Today we will be doing activities based on the poem “The Big Circle” by Brod Bagert. The teacher will need to read the poem as the students perform the movements. Break down the activity into parts and then have the students perform the poem in sequence.

1- "I’m a seed that needs to grow, so hurry sunshine, melt that snow."

Place yarn balls in the middle of the parachute and have the students shake the chute to make the seeds (balls) spring into the air.

2- "My roots are creeping through the crud, curling underneath the mud."

Raise the parachute up and call out the colors listed below and have the students crawl underneath the mud (chute), while the other students sit and shake the chute.

3- Red Roses, Green Shamrocks, Yellow Sunflowers, Blue Sky..."My stem is rising, long and green,into the air so fresh and clean. My luscious leaves are having fun, basking in the morning sun."

Raise the chute in the air like the growing stem, then call out the colors listed above, the students then crawl on top of the chute to the center and lay down like the leaves, basking in the sun.

4- "Busy, little buzzy bee, I’m a flower, come find me."

Choose two students to be the bees and two students to be the flowers. The flowers go underneath the chute and crawl around, while the bees crawl on top of the chute trying to find the flowers. The other students sit and shake the chute, trying to keep the flowers hidden.

Safety Note- The students who are underneath the chute should crawl low and slow, while the students on top should only tap the flower on the head when they find them; they should not grab them, tackle them, or lay on top of them.

5- Finish the poem inside the parachute. First make the flower (parachute) grow by raising it above our heads, step inside without letting go and then sit down on the inside of the chute, making sure to sit on their section of the chute. Now have students keep the chute under their bottoms and scoot towards the center. This will make the “flower” rise and grow. Now read the rest of the poem to finish. "I grew with such amazing speed, but once again I’m just a seed. Hurry, sunshine, melt that snow. I’m a seed that wants to grow."

Smaller parachutes can be used so the students will have more activities and groups of 5-6 per parachute.

How does the parachute help our body?

What levels did we use today as we were moving?

If you stretch and grow like a flower, what type of body shape do you have?