Morning Circle Planning Template 2012-2013

Calendar
Blank Calendar to fill in each day
Practice months, days of week, seasons in English & Spanish
Calculate days until holiday, etc.
Weather
Check weather conditions each day
Chart actual high & lows in our town
Readings: One each day
Nature story
Shakespeare
Plutarch
Bible Story
Character Story
Singing
Hymn
Folksong
Spanish language song
Movement
Opening verse
Closing verse
Whole body verse
Hand movement verse
Foot movement verse
PE Core Skills (15 minute exercises, at end of circle)
Recitation/ Memorization
Holy verse
Poem
Oral math
Self Improvement
Character trait, examples
Discuss good manner of the week
Arts: One each day
Artist Study art appreciation, technique
Composer Study biography, music
Poet Study poem reading
Music Study hand bells

October Circle

Rise Up O Flame, by thy light shining, Bring to us beauty, vision, and joy.

There's the firm earth under me, the blue sky over me,
So I stride, so I stand,
And I see you too,
With the blue sky over you, and the firm earth under you.

The leaves be green, the nuts be brown,
They hang so high, they will not come down.

The rain is raining all around, it falls on field and tree.
It rains on the umbrellas here, and on the ships at sea.- Robert Louis Stevenson

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands,
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands,
If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it,
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
(three verses more, with each boy choosing an action)

The fog comes on little cat feet,
It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches
And then moves on.- Carl Sandberg

Uno, dos, tres, cho
Uno, dos, tres, co
Uno, dos, tres, late
Chocolate, chocolate, bate, bate, chocolate!

Spanish vocabulary

I'm gonna shake, shake, shake my sillies out,
I'm gonna shake, shake, shake my sillies out,
I'm gonna shake, shake, shake my sillies out, and wiggle my waggles away.

Reading from "The Story of God"

For the seed of love within us,
For the beauty all around us,
For the strength of truth before us,
Praises sing to God!

Current events (MWF) Spelling (TR)

Old Rogers is dead and is laid in his grave,
Laid in his grave, Laid in his grave;
Old Rogers is dead and is laid in his grave, tarularulalay.
There grew an old apple tree over his head,
Over his head, Over his head;
There grew an old apple tree over his head, tarularulalay.
The apples grew ripe, and they all fell off,
They all fell off, They all fell off;
The apples grew ripe, and they all fell off, tarularulalay.
There came an old woman a-picking them up,
Picking them up, Picking them up;
There came an old woman a-picking them up, tarularulalay.
Old Roger got up and grabbed at her legs,
Grabbed at her legs, grabbed at her legs;
Old Roger got up and grabbed at her legs, tarularulalay.
The old woman she jumped and ran away,
Jumped and ran away, jumped and ran away;
The old woman she jumped and ran away, tarularulalay.

Oral math

Zum gali gali gali, zum gali gali
Zum gali gali gali zum gali gali
Hechalutz lema'an avodah
Avodah lema'an hechalutz
Hechalutz lema'an avodah
Avodah lema'an hechalutz
Zum gali gali gali zum gali gali
Zum gali gali gali zum gali gali
Pioneers all work as one,
Work as one all pioneers.
Pioneers all work as one,
work as one all pioneers.
Zum gali gali gali, zum gali gali
Zum gali gali gali, zum gali gali zum

The Tempest

Handbells

Brave and true, I will be.
Each good deed sets me free,
Each kind word makes me strong,
I will fight for the right,
I will conquer the wrong.

I can turn myself and turn myself, and curl up as I will.
I can stand on tiptoe, reaching, high,
I can hold myself quite still.
I can be as small as a small, small seed,
I can be as tall as a tall tall tree,
I can be as wide as the wide wide world,
I can just be me.

September 2011 Circle

Rise up O Flame, by thy light shining, bring to us beauty, vision, and joy!

There's the firm earth under me, the blue skies over me. So I stride, so I stand, And I see you too
With the blue sky over you, The firm earth under you.

