Author: lucas

Layering on warm hats, jackets and pants in the mornings, we have all noticed the coming of Autumn.  It finds some of us longing for fires in the fire place and the sweet smell of  dying leaves at our feet.  Perhaps, it finds some of us soaking up these last days of 80 (and some 90) degree temperatures before the chill sets in and the days grow shorter.

Either way, I imagine Autumn is calling most of us back out doors. Back out of the cool comfort of air conditioning, with the promise that the sweltering heat has past. It beckons us into projects and preparations and the such at just the time when we, here at Rose Rock, are celebrating Michaelmas.

At Michaelmas, we welcome the arrival of autumn and acknowledge the human qualities that correspond with the season. Courage, honor, and perseverance begin to live more strongly within us this time of year,  and we begin to go inward and engage in meaningful work–planting a fall garden, starting new projects, thinking about what we want to achieve as the year enters its second half.

The festival is called “Michaelmas” because it celebrates an individual who finely demonstrates these qualities of the season; he is brave and uses his strength for works of great merit.

 

In school, we spent last week preparing for our Michaelmas festival that occurred on Saturday. Together we created dragon tails at kindergarten craft time, shared a lovely circle with all the children, and told a beautiful story called Snowflake and the Dragon.

Our dragon tails were a very simple project that could be completed with materials that are likely already on hand.
You will need: cloth (preferably fall colors and dragnon-like), beans, safety pins, ribbon (for decorating the tail), ribbon or yarn (sturdy, for slinging the tail), scissors (preferably pinking shears, so the cloth does not unravel)

1. Cut approx. 6″ X 6″ square

2. Place small pile of beans in center

3. Attach safety pin to “slinging” ribbon/yarn

4. Place slinging ribbon yarn in center of cloth

5. Gather cloth around ribbon

6. Securely tie another ribbon to close bean sack. You want the safety pin to be horizontal to the opening, so that it anchors the ribbon/yarn and it will not pull out when the child slings it.

7. Add other ribbons that will flutter as tail sails through the air

8. All done and ready to play. Sling heartily in an open field, careful for trees and windows!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is our lovely Michaelmas circle, which we will continue for the next couple weeks.

Song: Up in the Green Orchard

Up in the green orchard, there is a green tree.

The finest of apples you ever did see.

The apples are ripe and ready to fall,

and here is a basket to gather them all.

Tra-la-la-la, tra-la-la-la, tra-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la.

Verse

Now let’s hitch up our apples,

Tie them with care.

And ride home to mother

in the fresh autumn air.

Song

(repeated three times, the second quickly and the third slowly)

Galloping, galloping, here we go!

Home to mother, don’t be slow!

Verse

Now let’s gather our apples

And take them inside.

We’ll wash them all over,

and set them to dry.

Later, I’ll have you over

to eat apple pie!

We are tired from our journey and we’re satisfied

to lie down for a rest and close our dear eyes.

Song: Close Thine Eyes

Close thine eyes and rest secure,

Thy soul is safe, thy body sure.

He that guards me, he that keeps,

Never slumbers, never sleeps.

Verse

Outside our apple tree, while we were asleep,

was ensnared by a dragon for his to keep.

Song

Outside our window, the wind does blow.

It blows through the trees as Michael rides

Along with his sword.

Below he spies a dragon fierce.

With fiery eyes and fangs that can pierce,

He rides on down.

Michael lifts his sword up on high.

He looks bravely in the dragons eyes.

Laying his sword upon his head,

He could have slayed the dragon-

but- he tamed instead.

Verse

Our dragon is tamed, let us join in a ring

And gather our voices to triumphantly sing.

Song: Michael’s Helper

I am Michael’s helper.

Like his light, shining bright,

I come to you!

Here at the beginning of school, a small group of the Rose Rock children have been greeted with construction. As we continue to work towards our goal of bringing all 25 children under one roof as a full early childhood center, staff and families alike have had to be patient with the schedules of the city and construction companies. Rose Rock parents here at the White House have been wonderfully patient and flexible driving on dirt and grass in lieu of a driveway. The children here, too, have awaited the new fence and the moment they get to explore the whole of our spacious back yard.

The end feels close, however, as the new driveway is being poured and the fence is finished. There are several pieces that are yet to converge in order to conclude the process of becoming a center, but the latest developments are indeed a big step towards it. In the meantime, construction trucks make for exciting window watching and our smaller play yard grass makes for the perfect place to begin with our late summer circle.

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Song:

Shadows go round,, shadows go round, shadows go round with me.

Skip and dance in the sunshine, all the way round with me.

Verse:

A little child went walking one lovely summer day,

She saw a little rabbit who quickly hopped away.

