perfect gifts adventure circle

Here's the details on our new Adventure Circle. I'll explain why I switched circles so soon in a later post, but for now I just wanted to get this posted in case others can use any ideas from it for their own holiday circles -- I'm kind of proud of this one.

All verses/songs are from the Enki Education Movement curriculum, either the Kindergarten, indicated by a (K), or 1st Grade, indicated by a (1G)

Call: Round and Round (K)

Once upon a time there were two boys who wanted to find the perfect gifts for the people they loved.

Opening: Simple Gifts (1G)

So one bright December morning, the boys set off to their grandfather’s house to see what he might need.

Repeating Verse: Over The River (substitute “Grandfather” for “Grandmother”) (K)

(Move to kids’ room during verse)

Upon arriving at their grandfather’s house, the boys found him shivering in his favorite chair by a weak fire. “Oh, it is just SO chilly in here, I just can’t seem to get warm!” their Grandfather said, as he added his last few twigs to the fire. The boys realized what would be the perfect gift for their grandfather, so out they went to the woods.

(Walk down hallway to living room)

Midline: Woodcutters (K)

Once the boys had enough trees cut down, they rolled the logs down the road to their grandfather’s house.

(Roll down hallway)

Then they split up the logs (mime) into firewood and stacked it in their grandfather’s woodshed (stack stuffed animals), until the woodshed was full, and they knew that their grandfather would have enough wood for his fire to stay warm all winter.

Next the boys went to see their uncle.

Repeating Verse: Over The River (substitute “Uncle” for “Grandmother)

(Move down hall into bird room.)

When they got to their uncle’s house, he was not in the house at all. They called for him, and finally found him down at his barn. He was looking up at a big hole in the roof, and explained to the boys that a big tree limb had fallen through his barn roof during a wind storm last night. The boys realized what would be the perfect gift for their Uncle, so they picked up their saws and hammers.

Midline: The Barn (1G)

Once they had enough wood gathered, they crawled through the rafters and nailed them in place.

(Crawl up and down hallway, pounding ground with fist here and there.)

They patched the hole in the barn roof, so that their Uncle’s hay and horses and cows would stay dry all winter.

Next the boys went to see their grandmother.

Repeating Verse: Over The River

(Move down hall to living room)

When they got to their grandmother’s house, they found her in the dining room crying. “Look at my beautiful sweater!” she moaned. In her hands was her favorite sweater, which she had torn that morning on the garden fence. “How will I stay warm this winter without my sweater?” she cried. The boys realized what would be the perfect gift for their grandmother, so they went to the attic and pulled out her spinning wheel.

Base/Vestibular: Spinning Wheel (1G)

While they were spinning wool to make a new sweater for their grandmother, they saw another spinner busy at work in the corner of the attic:

Base/Proprioceptive: Spider Web (K)

After the wool was spun, they boys knitted it (mime) into a warm sweater for their grandmother so that she would stay warm all winter.

Finally, the boys headed to their four little cousins’ house.

Repeating Verse: Over The River (substitute “cousins” for “grandmother”)

(Move down hallway to bedroom.)

When they got to their cousins’ house, they found all four of them in their living room, arguing over the last popcorn ball. The boys realized what would be the perfect gift for their cousins, so they started a fire in the fireplace and put some popping corn in the kettle.

Finger play: Popcorn (K)

The boys popped more and more popcorn, until the kettle was full of popcorn.

(Jump on bed making popping noises.)

They left their little cousins happily munching on popcorn, and headed for home, knowing that they had found the perfect gifts for all of their loved ones!

Closing: Jingle Bells (K)

(Skipping up and down the halls, winding up in the living room.)

Closing: Sun is Rising (K)