Smile awhile and give your face a rest, stretch awhile, and ease your manly chest,
Reach your fingers to the sky, while you watch them with your eye,
Jump awhile, shake a leg there sir, Now step forward, backward, as you were,
Then reach out to someone near, Shake his hand and smile.

Come with me and dance with me, in the cool of autumn.
All the trees are golden now, all the bells are ringing.
Ring, ring, ring-a, ding, ding, dong, dance and sing together.
Ring, ring, ring-a, ding, ding, dong, in your shoes of leather!)

A birdie with a yellow bill Hopped upon my window sill,
Cocked his shining eye and said: "Ain't you 'shamed, you sleepy-head!"
Time to Rise RL Stevenson

I'm in the mood for singing, hey how about you? I'm in the mood for singing, singing along with you.
Hey, hey, what do you say, I'm in the mood for that today,
Hey, hey, what do you say, I'm in the mood for that.

SPEAK, sir, and be wise.
Speak choosing your words, sir, like an old woman over a bushel of apples.
Basket by Carl Sandburg

De colores, de colores se visten los campos en la primavera.
De colores, de colores son los pajaritos que vienen de afuera.
De colores, de colores es el arcoiris que vemos lucir.
(Painted in colors, the fields are dressed in colors in the spring.
Painted in colors, painted in colors are the little birds which come from outside.
Painted with colors, painted with colors is the rainbow that we see shining brilliantly above.)

Los pescaditos andan en el agua, nadan, nadan, nadan. (swimming fish motions)
Los pajaritos andan en el aire, vuelan, vuelan,vuelan. (flying bird motions)
Son chiquititos, chiquititos. (tiny hand motion)
Vuelan, vuelan, vuelan. (flying again)
Nadan, nadan, nadan. (swimming)

Spanish language vocabulary from above.

I am an acorn, the packet, the seed.
God is within me, and God is the tree.
I am unfolding the way I should be,
Carved in the palm of his hand.

The Story of God

Right hand, left foot, meet in the middle,Left hand, right foot, meet in the middle,
Right arm over left arm, play the fiddle! Left hand, right foot, meet down low,
Right hand, left foot, meet down low, Left arm over right arm, pull the bow!
Reach to the right, reach to the left, Stretch in front, stretch behind,
Look down below, what do you find? Right hand reach out to a friend,
Left hand reach out to a friend, Make a circle without end.
Circle to the left, in a ring, Circle to the right, we will bring,
Our circle to the center, step inside, Then back out again, like the tide,
Our circle to the center step inside, Then back out again, like the tide.

Current events or spelling

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, jack jump over the candlestick.

Oral math

All around the mulberry bush (or cobbler's bench)The monkey chased the weasel;
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun, Pop! goes the weasel.
A penny for a spool of thread, A penny for a needle—
That's the way the money goes , Pop! goes the weasel.
Jimmy's got the whooping cough, And Timmy's got the measles
That's the way the doctor goes Pop! goes the weasel.
Every night when I get home The monkey's on the table,
Take a stick and knock it off , Pop! goes the weasel.[1]

Medieval cd

The Tempest

Hand bells

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

Brave and true I will be, Each good deed sets me free, Each kind word makes me strong, I will fight for the right, I will conquer the wrong.

I can turn myself and turn myself and curl up as I will. I can stand on tiptoe reaching high, I can hold myself quite still. I can be as small as a small seed, I can be as tall as a tall tall tree. I can be as wide as the wide wide world, I can just be me.

September Circle

Rise up O Flame, By thy light shining, Bring to us vision, beauty and joy. (sung, from the floor to rising, slowly)

There's the firm earth under me, The blue sky above me,
Here I stride, Here I stand, And I see you too.
With the blue sky above you, The firm earth under you. (marching in place, arms swinging, then raised high, swinging again. Stand still, arms out to friends, then up to sky, swinging again as we march again.)

I'm in the mood for singing, hey how about you?
I'm in the mood for singing, singing along with you.
Hey, hey, what do you say, I'm in the mood for that today,
Hey, hey, what do you say, I'm in the mood for that.
(singing, clapping, snapping, stomping, smiling, winking, spinning, etc.)

