Every now and then I like to blog-ument (that is a combination of blog and document, in case you were wondering) the circle times we are doing lately. Mainly because I end up losing, misplacing, getting a new phone, new computer and then POOF I can't find it.
So now I am sitting in the sunshine, two days before Thanksgiving, baby is chattering next to me (and by chattering I mean seriously NON STOP TALKING) and big sister is coloring and brother is STILL SLEEPING and out on the deck the birds are swooping in for some seeds, grateful those scary people behind the glass restocked the bird feed for the winter.
And I too am grateful.
So this week we painted turkeys I drew on paper for them. And we made our Thankfulness Tree with leaves that say things we are thankful for, and we made some handprint turkeys with cut out leaves and I have plans for a paper bag stuffed turkey today. (Because its CRAFT DAY and I AM A DORK)
So this is what we have been doing for school and circle lately, to embrace this season of gratitude, as we work up the courage to face the cold (its been in the single digits already!) and get ready for winter. ENJOY!
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| why is your turkey green Ev? because, he is hiding! hiding? yes, hiding behind a bush! (I am not kidding, my two year old said this. HILARIOUS, right?) |
Come on friends lets dance and sing! Lets hold hands and form a ring! Hold them high, and hold them low, lets turn fast, and now turn slow. Friends to the left, friends to the right, we learn and turn our smiles bright.
Circle songs, holding hands in a ring
Ring around the rosie...
Sally go round the sun...
The Farmer in the dell...All around the mulberry bush...
There was a man in our town
Who went for a walk one day
But the wind blew so hard (make blowing sound)
He turned around and walked the other way. (Turn and change direction) (Change to hop, skip…)
Good morning to the sun up in the
sky (in a sing song voice, with obvious actions)
Good morning to the birds, as they fly on by
Good morning to the trees so straight and so all
Good morning, everyone
This is my right hand I hold it up high
This is my left hand, with it I touch the sky
Right hand, left hand, roll them round and round
Left hand, right hand, pound pound pound! (obvious actions, right?)
I can curl up small (obvious actions, again)
As round as a ball
I can stretch up tall
As straight As a tree
I can walk, walk, walkI can hop, hop, hop
I can dance, dance, dance
I can skip, skip, skip
And I can stop, stop, stop
And they belong to me.
I can make them do things,
Would you like to see?
I can shut them up tight,
Or I can make them wide,
I can put them together,
Or make them all hide,
I can make them jump high,
I can make them jump low,
I can fold them quietly
And hold them just so.
On my head my hands I place,
On my shoulders, on my face,
On my waist, at my side,Now behind me they will hide,
Now I’ll stretch them way up high.
Make my fingers swiftly fly,
I’ll hold them up in front of me,
And quickly clap them, one, two, three!
You twiddle your thumbs and clap
your hands
And then you stamp your feet,You turn to the left, you turn to the right,
You make your fingers meet.
You make a bridge, you make an arch,
You give another clap,
You wave you hands, you fold you hands
Then lay them in your lap.
(Now lets be animals…its almost
winter! The animals are going to their homes!)
A nest is a home for a robin
A hive is a home for a bee
A hole is a home for a rabbit
And a house is a home for me
Winter
is cold
(hug
yourself and shiver)
There
is snow in the sky
(flutter
fingers above your head)
The
squirrel gathers nuts
(pretend
to gather nuts)
And
the wild geese fly
(flap
arms)
The
fluffy red fox
(cup
hands over head to form ears)
Has
his fur to keep warm
(stroke
arms as if stroking fur)
The
bear’s in her cave
(form
a cave shape with your arms)
Sleeping
all through the storm
(fold
hands under cheek and pretend to sleep)
(And what about the plants, they are sleeping too)
Get a play silk and lets be sleeping
plants.
"Come little leaves," said
the wind one day.
"Come o'er the meadow with me
and play.Put on your dresses of red and gold.
Summer is gone and the days grow cold."
As soon as the leaves heard the wind's low call,
Down they came fluttering, one and all.
Over the brown fields they whirled and flew,
Singing the soft little songs they knew.
Dancing and whirling the little leaves went,
Autumn had called them and they were content.
Soon they will sleep in their soft earthly beds
Waiting for winter to cover their heads.
Deep in the earth, buried deep so
deep, a dear little plant lay fast asleep
Sleep little plant, so safe and warm, sleep little plant, all winter long
So the little plant slept so warm and tight while King Winter raged with all his might
Old king winter came out to play and said I am going to make a very cold day!
