MATERIALS
- Projector (if you want to show the music video)
- Music and music player
- 1 round coffee filter for each child
- 1 paint brush for each child
- 1 eye dropper for each child
- 1 small paper cup (the kind you get at the dentist)
- 1/4 full of water for each child
- 1-3 small paper cup(s) with a small amount of paint in each for each child Paint (1-3 colors)
- Construction Paper (or pre-cut legs, arms, heads for the turtle)
- Scissors for each child (for older groups)
- White glue
- Google eyes
SHORT DESCRIPTION/TOPIC
In this lesson we are going on an imaginary visit to the zoo. We are going to learn how to connect poses together. In this lesson we will learn about Aloha, who says it and what it means. We will talk about how some animals are endangered and how responsible zoo’s help with conservation and education. The sea turtle will highlight how humans can help look after our environment and be a positive influence on the planet. For our Visual Vignette we will make Turtley Aloha art.
DISCUSSION POINTS
Aloha is a part of all and all is a part of me, aloha means “joyfully sharing life”. Aloha is when we are honest, truthful, patient, kind to all life forms, and humble. Aloha is similar to Namaste. We can make poses flow together, like a dance. We can use our breath to help make our poses flow together. What animals do we see at the zoo? Why do we have animals in the zoo instead of the wild? (Conservation and education) Sea Turtles Fun Facts: They are a sign of conservation. They live from the edge of the arctic to the edge of the Antarctic.
CONNECTING CIRCLE
Aloha! Welcome to yoga! Play the song Going to the Zoo by Sharon, Lois and Bram and let the kids dance around however they want to the song. Have them return to their mats when the song ends.
POSES AS PATHWAYS
Walking With My Animal Hat – Some animals walk up right like us (bipedal), and others walk on all fours (quadrupedal). Lets walk as tall as we can, just like a giraffe. Lets see if we can stretch like a star, or bring our knees up one by one and tap them with the opposite hand as we walk across the room. Students can also walk down a yoga mat that is down the middle of the circle like a catwalk. Brian Balance, Ecological Echoes
Heel Sitting Pose – How are you feeling? Do you have lots of energy? Are you tired today? This pose is really good for stretching the arch of our feet. We use our feet all day, so they love when we give them some aloha by stretching them. Quiet Quests, Body Benefits
R is for Roar – The roar of a lion can be heard 8 km away. That is the same as 99 city blocks. Lets give 8 roars. Female lions are better hunters than male lions. Math Medley, Ecological Echoes
Swan – Let’s be swans, and use our tail feathers to wave aloha to our swan friends. Spread your toes as you imagine they are your beautiful tail feathers and wave aloha to your friends with your tail feather toes.” After swans scare off other birds, they flap their wings and call to each other in celebration – sort of like a swan high-five! Swans are powerful, say “I am powerful!” Affirmations, Ecological Echoes
Lizard – Lizards are really shy, so they are very quiet. Can you stick your lizard tongue out? Chameleons, a type of lizard, have long tongues, which they rapidly extend from their mouth, too fast for human eyes to see properly. Human tongues are not as fast or as long, but we have 8 muscles in our tongues, so they are very strong! Say “My tongue is strong, my words are kind!” Awesome Anatomy, Affirmations, Ecological Echoes
S is for Snake – Let’s hiss aloha to our fellow snakes. Snakes use their tongues to smell, not to talk the way we do. Can you say “Silly Snake” 4 times fast? Laughing Language, Ecological Echoes
Snake Charmers – Snake helps strengthen our upper bodies. This game helps us improve our concentration and nonverbal directions. Body Benefits, We All Win
Polar Bear – The Polar Bear is in a lot of trouble because of global warming. If the temperature of the earth goes up, the sea ice that the polar bear lives on will melt. Ecological Echoes
Option: Using a computer and projector play the video Here We Go! by Birdsong and the Eco-Wonders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arZqdNfn66M
Musical Musings
Play Let’s Go To The Zoo by Super Simple Songs. Have the children move the way they think the animals do (ie. pretend to swing through the room). Remind them to return to their own mat when the music stops. Bridge of Diamonds
TRANSFORMER
Today we are going to learn how we can link our poses together like a dance. Let’s try putting all the poses we did earlier together to make a yoga flow. (Do this 2-3 times.)
