Valley Mama

Co-op Day: Gratitude...A Thanksgiving Story and Craft

Since this week is Thanksgiving, our co-op day was centered around gratitude.  It was nice to get our little ones thinking about all they are thankful for in their lives. 

This is what we did...

As usual, more information on our Waldorf-inspired home-school co-op can be found here.

Our bread today was our basic Valley Mama Bread, made in 100% whole wheat.  Today, we talked about the gifts of the harvest, and made "harvest bread".  With the help of the children we shaped a braid and decorated it with wheat and a couple of little mice.  The children also made some of their own shapes with the leftover dough.  As we kneaded and shaped we talked about some things we're thankful for, and tried to shape them out of our dough. 

Dough ready to rise, we headed to the big rug for circle time!  The hit of circle time today was Oats and Beans.  To do this we stood in a circle holding hands and sang the lyrics to the traditional children's song.  During the first verse we walked in a circle, and during the second verse, someone (or several someones) jumped into the middle to be the farmer and act out the lyrics:

"Oats and beans and barley grow, oats and beans and barley grow.  Do you or I or anyone know how oats and beans and barley grow?"

"First the farmer sows his (her) seed, then he stands to take his ease, stamps his feet and claps his hands and turns around to view the lands."

We continued until everyone who wanted to be the farmer got a chance.

We ended circle time with a story about a little gnome who learns the change in perspective gratitude can bring. I wanted a story that would introduce our craft (making colorful corn necklaces), with a focus on gratitude.  I call it, The Gratitude Necklace, and it's sort of a Waldorf-style Thanksgiving Tale.  Click on the link to read the story.  

Our story led right into our craft, making gratitude necklaces.  Here's how we did it:

Gratitude Necklaces

The day before our group met I soaked some dried corn kernels so they would be soft enough to put a needle through.  I used dried blue and yellow (posole) corn from the bulk bins at the co-op, and an ear of red Indian corn I already had.

The morning of our group day I drained the corn and put it in the warming oven of our wood stove to dry out a bit.  If the kernels are too wet they are a little tricky to handle.

After our story, all the children found a place around the table and we handed out supplies.  Each child choose a color of embroidery floss and some kernels of corn.  The parents helped with cutting the floss the right length, tying a knot at one end and threading a needle on.  We demonstrated how to poke the needle through the kernel of corn and slide in down the thread.  They were encouraged to think of something they were grateful for with each kernel they added to their thread, just like in the story.  

 

When the children were done threading their corn, we helped them tie the ends to make a necklace. 

Necklace made, everyone put on snow-gear and went outside to enjoy this amazing amount of snow we have right now!  The little ones had a blast, including some fun times on the swing and experiments with shoveling snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we came in for our snack of apples, pears and harvest bread, clean-up time, and closing circle...

 

...And one more story time with Jen!

Making Stone Soup

This week we celebrated our annual Stone Soup Day with our home school co-op.  This is becoming a much-loved tradition with our group of little ones and parents.  We always do Stone Soup in November, shortly before Thanksgiving.  It is such a wonderful story to hear as we contemplate gratitude for the gifts of our food and generosity in sharing with others.  There are many different versions of the story, and probably as many ways to "do" Stone Soup with a group.  I have a very simple version that I tell from memory, and as I tell the story the children tell it with me and we act it out together.  This is how our Stone Soup Day went this year...

Thanks to Mandy for some of the photos!

Everyone was asked in advance to bring something to contribute to the soup...veggies (washed, but not prepped), grains and beans (cooked), pasta, etc.   

As usual, I had bread dough ready for little hands to knead and shape as everyone arrived.  It's a wonderful, calming way to enter into the social situation for the little ones, and bread goes great with soup!  More on the bread in my next post, when I share my go-to bread recipe.  

Once our bread was shaped and placed on pans to rise, we began circle time.  Besides our usual verses, the candle verse/finger play we did this week was a huge hit...

Ten tall candles stand in a row (hold up ten fingers), burn so bright till the wind starts to blow, then (blow) goes the wind, and out one will go!  (Ask the children how many are left now.)  Nine tall candles stand in a row, burn so bright till Jonah starts to blow, then (Jonah blows) Jonah goes, and out one will go!  Repeat in this fashion, using a different child's name each time until there are no more candles.

At the end of circle time I explained that they were going to help tell the story today, and that it was Stone Soup Day.  They were asked to get the items they brought to contribute to the soup and have a seat around the circle table. 

