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!
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.
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