Blog Housecleaning

I haven't used this blog for my Home Leaning Adventure for so long!
Lots of things are out of date and untidy.
I found a lot of broken links and so am attempting to tidy all that up over a few weeks (at least)
After that I am hoping to come back refreshed and eager to share the journey with you

Blessings,
 

CIRCLE TIME PLANNER WINTER- 2015

CIRCLE TIME PLANNER WINTER- 2015

This is what I do to start Morning Circle Time with our children:

Stock a large basket with everything needed for the day’s circle-time activities. To signal little ones to join you in the circle-time area, grab your basket and sing the following song.

Gathering Verse:

(sung to the tune of “A Tisket, a Tasket”)

A tisket, a tasket,

Mummy has her basket.

It’s time for all my little ones

To join me on the carpet.

Prayer:

God be in my head, and in my understanding.

God be in my eyes, and in my looking.

God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.

God be in my heart, and in my thinking.

God be at my end, and at my departing.

Candle Lighting Verse:

In the dark, cold days,

There shines a light

To make my heart

So pure and bright!

Opening Verse:

Kind hearts are the gardens

Kind thoughts are the roots

Kind words are the flowers

Kind deeds are the fruits

Take care of your garden

And keep out the weeds

Fill it with sunshine

Kind Words and kind deeds.

OR

My Heart I am strong,

I am brave, I am valiant and bold.

For the sun fills my heart with his life giving gold.

I am helpful and truthful and loving and free.

For my heart's inner sunshine glows brightly in me.

I will open my arms to the sunbeams so bright;

I will warm all the world with my heart's inner light.

Seasonal Verses:

O Winter King-

O Winter King! Thy crown silver and bright Snowdrifts spiral from your cape 

O Winter King! Thy robes blue, purple, white Long beard curls at the chin 

Give us light! Wisdom and sight! O Winter King

The Ice Fairies-  

On frosty eves, when crickets cheep,

Their watch the winter fairies keep,

And by the light  Of moonbeams white Weave silver laces while I sleep. 

Yes, when the daylight comes again,

I find they’ve worked with might and main; 

For frills and stars And crinkly bars Make curtains on my window pane.  

Winter-

A little child went walking

One lovely winter day.

He saw a little rabbit

That quickly ran away.

He saw a shining river

Go winding in and out,

And cold, cold fishies in it

Were swimming all about.

Then in the cold snowy forest

He stopped to take a rest,

And there among the tall trees

He saw a squirrel’s nest.

He heard the sleepy bears snoring,

Tucked snugly in the cave.

He saw the icy patterns

That Jack Frost came and made.

He saw the winter birdies

Across the treetops fly.

He saw the fluffy snow clouds

Sailing ‘cross the sky.

He heard the cold wind blowing

And tightened up his hood.

How wonderful, the child thought,

To walk in winter woods!

Seasonal Songs:

Oh- Where do you come from you little flakes of snow,

Oh- falling softly falling on the earth below.

On the trees and on the bushes

On the mountains so far

Oh- snowflakes do you come from where the angels are?

https://youtu.be/dMr9mWxWBGY 

A-sleddng-

A-sledding we will go,

A-sledding we will go,

Just hold on tight And sit just right,

And down the hill we’ll go- Wheeeeeee!

Polly, put the kettle on-

Polly, put the kettle on,

Polly, put the kettle on,

 Polly, put the kettle on,

We’ll all have tea! 

Sukey, take it off again,

Sukey, take it off again,

Sukey, take it off again,

They’ve all gone away!

This Little Light of Mine-

This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine!

This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine!

This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine!

Let it shine, let it shine,

let it shine!

Sally go round the sun-

Sally go round the sun

Sally go roound the moon

Sally go round the chimney pot on a snowy afternoon

Whoooosh!

( go around in a circle then all move in to center on whoosh!)

Old Jack Frost-

Oh, Jack Frost is a merry, merry elf;

And a merry, merry elf is he.

 He calls for his coat,

And he calls for his brush,

And he calls for his paint pots

one, two, three,

And he calls for his paint pots three.

Three Little Kittens-

Three little kittens, They lost their mittens, And they began to cry, Oh, mother dear, We sadly fear Our mittens we have lost.

What! Lost your mittens, You naughty kittens! Then you shall have no pie.

Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow. You shall have no pie. 

The three little kittens, They found their mittens, And they began to cry,

Oh, mother dear, See here, see here, Our mittens we have found.

What! Found your mittens, You darling kittens! Then you shall have some pie.

 Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow. You shall have some pie. 