Right hand, left foot, meet in the middle,
Left hand, right foot, meet in the middle,
Right arm over left arm, play the fiddle!
Left hand, right foot, meet down low,
Right hand, left foot, meet down low,
Left arm over right arm, pull the bow!
Reach to the right, reach to the left,
Stretch in front, stretch behind,
Look down below, what do you find?
Right hand reach out to a friend,
Left hand reach out to a friend,
Make a circle without end.
Circle to the left, in a ring,
Circle to the right, we will bring,
Our circle to the center, step inside,
Then back out again, like the tide,
Our circle to the center step inside,
Then back out again, like the tide.

Here is an apple tree with leaves so green, Here are the apples that hang in between.
When the wind blows the apples will fall, Here is a basket to catch them all.

"apple" tossing game (beanbags, toss around the circle while we chant our times tables for Avery or count for Miles)

Come with me and dance with me, in the cool of autumn.
All the trees are golden now, all the bells are ringing.
Ring, ring, ring-a, ding, ding, dong, dance and sing together.
Ring, ring, ring-a, ding, ding, dong, in your shoes of leather! (dancing in a ring, holding hands)

Red and yellow, golden brown, all the leaves come falling down, all the leaves come falling down.
(start fast, then slow down as the children sink to the floor)

footwork (tracing geometric shapes with our feet, first circle, then triangle, square, pentagon, as the month goes on, first a taped line, then no guide, then with a crayon in our toes to draw the shape)

Los pescaditos andan en el agua, nadan, nadan, nadan. (swimming fish motions)
Los pajaritos andan en el aire, vuelan, vuelan, vuelan. (flying bird motions)
Son chiquititos, chiquititos. (tiny hand motion)
Vuelan, vuelan, vuelan. (flying again)
Nadan, nadan, nadan. (swimming)

Come ye Thankful People, come, raise a song of harvest home:
Fruit and crops are gathered in, safe before the storms begin;
God our Maker will provide, for our needs to be supplied;
Come to God's own temple, come, raise a song of harvest home.
All the world is but a field, given for a fruitful yield;
Wheat and tares together sown, here for joy or sorrow grown;
First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear;
God of harvest, grant that we, wholesome grain and pure may be.

Brave and true I will be, Each good deed sets me free.
Each kind word makes me strong, I will fight for the right, I will conquer the wrong.

I can turn myself and turn myself, and curl up as I will.
I can stand on tiptoe, reaching high, I can hold myself quite still.
I can be as small as a small, small seed,
I can be as tall as a tall, tall tree.
I can be as wide as the wide, wide world,
I can just be me.

Late Summer Circle

light the candle...

Rise up O Flame, by thy light shining, bring to us beauty, vision, and joy! (sung as we rise, from curled on the floor to standing, arms stretched up and out, then crossed on chest, then hands over eyes, then stretched back up and out)

There's the firm earth under me, the blue skies over me. So I stride, so I stand, And I see you too
With the blue sky over you, The firm earth under you. (marching in place, hands down, then to the sky. Standing still, hands to eyes then out to our brothers, then up, then marching in place again)

Smile awhile and give your face a rest, stretch awhile, and ease your manly chest,
Reach your fingers to the sky, while you watch them with your eye,
Jump awhile, shake a leg there sir, Now step forward, backward, as you were,
Then reach out to someone near, Shake his hand and smile. (sung cheerfully!)

When I was a young man, a young man, a young man,
When I was a young man a young man was I.
And I walked this way and that way and this way, and that way.
When I was a young man, a young man was I.
(sung several times, as different characters and animals "when I was a rabbit" etc. and always ending with "when I was a student I sat very still, and everyone sitting down in circle)

~Teach us O Lord, To serve as you deserve, To give and not to count the cost, To fight and not to heed the wounds, To toil and not to seek for rest, To labour and not to ask for any reward, Save that of knowing that we do your will~ (prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola)

One potato, two potato, three potato, four. Five potato, six potato, seven potato, more. Eight potato, nine potato, ten potato, hot! (standing, tossing a ball or beanbag to self, then quickly to a friend at hot!)