So he turned to the east WHOOOSH (blow at the little shivering plants under their silks)
And he turned to the west WHOOOSH
And he turned to the south WHOOOSH
Then he turned to the north and said, that's the one I like best!
For when the North Wind comes out to play we make a very very very COLD DAY
(WHOOOOOOOSH all over the sleeping plants!)
(And then, what happens in the
spring, not yet, but it will happen, HA)
Pitter patter pitter patter on the
window pane
Pitter patter pitter patter here comes the rain
Pitter patter pitter patter down from the sky above
Pitter patter pitter patter shower us with love! (you have to pitter patter your fingers on the kids for this verse!)
then, the sun will come out!
Sunshine sunshine warm and brightSunshine sunshine bring your light!
Sunshine sunshine shine and glow
Sunshine sunshine make us grow!
And now….
From down below, up up I
grow (kids stand up and shed their silks!)
And spread my leaves so wide (stretch out arms)
And at the top a little room, from which a lovely flower blooms (make a little blossom with hands, then spread them out)
And opens to the WIDE BLUE SKY!
I can turn myself and turn myself and stop me when I will.
I can reach high on my tippy toes and hold myself quite still.
I can be as small as a tiny seed
Or grow tall as a tall, tall tree.
I can be as wide as the whole wide world
Or I can just be me.
God be in my head, and in my understanding.
God be in my eyes, and in my looking.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.
God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
God be at my end, and at my departing.
(This is a sweet little story and fun to act out with whatever little animals you have. I changed the original story from a fox to a cat and eliminated the caterpillar that comes after the mouse....)
~The Story of Hugin and his
Carrot~
Once upon a time there was a little boy named Hugin and he wanted a carrot to make a soup for Thanksgiving to say thank you to his friends, so he went out into the garden and planted a carrot-seed and he said,
“Carrot, carrot, grow for me
Grow as big as big can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we’ll eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet.”
So the carrot grew and grew and nearly filled the garden. Then, Hugin went to pull the carrot up. And he pulled and he pulled… but the carrot did not budge an inch.
Then a Bear came by and asked ’What are you doing Hugin?’
And Hugin replied, “I am pulling up a carrot.
Bear, Bear pull with me,
Pull as hard as hard can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we’ll eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet!”
So Bear pulled Hugin, and Hugin
pulled the carrot; and they pulled, and they pulled… but the carrot didn’t
budge an inch.
Just a dog came along and asked ”What are you doing Bear?” And Bear replied ”I am helping Hugin to pull his carrot.” And Hugin said
“doggy doggy pull with me,
Pull as hard as hard can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we will eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet!”
So dog pulled Bear, and Bear pulled Hugin and Hugin pulled the carrot. They pulled and they pulled, but the carrot did not budge an inch.
Just then a CAT came by and asked ’What are you doing dog?” And dog replied “I am helping Bear to help Hugin to pull up a carrot.” And Hugin said
“Hare, Hare pull with me,
Pull as hard as hard can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we will eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet!”
So Hare pulled dog, and dog pulled Bear and Bear pulled Hugin and Hugin pulled the carrot and they pulled and they pulled but… the carrot didn’t budge an inch.
Just then a Mouse came by and asked ’What are you doing Hare?” And Hare replied “I am helping dog to help Bear to help Hugin to pull up a carrot.” And Hugin said
“Mouse, Mouse pull with me,
Pull as hard as hard can be
That on Thanksgiving Day we will eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet!”
So Mouse pulled Hare, and Hare pulled Fox, and Fox pulled Bear and Bear pulled Hugin and Hugin pulled the carrot and they pulled and they pulled but… the carrot didn’t budge an inch. So mouse said, “But does Hugin know the right way to pull up a carrot? Did he first ask its Root Gnome if he might?”
Then Hugin bent down and put his mouth close to the ground and called,
“Gnome, good Root Gnome
May I take your carrot home?
Then on Thanksgiving Day we‘ll eat
A soup that tastes of carrots sweet?”
And at once a little Root Gnome popped up his brown head out of the ground and said, “Good gracious me, Hugin, why didn’t you tell me? All this time I’ve been pulling the other way. Now pull again!”
And he popped back his brown head into the ground.
So Mouse pulled Hare, and Hare pulled dog and dog pulled Bear, and Bear pulled Hugin, and Hugin pulled the carrot. And suddenly Mouse sat down backwards with a bang and Hare sat down backwards with a bang on Mouse, and dog sat down backwards with a bang on Hare, and Bear sat down backwards with a bang on dog, and Hugin sat down backwards with a bang on Bear with the biggest, orange, chubbiest carrot in his hands that ever anyone saw!
