Why “childlore” is a great word
CHILDLORE — [Noun] The body of traditional lore, encompassing rhymes, games, customs, and superstitions, created and transmitted by children themselves. From child (from Old English ċild) + lore (from Old English lār, meaning "instruction, knowledge"), it forms the direct and sturdy term for a self-contained knowledge system. Unlike "folklore" (which encompasses the entire community's traditions) or "children's literature" (which denotes adult-authored works for a young audience), childlore is the secret, oral curriculum of the playground. It is the precise, rule-bound chant for counting-out, the intricate architecture of a sidewalk chalk kingdom, and the solemn ritual of a pact sealed with a spit-handshake—a sovereign republic of childhood, practicing its own arcane arts of belonging in the margins of the adult world.