We're following the leader, the leader, the leader. We're following the leader, wherever he may go. (following the leader, along a rope on the floor, walking different ways- heels, toes, etc.)

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, jack jump over the candlestick. (our rope on the floor turns into a jump rope waving back and forth, and we take turns jumping over it at different heights/speeds)

Dulce, dulce, dulce Mama, dulce, dulce, dulce, Papa, dulce, dulce, dulce Cheeky-cha, cheeky-cha.
(drum-tempo)

Uno, dos, tres, CHO, uno, dos, tres, CO, uno dos, tres, LATE (la-tay), chocolate, chocolate, bate, bate, chocolate! (drum-tempo)

Week 1) Who saw the petals drop from the rose?
I said the spider, but nobody knows.
Who saw the sunset flash on a bird?
I said the fish, but nobody heard.
Week 2) Who saw the fog come over the sea?
I said the sea pigeon, only me.
Who saw the first green light of the sun?
I said the night owl, the only one.
Week 3) Who saw the moss creep over the stone?
I said the grey fox, all alone.
(The Secret Song by Margaret Wise Brown)

The lone wild bird in lofty flight Is still with Thee, nor leaves thy sight.
And I am Thine! I rest in Thee. Holy Spirit come rest in me.
The ends of earth are in Thy hand, The seas dark deep and far off land.
And I am Thine! I rest in Thee. Holy Spirit come rest in me. (sung with simple motions)

Brave and true I will be, Each good deed sets me free, Each kind word makes me strong, I will fight for the right, I will conquer the wrong. (again, marching in place)

I can turn myself and turn myself and curl up as I will. I can stand on tiptoe reaching high, I can hold myself quite still. I can be as small as a small seed, I can be as tall as a tall tall tree. I can be as wide as the wide wide world, I can just be me. (spinning, curl up, stretch up tall, stand still. curl up small, stretch up tall, stretch out wide, stand still arms at sides. We do this regular tempo, fast, faster, faster, regular.)

Blow out the candle.

-Three days a week we do hand bells, and don't blow out the candle til after that.

Every year I try to switch out our closing verse to something else and am faced with anguish and tears. They love this verse. So, it stays. Maybe I'll be saying it as Avery goes off to college.

