Lily Kindergarten early spring circle

*Our morning circle begins sitting* 

Song: (2x) 
Morning has come, night is away
We sit in our ring, and welcome the day

*Following are several verses for hand games/body geography. We don’t do all of them every day but I’ve included several that the children know to choose from.*

Simon says: This activity is about body geography.

• From easy: Simon says touch your head  
• To hard: Simon says pinky on your ear and ring-a-ding on your toe

*You might remember this first hand game from your childhood*
Here is the church and here is the steeple,
Open the doors and here are the people,
Close the doors and hear them pray,
Open the doors they’ve all gone away.

*Start saying this verse and see if your child can show you the hand gestures*
Here are mother’s knives and forks,
Here is father’s table.
Here is sister’s looking glass,
And here is baby’s cradle.

*The gestures to the next three poems are done with the whole upper body while sitting. Begin the words and let your child show you.*

Rufty and Tufty
Rufty and tufty were two little elves, 
Who lived in a hollow oak tree.
They did all the cooking and cleaning themselves, 
And often had friends in to tea.
Rufty wore blue and tufty wore red,
And each had a hat with a feather.
Their best Sunday shoes they kept under the bed,
They were made of the finest green leather.
Rufty was clever and kept the accounts,
But Tufty prefered to do cooking.
He could bake a fine cake without weighing amounts,
And taste it when no one was looking.

The Cobbler and the Mouse
There once was a cobbler and he was so wee,
That he lived in hole in a very large tree.
He had a fine neighbor and she was a mouse,
And she did his wee washing and tidied his house.
Each morning at seven he heard a wee tap,
And in came the mouse with her apron and cap.
She lit a wee fire and she fetched a wee broom,
And she swept and she tidied his little tree room.
To ask any wages she always refused,
So the cobbler said thank you and mended her shoes.
Yes, the cobbler said thank you and mended her shoes.

The Secondhand Shop
Down in the grasses where the grasshoppers hop,
Where the katydid’s fiddle, and the flutter moths flop.
Down in the grasses where the beatles go plop,
A dear old fairy owns a secondhand shop.
She sells lost thimbles for fairy milk pails,
And burnt out matches for fence post rails.
She sells stray marbles to bowl on the green,
And brightly colored beads for the crown of the queen.
So don't you feel sad over things you might lose,
Like spinning tops and whistles and dolls button shoes,
For these are the things that the fairies might use.
Down in the grasses where the grasshoppers hop,
Where the katydid’s fiddle, and the flutter moths flop.
Down in the grasses where the beatles go plop,
A dear old fairy owns a second hand shop.

*These are some clapping games that you might remember from childhood. Again, you don’t have to do them all every day, spread them out as works best for your child*

Clapping games: 
(Sitting cross legged facing partner)

Peas Porridge Hot
Peas (hands to thighs)
Porridge (hands together) 
Hot (hands to partner) 
Peas (hands to thighs)
Porridge (hands together)
Cold (hands to partner)  
Peas (hands to thighs)
Porridge (hands together)
In the pot (hand to partner 3x, once for each word) 
Nine  (hands on thighs)
Days (hands together)
Old (hands to partner)

Some like it hot. Some like it cold. Some like it in the pot, nine days old.
I like it hot. I like it cold. I like it in the pot, nine days old.
You like it hot. You like it cold. You like it in the pot, nine days old.
(Grandma, grandpa, sister, brother, pets etc.)

A Sailor Went to Sea
A sailor (hands to thighs on word sailor)
Went to (hands together)
Sea, sea, sea (hands to partner 3x as you say, sea) 

*Continue same pattern with the rest of the game*

To see what (s)he could see, see, see.
But all that (s)he could see, see, see.
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.

Miss Mary Mack
*This one is more complicated and is suited to the first grade ready children* 
Miss (hands to thighs)
Mare (arms crossed over chest)
Ree (hands together)
Mack (hands to partner 3x as you say, Mack)

All (hands to thighs)
Dressed (arms crossed over chest)
In (hands together)
Black (hands to partner 3x as you say, Black)

With (hands to thighs)
Sil (arms crossed over chest)
Ver (hands together)
Buttons (hands to partner 3x as you say, Buttons)

All (hands to thighs)
Down (arms crossed over chest)
Her (hands together)
Back (hands to partner 3x as you say, Back)

*Keep the same rhythm for the rest of the lyrics*
She jumped so high, high, high. She reached the sky, sky, sky.
And she never came back, back, back. Till the 4th of July, July, July.