 Then we began the story.  It went something like this (though I never tell it exactly the same)...

"Once upon a time there was a traveler journeying across the countryside.  His clothes were worn, he carried a heavy pack, and as he had been traveling for a long time, he was very tired and very hungry.  He was also rather upbeat and optimistic by nature, and he believed he would find a place to get some nourishment soon.  At last he came upon a little village on the edge of a wood, where he hoped he might find a bite to eat and a place to rest a while.  (I walk around while telling this part, acting the part of a tired and hungry traveler.)

The traveler walked up to the first house he saw, and knocked on the door.  (I choose a child and walk up to them, pretending to knock on their door.)  The door opened a little, and a woman looked out, a little warily.  "Good day Ma'm, would you happen to have a little food to spare for a tired traveler such as myself?"  (The child usually giggles and says "no".)  "No, I hardly have anything to feed myself, and nothing to spare," says the woman.  The traveler was disappointed, but was not about to give up, so he decided to try the next house.  (I choose another child to walk up to.)  He went up to the house, knocked on the door and a little old man peeked out.  "Kind Sir, I am a traveler on a long journey, and I am quite hungry and in need of some food.  Do you have anything to spare?"  (This child also says "no", and smiles because he's in on the secret.)  You see, the villagers were rather poor themselves, and felt like they had nothing to share, and besides, they were not very trusting of strangers.

The traveler, however, had an idea for how to get a meal for himself and the whole village.  He walked out into the center of the village and said, "This sure is a fine day for a nice hot pot of stone soup.  Yes indeed, some stone soup would hit the spot today.  Luckily I have my trusty soup kettle with me!  Yes sir, I'll just build a little fire right here, get some water from the well, and with my trusty soup kettle we'll be eating delicious stone soup in no time!"  (As I'm talking I'm acting it out.  I pretend to make a fire with some branch blocks and an orange play silk, and set my pot, already filled with water, on top.)  Now, the villagers were very interested in this stone soup...whoever heard of such a thing, soup from a stone!  They did not yet come out of there houses, but they stood at their doors and peeked out of their windows, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Now", says the traveler, "I just need to find the perfect soup stone..."  (I walk around pretending to look for the perfect stone.  I hold and taste a few, before deciding on one, which happens to be the one I've already cleaned for use.)  "Ah, here we have it, the perfect soup stone!"  "Now, I'll just put this stone in the pot and we'll have stone soup in to time."  (I put the stone in the big pot of water and begin stirring.  After a while I pretend to taste the soup from the big wooden spoon.)  "Ah yes, this is already wonderful!  Just the thing for a day like this!  It is great, but it sure would be better with some carrots.  Yes sir, I wish I had a couple of carrots."  (The children are usually on the edge of their seats, ready to bring what they have to add to the soup, and the ones with carrots come forward right away).  Then, curiosity overcame one of the villagers who was listening at his door, and, he opened his door and said, "Why, I have a couple of carrots, I'll bring them!"  (The children with the carrots happily add them to the big soup pot.  It is OK if they are not cut up, we'll get to that later.  Then I pretend to taste the soup again.)  "Mmm, that is even better!  The only thing that would make this soup better is just a little potatoes.  Yes, potatoes sure would be fine in a soup like this!"  (The children with potatoes come and add them to the pot.  We continue in this fashion until everyone's item has been included.)

This year we had: carrots, parsnips, turnips, kale, pasta, quinoa, seasonings, zucchini, pumpkin, local beef, lentils, and probably something else I'm leaving out.  The children all gather around as the ingredients are placed in the pot.

Time to conclude the story:

At this point, a delicious aroma was coming from the soup pot, and the villagers were amazed that such a soup could have come from a stone.  They ate, and ate, and ate until they were full, and they even had some to take home besides.  The traveler gave the villagers the perfect soup stone, to use in their next batch of stone soup, and he went on his way, good  food in his belly and a happy smile on his face.  The end.

Next, we gather around the table to prep anything that needs it.  This year we took out the carrots, parsnips and turnips for peeling and slicing.  They loved using the peelers and the chopper to get the veggies ready to cook!  They also took the kale leaves off the stems and tore them into pieces.  Then everything went back in the pot and I took it into the kitchen to cook.  I added a little more seasoning, some onion and garlic powder and a few veggies bouillon cubes as well.  The bread went into the oven to bake at the same time.

    

 Then it was playtime for the little ones while the soup cooked.  Most played outside, some played inside.  As soon as the meal was ready, we called everyone in for a delicious lunch of stone soup and bread.