Week 1: After

Luckily I'm considering these first two weeks our gear-up weeks, or else I would probably be feeling pretty badly about how our week went, school-wise. We were still in summer-mode, mostly, and still working on fruit, still meeting at the park for homeschool playdate, still lazing around. Plus I had two migraines (two! and I've only had ever had migraines when I'm pregnant, which I'm not, so what is that about? threw us all off sides, anyway!). So, there are the excuses, make of them what you will.
Circle is a resounding success. Smart enough for Avery, silly enough for Miles, wholesome enough for me. I think two hymns in a row almost is a little much, but the boys look forward to "Circle Game" as Miles calls it, and even baby Ansel sits in his Bumbo chair in the middle and smiles and coos and laughs.
Stickeen was a good story for oral reading. Short enough to easily finish in a week, exciting and descriptive. We have a good sense of what glaciers are like, and we're suckers for heartwarming stories about dogs. The reading was easy enough that it was fun for Avery, with still the challenge some new words (mostly Alaskan Native words). I had planned on modeling, and making Stickeen figures, but that didn't happen.
Cursive is fine. Well, the amount of time practicing takes right now is good. Shortish sentences for awhile, building up. We've got a copywork/Character lesson book started, with "Honor thy Father and thy Mother." Character Training is going well so far, too. Simple- a story, tied in with the quote or verse for cursive practice that week, talking about the trait, a project.
Grammar is simple and easy with Simply Grammar, but I'm glad I also bought Word Play, though we skipped that this week. Between the two I think there'll be enough variety to be interesting and educational instead of just review. Maybe. I think next year we'll need a more formal, more challenging approach to grammar.
Spelling was simple. I like the system, but the words I chose for him, expecting them to be not-too-hard were way-too-easy. Still, he's never had spelling as a subject before, so I don't want to go too hard. I think we'll do a bunch orally at the beginning of the week, more than 20, so we work through this part of the book at an accelerated pace, without actually skipping anything, until we get 20 challenging words or definitions for the week. The McGuffey Speller is so old fashioned that a lot of the words aren't in common usage any more, so I anticipate a good amount of easy to spell words will end up in the spelling list just because of their novelty, vocabulary-wise.
Latin was barely started. Rather than try to start where we flailed about and stopped last year, I decided to start again fresh this year. I think I'll actually wait til after our vacation, coming up here. I do like Lively Latin, but you do need to work it every day, and we're still a little too summery and every-which-way yet to settle in.
Math Puzzlers. Mathmania is a dud. They're too silly, too babyish. For some reason I always expect Highlights to come through for me, but they always fall short, one way or another. I need to find some good, cheap books of logic puzzles and diagramming puzzles.
Life of Fred is our favorite Math thing so far. So funny and sweet, and it's a clever lesson in English and Math all at once. Short chapters, few questions, lots of humor. He loves it and so do I! He's working through Fractions right now. Actually, this is more read aloud time, because, as it turns out, even though I already know how to deal with fractions, the story is so engaging and sweet we all (even Miles) want to hear what happens next! He finished the first section, but didn't try crossing the bridge yet.
Avery worked on the "twos" for oral math. Review, speed, review, memorize. Over and over.
Calculus by and for Young People is okay. Not so gentle as I thought it would be, it's more of a mouthful than I thought. But good stuff, great to work with on Math Lab day, if we're going to do it together. We worked on the first lesson but didn't finish it- I wasn't anticipating his nerves and didn't set aside enough time to be there with him, paying attention. An older kid or one more comfortable with reading mathematical notation would maybe not be intimidated and have more fun just jumping in, but all those numbers and notations are a little off-putting to Avery right now. I am glad we lucked out and somehow got the actual worktext instead of the CD-Rom set- I have a feeling we'd never get to them if we had to go on the computer and print stuff off.
Man and Animals Main Lesson Block was simple, not muddied with trying to stuff other subjects into the theme. Just pure and calm. I'm really glad I put all that time getting comfortable with the lesson before we started! It would have been a disaster if I weren't comfortable with it. Not one you can fake, I think.
History's great. I really like Joy Hakim's A History of US. Highly recommend it. I imagine we'll use it again, in a few years, when we study US History again. I'll probably buy the middle school lesson books to go with them, then. For fourth grade the reading is not hard, and is interesting and comprehensive enough that I don't feel the need to add in a ton of other historical text reading, so far anyway. We are just sort of skimming along this year. We didn't get to watercolor painting, which I had planned to tie in to the Inuit lesson, but Avery did write a nice paragraph in the US History lesson book, and paste in a map of the Arctic regions.
Science. Dud week. No Nature story, no nature hike, no nature journals. No science lab. Avery did read a lot about cells, and watch a couple short video things online, and do a little activity, we talked about cells. We ran out of time, with screaming babies, before he had a chance to draw a cell in his Anatomy lesson book.
Art. Double dud. We have the Artistic Pursuits Modern Artists book to use this year, but we were so short of time, and he so didn't want to do it, that we just skipped it. He did the first lesson last year, anyway. Does that count? Even Handwork, embroidery, which Avery was asking for everyday this past week, didn't ever quite happen. Ergh!
Form drawing was a success. It was, really for the first time, FUN and not just tolerable for Avery. I didn't belabor a story, but kept that quite simple and open-ended. He took the form along himself, and made lovely work out of it. Pretty cool for a kid who "hates art" right now.
Guitar. A lesson. A few practices, and lots and lots of struggles about practicing. Seems there's always something more pressing, more interesting, more important than practicing. Anybody have any tips about that?
PE. Lots of running and playing, working and climbing around. No lessons yet, no soccer yet. Still summer. Avery did research bicycle safety, and explain some things to me. A Dad in the homeschool community hear was killed last weekend in a mountain biking accident, and while we didn't know him personally we are still touched by the tragedy of the loss for that family, and a little research about bike safety seemed in order.

