Monday: Rice Day

Morning

Morning Verse

Morning has come, night is away
We rise with the sun to welcome the day

To Earth I come
To greet the sun
To greet the moon
The stones that rest
The plants that grow
And animals that run
To greet all people in this world
Love greets me in all I do
And I and you and the world are one.

Ms. Aliya’s Neighborhood

Song

Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley
By Ms. Aliya

Painting

Monday, associated with the moon, is our painting day in Cedar Rose. Painting brings movement and flow to the young child and helps them experience inner flexibility. Join your child in painting in the peace of quiet. You might even light a candle to set the mood of reverence. Rather than beginning with a specific idea of what to paint, simply experience the color one at a time at first and allow the picture to emerge from the painting. Your child’s imagination will come alive in the flowing images that emerge in the experience of color.

Story

The Little Seed
A story by Ananda Eluf from Brazil

Find a collection of Cedar Rose audio stories here.

Rice Recipe

Ingredients:
2 c short grain brown rice
4 c water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes (or replace water & bouillon with 4 c vegetable broth)
2 tbsp Earth Balance or butter

Toppings:
Sunflower seeds
Gomashio*
Golden sprinkles (nutritional yeast)
Butter
Tamari or soy sauce
Carrot sticks

Instructions:
Boil the water and add bouillon cubes to prepare broth. Rinse the rice and put in a medium-sized pot. Add the boiling broth and Earth Balance / butter and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Once boiling, stir once and place a tight-fitting lid on the pot. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, covered, for 35-45 minutes. It’s okay to lift the lid every once in a while to check on the rice, but don’t check it too often as you don’t want the steam to escape.

When most of the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and allow rice to sit with the lid on for ten minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve with your choice of toppings.

*Bonus Recipe: Gomashio

Ingredients:
2 c white sesame seeds
3 tbsp sea salt
(the ratio is 15 parts sesame seeds to 1 part salt)

Instructions:
In a heavy skillet (cast iron is best) over medium heat, toast the salt until it turns slightly grey. Set aside.

Toast the sesame seeds until they start popping and turn golden brown, stirring constantly so they don’t burn.

The traditional (and preferred) method is to grind the sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle to split them open and release their natural oils. It will take several rounds to grind up all of the sesame seeds (unless you have a gigantic mortar and pestle!). If you don’t have a mortar and pestle (or just don’t want to work that hard), you can add all the ingredients to a blender, food processor, or even a clean coffee grinder and pulse a few times until the seeds are crushed and everything is combined (but not so long that it becomes a paste).

Combine crushed sesame seeds and salt in a jar and shake well to combine.

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Afternoon

Golden Bells for Rest Time

Sammy the Squirrel Story

Find a collection of Sammy the Squirrel audio stories here.

Rest Time Song & Verse

Evening Wind
Adapted from Wilma Ellersiek

Blow the evening wind so mild
Rest my little flower child
Lu lu lu lu lu, lu lu lu lu lu

Flowers Grow
Words by Monica Stone
This verse can be accompanied by gentle therapeutic touch to help your child come to a state of rest and wellbeing.

The flowers, they grow on your ten little toes
With forefinger and thumb, gently caress and massage each toe
All the way up to your little nose
Gently draw finger down the length of child’s nose
The petals, they softly brush your cheek
Gently brush each cheek with back of your hand
As you lay down and fall fast asleep
Gently run fingers along child’s brow

Fingerplay

Here is the Beehive

Here is the beehive
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them
Come out of the hive
One, two, three, four, five

They buzz so high
They buzz so low
Thye buzz so fast
And they buzz so slow

They buzz. to the left
And they buzz to the right

They buzz all the day long
And go to sleep at night

Coloring Activity

Explore lines, shape, and color with crayons (or whatever you have available).

Make a beautiful rainbow, a ship sailing on the seven seas, or a forest for Sammy Squirrel!

Find additional activity ideas here.

Drawing Song: I Can Make a Rainbow

Red and orange,
and yellow and green,
blue and purple, too,
I can make a rainbow,
make a rainbow,
and so can you!