Our first day of school was on the late side this year, partly because of our Labor Day vacation, and partly because I just wanted to enjoy the last days of summer. I’ve been steadily planning and gathering resources both for our Waldorf-inspired homeschooling cooperative, and also for Kindergarten with Ella (and Preschool with Everett), and we officially began just before the Fall Equinox.
Our first day of Kindergarten was really sweet, although I have to admit, the first 5 minutes were a total disaster. Everett was crying, Ella was pouting, and I tried to “keep calm and carry on.” After a few songs we got back on track, and by the time I lit the story candle, we were all having a great time. We worked on a craft – a dragon puppet that we used during our simple Michaelmas celebration at school (inspiration from Mamaroots). We made the body with a simple fingerknit strand, and hand-sewed the head and tail from scraps of wool felt. With some assistance cutting the felt and preparing the needle and thread, Ella was able to work on this project fairly independently, leaving me to work on Everett’s beloved dragon.
The circle I will share below is the same one that I am leading with our homeschool cooperative. This year we have a group of 10 children, ages almost-three to six years old. We meet in the home of one of the families, and they have a beautiful, large, Amish built home and farm that is just perfect for our group’s needs. We have circle time and story in the living room, flow into the dining area for hand washing and snack, and then go outdoors for games, activities, and free play.
Last year I received feedback from some of the parents that their children (particularly the 5 year old boys) needed a bit more active energy in the circle, so I’m working to bring in a balance of high energy movement, quiet fingerplays, active songs, and centering verses. My resources are Freya Jaffke’s book Celebrating Festivals with Children, Donna Simmon’s Joyful Movement, and the Enki Kindergarten Curriculum.
September Circle
(themes: spiders, apples, seed pods, Michaelmas)
Opening
Good morning dear Earth, good morning dear Sun
Good morning dear stones, and the plants every one.
Good morning dear animals, and the birds in the trees
Good morning to you, and good morning to me!
Verse
As days grow short, hearts grow bright.
Saint Michael with his sword
Shines out against the night!
Fingerplay
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Song
Way up high in the apple tree
Two little apples smiled at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
and down came the apples
Mmm, they were good!
Verse with movement
Here stands the apple tree, strong and green
Here are the apples that hang between
A strong wind blows and knocks them to the ground
Here is the basket to take them all to town
Active Song (sung to tune of 10 little Indians)
Hop on one foot and then the other (x3)
That’s how we hop together
Step and hop and step and hop now (x3)
Soon we will be skipping
Skip and skip around around the circle (x3)
That’s how we skip together!
Fingerplay
In a milkweed cradle, all snug and warm
Tiny seeds are hiding, safe from harm
Open up your wings now and hold them high
Come Mr. Wind and help them fly
French Circle
One of the member’s of our group is fluent in French, and leads a 5 minute French immersion with greetings (Bonjour, Ella!), songs, and movement.
Story
Our Michaelmas story was very sweet, and was drawn from this incredible resource -a free downloadable eBook, entitled An Overview of the Waldorf Kindergarten.
littlemountainhaven says
I loved this! Sang it to my girls this morning 🙂
homesteadhoney says
Oh great! We just did a new one today that I will post soon.
LuckyRobin says
Totally random comment, but every time I catch a glimpse of your kids’ hair I smile. The curls are so amazing.
homesteadhoney says
They get comments everywhere we go! And usually people ask where they got them. – not from me!
Chris says
oh those faces- pretty sweet! Happy Fall Teri, the dragons are great!
warmly-Chris
homesteadhoney says
Thank you! And thanks for the inspiration!
lindsey @ NW Backyard Veggies says
My tot is in a Co-op preschool and the circle/carpet time is always the highlight of the day – stories, songs and movement. They just immerse themselves in it. It’s thrilling to watch them light up when the big books come out and the music starts! My daughter loves all the finger play, and I can see her eyebrows knitting in concentration as she tries her best to figure it all out!
By the way – your kids are gorgeous. Just saying.
Happy Fall!
homesteadhoney says
Lindsey – thanks for saying hello! Yes – that is exactly the look on the kids’ faces. It’s so sweet!
And thank you for the sweet words about my kids. I think they are pretty cute, of course!
I love your CSS model. Many years back, my husband started a “CSB” – Community Supported Bakery. Eventually he switched over to just selling at a weekly “black market” in our town, but the CSB model was pretty fun! Good luck!
Teri
Vickie says
This sounds so special – almost makes me want to have small children again! Almost. That opening poem is precious. Thanks for sharing!
homesteadhoney says
It is such a precious time. I am really enjoying this age!