Ideally, your children will participate in the daily life of your family, supported by the rhythms and activities sent by the teachers. In the Getting Started post we suggested a daily rhythm similar to the structure of our day in Nature Kindergarten. We encourage each family to use this material in the way that works best for them. Some families may use everything we send, and others may use a little here and there. Both approaches are right, and no one needs to feel guilty if they are not using everything we share – you know best what your child needs in this difficult time. We’re here to support you!
Welcome to week 3 of our Nature (home)School Support blog posts. We hope that you are finding inspiration and connection in the great outdoors!
Hopefully, the behind-the-scenes peek at how we plan our daily rhythm has helped you and your family to establish a rhythm that works for you. We will continue to share resources (songs, stories, Nature Notes, crafts and outdoor connection ideas) for you to weave into your Nature (home)School journey, however, our format will be changing slightly. Going forward, if you need to access the daily opening and closing songs, you can do so from the side menu. We have also added a ‘search’ button to facilitate finding resources you might be looking for from past posts.
THE FOREST IN SPRING
Grey skies are turning to blue. Bare branches are glowing green. The spring flowers are opening. The forest is brightened by yellow - primrose, wild daffodil and celandine. Dandelions bring a flash of sunshine, reflecting the sun. Wildflowers dance in their white dresses.
We welcome the return of the birds from the south. All around, they are building their nests and laying their eggs, white and gold as spring flowers, fragile yet strong, full of potential. The eggs are hatching - life begins anew.
In joyful response to the spring sunshine, life is opening: leaves unfurl; flowers blossom. Buds are bursting; shoots are stretching; insects are returning, along with the birds. The land is turning green. We close our eyes and feel the warmth of the soft breeze; it is full of birdsong and the scent of the waking earth.
~Excerpt from The Children’s Forest by Dawn Casey, Anna Richardson and Helen d’Ascoli
Good morning dear Earth, and good morning dear Sun
Good morning to the rocks, and dear bushes every one
Good morning to the bears, and the birds in the trees
Good morning to you, and good morning to me.
NATURE NOTES
Take the 'egg challenge’ with Teacher Jacob!
WEEK 3 - SEASONAL POEMS
Repetition is so important for children. They love to become so familiar with poems and songs that they can repeat them or sing by themselves. It gives them a sense of mastery. The poems and songs become like old friends providing children with a sense of comfort.
From A Child’s Seasonal Treasury compiled and written by Betty Jones
MAMA BIRD, HAVE YOU HEARD?
Let children guess the word in parentheses. Extend fingers of one hand for tree, cup fingers of other hand as nest.
In the branches of a tree a little _____ (nest) (Place nest between thumb and index finger branches)
Mama Bird will take her rest (Wiggle thumb of nest-hand for Mama Bird)
And sit and wait for her _____(eggs) to hatch (Hold still, then wiggle fingers as babies hatch)
Then for her babies wiggly _____(worms) to catch! (Wiggle index finger of other hand as worm; nest-hand becomes beak and eats worm)
‘Til the day they fly from the _____(nest) (“Fly” fingers of nest-hand behind back)
Good Mama Bird will do her best! (Wiggle thumb from empty branch for Good Mama Bird)
From A Child’s Seasonal Treasury compiled and written by Betty Jones
THE EGG
Within marble walls as white as milk,
Lined with a skin as soft as silk,
No doors are there to this stronghold,
Yet thieves break in and steal the gold.
WEEK 3 - SEASONAL SONGS
SPRING IS HERE
Spring is here, spring is here,
All around is fair,
Shiver, quiver on the river,
Joy is everywhere!
Spring is here, spring is here,
Flowers are waking too,
Crocus, lilies, daffodillies,
All are coming through.
Spring is here, spring is here,
Birds go build your nest,
Weave together straw and feather,
Doing each your best.
Spring is here, spring is here,
All around is fair,
Shiver, quiver on the river,
Joy is everywhere!
WINTER’S COME AND GONE
Oh little red bird
Come to my window sill
Been so lonesome
Shaking that morning chill
Oh little red bird
Open your mouth and say
Been so lonesome
Just about flown away
So long now I've been out
In the rain and snow
But winter's come and gone
A little bird told me so
Oh little blue bird
Pearly feather breast
Five cold nickels all I got left
Oh little blue bird
What am I gonna do
Five cold nickels
Ain't gonna see me through
So long now I've been out
In the rain and snow
But winter's come and gone
A little bird told me so
Oh little black bird
On my wire line
Dark as trouble
In this heart of mine
Poor little black bird
Sings a worried song
Dark as trouble
'Til winter's come and gone
So long now I've been out
In the rain and snow
But winter's come and gone
A little bird told me so
So long now I've been out
In the rain and snow
But winter's come and gone
A little bird told me so
INCH BY INCH
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Please bless these seeds I sow
Please warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumbling down
Pulling weeds and picking stones
We are made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
Cause the time is close at hand
Grateful rain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature's chain
Tune my body and my brain
To the music from the land
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Please bless these seeds I sow
Please warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumbling down
Plant your rows straight and long
Season them with prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care
Old crow watches hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered friend up there
MORNING ADVENTURE
Pack your backpack with a snack, water, and extra clothes and get ready to hit the trail (or your backyard!). You may want to repeat some of the morning adventure activities from previous posts or try out some of the suggestions below. Even without an agenda it’s great to just get outside and see where curiosity and the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural world will lead you.
LITTLE BIRD
Little bird, little bird
Where are you going to?
Little bird, little bird
Where will you fly?
Into the wood and over the meadow
In the blue sky, that’s where I will fly.