After our meal it was time for closing circle and saying goodbye.  Another super fun Stone Soup celebration! 

Martinmas...and a Lantern Tutorial!

While we are eclectic in our approach to homeschooling, we are very influenced by the Waldorf tradition.  One of the many aspects of Waldorf that resonates with us is the celebration of festivals.  I love celebrating festivals with children.  They root us and connect us to something bigger than ourselves and bring a little joy and magic to the rhythm of our year.  Martinmas is one of the festivals celebrated by Waldorf schools that I completely love.    

For us, this festival is about light and warmth, and how we can find and create those things within us, even as the days are getting shorter and the icy-cold of winter is upon us.  It is about honoring and bringing out the light within us, and sharing that light with others.  It comes at a time of year when we are really beginning to feel the dimming of the sun and the shortness of the daylight hours, and when we are preparing ourselves and our homes for the winter ahead.  

We spend a lot of time working on our lanterns.  (See below for how we made our lanterns this year).  We light candles in our homemade lanterns.  We warm up by the fire in the wood stove.  We sit in the darkness with our candles and appreciate the fire and the warmth that it brings.

We tell stories.  Lots of stories.  Nature stories of the season, of light and dark, fairy tales with characters who let their light shine, even in the darkest times, and of course, the story of Saint Martin, who shared his cloak.  

We make warming, yummy food and share it with friends.  We gather food to take to our local food bank.  

Since we discovered Martinmas, we've celebrated as a family, and it's been wonderful.  This year, we decided to invite our co-op friends over for a special dinner and a lantern walk.  Everyone was invited to make lanterns on their own and bring them, along with a dish to share.   

As everyone arrived they placed their lanterns on the wood stove (which was not burning, by the way).  Martinmas is a new festival to most of our friends, so we began the evening with a candlelight story of St Martin, and an introduction into why we were celebrating that night.  (The Seasons of Joy Martinmas Festival book was very helpful with lots of great ideas for stories, verses, crafts and more.)  Then we sang our blessing verse and had an amazing dinner (our community is great at potluck).  After dinner everyone put their coats on, got their lanterns and found a place in the living room.  I told the story The Lantern Prince (a wonderful story from our friends at Sparkle Stories), and we lit our lanterns at the end of the story.

We walked into the night, all the children holding their lanterns and singing songs.  We sang This Little Light of Mine, and one I learned a couple of years ago:

"My lantern, my lantern, shining near and far.  Shining like the moon, shining like the sun, shining like a silver star." 

I remember looking back at this flowing line of little lights as these little people walked into the dark of night.  It was a magical sight.  I was not able to photograph the walk, as my hands were a little full, but it was beautiful.  

After the lantern walk we went back inside for some hot apple cider and dessert...and more time to play, of course.  

When we said goodbye to the last of our friends, Aaron and I got two tired kiddos ready for bed.  Mason wanted to light our lanterns and walk upstairs with them, so we did, and so the magic continued.  We placed them on the beam of our loft railing for story-time.

It was a wonderful ending to a beautiful night.  

Sometimes the day after we host an event is tiring...sluggish, perhaps with lots of cleaning, or decompressing.  Not so on the day following our Martinmas celebration.  The house seemed to hold a peaceful, grounding energy from the festival, and we all had a calm, lovely day.  

The magic of the lanterns continues throughout the year, especially the winter season.  They remain on display, waiting for little hands to take them down and play.  

We make new lanterns every year, and Mason insists that everyone in the family have one.  Last year, we made these wonderful lanterns from some of our watercolor paintings.  They are still used and much-loved. I used this tutorial from Frontier Dreams.

This year we decided to make punched tin lanterns from cans from the recycling bins.  We had a lot of fun making them, and they turned out great.  

Punched Tin-Can Lantern Tutorial

First, we peeled off the labels and washed the cans well.  Then Mason filled them with water and put them in the freezer.  (This helps with the punching part later.)

The next day we took them out and set them on towels on a table.  We each used a nail and hammer to punch holes in the designs of our choice.  We kept our designs in the center part of the can, since we planned to cover the top and bottom with fabric.  I made a spiral and a star, Mason made a candle and a flame and Aaron made a big smiling sun.  (Of course, we made one for River, even though she would have loved to get her hands on that hammer...)  

Once our designs were punched, we removed the ice and dried the cans.  

Next, we painted the middle part of the cans in warm colors of fire and light, and rolled them in gold glitter.  If you do this step, you will have glitter everywhere, for always.  