The three little kittens, Put on their mittens, And soon ate up the pie;

Oh, mother dear, We greatly fear Our mittens we have soiled.

What! Soiled your mittens, You naughty kittens! Then they began to sigh,

Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow. They began to sigh. 

The three little kittens, They washed their mittens, And hung them out to dry;

Oh mother dear, Look here, look here, Our mittens we have washed.

What! Washed your mittens, You're such good kittens. I smell a rat close by!

 Hush! Hush! Hush! Hush! Hush! Hush! Hush! I smell a rat close by.

Action Verses/Songs:

Ten Fingers -Eliza Follen

I have ten little fingers

And they belong to me.

I can make them do things,

Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight,

Or I can make them wide,

I can put them together,

Or make them all hide,

I can make them jump high,

I can make them jump low,

I can fold them quietly,

And hold them just so.

My Hands-

Upon my head my hands I place,

On my shoulders, on my face,

On my waist, at my side,

Now behind me they will hide,

Now I’ll stretch them way up high.

Make my fingers swiftly fly,

I’ll hold them up in front of me,

And quickly clap them, one, two, three!

Five Little Snowmen-

Five little snowmen

On a winter's day

The first one said,

"Wake up, let's have a play.

The second one said,

"Let's stomp upon the ground."

The third one said,

"Let's roll all around."

The fourth one said,

"Let's run, run, run."

The fifth one said,

"Oh dear, here is the sun"

"Oh dear!" cried the snowmen,

As they looked toward the sky.

And the five melting snowmen

Waved a fond good-bye

Goodbye dear snowmen!

Icicle-

I'm a frozen icicle hanging in the sun. (pretend to hang over while standing) 

First I start to melt, then I start to run. (drop body lower like melting) 

Drip, drip, drip, drip. (go lower and lower) 

Melting can be fun!! (sink or fall to the floor)

Snowflakes-

Snowflakes, snowflakes, dance around (dance!)

Snowflakes, snowflakes, touch the ground (touch the floor)

Snowflakes, snowflakes, on my nose (touch your nose)

Snowflakes, snowflakes, on my toes (touch your toes)

Snowflakes, snowflakes, twirl around (spin around)

Snowflakes, snowflakes, touch the ground (whispering, fall to the ground)

Finger Plays For Winter Fairies -

What do I see under the moonlight

Why it is winter fairies in the winter night..

How many are there? Let me count!

One (finger up) for the Frost Fairy freezing the dew

Two (fingers up) for the Wee Blue Fairy, oh so cute

Three (fingers up) for the Mossy Elf, wrapped in wool

Four (fingers up) for Snowflake who never gets cold

Five (fingers up) for Brother Wind who blows and blows (put five fingers up to face and blow thru….)

One fairy runs away, two fairies fly (one finger runs, other hand shows 2 fairies flying)

And all the others….say good bye! (wave hands then open and shut goodbye)

Winking Stars-

Four little stars winking at me

One shot off and then there were three.

Three little stars with nothing to do,

One shot off and then there were two.

Two little stars afraid of the sun,

One shot off and then there was one.

One little star not having any fun,

It shot off and then there were none!

Hymns:

Use our home Hymn Book for selections this season

Poetry:

Silver the snowdrift-

Silver the snowdrift

Green-tipped the pines

Crystal the icicles

Purple the skies

Mist on the hillside

Clouds grey and white

Winter good morning

Autumn goodnight

Old Tale-

The sky is dull and grey,

Piercing and chill the blast,

Each step resounds on the frosty ground,

Winter is come at last. 

Mamma sits by the fire

Her little ones round her knees.

"How cosy we are, Mamma," they say,

"Tell us something, if you please." 

 

"Tell us about King Winter,

And about Jack Frost, his man;

 We'll not be noisy or naughty at all,

But as good as ever we can."

  

"Well then;" says mamma, "you, Jenny,

May knit and listen, my dear;

And Johnny may split up wood, to make

The fire burn bright and clear."

 

 King Winter dwells in the North;

Far away in the Frozen Zone,

In a palace of snow he holds his court,

And sits on an icy throne.

  

The King has a trusty servant,

Jack Frost is his name; his nose

Is raspberry red, his beard is white,

And stiff as a crutch it grows. 

Old Jack is a sturdy good fellow,

And serves their Majesties well;

He's here and he's there, and he's everywhere,

And does more than I can tell. 

 

Each year, as the day comes round,

The king and his royal train

Set off on a tour through the wide wide world,

 And sweep over mountain and plain.  