*At the transition from sitting to standing we say the following*
Our hearts open wide,
Love shines deep inside,
Stars, moon and sun,
Shine on everyone.
One earth now we stand (here we rise up),
Giving all our hands,
Good morning dear friends.

---

*Now we are standing and we sing:*
Two eyes to see,
Two ears to hear,
Two feet to walk and run,
Now take my hand,
Give yours to me,
Good morning everyone,
Good morning everyone.

---

*Then spoken:*
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.

For we are:
Guarded from harm,
Cared for by angels,
Here we stand,
Loving and strong,
Truthful and good.

Good morning you trotters, what are your names? (Look down at feet)
This foots name is raggle-tag (point right foot forward)
And this foots name is scally-wag (point left foot forward)
And raggle-tag (point right foot forward quickly, this results in a small hop)
And scally-wag (point left foot forward quickly, again, a small hop happens)
Are going (switch quickly to right foot, small hop occurs as you alternate)
On a (switch to left foot)
Journey (back to right foot)

They journey over grass and dew (walk around circle placing each foot tentatively)
And get all soaking through and through (give each foot a good shake)
They journey over stones and rocks, till they become like heavy blocks (stomp with each step)
They go upstairs to bed each night (raise knees high with each step)
And close their little doors quite tight (face the middle of the ring with feet spread apart a little more than shoulder length and on the words ‘quite tight’ bring feet quickly together.)
*You can add to this verse in the following way:*
They close their giant doors quite tight (legs spread widely)
They close their tiny doors quite tight (Legs just a little apart)

*And they can close their windows, too*
They close their little windows quite tight (Arms reaching up and spread a little more than shoulders. At words ‘quite tight’ arms clap together above head)
They close their giant doors quite tight (Arms up and wide apart)
They close their tiny doors quite tight (Hands make a V shape at heart and quietly close) 

*We hold hands together and sing (2-3x) while walking around the red rug:*
In the springtime garden,
Rosy morning glow,
Sunshine calling, falling, calling,
Seedlings wake and grow.

---

​*We speak this verse with gestures. If your child remembers, wonderful. If not, ask them to make up gestures.:*
Down within the earth so deep.
Little seeds lie fast asleep.
Tiny, brown, in mother earth.
Treasures there await new birth.

Gnomes so wise with all they know,
Feed the seeds to help them grow,
Calling down each little root,
And above each little shoot.

Water fairies, weave and flow,
Sparkling colors, bright rainbow,
Give seeds a drink and soon is seen,
Brown becomes a sparkling green.

Air fairies of the light,
Call the plants into our sight, 
Looking upwards to the sun,
Leaves unfold one, by one, by one, by one.

Fire fairies, quick and bright,
Bring the warmth into the light,
And with sunshine from above,
Open petals to Sun’s love. 

*Spoken*
A little brown bulb went to sleep in the ground,
In her little brown nighty she slept safe and sound.
King winter her roared and he raged overhead,
But the little brown bulb did not move in her bed.
But when spring came tiptoeing over the lea,
With fingers to lips as soft as can be.
The little brown bulb just lifted her head,
Slipped off her nighty and jumped out of bed.

---

*Sing*
Spring is here now, Spring is here now,
Birdies build your nest,
Weave together straw and feather, 
Doing each your best.

Spring is here now, spring is here now,
Flowers are waking too,
Pansies, lilies, daffodilies,
All are coming through.

Spring is here now, spring is here now,
All around is fair,
Shiver, quiver on the river,
Joy is everywhere.

---

*Sing*​
​Tira, lira, lira, in the spring,
Orioles and Robins, sweetly sing,
Through the leafy branches,
We can hear,
Tira, lira, lira, singing clear.

---

​​*spoken*
And as the wide world speaks to us it says:
The Sun says, “I glow.”
The Wind says, “I blow.”
The Stream says, “I flow.”
The Tree says, “I grow.”
And humans say, “I know.”

---

​​*Circle always ends with the following song.*
Good morning dear earth, good morning dear sun,
Good morning dear stones and the flowers every one,
Good morning dear creatures and the birds in the trees,
Good morning to you and good morning to me.