Summer Seasonal Circle Plans

Month: July 

Theme: Sunshine Circle Time

Books: “Summer”

Song   

   Sing a Song of Sunshine -
sung to "Sing a song of sixpence"

Sing a song of sunshine
Be happy every day
Sing a song of sunshine
You'll chase the clouds away
Be happy every moment
No matter what you do
Just sing and sing and sing and sing
And let the sunshine through!

Nursery Rhymes/Verses:

 A Sunbeams Kiss

Can you guess what woke me this morning,
What made me jump out of bed?
'Twas a sunbeam's kiss on my forehead,
That said, "Wake up, sleepyhead!"


The Sun is in my Heart

The sun is in my heart
It warms me with its power
And wakens life and love
In bird and beast and flower.

Finger Play:

The sun makes the outside a warm place to play
(arms above head in circle)
It makes the flowers grow each day
(holding up hands wiggling fingers)
The sun hides its face during the night
(cover face with hands)
But during the daytime it shines - oh so bright
(arms above head in circle)

For the circle : 

Make sunshine finger puppets out of felt

Make a sun hoop out of an embroidery hoop, wrap the circle in ribbons of orange , tie long pieces of ribbon in orange, red, and yellow around the hoop.  (For waving to the music and songs)

Art Projects  
Choose one per week. 
 (Do prep for under 3s if needed)

 Paper Plate Sun
Paint paper plates with yellow finger paint, apply red and orange  crepe or decorative papers on wet  paint. 
Talk about the qualities of yellow, the sun, warmth.

Sun Rocks
Prep: Gather rocks. Leave them in the sunshine for a time before  beginning craft. 

Notice how the light of the sun warms the rocks.    Paint them  with orange, yellows, and red paint, using brushes or finger paints depending on skill level.  Display them  on the nature table .

Sunflower Craft 

Prep: Cut out circles of yellow paper.  Cut out  several  squares of crepe paper, enough to surround each circle.  Cut little fringes along the bottom and top of each square.  Paint Popsicle sticks green and let dry.  Gather a bowl of sunflower seeds and some  glue sticks. 

Glue crepe paper squares to the perimeter of the circles creating petals.  Apply Glue to the center of the  circle.  Sprinkle sunflower seeds on the  glue  till circle is covered completely.  Affix green painted Popsicle stick  with glue .  Let dry. 

Sunshine Suncatcher

Prep: Cut the center circle out of a small paper plate. Tear red, orange, and yellow tissue  paper into small pieces. Cover whole in  plate with clear contact paper and trim around the edge to fit.
Cover contact paper with tissue paper pieces . Use markers, colored pencils, and crayons in shades of orange, red, and yellow to color and decorate the edge of the plate.
Punch a hole in the top of the plate and use  a matching color yarn to create a loop and knot.  Hang in a sunny window.

Seasonal Treats
Home made Lemonade
Strawberries and Blueberries
Sunshine cookies
(Make  simple  circle shaped  sugar cookies and either decorate with orange , red, or yellow colored frosting or make the cookie dough orange using food coloring)
Sunshine fruit salad
Red and yellow watermelon , orange cantelope.  Cut into bite size chunks and serve in a red bowl.

Seasonal Table

Grapevine wreath with red, yellow, and orange flowers
Light green silk to represent the earth
Suns  and sun fairies made of beeswax, felt, or cloth
Mason jar with daisies and other flowers representative of the sun
Paint or draw images of the sun to hang on the wall.

My goal is to do this circle once a week with Gabriel, each week for a month , choosing a different art project, seasonal treat, and seasonal item to add to the nature table each time.  Hoping it will not be too hot to do the circle outside.  Want to keep it simple as possible since he is still so little.  Thinking August's theme will be Gardens and Creatures. Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Bumblebees Oh, My!

I plan to photograph and write about our process and our progress and share it here.  Love to hear any ideas or suggestions anyone might have as to how I can improve, things I could try etc.