Jack Frost has a busy time then,

But he's helped and advised by the Queen,

That all may be right when the King goes forth,

And everything fit to be seen. 

 

That the King may have pleasant travel,

 And no stone hurt his royal toe,

His Majesty spreads all over the earth,

A carpet of downy snow.

 

Fine mirrors the King delights in:

None are finer than Jack can make:

And in matchless sheets of crystal clear

He lays them on river and lake. 

 

The trees, all naked and drear,

He robes in the purest white,

And with icicles shining with rainbow hues,

He makes their branches bright.  

These wonders wrought in a single night

May well excite surprise;

 Amazed is the sun when he returns at dawn,

And he stares with all his eyes. 

 

Then out come all the boys and girls,

Jack's handiwork to view,

And their noses and cheeks turn red with cold,

Some of them even turn blue.  

They pelt each other with snow,

 Roll it up in a mighty ball,

And shout and laugh and scamper about,

And heels over head they fall. 

 

King Winter laughs at the fun,

Cries "Bravo!" and claps his hands,

And calling for his man, Jack Frost,

He smiles upon the land.    

Again Mamma smiles on her darlings,

They run to her, kiss her, and say:

"Thank you Mama for that wonderful tale,

We hope King Winter will stay!"  

Scripture Verse:

The Weekly 24 Family Ways Verse (repeated from Breakfast)

Celebrate the Gospels – Use these books to prepare for next Sunday’s Mass

Catechism:

My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories – one chapter

For Heavens Sake  

Treasure and Tradition-The Ultimate Guide to the Latin Mass (Lisa Bergman) A fantastic book we use for Latin Mass but it has so much explanation for why things are done this way

Stepping Stones to bigger faith for little Children

Stories/Books:

Enchanters End Game

The Festival of Stones- Autumn and Winter stories

Any seasonal or liturgical stories that may fit in with the day

Closing Verse:

Birds in the air (link thumbs together, mime birds flying in the sky)

Stones on the land (make fists and place on the ground)

Fish in the water (hands together, miming fish swimming)

I am in God’s hands (hands together like a cup, (then cup the childrens hands in mine and give them a kiss)

and snuff out the candle.

Or

My heart swells in joyfulness. (Hands crossed over heart)

My spirit dwells in peace. (Hands upraised above head)

My body rests in quietness. (Hands at side)

Our circle time has ended. (Hold hands and be still for a moment)

And snuff out candle

Game:

'Ticka Tacky

Nicky Nacky Nu

Dear little sultana where are you?'

Quiet Time (or bedtime)Verse:

Now the sun has gone to bed,

The stars are shining overhead.

In their nests the birds all sleep,

Into their homes the snails will creep.

Children now no more will roam,

 It’s rest time now and we’re safe in our home.

Come to bed my little lamb,

The time for play is gone,

The Sleep Night Queen beckons us to bed

So put your jammies on I can hear her gentle voice,

Come on now sleepy-head,

I've some happy dreams for you,

When you're safe in bed

 Blessings,

 

Autumn Circle Time 2015

Autumn 2015~ Circle Time Planner

This is what I do to start Morning Circle Time with our children:

Stock a large basket with everything needed for the day’s circle-time activities. To signal little ones to join you in the circle-time area, grab your basket and sing the following song.

Gathering Verse:

(sung to the tune of “A Tisket, a Tasket”)

A tisket, a tasket,

Mummy has her basket.

It’s time for all my little ones

To join me on the carpet.

Prayer:

God be in my head, and in my understanding.

God be in my eyes, and in my looking.

God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.

God be in my heart, and in my thinking.

God be at my end, and at my departing.

In the morning at the sunrise

 When the light of day doth break,

 Children’s souls, by angels guided,

 Sleep from rested body shake,

 Ready now for work and learning,

 Happy, steady, and awake.

Candle Lighting Verse:

The sun it shines so warm and bright.

It shines on all I do.

Now let me take this bit of light

So I shine brightly too.

Opening Verse;

Yellow the bracken – Florence Hoatson

Yellow the bracken,

Golden the sheaves.

Rosy the apples,

Crimson the leaves.

Mist on the hillside,

Clouds grey and white.

Autumn, good morning!

Summer good night!

Seasonal Verse:

 O Dandelion (Verse)

O Dandelion, yellow as gold, what do you do all day?

“I just wait here in the tall, green grass, ’till the children come to play.”

O Dandelion, yellow as gold, what do you do all night?

“I wait and wait, while the cool dew falls, and my hair grows long and white.”

And what do you do when your hair grows white, and the children come to play?

