Candlemas

Candlemas

 "Candle candle burning bright, Winter's halfway done tonight, With a-glowing we are knowing, Spring will come again."



"Jack Frost was in the garden, I saw him there at dawn, A’ dancing round the bushes, And prancing on the lawn. He wore a cloak of silver, A hat all shimmering white, A wand of glittering star-dust, And shoes of moonbeam light." --Based upon the poem by John P. Smeeton. 





In the Winter Garden


In our Winter garden, seeds lie warm below,
flowers are waiting, waiting, waiting
for the Spring to show

SNOWDROP SONG and STORY

Snowdrop Snowdrop little drops of snow

What do you do when the cold wind blows

I hang my little head and say

cold wind cold wind go away

Snowdrop snowdrop dressed in green and white

What do you do when the sun shines bright?

I raise my little head and say

Ding-a-ling Ding-a-ling here comes Spring!


The Snow Drop 

By Hans Christian Andersen (Adapted)


The snow lay deep, for it was winter time. The winter winds blew cold, but there was one house where all was snug and warm. And in the house lay a little flower - in its bulb it lay, under the earth and the snow.

One day the rain fell and it trickled through the ice and snow down into the ground. And presently a sunbeam, pointed and slender, pierced down through the earth, and tapped on the bulb.

"Come in," said the flower.

"I can't do that," said the sunbeam - "I'm not strong enough to lift the latch. I shall be stronger when springtime comes."

"When will it be spring?" asked the flower of every little sunbeam that rapped on its door. But for a long time it was winter. The ground was still covered with snow, and every night there was ice in the water. The flower grew quite tired of waiting.

"How long it is!" it said. "I feel quite cramped. I must stretch myself and rise up a little. I must lift the latch, and look out, and say 'good morning' to the spring."

So the flower pushed and pushed. The walls were softened by the rain and warmed by the little sunbeams, so the flower shot up from under the snow, with a pale green bud on its stalk and some long narrow leaves on either side. It was biting cold.

"You are a little too early," said the wind and the weather - but every sunbeam sang, "Welcome," and the flower raised its head from the snow and unfolded itself - pure and white, and decked with green stripes.

It was weather to freeze it to pieces - such a delicate little flower, but it was stronger than any one knew. It stood in its white dress in the white snow, bowing its head when the snowflakes fell, and raising it again to smile at the sunbeams, and every day it grew sweeter.

"Oh!" shouted the children, as they ran into the garden, "see the snowdrop! There it stands so pretty, so beautiful - the first, the only one!"



PANCAKE DAY!


Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake, 
Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake, 
Toss the pancake, 
Catch it if you can.


Winter to Spring transitional poem (could be used as part of a circle time story, with props): "There came a knock at the outer door; 'Who’s there?' King Winter cried; “Open your palace gates,” said Spring. “For you can reign no more as King, No longer here abide; This message from the sun I bring, “The trees are green, the birds do sing; The hills with joy are echoing: So pray, Sir—step outside!”

Spring  Circle for little children 


A collection of verses and songs for ring time; this one we can start to share with children from after  February half term holidays, so, from March to May, roughly!


 Spring is  coming, spring is coming: 
birdies build yournest!

Weave together  straw and feather, 
doing each your best!

Spring is  coming, spring is coming: 
flowers are coming too,

Pansies, lilies,  daffodillies,
All are coming  through!

Spring is  coming, spring is coming,
All around is  fair!

Shimmer, quiver  on the river
Joy is everywhere!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Wake up, wake up, all you little children, 
Sunlight, sky bright,
Spring is coming now

Gusty 
March winds  blowing
Daffodils a  blowing,
Birds sing, bells  ring,
There’s blossom on the  bough.
~~~

Piper, piper , play your happy music!
Singing, singing, we will follow on.
Dancing through the  daytime
Lead us to the May  time
Ding-dong-Spring song,  Winter ‘s past and gone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

In and out the dusty bluebells,
In and 
  out the dusty bluebells,
Who will be my partner?
Tippy-tappy 
  tippy-tappy
On my shoulder..............
Tippy-tappy tippy-tappy
On my 
  shoulder..............
Tippy-tappy tippy-tappy
On my 
  shoulder..............
You will be my 
  partner.

 
 Or: Pit-a-pat on your shoulder…different 
  version!
 

Sleepy 
  Bunnies

See the little bunnies  sleeping ‘till is nearly noon…
Shall we wake them  with a merry tune?
Oh so sweet- Are they  ill? 
Wake up  soon!

Hop little bunnies, hop,  hop, hop, 
Hop little bunnies hop,hop, hop
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finger rhyme

Ten little fairies stand up straight
Ten little fairies  make a gate
Ten little fairies bow to the King
Ten little fairies  make a ring
Ten little fairies  dance and play
Ten little fairies fly  away ( hide away)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daffodilly down came to town
With her yellow bonnet  and her green gown!

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Crocus, 
crocus , open  up - Catch a Sunbeam in your cup! 

~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The silver raindrops  patter upon the earth today
Tip tap, their knock is gentle and this is what they say
“Awake now little  flowers and open wide your door,
Put on your rainbow dresses as Spring is here once more!


The Fairy Ring

Let us dance and let us sing, 
Dancing in a merry ring, 
We’ll be fairies on the green 
Sporting round the fairy queen.

Like the seasons of the year 
Round we circle in a sphere. 
I’ll be summer, you be spring, 
Dancing in a fairy ring.

Spring and summer glide away, 
Autumn comes with tresses gay. 
Winter hand in hand with spring 
Dancing in a fairy ring.

Faster, faster, round we go, 
While our cheeks with roses glow, 
Free as birds upon the wing 
Dancing in a fairy ring!

~Anonymous



Ring time verses and songs
(scroll down) 
http://susannah-moonchild.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/autumn-fever.html