]MATERIALS

• Small chime
• Map of the world/globe
• Music player and prepared music (Here Comes the Sun, Circus Music, Dawn of the Lake)
• Tools for Schools Sun Salutation poster
• Foam yoga blocks
• Biomes Word Search & pencils
• Guided visualization script

SHORT DESCRIPTION/TOPIC

We are going to explore the 5 major biomes of the world in a fun way through animal and other poses.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Biomes are regions of the world with similar climate, animals and plants. There are terrestrial biomes (land) and aquatic biomes, both freshwater and marine. The 5 majors biomes are: Desert, Aquatic, Forest, Grassland and Tundra.

CONNECTING CIRCLE

Breath Awareness Bring hands to heart center and close eyes. Do a couple inhalations/exhalations bringing focus inward. Ring chime at end of silence – Listen to the sound of the chime. Gently open your eyes when you can no longer hear its sound. Quiet Quests

POSES AS PATHWAYS TO LEARNING

Before each Biome ask students if they know where that biome occurs in the world. Show areas on map.

Desert

Sun Salutation – Play Here Comes the Sun or other appropriate music. Show the Sun Salutation poster and briefly outline the poses in this moving meditation. This series of poses warms the entire body, moving every joint and muscle. Body Benefits, Musical Musings

Dromedary Delight – Camels have two rows of thick eyelashes to protect their eyes from the desert dust. They are also able to close their nostrils and lips to keep out the dust. Ecological Echoes

Lizard – Lizards are cold-blooded and survive in the desert by keeping themselves in the shade during the heat and out of the shade during the cold. The color of many lizards can also change allowing them to either absorb heat quickly or more slowly. Ecological Echoes

Aquatic

Waves – Winds that move around on the surface of the ocean whip up those great big waves that we see. This is caused by friction (which is when one thing rubs up against another) between the air and water molecules which transfer the energy between the wind and the water. Ecological Echoes

Row Your Boat – Sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Musical Musings

Bubble Fish – This pose stretches the hip flexors which are a group of muscles located in the front of your pelvis (hip) and the top of your femur (thigh) –think about putting your hands in the top of your pants pockets. The action of the Hip Flexors is as simple as the name suggests, it flexes the hip! For example, it will allow the hip to flex (bend) forward to lift your knee up high in the air. Commonly used during high knee running, performing a lay-up in basketball, running hurdles in track or a tuck in gymnastics. Awesome Anatomy, Body Benefits

Forest

Tree/Leaf – Have the children press their hands into a partners hand. Notice how with the help of others, we are more sturdy. We All Win

Tarzan’s Thymus Tap – The thymus gland is located behind your sternum and between your lungs. It helps boost your energy and stimulates your body to make T-cells. These help your immune system, which in turn helps the body protect itself. Awesome Anatomy, Body Benefits

Elephant Ears – One of the places elephants live is in the rain forests of Central & West Africa. The African elephant has ears that average at least three times the size of the Asian elephant. If an Asian elephant’s ears average 60cm x 30cm, how big are the average African elephant’s ears? (180cm x 90cm) Ecological Echoes, Math Medley

Grassland

Deer – All grasslands share a lack of shelter from predators, and an abundance of grass for food. The long legs of deer help them run fast to escape grassland predators. Ecological Echoes

S is for Snake – Back-bends strengthen and open our hearts. They stretch the abdominal area and ribs and tone & strengthen the spinal nerves and muscles. Body Benefits

Eagle – When we reach our arms & legs across the mid-line of our body, communication is increased between the left and right sides of the brain. Brain Balance

Tundra

Yoga Freeze Tag – One child is the yoga master. The yoga master starts running to try to tag another player. If a player is tagged, they have to strike a yoga pose and hold it until another player touches them to release them from their frozen state. As soon as a player is tagged three times, they become yoga master. We All Win

Seal – Play circus music. Clap in different rhythms and patterns. Throw foam block in the air and catch it with the feet. Musical Musings, Math Medley

Polar Bear – Quiet Quests

VISUAL VIGNETTES

Biomes Word Search – http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/games/

QUIET QUESTS

Hot Air Balloon with Guided Visualization – Quiet Quests, Musical Musings

A Hot Air Balloon Trip (Adapted from A Hot Air Balloon Trip, Imaginations – Fun and Relaxing Stories and Meditations for Kids)

Imagine you climb into a great big hot air balloon. What color is your balloon? Your favorite color? All the colors of the rainbow? Polka dotted? Take in a big breath, and then blow out, filling up your hot air balloon. Feel your hot air balloon lift up off the ground and float into the sky. Do you see any birds, planes, or clouds? Look down-I think you are flying over your house! Now choose where you are going to fly, anywhere you want to go. Over a desert… an ocean or lake… a forest… a grassland…the tundra… Once you get there, feel your balloon land gently. Imagine you climb out of your balloon to explore. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? What do you feel? Do you taste anything? Now climb back into your balloon. Take in a big breath and then blow out, filling up your hot air balloon again. Feel it lift up off the ground and float back home. Land your hot air balloon on the ground, safe and sound.