- Heel sitting pose (inhale)
- R is for Roar (exhale)
- Swan (inhale)
- Spread your feathers (toes) (exhale)
- Lizard (inhale)
- Stick your lizard tongue out (exhale)
- S is for Snake (inhale)
- Polar Bear (exhale)
- Heel-Sitting Pose (inhale)
RCAWY
Read the story Aloha Zoo by Jing Song
VISUAL VIGNETTE
Turtle Aloha – Use round coffee filters to make turtles. Give each child a “messy tray” (serving trays, baking sheets, jelly roll sheets, something with a small lip). On their tray give them:
- 1 round coffee filter
- 1 paint brush
- 1 eye dropper
- 1 small paper cup (the kind you get at the dentist) 1/4 full of water
- 1-3 small paper cup(s) (think condiment size) with a small amount of paint in each
Step 1: Using the paintbrush, paint water across your coffee filter until it lies flat.
Step 2: Using the eyedropper, drop paint onto the flat wet coffee filter.
Step 3: Allow the coffee filters time to dry on the messy tray. (They will not be completely dry for step 4 if you are doing this in the same class, but that is ok.)
Step 4: Glue on tails, arms and a head. You can even add google eyes. For preschoolers they should be pre cut. For older students, they can draw (or trace) and cut their own.
QUIET QUESTS
Sit or lay comfortably on your mat. Close your eyes gently, let your body relax. Feel your muscles get heavy, imagine your muscles are melting down towards the ground. Take a minute to check in with your body. How does your body feel? Scan from your toes all the way up to the top of your head. What do you notice? Are you holding your breath? Are you breathing evenly? Do you feel any tight spots? Tell your body quietly that it is time to relax. Take a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. Feel your breath come in through your nose and out through your mouth gently this time. Take a few more gentle breaths.
We are going to say Aloha to our bodies just like we said Aloha to the zoo animals in our story. Remember, Aloha is a part of all and all is a part of me, aloha means “joyfully sharing life”. Aloha is when we are honest, truthful, patient, kind to all life forms, and humble. Tell yourself “I am honest!’, “I am truthful”, “I am patient”, “I am kind”, “I am humble”. Send Aloha to your toes, and the space between your toes. Your feet work hard all day, let them feel your kindness. Send Aloha to your legs, imagine your filling them with little bubbles of joy and happiness.
Send Aloha to your belly, imagine your filling your belly with little bubbles of truth and love. Send Aloha to your chest and your heart. Imagine you are filling them with bubbles or patience and kindness. Send Aloha to your arms; imagine you are filling them with bubbles of humility and generosity. Send Aloha to your neck and head. Imagine you are filling them with bubbles of joy, happiness, truth, love and patience. Tell your neck and head aloha.
Imagine a big bubble of Aloha floating up from your heart into the room above you. Imagine you are looking around; everyone has a big bubble of Aloha high above them. Each persons Aloha bubble keeps growing and growing until it pops and little splatters of Aloha, fly out. Your bubble splatters out to all of your friends, and your family and your neighbors, to all the people of the world. Everyone has some of your Aloha, and you have some of theirs. We are joyfully sharing our lives. Take a deep breath in, and send one last big Aloha down your body from your head to the tip of your toes. Whisper Aloha.
Gently rub your hands together to create heat between your palms. Now place the palms of your hands gently over your eyes, and let your hands warm your eyes up. Open your eyes slowly and bring your hands down to your sides. If you are laying down roll onto your side and slowly press up into sitting. If you are already sitting, stretch your legs out in front of you and then bring them into crossed legs.
CLOSING CIRCLE
In yoga we say Namaste to tell people that the light in us sees the light in them. When we say Namaste it is like saying Aloha. We are saying that we are all part of the world and the world is full of joyful wonderful people and things.
Namaste Song, Group “Aloha”