Happy Earth Day! Take 50% OFF at Little Acorn Learning!

Happy Earth Day!

To celebrate, enjoy the Little Acorn Learning Late Spring Festivals E-Book at HALF PRICE through Friday, April 24th!

A Colorful Late Spring Festivals E-Book (over 130 pages big) 

packed full of Waldorf songs, 
stories, verses, crafting tutorials 
and much more to help you 
celebrate Passover, Earth Day, 
Mother's Day and May Day with 
your children!

EARTH DAY SALE!  ONLY $12.50 
Was $24.99!

Here is a story about little earthworms that you can share with the children:

Earthworms

After a long and soaking rain, the Earthworms came out of their burrows, or rather, they came part way out, for each Earthworm put out half of his body, and, as there were many of them and they lived near to each other, they could easily visit without leaving their own homes. Two of these long, slimy people were talking, when a Potato Bug strolled by. "You poor things," said he, "what a wretched life you must lead. Spending one's days in the dark earth must be very dreary."

"Dreary!" exclaimed one of the Earthworms, "it is delightful. The earth is a snug and soft home. It is warm in cold weather and cool in warm weather. There are no winds to trouble us, and no sun to scorch us."

"But," said the Potato Bug, "it must be very dull. Now, out in the grass, one finds beautiful flowers, and so many families of friends."

"And down here," answered the Worm," we have the roots. Some are brown and woody, like those of the trees, and some are white and slender and soft. They creep and twine, until it is like passing through a forest to go among them. And then, there are the seeds. Such busy times as there are in the ground in spring-time! Each tiny seed awakens and begins to grow. Its roots must strike downward, and its stalk upward toward the light. Sometimes the seeds are buried in the earth with the root end up, and then they have a great time getting twisted around and ready to grow."

"Still, after the plants are all growing and have their heads in the air, you must miss them."  "We have the roots always," said the Worm. "And then, when the summer is over, the plants have done their work, helping to make the world beautiful and raise their seed babies, and they wither and droop to the earth again, and little by little the sun and the frost and the rain help them to melt back into the earth. The earth is the beginning and the end of plants."

"Do you ever meet the meadow people in it?" asked the Potato Bug.  "Many of them live here as babies," said the Worm. "The May Beetles, the Grasshoppers, the great Humming-bird Moths, and many others spend their babyhood here, all wrapped in eggs or cocoons. Then, when they are strong enough, and their legs and wings are grown, they push their way out and begin their work. It is their getting-ready time, down here in the dark. And then, there are the stones, and they are so old and queer. I am often glad that I am not a stone, for to have to lie still must be hard to bear. Yet I have heard that they did not always lie so, and that some of the very pebbles around us tossed and rolled and ground for years in the bed of a river, and that some of them were rubbed and broken off of great rocks. Perhaps they are glad now to just lie and rest."

"Truly," said the Potato Bug," you have a pleasant home, but give me the sunshine and fresh air, my six legs, and my striped wings, and you are welcome to it all."  "You are welcome to them all," answered the Worms, "We are contented with smooth and shining bodies, with which we can bore and wriggle our way through the soft, brown earth. We like our task of keeping the earth right for the plants, and we will work and rest happily here."

The Potato Bug went his way, and said to his brothers, "What do you think? I have been talking with Earthworms who would not be Potato Bugs if they could." And they all shook their heads in wonder, for they thought that to be Potato Bugs was the grandest and happiest thing in the world.

May Day Crowns and Circle Time

May Day Crowns

Although I prefer to use all natural materials and real flowers, I wanted to be sure the children could take these special crowns home to keep for playtime.  

In this case I used artificial flowers with a wire backing, ribbon and colored bells.  

To make these easy crowns simply measure them around the child's head and make a knot in the back leaving ribbon hanging in length. 

Then, adhere the flowers onto the crown.  In our case, we simply twisted the wire backing around the ribbon but if you do not have this type of flower just glue or sew the flowers on.  

Next each child helped to string the bells onto the back ribbon hanging and we secured by tying a knot at the end.  

Maypole Song

(If you do not have a Maypole you can simply hold hands in a circle and move around while singing.)

Round the Maypole we are going,

On a holiday,

Round the Maypole we are going,

This is what we say,

All the colors we are learning,

In the rainbow gay,

So, back and forth we all are dancing,

In the merry May.  

May Day Circle

(this circle can be shared the entire first week of May)

Each child receives a color to be their "name" for this game:  Violet, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red and so on.  The children join hands in a circle (their may day crowns or ribbons can be their special color as a reminder if you plan ahead).  The teacher is Mother Rainbow.  

Mother Rainbow says:

"I count my children before I go.  Learn the colors of my rainbow."

She taps one child on the head and calls them by "name":

"*Violet* won't you play this game today?  Pick a friend and run away."