She saw a shining river winding in and out,

and little fishes in it, swimming all about.

She saw a bridge above the water, and when she stopped to rest,

She saw a dear old woman, tending her pigeons’ nest.

Pigeon game and  traditional German song:

My pigeon house I open wide and set my pigeons free

They fly around on every side, up to the highest tree.

Then they come back in evening and close their eyes and sing:

Croo- croo, croo- croo. Croo- croo, croo- croo. Croo- croo , croo- croo. Croo- croo.

(music by Candy Verney)

Verse:

As she watched the birdies above the tree tops fly,

She saw the clouds a-sailing across the sunny sky.

She saw the insects playing and flowers that summer brings,

She said, “I’ll go tell Mama, I’ve seen so many things!”

And so she lay on the ground soft and warm,

And sang to her mother to bring her home.

Traditional English Lullaby:

Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,

Smiles await you when you rise.

Sleep, pretty baby, do not cry

and I will sing a lullaby.

Care you know not, therefore sleep,

While I o’er you watch do keep.

Sleep, pretty baby, do not cry,

and I will sing a lullaby.

Song:
The farmer, the farmer, the farmer is sowing his seed
in the field he is sowing his seed

Verse:

Dig a little hole
Plant a little seed
Pour a little water
Pull a little weed
Chase a little bug
Hey ho, there he goes
Give a little sunshine
Grow a little rose

Verse:

A caterpillar climbed up
A tall, tall tree
Crawled under a leaf
and fell asleep.

All winter long, he slept in his cocoon bed
Till lady spring came along and said:
Wake up! Wake up sleepyhead!
Rise out of your dreaming bed.

The caterpillar awoke
That sunshiny day
And lo, he was a butterfly
and he flew away.

High in the sky, the butterfly could see
something lying in the grass
as still as still could be.

(One child goes into the middle of the circle and curls up like a hare.)

Song:

Here’s a little hare
He’s fast asleep
Fast asleep…

Little hare, oh are you ill?
That you lie so quiet and still?

Hop little hare, hop little hare!
Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop everywhere. (The child hops and chooses a different “hare” by lightly tapping them on the feet).

Song:

Piper, piper, play your happy music
Singing, singing, we will follow on.
Dancing through the daytime
Singing until May-time
Sing-song, spring-song,
The winter’s past and gone!

Rose Rock School is truly grateful for the support of the businesses and individuals who sponsor the Ringa Singa Art Auction! We couldn’t have done it without you.

Ringa Singa 2014 Sponsors

Green Grove Salon
Hope Springs Therapy
MotoChef
Studio Zen
The Earth Natural Foods
TheraFUNction
YogaLife
Republic Bank & Trust
Norman Arts Council.

And a special thanks to Brent Swift Design Build for hosting the event!

Song: The North Wind Doth Blow, Traditional British Nursery Rhyme

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then?
Poor thing.

He’ll sit in a barn,
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing,
Poor thing.

The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the swallow do then?
Poor thing.

Oh, did you not know?
She’s gone long ago
To a country much warmer than ours.

The North wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the door mouse do then?
Poor thing.

Rolled up in a ball,
In her nest snug and small.
She’ll sleep till the winter is past.

The North wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the children do then?
Poor things.

When story is done,
They’ll jump, skip, and run
and play till they make themselves warm.

Verse:
The winter is dark
But each little spark
Guides the way to Christmas day.

Song, “Kind Old Man St. Nicholas”
Traditional German

Kind old man St. Nicholas dear,
Come to my house this year,
Here’s some straw and here’s some hay,
To feed your little donkey grey,
Kind old man St. Nicholas dear,
Come to my house this year!
Pray, leave something in my shoes
For I’ve been good the whole year through
Kind old man St. Nicholas dear
Come to my house this year!

Verse:
For St. Nicholas to come,
We must not be awake
So let us lie in our beds
Till the morning sun breaks.

Song: One Star Shone, M.T. Schunemann, from the book “Naturally You Can Sing”

I looked up carefully into the deep night sky
A thousand stars were twinkling from on high
But one star shone so very very bright
Up on the dark Earth waiting
Waiting for its light

The angels filled the sky with light
And sing to the Child who is born upon this night
And one star shone so very very bright.
Upon the people waiting, waiting for its light.

 

On November 12th, after a lengthy two-year process, Norman City Council finally approved the rezoning of our property at 1515 West Main St in Central Norman. This is momentous news and it marks a time of great celebration and great transition as well. With this new zoning, RRS will be able to house faculty-in-residence on location, and increase enrollment (59 students maximum) to better serve the community. We are happily celebrating the future of Rose Rock School! You may read more about the City Council vote here. Please have a look around our website to become more familiar with the our curriculum, our mission, and ways to help.

