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I reel-in my littles with the age old tradition of “circle time”. And you know what? It WORKS. I was amazed. Try it. Tweak it. Embrace it. You might love it.

We do circle time this way because it’s not at the beginning of our day. By the time we get to “school”, our children have been awake for 3-4 hours; they’ve eaten, and they have been allowed to wake up and get moving at their own pace.

The progression of our circle time allows for us to start off letting out all the high energy and then bringing everyone down to a peaceful and relaxed pace where we can begin to concentrate on learning. I suggest putting down a large blanket, mat, or rug that is JUST for this time of day.

• Welcome Song*: “Jambo Bwana”
  • HERE are the lyrics and translation for the version of the song that was performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration by the Kenyan Boys Choir. We sing only the beginning of the song, as sung HERE.
    *I just start singing it as I lay out the blanket. They will catch on in a few days.

• Get the wiggles out!**
  • Dance, sing/dance, and/or do some short exercises
    **Need help finding songs/activities? Search “brain breaks” on YouTube
• A few yoga poses OR simple stretches to re-focus everyone’s attention

Have a seat!

• ABC Song: Choo Choo Soul OR Elmo & India Arie (nope, we don’t sing it the “regular” way, ever)
• Affirmations
• Topic introduction: Introduce or talk about the current subject.
• Storytime: choose a book or two from your current library haul that demonstrates the topic of the day.

Need help coming up with a circle time routine? Read HERE and HERE for some tips that you may find helpful.