Friday was our homeschool coop’s final meeting for the school year. It has been such a wonderful experience for the adults, as well as for the children. There is so much I want to say about how we structure our group, how our school-creating process is evolving, and what we’re visioning for the coming year, but I will get to each of those topics in turn. Today I would like to share the Circle that we have used this spring, and this week I will share our end of year ceremony.
Each Friday morning, I led the ten children in song, movement, and verse for about 30 minutes. I gather my songs from the following sources: the wonderful CD “Come Follow Me,” various Waldorf curricula such as Donna Simmon’s Kindergarten With Your Three to Six Year Old, and the Enki Kindergarten package, the Wynstones series, and of course, from many, many generous bloggers who share their own circles online. I have tried to give credit for each song/verse as best as I am able, but many have been passed on to me orally, and I do not know their original source.
If you have Circles of your own that you would like to share, I would love to learn from them!
Opening Song:
Good morning dear Earth (pat ground)
Good morning dear Sun (arms up)
Good morning dear Stones, and the plants every one. (fists walk for stones, plants grow)
Good morning dear animals, and the birds in the trees. (stroke “fur”, flutter hands)
Good morning to you, and good morning to me! (extend hands out, then to heart)
In the Springtime
In the springtime, little bunnies go hop hop (use two fingers to indicate hopping)
In the sunshine, little birdies go chirp chirp (sun arms, then birdie fingers)
Daisies talk to daffodils (make hands talk to each other)
Little children run up hills (run fingers up child’s body to head)
And roll down (roll arms and body down)
Sprout our Roots (“Flowers Growing” by Jean Warren) sung to melody of “Here we go round the mulberry bush”
This is the way we sprout our roots, (reach one limb at a time out, slowly)
Sprout our roots, sprout our roots.
This is the way we sprout our roots,
When spring time is here.
This is the way we stretch and grow. [etc] (reach each arm up to the sky)
This is the way we open our buds. [etc] (curl and unfurl)
This is the way we bend in the breeze. [etc] (sway back and forth with upper body)
This is the way we smile at the sun. [etc] -) (lean face up to the sun and smile)
Tirra-lirra-lirra (Traditional German)
Tirra-lirra-lirra in the spring. (skip in a circle, clockwise)
Orioles and robins sweetly sing
From the leafy branches we can hear (skip in a circle counterclockwise)
Tirra-lirra-lirra ringing clear!
I Know a Little Pussy (P. Patterson)
I know a little pussy, her coat is furry grey. (have kids mime cat movements)
She lives down in a meadow, not very far away.
She’ll always be a pussy, she’ll never be a cat.
She is a pussy willow, now what do you think of that?
Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow SCAT! (Lower body on each meow, and then jump up and out on scat!)
Dig and Hoe (Unknown)
We dig and we hoe (gesture digging with a shovel or trowel and swinging a hoe)
We dig and we hoe
To help our little gardens grow! (sub out the word gardens for different flowers)
Grow, grow, grow gardens! (start low and grow taller, end with a big jump!)
Pony Song (Unknown)
The little grey ponies they play in the barn (parents make a corral with their joined hands, and ponies play in the circle)
They play in the barn, they play in the barn
The little grey ponies they play in the barn
They come to the barn to play
The little grey ponies jump over the fence (parents lower their hands/arms so ponies can jump over the fence and gallop outside of the circle)
Jump over the fence, jump over the fence
The little grey ponies jump over the fence
They gallop they gallop away
The little grey ponies come back to the barn (ponies come back to the circle, jumping over parents arms)
Come back to the barn, come back to the barn
The little grey ponies come back to the barn
They’re hungry, so hungry for hay (parents make feeding troughs with their cupped hands and ponies eat. Then ponies take a nap until the rooster crows, then start again!)
Oats and Beans and Barley (Circle game from Christopherus’ Joyful Movement)
Oats and beans and barley grow. (join hands in a circle, walk around)
Oats and beans and barley grow,
You or I or anyone know how oats and beans and barley grow.
(One child moves to center to be the farmer)
First the farmer plants the seeds, (open arms as if scattering seeds)
Stands up tall and takes his ease, (fold arms and stick out one heel)
Stamps his feet and claps his hands, (stomp feet, clap hands)
And turns around to view his lands. (turn in a circle)
(Repeat chorus)
Closing Verse:
There’s a heart in my hands (hands together)
I hold it very near (bring to chest)
I share it with my family, and all my friends right here (gesture open)
Today our hands were busy (hands turn over)
Tonight we all shall rest (hands to face, as in sleep)
And every day I strive (one hand up, other hand across body)
To do our very best (slowly lower raised hand)
Closing Song (Mary had a little lamb tune):
Now it’s time to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye
Now it’s time to say goodbye,
Circle time is over.
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