our children are enjoying these verses

Our nursery children demonstrate a keen interest both in fairy tales with moderate complexity and dramatic tension and in finger plays and verses that brought delight in our parent & child classes. At present children effervesce when the buzzing bee at the end of this sequence approaches:


Spring 2012 verses and songs
(Most of these come from Wilma Ellersiek)



Softly tippytoes,
On his trip the Sandman goes.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap,
Slips through garden and the house.
Scatters all his dreams about.
Scatters all his dreams about.
La la la la la la la laa.
Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mmm.
La la laaa.
Mm mm mmmmm.


Teck teck teck teck teck teck teck.
Hammers here woodpecker small in every bark he pecks.
Teck teck teck teck teck teck teck.
Hammers here woodpecker small a little worm he seeks.

In every bark he pecks.
A little worm he seeks.
T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t teck teck teck.
T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t teck teck teck.


To the woods, the children all take a walk today.
Listen to the birdies' song, joyous tirilay.
Ti-ri ti-ri-li, ti-ri ti-ri ti-ri-liii.
Ti-ri ti-ri-li, ti-ri ti-ri ti-ri-lay.

They stop and listen well.
Teck teck teck, teck teck teck.
Hammers the woodpecker, t-t-t-t-t-t teck.

The mourning dove coos coo-oo coo coo coo, coo-oo coo coo coo.
The chickadee twitters chickadee-dee-dee, chickadee-dee-dee.
The finch sings widgibbet, widgibbet, widgibbet.
The robin chirps tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit.

There's a concert in the wood.
Listen, listen, it sounds good.

Teck teck teck, teck teck teck.
T-t-t-t-t-t teck.

Coo-oo, coo coo coo, coo-oo coo coo coo.
Chickadee-dee-dee, chickadee-dee-dee.
Widgibbet, widgibbet, widgibbet.
Tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit.

It calls and twitters far and near,
Just as the children like to hear.
The sun to listens as they cheep,
And when he sets and goes to sleep,
The many birdies small
Stop their singing, one and all.
Snuggle in their cosy nest,
From their singing now they rest.
(humming lullaby)
The concert is done.
Children leave now, one by one.


See, but see.
In the green grass, the grass so green,
A million golden suns are seen.

Dandelion, Dandelion
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la
(repeat)

And then all the blossoms must close
And for a little while repose.
A second time the blossoms open out,
And--see!--a puffy flower looks about.

The wind blows strong -- phhhhh
Into the air the star-child throng.

The seeds hover, high and low, high and low,
Hovering so, high and low.
Gently sink down to the earth below,
That a new crop of dandelions may grow.

Dandelion, Dandelion
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
(repeat)


The little daisy, small and fine
Is waiting for the sun to shine.

Climbs the sun up to his height,
She opens up her blossoms white.

Goes the sun to sleep at night,
She shuts her petals tight.

Let's see who comes to visit our garden.

In my garden, the flower in bloom is waiting, waiting for whom?
For the beetle child, the beetle child!
She ree ra rocks it, in the breeze mild, the beetle child (repeat).

The flower in bloom is waiting, waiting for whom?
For the butterfly, the flutter child.
She ree ra rocks it, in the breeze mild, the flutter child (repeat).

The flower in bloom is waiting, waiting for whom?
bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, for the buzzy bee, the buzzy child--bzzz, bzzz.
She ree ra rocks it, in the breeze mild, the buzzy child (repeat).

Stays the flower now alone?
O no. To her comes down the sunshine bright.
Stroking her so soft and light.
And when the sunshine goes, she falls asleep at night.

May Day preview, flowers

Dear Nursery Families,

Kim, Dyanne, and I are pleased with our plans for tomorrow, May 1. You will drop off and pick up your child as usual. We will spend our entire morning with the Golden Forest class, helping them to bake their bread, helping to knit may crowns, playing on the play yard, and joining them for a snack on the playground. The Sunflower children will join us, and then we will process to the sunny meadow. While children play and assist, adults and older children will craft may crowns (and perhaps other surprises) for each child. Each teacher will guide a set of dances around our little maypole--many of your children will remember my dances from parent & child classes. Our children will likely be enlivened and fatigued by the merry fellowship.

We are gathering flowers and will have the right amount for ornate or austere May crowns. If you have a few moments to clip a few flowers to weave into our crowns, please drop them off outside in the morning.

With warmth and light,

William

Possibility of Outdoor Starts

Dear Nursery Families,

Welcome back. For several days before our break, some children and I started the mornings outside on the playground. When Kim Dunkley, the Golden Forest teacher, had asked me to help out when a flat tire delayed her assistant, our nursery children had such a rich morning that I continued with this flexible rhythm (some children inside with Lynne, others outside with me) even when my presence was not required--though for their part, the kindergarten teachers appreciated the presence of me and our children: new play mates, new potentials. As we approach the end of our nursery year and look toward new classroom constellations next year, it seems efficacious to harmonize our nursery children with older kindergarten children in a mellow tone.

While this modified rhythm seems to swing, we will continue with these changes and improvisation. At 8:35 or so, I will go outside with some or all of our children, while Lynne stays inside to prepare snack with the help of one or a few (not so different from what happens in classrooms opening right onto the playground). We'll come back inside around 9:20 or 9:30 to gather for snack, indoor play, and a puppet show or story before we all go outside for a walk to the meadow or woods to end our morning.

It is possible our nursery children will begin to miss each other, and after a day or two I will return us to our usual rhythm of all of us commencing the day inside (or if Lynne or I need to be absent, we would all move as a class). It is also possible some of us will join the Golden Forest class on the playground for the rest of this school year. As I've written before, I so appreciate the freedom and responsibility given to Waldorf teachers--we are to observe our children with a keen eye and provide experiences that nourish them; these nourishments take a different form each and every year. Some days I may encourage this or that child to join us outside or inside to foster a variety of cooperative opportunities amongst the children.

For now, you are welcome to bring your child to school in outdoor clothes. It also seems to work for me to help dress early birds. It has also worked for parents who come a little later (remember, there is no such thing as being late to nursery class; our wish is for your morning routine with your child to feel as peaceful as possible for both of you) to greet Lynne, equip their child for the outdoors, and bring their child to the playground to meet me.

With appreciation for your flexibility and support of the class,

William