“They take me in their little hands, and blow my hair away!”   

 ---------------------------

Tipperty Toes by Elizabeth Gould

Tipperty Toes the smallest elf

Sat on a mushroom by himself

Playing a little tinkling tune

Under the big round harvest moon

And this is the song that Tipperty made

To sing to the little tune he played

Red are the hips and red are the haws

Red and gold are the leaves that fall

Red are the poppies in the corn

Red berries on the rowan tall

Red is the big round harvest moon

And red are my new little dancing shoon

Little red leaves are glad today

For the wind has blown them off and away

They’re flying here, they’re flying there

Little red leaves are everywhere.

-------------------------

Colour- Adeline White

The world is full of color

‘Tis Autumn once again

And leaves of gold and crimson

Are lying in the lane

There are brown and yellow acorns

Berries and scarlet haws

Amber gorse and heather

Purple across the moors

Green apples in the orchard

Flushed by a glowing sun

Mellow pears and brambles

Where colored pheasants run

----------------------

Autumn Wind-

Autumn wind came stealing

Through the woods one day,

And creeping round the tree, he stole

Their beauty all away.

He tore their russet dresses,

Combed off their golden hair.

He blew away the tattered bits,

And left them brown and bare.

Autumn winds are sighing,

Stealing through the forest brown,

As they softly pass the tree trunks

Little leaves come falling down.

But a stronger gale is blowing

And then the leaves themselves

Rise and dance about the forest

Just like little elves.

Faster, faster see them whirling

Till the gale has passed.

One by one the tired leaflets

Sink to rest at last.

Seasonal Songs:

Autumn Comes

Autumn comes, the summer is past,

winter will come too soon,

Stars will shine clearer, skies seem nearer

Under the Harvest Moon

Stas will shine clearer, skies seem nearer

Under the Harvest Moon

Autumn comes, so let us be glad,

singing an autumn tune

Hearts will be lighter, skies seem brighter

Under a Harvest Moon

Hearts will be lighter, skies seem brighter

Under a Harvest Moon

Scarecrow (Action Song)

When all the cows were sleeping


And the sun had gone to bed


Up jumped the scarecrow


And this is what he said!

I'm a dingle, dangle scarecrow


With a flippy floppy hat


I can shake my hands like this


And shake my feet like that.


When all the hens were roosting


And the moon behind the cloud


Up jumped the scarecrow


And shouted very loud.


I'm a dingle, dangle scarecrow
...


When the dogs were in the kennels


And the doves were in the loft


Up jumped the scarecrow


And whispered very soft.


I'm a dingle, dangle scarecrow
...

--------------------------------------

Stars See Me- to the tune of This Old Man

Stars see me, stars see me

(hands up like stars, one after the other)

standing here under a tree

(arms out at sides)

with my shiny hair atop my head

(hands on head)

to your silver stream I'm led.

(sweep arms up into the sky)

Sun see me, Sun see me

(arms in front of you in a circle and then overhead)

twirl around so fine and free

(Twirl to the right, arms in circle)

with my hands held high I greet the day

(Twirl to the left arms reaching straight up)

your golden light on me will play.

(arms across chest)

---------------------------------

Autumn is Here

Autumn is here and the world goes round

Autumn is here and the world goes round

Autumn is here and the world goes round

The world goes round and round and round.

(Hands are leaves fluttering to the ground)

Autumn is here and the leaves fall down

Autumn is here and the leaves fall down

Autumn is here and the leaves fall down

The leaves fall down upon the ground.

(repeat first verse)

Action Verses/Songs:

Two little apples (Tune: This old man)

Two little apples

Way up high, in a tree,


Two red apples smiled at me.


So I shook that tree as hard as I could.


Down came the apples.

Mmmmm, were they good!

 --------------------------

Up The Tall White Candlestick 

(Action Rhyme)


Up The Tall White Candlestick

Up the tall white candlestick 


(Make left arm into candlestick)



Crept little Mousie Brown


(Two fingers of fight hand run up the candlestick)
  


Right up to the top but he couldn't get down!

(Fingers wiggle at top)



So he called to his Grandma


(Call through cupped hands)



Grandma! Grandma!


But Grandma was in town


So he curled himself into a ball


(curl right hand into a fist)

And rolled himself right down


(Clench both fists and roly-poly them round each other)


----------------------------------

Autumn Verse:

 Now it’s time to plant our garden!

