Learn a song, or two. Kids will love you for it. I find myself singing with kids everywhere – even ones I don’t know, and I find that a little singing always, always brightens my day.
We’re beginning the summer cycle of our Waldorf in the Woods playgroup next week. We’re going strong – the group is still full of great, committed moms, and more families being added to the waiting list all the time!
Our craft this time will be wet-on-wet watercolor painting (every time) and our story will be the classic tale of The Turnip, which I will post shortly.
Here are our new songs and handplays. The other songs, the ones we use every time have been posted previously and can be found on womantalk.org by searching “waldorf songs.” If there is not a video with music above the words, then the words are simply spoken.
This cycle all songs and handplays are from Betty Jones’s A Child’s Seasonal Treasury, an excellent resource.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1StFSedxSh0]
Birthday Song
Oh welcome welcome lovely day.
With sunshine bright and flowers gay.
With painted birds that sing their song
And make me kind and good and strong.
[We will not be singing the first birthday stanza, but these are the words for your reference:
In heaven shines a golden star.
An angel led me from afar.
From heaven high unto the earth
And brought me to my house of birth.]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX7NwaHTW2M]
Morning Song
Good morning dear earth. (Crouch, touch ground)
Good morning dear sun. (Rise and extend arms to sky)
Good morning dear rocks and the flowers every one. (Crouch and knock fists on ground, then wave fingers and sway hands for flowers)
Good morning dear beasts. (Remain crouching, put hands on head for horns)
And the birds in the trees. (Flap arms while rising to stand)
Good morning to you and good morning to me. (Bow to others twice, then stand upright and cross arms over chest.)
Bubbles
Bubbles are a lovely thing to blow (Make a bubble with forefingers and thumbs)
On a hot, dry summer day,
Big and small, they rise and fall
And POP! Along the way (Clap for the pop)
Sparkling crystal rainbows (Sweep arms overhead from one side to another)
In the sunshine bright, (Make sun with circled arms above)
How I’d love to be a bubble (Make bubble with forefingers and thumbs)
And sail into the night.
Ten Fingers
I have ten little fingers (Stretch hands out front)
And they all belong to me, (Point to self with both thumbs)
I can make them do things, (Rub hands together)
Would you like to see? (Open hands, palms up.)
I can shut them up tight, (Make fists)
Or I can make them wide, (Extend fingers)
I can put them together, (Clasp hands, fingers intertwined)
Or make them all hide, (Put hands behind back)
I can make them jump high, (Hold hands high)
I can make them jump low (Place hands on floor)
I can fold them quietly, (Fold hands together)
And hold them just so.
Flower Elves
Pretty flower elves are we,
Dancing to and fro,
Peeping out from ‘neath our buds
As round and round we go (Children skip or gallop in circle waving colored veils)
Sleepy, sleepy snails are we
Our steps are long and slow.
We drag our feet along the ground
As round and round we go. (Children take big slow steps around a circle.)
Butterflies from the air are we
Our wings are fairy light
We dance before the king and queen
Upon the flowers bright (Children skip around a circle while flapping their arms)
Funny little gnomes are we,
Our beards are long and white,
Towards the rocks our footsteps turn
To tap from morn ‘til night. (Children trudge, bent over, around in circle, while hammering fist on fist)
A long green snake in the grass are we
Our tail is far away.
We wriggle and wriggle and twist and turn
As in and out we sway. (Children put together outstretched arms and hands and act out described movements, while walking around in circle.)
Fish Alive
One, two, three, four, five, (Make fist, unfurl one finger at a time)
Once I caught a fish alive! (Wiggle all fingers)
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, (Bow a finger for each number spoken)
Then I let it go again! (Wiggle fingers, then hide hand behind back)
Why did I let it go? (Shrug shoulders)
Because it bit my fingers so! (Point right index finger and pretend to nip it)
Which finger did it bite? (Close fist)
This finger on the right. (Hold on right index finger and wiggle it.)