CLOSING CIRCLE

Chimes

MATERIALS:

• Blow up ball of Earth
• Map of Earth
• Continent Labels
• Pose Cards
• Because Amelia Smiled
• Prepared Music
• Coloring pages

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Students will engage in movement and various asanas while traveling around the world by visiting the continents. Students will have the opportunity to recognize that their small actions can have very large impacts.

DISCUSSION POINTS

Our world is made up of many different parts or lands called continents that are on our planet Earth. Our world is also filled with stars, the sun, the moon, more planets and many different people. When people from all these lands work together the world can be a better place; not just for people but also for all living things. What do you do to make the world a better place?

Read aloud Because Amelia Smiled. Summarize the story if time is limited. The message in the story to share with the students is that one little girl’s smile made a difference for people across the world due to a chain reaction. This is also a great opportunity to share cause-effect relationships.

CONNECTING CIRCLE

Eyes Around the World – Travel your eyes around the world. Your body right now is in the Midwest part of the USA on the continent called North America. Show on map. Close your eyes and imagine your body as this tiny little dot on this map. Now open your eyes and move them North to the farthest northern part of our continent, all the way up to Canada. Move them South to the continent called South America and even farther south to Antarctica. Move them west (left) to Europe. Move them east (right) to Asia. Repeat and go all the way around the world clockwise naming continents. With younger kids this will be difficult. Have students sit in a line. Face them and hold up a map as a visual to guide while naming the continents and pointing in the desired direction. Repeat and go backwards around the world.

Salutations to Me – Now let’s travel around our bodies and warm them up. Travel all over your body with your finger gently tapping each body part. Start at the top or North at your head and move to the South, your toes. As you move West (left) and East (right) tap your body and quietly thank your body part for helping you move and breathe and play and laugh and do all the wondrous things it does. Peace Breath – Send Peace to yourself. Send Peace to a friend. Send Peace to the world.

POSES AS PATHWAYS

Warm-up Ball Toss – Toss a blown-up ball of the World. Notice where your fingers land. Are they on blue for water or green for land? Make tallies as this is repeated enough to notice a pattern of blue occurring more. Point out that our bodies are like this planet we call Earth because it’s made up mostly of water. Let’s begin our trip around the world and start with Sun Salutations.

Lay out seven mats in a circle. Place an index card with the name of the continent next to each mat.

Leave a space in between to represent the sky, bodies of water, the sun, moon, stars. Move around the world doing a signature pose for each continent. Do poses together as a group first. Next assign each student to a mat to begin. Move around the world performing each pose for the continent as the music plays. When the music stops, students land on a continent. They say the name of the continent and do the respective pose. Use pose cards from The Garden Game (or other) and Beenie Babies if available so students know what pose to do on each continent. For younger students who have trouble reading the names of the continents, write each continent name in a different color.

North America (Acorn to Tree) – Acorns turn into Oak trees. The tallest oak tree is said to be found in Texas. That makes sense because there is a saying that everything is big in Texas! Ecological Echoes

South America (Row Your Boat) – The world’s largest river is the Amazon and it is found in South America! Let’s ride down the river in our boat! Ecological Echoes

Europe (Brave/Peaceful Warrior) – Both World Wars had many battles fought in Europe. Let’s be warriors for a peaceful world. Recite affirmations – “I am kind. I am courageous. I stick up for myself and others.” Affirmations

Asia (Volcano) – Indonesia has the most dangerous volcanoes in the World. Let’s be volcanoes and send our volcanic light and love into our wondrous world. What is something you can share with the world when your volcano explodes? Poses as Pathways

Africa (S is for Snake) – Africa is the second largest continent in the world and the home of the largest desert in the world, the Sahara. Let’s slither our way through Africa like a snake. Maybe you are a giant cobra, a mongoose, or a small garter snake. Make the “ssss” sound “S” that a snake makes as he/she slithers around the ground. Ecological Echoes

Australia (Bubble Fish) – Australia is the smallest continent. It is surrounded by water so it’s an island. Because it is so far below the equator it is also called “The Land Down Under.” There are many different varieties of fish found in the ocean water surrounding Australia. Fish have backbones just like us! Ecological Echoes

Antarctica (Polar Bear) – Temperatures in Antarctica are freezing year-round so it is a great climate for polar bears. When curled up, a polar bear may cover its muzzle (nose) with it’s paws to conserve heat. The polar bear also does this to hide his black nose that sticks out from his snowy white body and snowy environment. He is protected from predators in this position. Ecological Echoes

VISUAL VIGNETTES

Children color the worksheet included at the end of this plan.

MUSICAL MUSINGS

Play Clouds by Kira Wiley from Mindful Moments and Kindness by Kira Wiley.