Then Hugin got up and said ”Sorry!” to Bear, and Bear got up and said “Sorry” to dog, and Fox got up and said “Sorry” to Hare, and Hare got up and said “Sorry” to Mouse..
And nobody was hurt, and everybody laughed “Ha-Ha-Ha“ and together the friends made a carrot soup.
THE END!!!!!!
What is coming soon? THANKSGIVING.!
Here is the turkey, (Hand out with fingers stretched)
Hear him speak (GOBBLE GOBBLE)
Here are his feathers (Wiggle fingers)
And here is his beak. (Index and thumb together)
Looking for food he pecks at the ground (Index and thumb peck floor)
He calls gobble, gobble!
And wobbles around. (Moving hand)
I'm a Turkey
to the tune of "I'm a little teapot"
to the tune of "I'm a little teapot"
I'm a turkey, big and fat. (Spread arms out.)
I spread my tail. I walk like that. (Fan fingers like a turkey's tail; Waddle.)
Each day's corn I will not miss, (Rub stomach.)
And when I talk, I sound like this: (Point to lips; Cup hand next to ear.)
GOBBLE! GOBBLE! GOBBLE! (Shout.)
I spread my tail. I walk like that. (Fan fingers like a turkey's tail; Waddle.)
Each day's corn I will not miss, (Rub stomach.)
And when I talk, I sound like this: (Point to lips; Cup hand next to ear.)
GOBBLE! GOBBLE! GOBBLE! (Shout.)
Should we be pilgrims in our ships?
(to the tune of row row row your boat)
Sail sail sail your
ship
Gently across the sea
Merrily, merrily,
merrily, merrily,
To be free is what we
dream. (kids hold hands and "sail" their ships in pairs)
Long ago, in the early 1600s, a group of people in England
wanted to pray and worship God in their own way. The King controlled the Church
of England, and everyone was ordered to go to the same type of church. Anyone
who dared to disobey would be sent to jail.
The group of people who wanted to free the Church of England
from the King's rule, making it "pure" were known as the Puritans. To
escape the rule of the King and his church, around 100 men, women and children
left their homeland, with their dream of religious freedom. They were tired of
being told what to think so they left that king.
They got on a big ship, called the mayflower, to travel far
far far to the new world. Their captain was a brave man named Miles Standish.
These brave travelers -- the Pilgrims –had a long long long
long journey. They got sick on the boat. There were bad storms. But finally
they landed in Plymouth after their long six-week journey. It was December 11,
1620. And, oh, it was cold! The cold winter had set in. The land was strange to them, and nothing seemed familiar. The winter was long, cold, and very hard for the Pilgrims. They didn’t know what to do!
But, they had some friends nearby. Some Native Americans,
from the Wampanoag tribe lived nearby. They came to see who these new people
were. They saw they needed help, so they helped them! They gave them food after
hunting and finally finally it was warm out and so they taught them how to
plant seeds and make corn grow in their new home!
The first year in their new home was hard for the Pilgrims.
Many died.
But, With seeds and plants received from the Native
Americans, the Pilgrims planted crops. The fall harvest was a good one. To
celebrate their good fortune, the Pilgrims had a feast of thanksgiving.
Many foods were cooked for the feast - wild turkey, duck,
and venison were probably served, along with fish, pumpkins, squash, corn,
sweet potatoes, and cranberries. Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the
Pilgrims invited all of the Native Americans who had helped them so much during
their first year, including their chief, Massasoit. Everyone had a good day of
thanksgiving. The feast lasted for three days!
This harvest feast in 1621 is often called the "First
Thanksgiving." Over the years, the day we now celebrate as Thanksgiving became
an important tradition in the United States -- a day of giving thanks for all
that we have.
(Sing songs of gratitude. Say a little prayer.)
If You're Thankful and You Know It
Adaptation of traditional songto the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It"
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
Bless the growing of the grain, bless the falling of the rain
Bless the flower and fruit and tree, bless the sun that shines on me!
All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
the Lord God made them all (you can find the tune to this on YouTube)
Thank you for the world, so sweet
Thank you for the birds that sing
Thank you God for everything
Thank you for my family
Thank you God for loving me
For each and every child I pray
And thank you for this special day
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| our nature table downstairs |
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| yes, that is king winter, lurking behind a tree! |
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| the little gnome family I made last year and the little table and chairs dada just made. I LOVE HIM. |
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