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| Gathering blossoms of blue |
Preparation
Gather a ton of tiny flowers. You could do real or silk, if you have a lot available, but I opted for paper. I have a paper punch that spits out flower-shaped pieces, so I punched out about 150 flowers from different shades of blue paper. The song specifically mentions "blossoms of blue," so I thought I was being clever. ;) You could definitely cut out simple flower shapes using scissors and any colors of paper you like.
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| Paper flowers |
Right before Singing Time, scatter your flowers in the back of the Primary room in a more-or-less line, along a path the children will be walking.
Presentation
Tell the children you'd like their help to act out a song about gathering flowers. Ask the teachers to help the children follow you row by row, walking in a big circle around the edge of the Primary room. Instruct the children to take only one flower, and then to keep walking. Start walking and singing, motioning for the first row to stand and follow you. When you reach the scattered flowers, take one and keep moving, pausing your singing if necessary to repeat instructions.
Loop around to pass the flowers again, this time asking the children to take two flowers, since it's their second time around. Sing over and over as you walk. If your children are continuing to enjoy the activity, you can collect 3 flowers the third time around, then 4.
Lead the children back to their seats, and then instruct them to put away their flowers. I gathered mine back up to use again, but if you want your children to take them home, then I recommend giving them baggies or envelopes, so the flowers won't cause a distraction during the rest of Primary.
Happy singing!
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| Looking for more? Here's a good reminder for teaching Sunbeams, 4 Ways to Help Your New Sunbeams Shine. Or, try pairing this walking activity with a sitting one that requires concentration, like ASL. |
would you change anything if you had a good 30 kids in the Jr primary? I like to do movement with my kiddos, but I imagine this quickly turning a bit chaotic... any ideas? I really, really like this idea but am hesitant to try it. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking! This is definitely something good to consider when asking your little ones to get out of their seats and walk around the room. :) I have between 20 and 25 in my Junior Primary. At times, I've had to pause and ask a specific adult to help a specific, extra-bouncy child. You could preempt that and ask the teachers to walk with their classes, for extra crowd control. You could also tell the children at the very beginning that you have a super-fun activity for them, if they can be really good at following instructions. That will normally help 95% of them with their self-control. ;) Good luck! I'd love to hear how it goes.
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