October Circle

Merrily, merrily greet the morn, cheerily, cheerily sound the horn, hark the echoes, hear them play, o'er the hills and far away.

(light the candle) Rise up o flame, by thy light glowing, bring to us beauty, vision, and joy.

There's the firm earth under me, The blue sky above me, So I stride, So I stand, And I see you too, With the blue sky above you, And the firm earth below you.

I'm in the mood for singing, hey how about you? I'm in the mood for singing, singing along with you. Hey, hey, what do you say? I'm in the mood for that today! Hey, hey, what do you say? I'm in the mood for that! (clapping, stomping, jumping....) -Raffi

The world is full of colour!/ 'Tis Autumn once again/ And leaves of gold and crimson/ Are lying in the lane. (Week 1)
There are brown and yellow acorns/ Berries and scarlet haws/ Amber gorse and heather/ Purple across the moors! (Week 2)
Green apples in the orchard/ Flushed by a glowing sun;/ Mellow pears and brambles/ Where coloured pheasants run! (Week 3)
Yellow, blue and orange,/ Russet, rose and red-/A gaily-coloured pageant-/An Autumn Flower bed. (Week 4)

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness/Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve
Waiting for the harvest and the time of reaping/ We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves/We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows/ Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze
By and by the harvest and the labor ended/ We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves/We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Uncover a pile of bean bag "potatoes" and fill the basket with our "harvest" tossing one by one to each other then into the basket.

Whether the weather be fine, or whether the weather be not,

Whether the weather be cold, or whether the weather be hot,

We'll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not!

Dump a little basket of acorns, chestnuts, walnuts (all previously gathered from the neighborhood) and lets pick them all up with our toes, quick, quick and lively!

Something told the wild geese/ It was time to go./ Though the fields lay golden/ Something whispered "snow"./ Leaves were green and stirring/ Berries, luster-glossed/ But beneath warm feathers/ Something whispered "frost"./ All the sagging orchards/ Steamed with amber spices/ but each wild breast stiffened/ With remembered ice./Something told the wild geese/ It was time to fly-/ Summer sun was on their wings/ Winter in their cry. -Rachel Field

The lone wild bird in lofty flight/Is still with thee nor leaves thy sight
And I am thine, I rest in thee/ Holy spirit come rest in me.
The ends of the earth are in thy hands/ The sea's dark deep and no man's land,
And I am thine, I rest in thee/ Holy spirit come rest in me.

(Jumping over a still jumprope) The sea is calm, the morn is too. We sail today, for world anew.
(Jumping over a fast rope) The sea is wild, our ship is tossed. The skies are dark, all hope is lost!
(Jumping calm) The storm is gone, as is the night. Our ship sails on, Land is in sight!

Tho my sails be torn and tattered and the mast be turned about
Let the night wind chill me to my very soul
Tho the spray might sting my eyes and the stars no light provide
Give me just another morning light to hold.
And I will not lie me down this rain a-raging
I will not lie me down in such a storm
And if this night be unblessed I shall not take my rest
Til I reach another shore.
Tho the only water left is but salt to wound my thirst
I will drink the rain that falls so steady down
And tho night's blindness be my gift and there be thieves upon my drift
I will praise this fog that shelters me along.
And I will not lie me down....
And tho my mates be drained and weary and believe their hopes are lost
There's no need for their bones on that blackened bottom
And tho death waits just off the bow, they shall not answer to him now
He shall stand to face the morning without us. -Rod McDonald

Brave and true I will be, Each good deed sets me free. I will strive for the right, I will conquer the wrong. I will speak only truth, I will stand tall and bold. I will take another's hand, my heart will shine like gold.

I can turn myself and turn myself, and curl up as I will. I can stand on tiptoe, reaching high, I can hold myself quite still. I can be as small as a small, small seed, I can be as tall as a tall, tall tree. I can be as wide as the wide, wide world, I can just be me!

September Circle

Merrily, merrily greet the morn, Cheerily, cheerily sound the horn! Hark the echoes, hear them play, over the hills and far away.