Autumn/Thanksgiving Circle

 

I go outside with my lantern, my lantern goes with me
Above the stars are shining bright, down here on Earth shine we.
The cock does crow, the cat meows, la bimmel, la bammel, la boom.
‘Neath heaven’s dome till we go home, la bimmel, la bammel, la boom.

 

I go outside with my lantern, my lantern goes with me
Above the stars are shining bright, down here on Earth shine we.
So shine your light through the still dark night, la bimmel, la bammel, la boom
‘Neath heaven’s dome till we go home, la bimmel, la bammel, la boom.

Outside our door in garden rows
A little patch of pumpkins grow.
Let’s go outside, look low and high
to pick one out for pumpkin pie!
Ah, look! Here it is!

A pumpkin pie we shall make
Then scoop and pour, sprinkle and shake
Pour the filling in the shell
Bake it and wait for that warm spicy smell.

When it’s ready, and the sun is low,
It’s off to grandma’s! Here we go!
Now pick up your lanterns and go with me
So we can see what we can see.

Our family is gathered, from the big to the little
Our glimmering lantern we set in the middle
We dish out our pie and eat it together
Giving thanks to the Earth in the cool autumn weather

 

Glimmer lantern glimmer
little stars a-shimmer
over meadow, moor and dale
flitter, flutter, elven vale

Pee wit, pee wit
Ticka ticka tick
Roo coo, roo co.

Glimmer lantern glimmer
little stars a-shimmer
over rock, and stock and stone
wandering, skipping little gnome.

Pee wit, pee wit
Ticka ticka tick
roo coo, roo coo.

The sky grows dark at grandma’s house,
and I am tucked in tight.
Each creature from the deer to mouse
is nestled in for night.

I rest my head upon my pillow
And outside the window I see
Above the trees of oak and willow
the moon shining down on me.

2nd verse: Over the mountains, over the sea,
Back where my heart is longing to be
Please let the light that shines on me,
Shine on the ones I love.

Autumn has finally arrived! As the temperatures are dropping, so begins the season of comfort foods, too.  Comfort food doesn’t have to mean not-so-good-for-you heavy dishes, though. It can be nutritious as well as comforting and delicious. After a couple of hours playing outdoors, here at Rose Rock, a warm and hearty bowl of soup is welcomed with smiles. Last week, Turkey and Rye Berry soup accompanied buttered multi-grain toast at the lunch table and there was hardly a drop left in the children’s bowls by the end of our meal. It’s a super simple soup so we’d like to share the recipe.

 

Turkey and Rye Berry Soup

6-8 cups Chicken Broth/Stock

1 lb. ground turkey, cooked and crumbled

1 cup uncooked rye berries

1/2 head green cabbage, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 tsp dried parsley and thyme, each

 

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours OR in a stock pot bring to a boil and simmer for 1-2 hours until rye berries are chewy but tender.

Rye berries can be substituted for other grains, but we find them to be a nice chewy texture that compliments the soup well, even after hours of cooking. Rye berries are an excellent source of folic acid, iron, manganese, phosphorus and more. It is an optimal addition to a healthy diet because it helps the body maintain blood sugar levels, build strong bones, synthesize fatty acids and cholesterol and utilize other key nutrients within foods.

Lastly, a simple tip for homemade chicken stock- the ingredient that makes a world of difference in taste and nutrition.

Whenever you are chopping and peeling vegetables for dinner, throw the scraps in a gallon-sized plastic bag in the freezer. Of course, include the typical stock varieties of veggies such as carrots, celery and onion, but also consider potato peelings, broccoli stalks, kale stems, and so forth. The next time you have chicken for dinner, keep it simple and roast a whole chicken or several pieces of bone-in chicken. Toss the bones and skin into a large stock pot along with your saved up veggie scraps (try to have at least 3/4 a bag full). Add a handful of fresh parsley (perhaps even some bay leaves, garlic or thyme), about teaspoon of black peppercorns and a tablespoon of salt. Fill the pot with pure water to cover all the ingredients and then add about an inch more . Bring it to a boil then simmer for 3 hours. Salt to taste then drain the stock from the rest and keep in a jar in your fridge or freeze in small bags to be taken out as needed. You’ll have delicious, healthful chicken stock on hand for a quick dinner any night!

This is the verse we recite every morning before we begin our Kindergarten craft. The children quickly come to know it by heart, and are usually glad to teach it to an adult!

Warm, oh sun
Our hearts and give
Light that we may daily live.

Growing as we ought to be
True and good
Strong and free.