Once the paint dried, we cut fabric strips and used Mod Podge to apply them to the tops and bottoms of the cans.  This is where I started taking photos... 

Then the whole can got a nice coating of Mod Podge, mainly so our hands would not be covered in glitter any time we touched the lanterns.  We used tooth picks to clear the glue from the holes of our designs.  

Aaron fashioned handles out of coat hanger wire, and after drying, our lanterns were done!

The little ones have had a blast with them.

Happy Martinmas!

Co-op Day: Carrots!

After the carrot harvest this past weekend, it seemed like a great time to celebrate carrots and how much we love them with our co-op group today.

This is what we did...

(For more info on how we structure our preschool/kindy co-op days, check out this post.) 

As everyone arrived we began kneading and shaping our bread dough for snack.  This week's bread was, of course, carrot bread!  I just used my basic bread recipe (which I will post soon), and for part of the liquid used carrots juiced in the Vitamix.  I also grated some carrots for the kids to knead into the dough.  They got right to work pulling balls of dough and shaping them...mostly into carrots!

Baking bread is such a wonderfully calming activity for the little ones, incorporating all their senses into the work at hand.  

Here are some of our finished shapes ready to rise on the pan!

We also washed our carrots for snack.  I set up a big bowl of water, a basket of carrots, a scrub brush and a place to put the clean carrots.  A couple of the kids really got into this.

Snack prepped and bread rising, we had circle time, ending with one of my favorite stories for this time of year, the Story of Hugin and his Carrot.  I found it here, and I'm so thankful they shared it!  It's very similar to The Turnip, only it's about a little boy named Hugin, some forest animals, and involves a little root gnome.  Maybe next year I'll make some little felt animals to act it out.  The props I used today were a carrot and a little root gnome figure.

Then the little ones played while we got our project ready.

This little one is a born story teller, and one of his favorites is the Three Billy Goats Gruff, which he plays every week!

A beautiful day for a swing!

Our project this week was making little wooden gnomes figures with acorn caps.  One parent had some wooden figures, and one had the acorn caps, so it seemed like a great idea!  And no, we do not have oaks here, and so, sadly, no acorns either, but Melissa had a family member mail her some.  :)

I thought of several possibilties for coloring the figures, and eventually settled on beeswax crayons, for the warming, tactile nature of the process.  I heated the wooden peg people in the oven while each child came in, found a seat and choose a crayone.  When you heat the wood first, the beeswax melts just a little, allowing it to be spread and rubbed in with the hands.  (You can also heat them after applying the wax, and then rub it into the wood.  Careful not to get anything too hot for little hands!  

Once colored, we glued the little acorn caps on, and let them dry.

Then we set the table and enjoyed our bread and carrots!  

Somehow the baby ended up with the biggest carrot...

But they were definitely enjoyed by all!

There was a little surprise at snack time today...Jen brought cupcakes to celebrate Cohen's first birthday!  The kids were thrilled.  We lit a candle and sang this song, inspired by the classic Montessori birthday celebration, while Jen walked Cohen around the candle:

"The earth goes round the sun, the earth goes round the sun, the earth goes round the sun and now Cohen is one!"

Then, of course, came the cupcakes and Happy Birthday Song.  

Happy Birthday, Cohen!

Then it was time for clean-up and good-bye circle.

Our gnomes were dry and ready to take home, perfect for adding to the nature table, and of course, playing with!

And that's how we had fun with carrots today!  

Putting up Carrots

I have a confession.  I have not exactly been on top of putting up food this fall.  I think that after a busy CSA season, I just needed a break.  (If you don't know about our CSA venture, you can visit the blog here, although it has not been updated in a while.)  Which means, we still have carrots, beets, cabbages and onions in the garden, and they probably should have been put up in storage about a month ago.  Luckily, they are all (mostly) fine.  However, the nights are getting cold here in the San Luis Valley, with lows regularly in the teens, and so is the ground, which means everything needs to be harvested and put up now.  

First up, carrots.  We love carrots.  Love them.  And having our own sweet, crunchy carrots from the garden all winter long...well, that's certainly worth the work to store them.   

Aaron dug up the carrots in chunks of soil (entangled with a few wild sunflower roots) and I went through and pulled the carrots loosed.  Then they went in a crate, to be taken out of the crate again by River.  Mason kept us safe from giant sunflower stalks.