(Light the candle.) Rise up o flame, by thy light glowing, bring to us beauty, vision and joy.

There's the firm earth under me, the blue sky above me, so I stride, so I stand, and I see you too, with the blue sky above you, and the firm earth under you.

Smile awhile and give your face a rest (smile), stretch awhile and ease your manly chest (arms out-stretched), reach your hands up to the sky (reach up), while you watch them with your eyes (look up), jump awhile, shake a leg there sir, (jump around), now step forward, backward, as you were, then reach out to someone near (hold hands with your neighbor), shake his hand, and smile!

I have a fawn from Aden's land, On leafy buds and berries nurst; And you shall feed him from your hand, Though he may start with fear at first. And I will lead you where he lies For shelter in the noontide heat; And you may touch his sleeping eyes, And feel his little silv'ry feet.-Thomas Moore

Can you soar like an eagle, flying through the sky, the sky, can you soar through the sky?
Are you silent like a salmon, swimming to the sea, the sea, can you swim to the sea?
Can you walk like a bison, heavy on the earth, the earth, can you walk like a bison?

(Rod jumping game- lay out two rods, close together, and gradually farther and farther apart, and have the kids jump over, farther and farther, one foot, the other, etc. Don't jump in the river! Finish by moving them fairly close together, and everyone sitting between them, canoe-style)

My paddle's keen and bright, flashing with silver, follow the wild goose flight, dip, dip, and swing. Dip, dip, and bring her back, flashing with silver, swift as a wild goose flight, dip, dip, and swing. Dip, dip, and swing.

All things bright and beautiful, All creature, great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. (Week 1)
Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings. (Week 2)
The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water We gather everyday- (Week 3)
He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things so well! (Week 4)-Cecil Frances Alexander

The world stands out on either side, No wider than the heart is wide. Above the world is stretched the sky, no higher than the soul is high. The heart can push the sea and land, So far away on either hand; The soul can split the sky in two, And let the face of God shine through.- Edna St. Vincent Millay

(put aside the rods) Right hand, left foot, meet in the middle, Left hand, right foot, meet in the middle. Right hand, left foot, meet down low, Left hand, right foot meet down low. Right arm over left arm, play the fiddle, Left arm over right arm, pull the bow. Reach to the right, stretch to the left, reach in front, stretch behind. Look down below, what do you find? (the kids always like shouting out the first thing they see!) Right hand reach out to a friend, left hand reach out to friend, form a circle without end. Moving to the right, in a ring, moving to the left, we will bring, our circle to the center, in a ring, then back out again, like the tide. Our circle to the center, in a ring, then back out again, like the tide.

For the beauty of the earth, For the beauty of the skies, For the love which from our birth, Over and around us lies, Lord of all, to thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the beauty of each hour, Of the day and of the night, Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light, Lord of all, to thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise.
For the joy of human love, Brother, sister, parent, child, Friends on earth and friends above, For all gentle thoughts and mild, Lord of all, to thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise.
For each perfect gift of thine, To our race so freely given, Graces, human and divine, Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n, Lord of all, to thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise. -Conrad Kocher

I can turn myself, and turn myself, and curl up as I will. I can stand on tiptoe, reaching high, I can hold myself quite still. I can be as small as a small, small seed, I can be as tall as a tall, tall tree. I can be as wide as the wide, wide world, I can just be me.

italics=songs to be sung

Late Autumn Circle

Late Autumn Circle 2008

Rise up O flame, by thy light shining, Bring to us beauty, vision and joy.

There's the firm earth under me, The blue sky over me,
So I stride, So I stand, And I see You too,
With the blue sky above you And the firm earth under you.

I’m in the mood for singing, hey how about you?
I’m in the mood for singing, singing along with you.
Hey, hey, what do you say? I’m in the mood for that today.
Hey, hey, what do you say? I’m in the mood for that!
Clapping, whistling, stomping, learning, smiling, singing

Right hand, left foot, meet in the middle,
Left hand, right foot, meet in the middle,
Right arm over left arm, play the fiddle.
Left hand, right foot, meet down low,
Right hand, left foot meet down low,
Left arm over right arm, pull the bow.
Reach to the right, reach to the left,
Stretch in front, stretch behind,
Look down below, what do you find?
Right hand reach out to a friend,
Left hand reach out to a friend,
Make a circle without end.
Moving to the right, in a ring,
Moving to the left, we will bring,
Our circle to the center, move inside,
Then back out again, like the tide.

