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Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Sunflower Poem and Dance Story for Young Children

                                           HELLO, FALL!    


    




My September post is a lively movement activity that celebrates autumn. The sunflower is one of my favorite flowers, and it provides the inspiration for this poem/riddle and a movement exploration.

 






            THE SUNFLOWER

        A Dance Activity for Young Children


To begin the activity, read the poem* below out loud, and ask the children to try to guess the answer. 


(*I wrote this poem as an entry in the Fall Writing Frenzy


             WHAT AM I?


I started as a little seed, 

Dark grey and very small.

And now that I am all grown up,

I’m over six feet tall!


The petals on my flower face,

Surround me like a crown.

I come in many hues and shades, 

Of yellow, red, and brown.


I start the day by looking east,

To greet the morning sun.

I follow it and face the west,

When summer’s day is done.


Some birds just love to eat my seeds, 

And people like them too.

I think you know my name by now, 

For each line is a clue!



SUNFLOWER DANCE STORY


Prepare: Children start this activity curled up on the floor and then respond with movement as you call out each line. Give them plenty of time between each prompt so that they can fulfill their movement ideas.


Optional: Quiet instrumental music in the background.



Begin the activity:



I’m a tiny, tiny seed.


A child planted me on a warm spring day.


I’m tucked down deep in the dark, rich soil.


Now it’s time to begin to grow.


I gently push against the sides of the seed shell.


I begin to sprout and reach through the soil.


Now I can see the blue summer sky.


I feel the warm sun and the cool rain.


I’m growing taller every day.


I’m starting to become a flower.


My petals surround my face like little flames.


I open my bright golden face to the sun.


I follow the sun as it moves through the sky each day.


All summer, bees and butterflies come to drink my nectar.


My heavy sunflower head begins to droop and nod.


Fall is here and my leaves are fading.


Birds like to eat my seeds.


The morning frost causes me to droop even more.


Winter is coming and I slowly fall to the ground.


The cold wind blows. 


My seeds scatter.


Snowflakes fall and cover the seeds.


I wait until springtime to sprout again.



Expand the Activity:


Use this same format for dancing about other types of plants, and other nature themes, such as the metamorphosis of a tadpole to a frog, and a caterpillar to a butterfly. 







Keep on Dancing, 


Connie






                                    
                        








Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Montessori-Inspired Fall Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now 

Fall activities are lots of fun to prepare for welcoming in the new season. So I have a new unit with free fall printables and Montessori-inspired fall activities! You'll also find a fall-themed newsletter subscriber freebie at LivingMontessoriNow.com

Montessori-Inspired Fall Activities Using Free Printables

You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities

At Living Montessori Now, I have a post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).

Montessori Shelves with Fall Themed Activities



You’ll find Montessori-inspired fall numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Go to my Free Fall Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fall Activities post at Living Montessori Now for the free printables and activity ideas you see on the shelf and collage above!

Free Montessori-Inspired Fall Pack



Montessori-Inspired Fall Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

More Montessori-Inspired Fall Activities

If you'd like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout September, see my September Themed Activities for Kids.

Be sure to go to my Free Fall Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fall Activities post at Living Montessori Now for lots of free printables and activity ideas!

I hope you find these helpful!
 Deb Chitwood   Deb - Siganture








Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early 
Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 45 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.

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