Once the carrots were harvested we took them to the back yard to prep them and pack them for storage in the root cellar.  We trimmed the tops and separated them into three piles: storage, broken ones to go in the fridge, and little baby ones for the little ones to snack on.

Once we had a crate full of carrots to store, Mason began the process of putting alternating layers of sawdust and carrots in a big metal trash can.  He loved this process.

Our crazy goat Buttercup jumped the fence and wandered in to see if she could get her teeth on some yummy carrots.  Mason defended his carrots.

Crazy goat.

Of course, River did her part to help out, mostly by snatching and taking bites out of as many carrots as possible.  

At the end of the day, we had a trash can full of carrots tucked away for the winter, and fridge full as well.  Next up, bring on the beets!

 

Squirrels, Nuts and...Boats? A typical Home-school Co-op Day

For the last couple of years I've worked with some other parents to form a preschool group for our little ones.  We meet once a week to give the kiddos time to play and learn together.  Some of the kids will go on to public school next year, and some will learn at home, but for now, we're all still together.  The age group is mostly 3-5 years, with several younger siblings as well.  

I thought I would share what a typical co-op day looks like, for anyone who may be interested.  

This week we had so much fun exploring and playing with nuts!

Here is what we did this week:

Arrival Activity

As everyone arrived we got busy kneading and shaping our bread for snack...this week I used one of my basic go-to bread recipes, and put out a plate of chopped nuts for the children to knead and fold into the bread.  As the children arrive they go and wash their hands in the bathroom, then come to the table to work on the bread.  I attempted to shape a couple of pieces into squirrels...one child made a leaf...this week we just made whatever shapes we felt like.  When we're done with the bread, it goes to the kitchen for a final rise and we clean up the table. 

We almost always bake bread for snack.  The kids love participating in kneading and shaping the dough, and really enjoy eating something they've helped to make.  I usually have some dough made and ready for the children to shape as soon as they arrive.   Having an activity to keep them busy while they wait for everyone to arrive is extremely helpful.  It allows them to settle into the group setting in a calm, constructive way, and sets the tone for the rest of morning.  

Circle Time

Next I call everyone together for circle time.  I find that the best way  to do this is by singing a little song that brings everyone together, instead of just telling them to come to circle time now.  I use this one (sorry...I can't remember where I found the rhyme, and I just made up a tune)...

"Come along with me, we're walking, walking in our circle, come along with me, it's circle time again.  Come along with me, we'll dance and sing together, come along with me, it's circle time my friend."  

I begin walking into our circle time area (the living room) while singing, and the children join in and sing along.  We do various things during circle time, with some predictable rhymes and songs they know, and some new ones (usually related to a theme for the week).  I try to include movement, music and fingerplay each week.  As a part of circle time we usually have a couple of stories...one from a book and one that I tell from memory.       

Here's what this week looked like:

Come along with me

Opening verse, which we do every time:  

"The earth is firm beneath my feet,                                                                                                      The sun shines bright above,                                                                                                                And here I stand so straight and strong,                                                                                              All things to know and love."

Next, we talked a little about squirrels, and how we were going to pretend to be squirrels today.

"Whisky Frisky, hippety hop, up he goes, to the tree top.  Whirly twirly, round and round.  Down he scampers to the ground.  Furly curly, oh what a tail, soft as a feather, can curl like a snail.  Where is supper?  Look in the shell, snip, snip and crackle, and out the nut fell."

Next, we sang these words to the tune of She'll be Coming Around the Mountain.

I'll be gathering all the acorns till they're gone...

And I'll put them all inside my little home...

And I'll eat the nuts until the winter's gone...

Then I'll do it all again come next fall.

And then this rhyme, which we acted out with our hands:

5 little squirrels with acorns to store, 1 went to sleep and then 4.  4 little squirrels hunting nuts in a tree, 1 fell down and then there were 3.  3 little squirrels wondering what to do, 1 fell down and then there were 2.  2 little squirrels tossing acorns for fun, 1 got tired and then there was 1.  1 little squirrel playing in the sun, he ran away and then there were none.

Next, we read the book A Friend for All Seasons, by Julia Hubery:

Then I told a simple story about a little boy who helps a squirrel gather acorns in the fall.  It was similar to this one at Domestically blissed.

I finished circle time with an intro into our next activity.  I brought out a basket of autumn leaves and nuts (in shell) and we talked about how the nuts are hidden in the leaves, and hard to see.  We looked at each nut, and identified it...almond, walnut, hazelnut, pecan, etc.  They look quite a bit different in they're shells!  Then they were told that they're were nuts just like these scattered all over the back yard, and they were to be little squirrels and find all the nuts they could and put them in a basket.  For fun, they were each given a magnifying glass to use on the search.