A diamond or a coal?
A diamond if you please:
Who cares about a clumsy coal
Beneath the summer trees?
A diamond or a coal?
A coal, sir, if you please:
One comes to care about the coal
What time the waters freeze.

The gift of light we thankfully take
But nothing may be just alone for our sake.
The more we give light one to another
It shines and spreads love, still growing further;
Til every spark is set aflame,
And from every heart Joy proclaim.

Come Ye Thankful People, come, raise a song of harvest home:
Fruit and crops are gathered in, safe before the storms begin;
God, our Maker will provide for our needs to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come, raise a song of harvest home.
All the world is but a field, given for a fruitful yield;
Wheat and tares together sown, Here for joy or sorrow grown;
First the blade, and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear;
God of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.

Brave and true I will be, each good deed sets me free.
I will fight for the right, I will conquer the wrong.

Summer 2008 Circle

Our Circle verses this summer:

Morning is come, night is away, rise with the sun and welcome the day. (The children start out lying on the floor in a ring and slowly awaken and rise with the song)

There's the firm earth under me,
The blue sky over me,
So I stride,
So I stand,
And I see You too,
With the blue sky above you
And the firm earth under you.

Be you to others kind and true, and always unto others do, as you'd have others do to you. (Sung all together then in a round- challenging and fun for 8 yos.)

Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather,
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not!
(which just cracks everyone up and they say it over and over)

Pioneers all work as one as one- work as one all pioneers
Pioneers all work as one- work as one all pioneers
Pioneers all work as one- work as one all pioneers
Peace shall be for all the world- all the world shall be for peace
From the dawn til setting sun- everyone finds work to be done
From the dawn til night does come- there's a task for everyone
Pioneers all work hard on the land- men and women hand in hand
As they labor all day long- they lift their voices in song
Let us work, my friends as one
Let us work til the task is done
(This is an old Israeli song "Zum Gali Gali", but we're just doing the English translation, sung as a call and response type, each child leading a different verse- lovely!)

Stillness soars as a mountain peak, seeking greatness in eagle's beak, striving lifting, reaching, climbing, gentle reason in numbers finding (They're hand in hand from "Pioneers" and join in a circle, crouch down then rise, then split into a line, marching. One child starts quietly counting the steps "1, 2, 3, 4....", the next child chimes in on the 2's, and the third child chants the 4's. In Time. We're challenged by this, but working on it! I got this from Miss Marsha's resources at waldorf home educators)

The coach is at the door at last;
The eager children mounting fast
And kissing hands in chorus sing:
Goodbye, goodbye, to everything!
To house and garden, field and lawn,
To meadow gates we swung upon,
To pump and stable, tree and swing,
Goodbye, goodbye to everything!
And fare you well for evermore,
O ladder at the hayloft door,
O hayloft where the cobwebs cling,
Goodbye, goodbye to everything!
Crack goes the whip, and off we go;
The trees and houses smaller grow;
Last, round the woody turn we sing:
Goodbye, goodbye to everything!
(Farewell To The Farm by Robert Louis Stevenson)

I can turn myself and turn myself and curl up as I will,
I can stand on tiptoe, reaching high,
I can hold myself quite still.
I can be as small as a small, small seed,
I can be as tall as a tall, tall tree!
I can be as wide as the wide, wide world,
I can just be ME!
(I wasn't going to include this one, we used it last year, and ABCD has used it since preschool, but the children begged and begged and so I included it)

Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh, shadows of the evening steal across the sky.
Father give the weary calm and sweet repose, with thy tend'rest blessing may our eyelids close.
(Sung softer and softer, as the children fall asleep, curling down to the ground.)

This circle will start each day, and also start the show we're planning for the last day of camp, at the end of August.