The chosen child (in this case Violet) must go up to another child and name her color and say:

"I choose *Blue* to come with me.  Off we go beneath the tree."

(this verse can be changed but if you have a nice tree the children can sit beneath it and prepare for snack or a lesson as they wait.)

Continue on until all children have left the circle.  If the number of children does not work out, Mother Rainbow can pair up with the last child and say the last verse instead of a child.  

If you are looking for even more ideas this week, don't miss our one day sale which ends tomorrow:

50% Off our Late Spring Festivals E-Book which includes amazing ideas for May Day and Mother's Day as well as other late spring festival celebrations. 

Happy May Day to You!

May Day Sale! 50% Off the Late Spring Festivals E-Book!

May Day Sale!

 

50% Off the Late Spring Festivals E-Book 

from Little Acorn Learning!

50% Off our Late Spring Festivals E-Book which includes amazing ideas for May Day and Mother's Day as well as other late spring festival celebrations. 

Offer ends 5/2/13! 

Price only $12.49 (was $24.99)!  

Discount will calculate upon check-out.

Get this huge e-book just in time for these beautiful May festivals. It will last you a lifetime!

Activities include:

Beltane
May Day Verses and Fingerplays
May Dance Song
Watercolor May Crown
Ribbon Wristlets for May Day Dancing
The May Queen and Other May Day Poems
May Day Flower Cones
Crochet Hair Flowers
May Pole Floral Centerpiece
Dandelion Crowns
Dandelion Tea
Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups
Mother's Day Tea Party
Mother's Day Verses and Fingerplays
Homemade Granola Bars
The Nest Circle Game
The White Pebble
Pressed Flower Bookmarks
Pressed Flower Candles
Flower Prints for Mother's Day
Ideas for Simple Mother's Day Gifts
Spring Tissue Pouches
Mother and Child Aprons
Caregiver Meditation: Nurturing

And much more! 

http://www.littleacornlearning.com/latespringfestivalsbook.html 

Fleeting Moments

Oh these moments, they are so fleeting - aren't they?  I haven't been in this space for a long time and find it harder and harder to keep up with my blog.  Yet, I have a deep desire to once again keep this place active and updated and I hope to find a way to achieve that soon.  As I type this I am actually sitting in the airport waiting for a flight with my girls as we embark upon a fun family vacation together.  It will be their first time on a plane and they are both excited and nervous.  

As the days have passed by since I've been here last, I have been quite busy.  The most important event that occurred was that my sweet Keira turned 12 years old.  The years, just like the moments, seem to fly past me at times and I find myself blinking my eyes a few extra times to see if it is true that my girls are growing so fast or if it is just my mind playing tricks on me. 

We celebrated Keira's birthday in conjunction with Easter this year.  Family and friends filled our home with love and laughter and she enjoyed her special family celebration.  

She also had a party with some of her closest friends.  She had a glow-in-the-dark mini golf party which was a ton of fun.  The girls all were glowing in the dark and we found out quickly that 12 year olds giggle a real lot. 

 In between all of the celebrations and regular daily life, I've been enjoying my sweet daycare babies as always...

Oh and Sara Wilson and I have just completed another e-book celebrating the Late Spring Festivals.  It sure isn't easy finding time to write with such a busy life but I truly love the work that I do and I'm so grateful to be working with Sara on this festival series as we really support one another well and her work is phenomenal.  

This e-book came out so nice and is 130+ pages full with Waldorf crafts, stories, recipes, songs, circles and so much more - just in time for Earth Day, Mother's Day and May Day.  

We hope you enjoy it!  

Coffee Cup Seed Starters

This activity is a sneak peek into our next release, the Late Spring Festivals ebook, which will be released early April 2013.  Enjoy!  

Coffee Cup Seed Starters

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help.  Gardening is an instrument of grace."

– May Sarton

This is a very nice way to reuse those little coffee ground holders you may use with machines like the Keurig.  They are perfect for little hands or to send home as spring gifts with students or friends to later plant in their home gardens.

Materials

Used coffee grind cups like the ones used in Keurig machines

Soil

Seeds

Felt

Scissors

Glue

We tried to plant our seeds directly in the coffee grounds but did not have the best results but leaving some of the grounds on the bottom (like a tiny bit of compost), scooping the rest out and adding soil to fill before planting our seeds worked perfect. 

Carefully take the top off of each used coffee cup.  Scoop out three quarters of the coffee grounds and replace with potting soil.  Add a special seed in each cup for the children in your care. 

Cut strips of felt approximately 4.5” in length and 1.5” in width (trim as necessary to fit your cups).  Carefully glue the felt around your cup and trim. 

Water and keep in direct sun.  When seedlings are strong and tall, transplant into your outdoor garden or into a larger pot to continue growth and harvest.