Offer the Week 19, Day 1 activity to review how to make simple patterns.

Engage children in using musical instruments to make an AABAAB pattern.

Conduct the session near a surface that children can readily tap with a rhythm stick without causing damage.

Explain that today we will use musical instruments to make patterns. Demonstrate a simple pattern (ABAB) with a rhythm stick in one hand and a bell in your other hand. Example: tap, ring, tap, ring.

Use slow movements so the sound of the bell and the tap of your rhythm stick can be easily identified (do not overlap). Emphasize that we make one tap and we ring (move) the bell once.

Give each child one bell and one rhythm stick. Lead children in making a simple pattern (ring, tap, ring, tap) to provide familiarity with the instruments and the process. Then introduce an AABAAB pattern. Example: ring, ring, tap, ring, ring, tap. If children readily produce the pattern, invite them to begin with a different instrument (rhythm stick) so the pattern is: tap, tap, ring, tap, tap, ring. You may wish to provide verbal support for each action. Along with children, say “stick, bell;” or “tap, ring.”

Let’s have some quiet time together so we can concentrate on our breathing and body. This will help our mind to calm down, and help us with our self-control.

[Spread out children so each child has personal space. When all children are arranged, turn out the lights in the room.]

Let’s begin by concentrating on our breathing. As we breathe in and out, let’s put our hand on our stomach to feel how it moves as we breathe. Let’s practice breathing while feeling our stomach move in and out.

Let’s take a deep breath.

In, 1, 2, 3, out, 1, 2, 3.

If you want, you can close your eyes to help you relax.

Breathe in through your nose, and breathe out through your mouth.

In, 1, 2, 3, out, 1, 2, 3.

In, 1, 2, 3, out, 1, 2, 3.

When you breathe in, bring the air all the way down to your stomach.

In, 1, 2, 3, out, 1, 2, 3.

Your hand on your stomach should move up and down as you breathe.

In, 1, 2, 3, out, 1, 2, 3.

Please keep breathing in slowly and breathing out slowly.

Feel your body starting to relax. Your eyes are feeling heavier and heavier as you keep breathing all the way to your stomach.

In, 1, 2, 3, out, 1, 2, 3.

Now we are going to focus on our hands and arms. Pretend that you have two small oranges, one in each hand. Pretend you are squeezing the oranges to make orange juice. Tighten your fists as much as possible. Pretend you are squeezing the oranges as hard as you can. Okay, there’s no more juice left in the oranges. Now please relax your hands.

Now I will use a feather to pretend there is a butterfly landing on our nose. We will need to wait patiently for the butterfly to land on our nose. Remember, when we are patient, we wait our turn without talking or moving around or getting upset.

[As you talk about the butterfly, gently move around the room and touch each child’s nose with a feather.]

Oh! Wow! Here comes a beautiful butterfly. The imaginary butterfly will visit each of us. We need to be patient. Our imaginary butterfly will fly around your head and land on your nose. Don’t touch our imaginary butterfly with your hands, because we might hurt him. Instead, try to get the butterfly to move off of your nose by scrunching up your nose and face.

Wrinkle up your face really hard when our imaginary butterfly lands on your face. Then relax your face when the butterfly moves away. You will feel the muscles in your face relax.

[At the conclusion of the breathing activity, ask children to stay in their own personal space.]

Let’s use some of our quiet time to practice some yoga. Remember, when people do yoga, they concentrate on their breathing while stretching their bodies into different poses.

Let’s do the yoga poses we learned several weeks ago. We know that a pose is a way of holding our body. Here are the two yoga poses we have done.

[Display photos in the book of yoga poses done in Week 46, Day 1. Invite children to try each pose. Demonstrate each. Encourage children to take three deep breaths as they hold each pose.]

Now let’s look at the pictures of other poses in our book about yoga. We will try some different yoga poses in the book, and concentrate on our breathing while we do them.

[Choose two poses from the book to demonstrate to children. Read sections of the book that focus on the two poses. Discuss how the child’s body is posed in each picture. Example: “This is called the airplane pose. How does the girl’s body look like an airplane?”

Show children the picture of the first chosen pose from the book. Demonstrate the pose, and then invite children to try it. Remind children to take three deep breaths as they hold the pose. Repeat the pose with three deep breaths. Then show children the picture from the book of the second chosen pose, and use the same approach for children. Repeat the pose with three deep breaths.]

We are learning to calm our minds and use good self-control by concentrating on our breathing and our bodies. We did some yoga poses. Yoga helps us concentrate on our breathing while stretching our bodies. Which yoga pose helped you the most in calming your mind?

We are learning about many different kinds of art. We know that art is something someone creates, like a painting or a drawing or a sculpture. What kinds of art have we created in our room?

Today we are going to learn about a special kind of art called a mural. A mural is a big piece of art created on a wall, building, or ceiling.

Murals may be made by one or more artists. A mural may be one picture or may have several smaller pictures put together.

Let’s look at some pictures of murals.

[Display three pictures of murals.]

What are some things we see in these pictures of murals? (people, animals)

[Display large sheet of butcher paper.]

We are going to make a mural on this large sheet of paper. We will cooperate and take turns to create our mural.

Remember, when we cooperate, we work together. When we are finished, we can hang our mural on our wall!

• We will form four small groups. Each group will take a turn coloring a section of the mural.
• We will each add something special to the mural. One person may use crayons and another person may use markers.
• There are three other activities (puzzles, blocks, manipulatives, etc.) we can do while we wait for our group’s turn to work on the mural. We will need to leave the other activity as soon as your group is invited to work on the mural. There may or may not be more time to work on the activities when we finish our turn with the mural.

[Organize children into four small groups. Give each group a name, so it is easy for you to call a group to the mural area for work.

Give each group 3–4 minutes for working on a section of the mural that you designate. Provide a one-minute warning before time is up.

Ensure only one group works on the mural at the same time (do not mingle groups) in order to support the experience of each group taking a turn.

Encourage children to participate in another activity in a separate area of the room with other members of their small group while waiting for the group’s turn to work on the mural.

Encourage children to share crayons, markers, or colored pencils.

After a group has finished working, invite children to look at books together or watch other children work on the mural. Keep the “finished” groups within the vicinity of the mural, so it is easy to reassemble when all small groups are done.]

[Invite all children to a large group discussion. Make sure all children can see the finished mural.]

Today we learned a mural is a large piece of art that is created on a wall or ceiling.

• What do we see in the mural we made today?
• What tools were used to make the mural? (crayons, colored pencils, markers)