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.
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 Story of the Daffodil
Adapted and Narrated by Ms. Dylan from a Cornish tale.
Song & Movement
Throughout the year in Cedar Rose, we have been tall trees. In Autumn, the apples fell from our limbs, in Winter the raindrops dripped and dropped, and now it is Spring and the flowers are blooming!
This movement game invites the children to:
move and sing at the same time, which develops early literacy
cross the horizontal midline, a developmental milestone
touch their physical body to experience tactile sensory feedback
engage with the changes of the season in an imaginative way
This is my trunk
From standing, bend at the waist with straight legs and touch your toes
I’m a tall, tall tree
Run your hands up your legs and torso, eventually coming up to stand with arms over head
In Springtime the flowers bloom on me
Two arms overhead, make fists with your hands
They open
Right fist opens into a flower
They open
Left fist opens into a flower
Repeat 3 times.
Spring is Coming
Spring is coming
Spring is coming
Birdies build your nests
Weave together straw and feather
Each is doing their best
Spring is coming
Spring is coming
Flowers are coming too.
Pansies, lilies, daffo-dillies
All are coming through
Spring is coming
Spring is coming
All around is fair.
Shimmer, quiver, on the river,
Joy is everywhere.
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.
Afternoon
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
My Big Blue Boat
I love to ride in my big blue boat, my big blue boat, my big blue boat.
I love to ride in my big blue boat, over the deep blue sea.
My big blue boat has two red sails, two red sails, two red sails.
My big blue boat has two red sails.
Come ride along with me.
My big blue boat goes splish and splash, splish and splash, splish and slash
My big blue boat goes splish and splash, over the deep blue sea.
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!