Autumn 2015~ Circle Time Planner

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
...

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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?'