so innocent? Were they carefully curated to be only about silliness and pat-a-cake? Let’s explore the reality together in this year’s Blogging From A to Z April Challenge.