 Little brown bulbs (gently press their heads to the ground, so that they are curled up)

Sleep in the ground While leaves come falling (take silks used previously to cover them up)

 All around! Warm and cozy, Snug in soft beds, (rub backs of each child in turn, gently)

In spring we’ll lift up Our sleepy heads! (encourage them to pop up!) repeat

--------------------------------

Stepping Stones (Action Song):

Stepping over stepping stones, one, two, three.

Stepping over stepping stones, come with me,

The river’s very fast and the river’s very wide,

So we’ll step actoss the stepping stones

To reach the other side.

(Meander in circle stepping on imaginary steppins stone in rhythm to words. Accentuate 1-2-3 and  Come with me.

Take little running steps for third line and slow to rhythmic walking for the fourth line.

Jump to the other side at the end of verse, change direction and repeat.

-------------------------------

Leaves Falling

Little leaves fall gently down

Red and yellow, orange and brown;

(Raise hands and lower them, fluttering fingers like falling leaves)

Whirling, whirling round and round

(Repeat above motions)

Quietly without a sound;

Falling softly to the ground,

(Lower bodies gradually to the floor)

Down-and down-and down-and down!

Hymns:

Use our home Hymn Book for selections this season

Poetry:

How the Leaves Came Down- Susan Coolidge

I'll tell you how the leaves came down.

The great Tree to his children said,

"You're getting sleepy, Yellow and Brown,

Yes, very sleepy, little Red;

It is quite time you went to bed."

"Ah!" begged each silly, pouting leaf,

"Let us a little longer May;

Dear Father Tree, behold our grief,

'Tis such a very pleasant day

We do not want to go away."

So, just for one more merry day

To the great Tree the leaflets clung,

Frolicked and danced and had their way,

Upon the autumn breezes swung,

Whispering all their sports among,

"Perhaps the great Tree will forget

And let us stay until the spring

If we all beg and coax and fret."

But the great Tree did no such thing;

He smiled to hear their whispering.

"Come, children all, to bed," he cried;

And ere the leaves could urge their prayer

He shook his head, and far and wide,

Fluttering and rustling everywhere,

Down sped the leaflets through the air.

I saw them; on the ground they lay,

Golden and red, a huddled swarm,

Waiting till one from far away,

White bed-clothes heaped upon her arm,

Should come to wrap them safe and warm.

The great bare Tree looked down and smiled.

"Good-night, dear little leaves" he said;

And from below each sleepy child

Replied "Good-night," and murmured,

"It is so nice to go to bed."

--------------------------------------

Apple Secrets -by Betty Jones

Who would think an apple

Red, gold, or green and round

Would have a secret deep inside

When cut it can be found!

I thought this secret only shone

In deep and darkest night

But when I cut my apple

It shines with five points bright!

And now you know the secret

Where shinning stars are found

In every crunchy apple

Red, gold, or green and round.

-----------------------------------

Autumn:

"Come little leaves," said the wind one day.

"Come o'er the meadow with me and play.

Put on your dresses of red and gold.

Summer is gone and the days grow cold."

As soon as the leaves heard the wind's low call,

Down they came fluttering, one and all.

Over the brown fields they whirled and flew,

Singing the soft little songs they knew.

---------------------

Autumn Fires- Robert Louis Stevenson:

In the other gardens

And all up the vale,

From the autumn bonfires

See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over

And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes,

The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

Fires in the fall!

Scripture Verse:

The Weekly 24 Family Ways Verse (repeated from Breakfast)

Celebrate the Gospels – Use these books to prepare for next Sunday’s Mass

Catechism:

My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories – one chapter

For Heavens Sake

The Mass Explained for Children

Stepping Stones to bigger faith for little Children

Skip Counting/Times Tables:

10 times tables, forward and backwards and skip couting with actions

5 times tables, forward and backwards  and skip counting with actions

2 times tables, forward and backwards  and skip counting with actions

11 times tables, forwards and backwards  and skip counting with actions

4 times tables, forwards and backwards  and skip counting with actions

Stories/Books:

Enchanters End Game

The Autumn edition of The Tales of Tiptoes Lightly series

Any seasonal or liturgical stories that may fit in with the day

Closing Verse:

The golden sun so great and bright

 Warms the world with all its might.

 It makes the dark earth green and fair,

 Attends each thing with ceaseless care.

 It shines on blossom, stone, and tree,

 On bird and beast, on you and me.

 So may each deed throughout the day,

 May everything we do and say

 Be bright and strong and true,

 Oh, golden sun, like you!

and snuff out the candle.

Game:

'Ticka Tacky

Nicky Nacky Nu

Dear little sultana where are you?'

Blessings,