Activity

This week we did the Great Nut Scavenger Hunt.   Between holding the baby and enjoying the process, I did not get a photo of this, which is too bad, because it was awesome.  The kids had a blast searching for nuts all over the yard.  (I'll be finding nuts out there for years.)  

When we filled our baskets, we brought the nuts inside and examined them with our magnifying glasses.  (I put our bread in the oven about this time.)  Then I brought out various kinds of nutcrackers, and the kids tried cracking nuts...and eating nuts!  They had a lot of fun with this.  One little boy kept telling me about his favorite nuts, and then he said, "I found a new kind of nut, a yuck nut!"  He was talking about a Brazil nut.  This I did get some photos of...

Creative Play

After the nutcracking the kids had free play until snack was ready.  One little boy got out the wooden figures I use to tell The 3 Billy Goats Gruff and began acting out the story...it's his favorite.  

Snack Time

Next we enjoy snack time.  The children go wash their hands and we sing this song:

"Wash hands, wash and dry them on the towel.  Soon it's time to eat our snack so wash our hands now."

This week we had wonderful homemade nut bread (which the kids helped with), and some homemade applesauce one of the parents brought.  The kids help set the table for snack time, and before we eat we light a candle and say this verse:

"The sun it shines so bright above it strengthens all I do, now let me take this bit of light, so I shine brightly too."

Then we sing our blessing song:

"Blessings on the blossom and blessings on the root, blessings on the leaf and stem and blessings on the fruit, and blessings on our meal".  This song was taught to us by one of our moms (who unfortunately moved away) and we use it every week.  

Then we eat!

Creative Play

After snack time, the kids spend some more time in creative play.  

Arts and Crafts Activity

We do not always do a second activity, but this week we had all these nut shells to use!  While the children were cracking nuts, a couple of the parents got some pretty good walnut shell halves to make walnut shell boats with.  

Each child got a walnut shell.  We put a little beeswas at the bottom to stick the mast and sail in.  Our first attempts at a mast and sail were little twigs and leaves gathered from outside, but the leaves were a little too crispy at that point to work well.  So...we improvised and used toothpicks and cut little sails from paper.  Whatever works!

Clean-up 

Next, we signal that it's time to begin clean-up by singing the Dust Fairy song (which the children love!):

Very quietly we sing, "The dust fairies are sleeping, the dust fairies are sleeping, the dust fairies are sleeping, all over the house."  Most everyone pretends to sleep wherever they are.

A little louder we sing, "The dust fairies are sweeping, the dust fairies are sweeping, the dust fairies are sweeping, all over the house."  The parents pick up children and pretend to sweep with them.  The children love this part.

And finally, enthusiastically we sing, "The dust fairies are flying, the dust fairies are flying, the dust fairies are flying, all over the house!"  The parents pick up children and fly and swing them all around, with smiles and giggles all around.

The we go into the classic preschool clean-up song:

"Clean-up, clean-up, everybody, everywhere.  Clean-up, clean-up, everybody do your share."

Everyone cleans up as we sing.  

Closing circle

Once again, I find it easier to bring everyone together for closing circle by singing a song that invites them to join in.  We love to use My Wee Ring.  

"Who will come to my wee ring, my wee ring, my wee ring?  Who will come to my wee ring and make it a little bit bigger?  

Will Mason come to my wee ring, my wee ring, my wee ring, will Bella come to my wee ring and make it a little bit bigger?"

We continue singing this until we've used every child's name.

Next comes our closing/centering verse:

I can be as small as a tiny seed. (Crouch down like a seed.) I can be as tall as a towering tree. (Stand up and stretch up like a tree.)  I can be as wide as the whole wide world.  (Stretch out as wide as wide as you can.)  Or I can just be me.  (Bring hand to heart.)

Next comes a child favorite...the Tide, which I got from the lovely book The Breathing Circle, by Nell Smith.  To do this one we join hands and, as we sing we bring our circle in, and out, in, and out.

The tide comes in and the tide goes out.  The tide comes in and the tide goes out.  The tide comes in and tide goes out, and when the big wave comes we all run out!  

Lastly, we sing our good-bye song.  

Goodbye, goodbye, blessings on your way, may the sun shine brightly in your hearts today.

 

And that's it!  A typical day of our little home school co-op.