A KIDS YOGA STORIES IRELAND PLAN · Giant’s Causeway, and Aran Islands). • Paint pictures of...

Copyright 2013 Kids Yoga Stories www.kidsyogastories.com [email protected]

A KIDS YOGA STORIES IRELAND PLAN

Topic: IRELAND (Saint Patrick’s Day) Age Group: 3 to 8 years old Time: 15 minutes to 45 minutes. Be flexible to suit the needs of the children. Intention: To learn through movement about the flora and fauna of Ireland. Preparation: Gather information about different animals that

live in Ireland. Use resources such as YouTube clips, newspaper reports, magazines pictures, Internet sites, guest speakers, fiction and non-fiction books, and guidebooks.

. Opening: Explain the intention of the day’s experience and

ask about the children’s prior knowledge of Ireland. Has anyone been to Ireland? Do they know anyone from Ireland? What animals do they think live in Ireland?

Talk about the sights, sounds, and smells of Ireland. Use visuals.

Now pretend to go on a trip to Ireland. Pretend to wake up, pack your backpack with your gear, and get ready for your adventure. Lead a Sun Salute or similar warm-up sequence to get ready for the day. Find Ireland on a map to plot your trip. Pretend to take a bus, car, or plane to get there.

Journey: Brainstorm your own list of animals that you would see in Ireland and then act

them out or follow the suggested Kids Yoga Stories sequence below.

The keywords are listed in a specific sequence to create a safe kids yoga experience that encourages flow from one pose to the next. Feel free to shorten or lengthen the sequence to suit your age group by changing the number of poses. Don’t forget to practice on both sides/legs. Focus on having fun with movement, not on practicing perfectly aligned poses. Be creative and enjoy yourselves!


Ireland-inspired Kids Yoga sequence:

1. Mountain Range in County Kerry – Mountain Pose (Stand tall, with your arms

out to your sides.)

2. Oak Tree – Tree Pose (Stand on one leg, bend the other leg to touch your inner

thigh.)

3. Golden Eagle – Eagle Pose (Stand on one leg, wrap your other leg around your

standing leg. Cross your arms out in front.)

4. Squirrel – Pick up acorns with your toes (Pretend to pick up acorns with your

toes or pick up cotton balls with your toes.)

5. Bat – Standing Forward Bend (Bend at the waist, letting your arms hang down

like a bat’s wings.)

6. European Brown Frog – Squat Pose (Squat like a frog, then hop.)

7. Common Lizard – Plank Pose (Balance flat over your hands and toes like a

plank.)

8. Red Fox – Cat Pose with Gyan Mudra (Come to your hands and knees. Make

an A-Okay sign over your nose.)

9. Dolphin – Dolphin Pose (Do the downward-facing dog variation with bent

arms.)

10. Sea Turtle – Extended Child’s Pose (Child’s pose with arms extended out front,

then breathe.)

11. Shark – Locust Pose (Rest on your belly, bring your legs back, and clasp your

arms behind you.)

12. Seal – Locust Pose (On your belly, bring your legs back, and stretch your arms

forward.)

13. Field Mouse – Child’s Pose (Come to child’s pose, then breathe.)

14. Irish Hare – Hero Pose with Bunny Breath (Sit on your heels, take 4-6 short

breaths, then a long exhale.)

15. Stoat (Short-tailed Weasel) – Kneeling (Come up to kneel on your knees,

using your hands as paws, and look around like a weasel.)

16. Hedgehog – Hero Pose with Lotus Mudra (Sit on your heels, with your fingers

stretched out. Put your palms together in mudra to represent the spines of a

hedgehog.)


17. Badger – Hero Pose with Gyan Mudra

(Sit on your heels. Make an A-Okay sign

with each hand over an eye to look like

the badger’s eyes.)

18. Red Deer – Seated Twist (With one leg

stretched out front and the other leg held

close to your body, twist.)

19. Wildflower – Flower Pose (Sit on your

buttocks, with the soles of your feet together. With your hands on your ankles, lift

your bent legs up and balance on your buttocks.)

20. Canal or Lake – Resting Pose (Lay on your back, with your arms and legs

stretched out. Breathe and relax.)