INVISIBILITY GAME - “SINK AND FADE”
At this time of year nature is beginning to wake up but the plants are mostly invisible beneath the ground and the rising sap is hidden behind the bark of the trees before the buds burst open. Practising invisibility is fun and instinctive and can be played in many forms of camouflage and hiding games. This game is simple and spontaneous, keeps everyone alert and is best played on a walk whilst moving through the land.
TO PLAY:
Set up the game by choosing a seeker and explaining how to play:
The seeker is positioned at the front of the group. The seeker calls, ‘Sink and Fade!’ and then closes their eyes and counts slowly out loud to five. The others find the nearest hiding place behind trees or in shadows (aiming to become invisible to the seeker).
The seeker opens their eyes when counting is completed and, without moving, tries to spot anyone visible and call them out. The seeker then calls, ‘Where are you?’ and in response the hidden people leap out of their hiding places.
*Excerpt from The Children’s Forest
Here are some other possibilities to consider:
Create an egg challenge like the one in this week’s Nature Notes
‘Save’ the worms from the pavement after a rain
Grab a magnifying glass and look for insect life under rocks and in rotting wood
Gather some clover and fresh grass and leave a little offering for the Easter Bunny
STORY TIME
In our Nature Kindergarten, we sing ‘Mother of the Fairy Tale’ and light a candle to set the tone and the children listen attentively without interruption.
STORY FOR THE LETTER W
Our story for the letter W is Eartha the Earthworm written by Shari Mueller. This story is also a very seasonal one! Invite your child to pay attention to the pictures that they imagine as they listen to the story. Click the download button below for the PDF version of the story.
MOTHER GOOSE TIME
In the Nature Kindergarten, we have a circle time devoted to playing with language and rhymes. We often incorporate movements and actions as we say the poems and rhymes. We start our circle by saying the Mother Goose verse in the audio file below. At the end of our circle we ‘fly’ Mother Goose away with a closing verse. Working with these resources at home, you could add a Mother Goose time into your story time or in a transitional moment in your day.
Work with your child to think up with actions to represent the words in the poem.
TONGUE TWISTER FOR THE LETTER W
From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is 15 miles (Walk across the room to Wobbleton)
From Wobbleton to Wibbleton is 15 miles (Return to Wibbleton)
From Wibbleton to Wobbleton, (run back to Wobbleton)
From Wobbleton to Wibbleton, (run back to Wibbleton)
From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is 15 miles (go to Wobbleton shout the last 3 words)
Every week we introduce a new Mother Goose rhyme for the letter of the week. This week’s letter is W. We use this as an opportunity to practice keeping a beat by clapping our hands, stomping our feet, or patting our thighs.
WHETHER THE WEATHER
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!
AFTERNOON ACTIVITY
Below you will find a selection of activities that you may want to try throughout the week.
PROJECT
WET FELT EGGS
I did this project several years ago with my oldest daughter (only 2 years-old at the time!). We still get out those eggs every spring to decorate our nature table. This year I repeated the project with both of my daughters (3 and 6 years-old). If you have wool roving at home, this is a wonderful sensory project to do together!
You can find a tutorial here.
Wet felting the eggs.
This year’s finished eggs!
NATURAL EGG DYEING
For this project you can choose to blow the yolks out of the eggs or use hardboiled ones.
Find the instructions here.
ART
DRAW A “W” PICTURE
Ask your child to draw the picture that came into their mind as they listened to the story of Eartha the Earthworm. They might choose to include the letter W somewhere in their drawing.
Materials:
Crayons
Drawing paper
When we draw in the Nature Kindergarten class, the children start by drawing a large border around their paper. This practice encourages them to do their best work and have an appreciation for beauty and order.
BAKING
COCONUT EASTER EGGS
INGREDIENTS:
21/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 3-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 tablespoon vanilla
Dash of salt
Grated coconut
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cream sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Seat in vanilla and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape dough into small balls and roll in coconut. Place ‘eggs’ on wax paper-lined cookie sheets and refrigerate for 1 hour.
EASTER BUNNY FRUIT SALAD
INGREDIENTS:
Pear halves
Lettuce leaves
Raisins
Red apples
Cottage cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place pear halves on top of the lettuce leaf with the narrow end as the head of the bunny. Eyes are two raisins and nose is a chunk of apple. Ears are made from the apple cut lengthwise. A ball of cottage cheese is the bunny’s tail.
HANDWORK
YARN POM-POMS
The Nature Kindergarten children started a handwork project that they were going to be working on over several weeks. Returning to a project that has been started is an important skill. Children learn persistence, patience, and work ethic. Since we aren’t able to send home the projects that they began in class, here is the link to the instructions. You will likely have these materials at home and your child can start fresh on a new yarn pom-pom. This is a great project to return to whenever your child is looking for something to do.
Materials:
yarn
cardboard (we used recycled cereal boxes)
darning needle (needed only at the end of the project)
scissors
We end our day with this verse during our closing circle:
Brave and true, I will be
Each kind deed sets me free
Each kind word makes me strong
I will fight for the right
I will conquer the wrong.
MORE RESOURCES
This is a fantastic website that has inspired me for many years. It has lots of wonderful resources and suggestions for Waldorf-Inspired activities to do with your children. Visit Meagan Rose Wilson.
CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY
You have the opportunity to connect with other parents and families on the Nature (home)School journey through a private Facebook group. The digital forum is a place where you can post photos of the activities that you get up to with your children, share stories or inspirations from your outdoor adventures, and connect with other families. Please follow the link to connect with other families in the online community or from Facebook - search: Nature (home)School Support.
We are a very small Not For Profit School. If you like these resources and find them helpful, please consider making a donation to our Nature Kindergarten program. We appreciate your support!