QUIET QUESTS

Nighttime falls, close your eyes for Savasana. Our trip around the world has ended but the difference you can make around the world has just begun. Think about Ameilia had how her smile made a difference to so many around the world. Smile right now. Suddenly you may feel some differences in your body and mind. Maybe if you share that smile with someone when you leave today, you too can make a difference in our wondrous world. Think of what you can do to make our wondrous world a better place.

CLOSING CIRCLE

Namaste Song

OBJECTIVES

To practice yoga as a way to learn about and connect to animals, people, and places around the Earth, plus the importance of caring for one another.

MATERIALS

• Music player and prepared music
• Earth ball
• Whiteboard or paper and marker
• Balloons & marbles
• Pictures of landmarks (optional)

DISCUSSION POINTS

We are all interdependent and beautiful. Everything in life is important and we have to take care of it, and ourselves.  Traveling is fun, we are so similar yet different.

CONNECTING CIRCLE

The environment includes people, animals, plants, the planet Earth, and the atmosphere, are living things. The environment changes from one place to the next. All living things are connected and interdependent. People speak different languages, have different cultures, and look different. They also are very similar to us, play similar games, laugh and love like we do. Bridge of Diamonds

Electric Circle – Feel the energy around us. Play Hello to All the Children of the World by Wee Sing Musical. Bridge of Diamonds, Musical Musings

POSES AS PATHWAYS/INTEGRATE THE ELEMENTS

Hot Air Balloon –  Let’s travel in hot air balloon around the world!

Eyes Around the Clock  – Let’s visit Big Ben in London, England. Clocks helps us mark the time of day. There are 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in one hour and 60 seconds in one minute. Math Medley

Bridge – Let’s visit the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.Do you know the saying “building bridges?” What do you think it means? It means to connect people and cultures together, to be happy together. Bridges are very special, so please build as many bridges as you can. Laughing Language, Bridge of Diamonds

Row Your Boat – Let’s take a gondola like they do in Venice, Italy. Let’s sing Row Your Boat too! Musical Musings

Dromedary Delight  – Where do you think you can see camels? They have them in the deserts of Turkey. Camels avoid trotting and galloping to save water and energy. Ecological Echoes

Wheel – The Wheel pose can also look like an igloo. We can find igloos in northern Canada.  It is actually warm inside of an igloo because our body heat heats it up. Outside temperature is about -45 °C but inside the igloo it ranges from -7 °C to 16 °C when warmed by body heat alone. Our body heat is 36.8 °C. Awesome Anatomy, Ecological Echoes

Mountain – Let’s stand tall like a mountain — or like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France or the Tokyo Tower in Japan, the Eiffel Tower is a broadcasting tower. Broadcasting towers are the reason we can listen to the radio and watch television. Poses as Pathways

Volcano – Let’s be the Mount Vesuvius volcano in Italy. Dormant volcanoes, like Mt Fuji, are not active. We can help our anger become dormant by doing the volcano. Ecological Echoes, Body Benefits

Happy Birthday Candle Series – When we do this pose, we can look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa Italy). It took about 177 years to build the Tower of Pisa. They started building it in 1173. What year did they finish it? 177 + 1173 = ? (Add it together) 2. It’s leaning southeast due to poorly laid foundation. Math Medley, Poses as Pathways

Lightning Bolt – Let’s do this pose and become the Sears Tower in Chicago. Lightning has electricity that can turn someone into a fried potato. Because this building is so high, the antennas are put to attract lightning and help save people’s lives. Poses as Pathways

Polar Bear – Let’s visit China to see the Giant Panda. The Giant Panda is an endangered animal, which means that they are in danger of becoming extinct, no more pandas. Therefore, zoologists keep them in captivity to take care of them and protect them. Ecological Echoes

Throw and Grab – Let’s learn about the Jumping Beans of Mexico! Put a Marble into a balloon as you explain. The jumping bean is a moth called brincadores in Mexico. The moth lays an egg inside of the seed of the Sebastiania bilocularis shrub. The larva jumps, making the seed jump. Then they hatch out of the seed through a hole as a moth. We All Win, Ecological Echoes

Dancer – Let’s be as graceful as the Statue of Liberty in New York City. This was a gift from France to the USA in 1886. How many years ago was that? 2007-1886 = ? Write on paper or whiteboard. Math Medley

Down Diggety Doggie Down – In this pose, we can look like the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. What shape is the pyramid? It is one of the 7 world wonders, and there is so much mystery that Egyptologist work hard to learn more about it. Math Medley, Poses as Pathways

R is for Roar  – Let’s visit the lions of the Serengeti. This pose is especially helpful in the winter and for colds. It helps to clean inside of your body of excess mucus. It can even help remedy bad breath! Body Benefits

S is for Snake and Snake Charmer – Let’s visit the snake charmers of India. What letter does snake start with? Can you describe snakes using that same letter? Laughing Language

QUIET QUESTS

Magic Cloud Carpet Ride

Namaste Song

 

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