Closing: Rest on your back, imagining that you are a steel canal boat drifting down the Royal Canal. Close your eyes and think about your favorite animal.

Feel free to add your own special ritual to end the session together, such as lighting a candle, saying ‘Namaste,’ sitting in a circle, or let each child take turns saying his or her favorite animal.

Further Activities:

• Take pictures of the children practicing their yoga poses. Make a class book of “Our Irish

Journey.”

• Plan an imaginary trip to Ireland by using maps, guidebooks, travel websites, travel brochures, or magazines.

• Cook Irish food, like Irish soda bread, potato cakes, pancakes, or beef stew.


• Research the origin of St. Patrick’s Day. Dress in green and host a parade.

• Make a rainbow with painted handprints. Count how many handprints make rainbow.

• Make a Shamrock or Blarney Stone.

• Download Ireland Coloring Pages.

• Read and illustrate St. Patrick’s Day poems.

• Create a leprechaun scavenger hunt.

• Dance a jig and teach each other. Make a video. Play Celtic music.

• Pick one animal that lives in Ireland and write a

mini-book or research report.

• Sort the animals into categories of native, non-native, and extinct.

• Research and draw the Irish flag. Compare it to the flags of other United Kingdom countries.

• Discuss the similarities and differences between the Irish lifestyle and your own.

• Invite a guest speaker who is Irish or has been to Ireland to share their photos and stories.

• Have a fact scavenger hunt, using library books or the Internet. Find facts such as population, size of country, number of animal species, yearly temperature, places of interest, famous Irish people, sports, festival, historical landmarks, or natural wonders (ex. Cliffs of Moher, The Giant’s Causeway, and Aran Islands).

• Paint pictures of the different animals.

• Make a collage with pictures of Ireland.

• Compare the Irish language and alphabet to English or another language.

• Listen to traditional Irish music. Research musical instruments such as the fiddle, flute, tin

whistle, handheld drum, guitar, and banjo. Pictures were generously shared by Crystal from Crystal’s Tiny Treasures (www.crystalstinytreasures.com), a Canadian mom living in Northern Ireland with her family.


About Kids Yoga Stories

We hope you enjoyed your Kids Yoga Stories experience. Visit www.kidsyogastories.com to: Receive updates. For updates, contest giveaways, articles, and activity ideas, sign up for our free Kids Yoga Stories Newsletter. Connect with us. Please share with us about your yoga journey. Send pictures of yourself practicing the poses. Describe your journey on our social media pages (Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter). Check out free stuff. Read our articles on books, yoga, parenting, and travel. Download one of “5 for 5: Five kids yoga poses in five minutes” or coloring pages. Read or write a review. Read what others have to say about our books and lesson plans. Post your own review on Amazon or on our website. We would love to hear how you enjoyed this lesson plan.

Kids yoga-inspired books by Giselle Shardlow:

Sophia’s Jungle Adventure

Sophia’s Jungle Adventure Coloring Book

Anna and her Rainbow-Colored Yoga Mats

Luke’s Beach Day

The ABC’s of Australian Animals: A Kids Yoga Book Luke’s A to Z of Australian Animals: A Kids Yoga Alphabet Coloring Book Good Night, Animal World Many of the books above are available in Spanish and eBook format.

Thank you for your support in spreading our message of integrating learning, movement, and fun. Giselle Kids Yoga Stories www.kidsyogastories.com www.facebook.com/kidsyogastories www.pinterest.com/kidsyogastories www.twitter.com/kidsyogastories www.amazon.com/author/giselleshardlow https://plus.google.com/+GiselleShardlow


Copyright

Copyright © 2013 by Giselle Shardlow

All images © 2013 Giselle Shardlow

All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval without

permission in writing from the author.

The author, illustrator, and publisher accept no responsibility or liability for any injuries or losses that may result from practicing the yoga poses outlined in this lesson plan. Please ensure your own safety

and the safety of the children.

Kids Yoga Stories San Francisco, CA

www.kidsyogastories.com www.amazon.com/author/giselleshardlow

Email us at [email protected]

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A KIDS YOGA STORIES IRELAND PLAN · Giant’s Causeway, and Aran Islands). • Paint pictures of...

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