” Beginning” yoga storytime

Opening – How I explain the rules of yoga storytime: stay on your mat, and keep your hands to yourself.
(Skip to my Lou –  from Jim Gill)
Stomping feet, one and two
Stomping feet, one and two
But if my feet were covered in glue
I’d stick to the glue, my darling.

Clapping hands, one and two
Clapping hands, one and two
But if my hands were covered in glue
I’d stick to the glue, my darling
(hands in Anjali mudra, or prayer position)

Are you Ready for Yoga? 
Are you ready for yoga?
If you’re ready, then stomp your feet
Stomp your feet and make some noise.
Let’s stomp our feet and make some noise
And do it really fast
Then stop. Stretch your feet up, up, up
And down.
Repeat with arms then both. 
Source: Next Generation Yoga at the National Kids Yoga Conference

Extend and Stretch
Frere Jacques
Extend and stretch (sit in sukasana – easy seated pose, or crisscross applesauce- and do seated side bends)
Extend and stretch
Twist and turn (seated twists)
Twist and turn
This is yoga, (hands overhead on “this,” then bring to prayer position on “yoga”)
This is yoga
Om sweet om, (hands in prayer, bow forward)
Om sweet om
Source: I got this from Kids Yoga Guide teacher training, but here is another from Be Grace Yoga 

Sun Salutations – I use a call and response version of Sargent Salutations from Kidding Around Yoga. 

Book – Beginning by Shelley Moore Thomas and illustrated by Melissa Castrillon
flower – flower pose
egg – malasana/garland pose and then hatch from “egg”
butterfly – butterfly or baddha konasana
peach tree- tree pose/vrksasana
pancakes – chair/utkatasana like you’re sitting down to breakfast
plaground – rock n roll pose like you’re on the snail
beginning of together – downward facing dog/adho mukha svanasana
sea – navasana/boat pose
gloomiest of days – downward facing dog/adho mukha svanasana
path – virasana/hero’s pose
starlight – tipping (shooting) star pose

Song – The Seedy Seeds – “My Roots Go Down“
Stomping for roots
Tree – vrksasana
Flower pose

Belly Breaths

Savasana 

Peace begins with me
Hold both hands overhead. On the word “peace,” touch the thumbs and pinky fingers together. On the word “begins,” touch the thumbs and ring fingers. On the word “with,” touch the thumbs and middle fingers. On the word “me,” touch the thumbs and pointers. Repeat this four times, the first time loudly and hands overhead. The second time, bring the hands down a little and speak a little softer. The third time, bring hands lower and whisper. The last time, bring hands to knees and speak words silently to self.
Source: Kids Yoga Guide Teacher Training

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Community Helpers event, Loveland style

I held an event I called People in Your Neighborhood. Traditionally, community helper units include jobs like police, fire, teachers, doctors, etc. Of course these jobs are important, but so are many others. For this event, I wanted to make sure we placed value on other types of jobs as well.

We were mechanics.

We were meteorologists. I told the kids they could be other TV stars also, but this was still surprisingly the least popular of the stations.

We worked in construction.

The dads got really into this activity.

Of course, I had to throw librarian in the mix.

We decided that barista is the most important job of all because the construction workers, librarians, and mechanics all needed their coffee.

And then, of course, someone had to clean up the mess!

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