Autumn (2)

2 min Magic Box hook

The box is light today, and it rattles like dry sticks. Whole class chants:

Shake it — tick, tick, tick. Sniff it. Peek in and frown, puzzled.

Wait. Let them see it themselves: one hand is full, one hand is empty.

Arms up like branches. “Tree!”

4 min Teach · Tree

Both twigs go round the circle, one child at a time — hold the leafy one in one hand and the bare one in the other, and feel the difference.

Littles say the one word and put their arms up: “Tree!” Bigs take the frame: “The leaves fall from the tree.”

Then take them to the window. Which tree outside is finished? Which one is still going? Nobody has to be right — they only have to look.

Teacher fails: hold up the bare twig and admire it. “Ohhh… look at ALL these beautiful leaves.” Start counting them, seriously. Wait for the roar.

Lay the 树 card beside the two twigs on the mat. Say it once, in Chinese, and leave it there — one character a day, no drilling.

3 min Song · Down, Down, Down the Leaves Come — chorus + Monday verse

The one song of the week — same chorus at every circle, one new verse each morning. Chords and the full sheet are on the Song tab. The chorus is a finger-play: they will do the actions long before they sing the words.

3 min Game · Tree, tree, bare tree

“One, two, three — eyes on me!” Everybody stands up and becomes a tree: arms up as branches, ten fingers spread as leaves.

On every clap, one finger folds away. Count them down out loud together — ten, nine, eight… The last clap drops both arms to your sides.

“Bare!”  Bigs: “The tree is bare.”

Play it twice: once slow and sad, once fast and silly. Then let a child be the wind and do the clapping.

Going down from ten is a real counting exercise hiding inside a game. Say the numbers with them, never at them — the Littles join in around six.

1 min Close

Arms up like branches, then everything drops on the shout. Whisper → normal → shout:

Got 3 spare minutes? Leaf Man (Lois Ehlert) — every picture is made of real leaves. Stop on each page and ask what it turned into.

2 min Magic Box hook

The box is fat today, and it rustles. Chant it, then hold it up over your head.

Shake it — a huge dry rustle. Sniff it — it smells of outside.

Leaves land on every head. Let the shrieking run for five whole seconds before you say anything.

One hand drops from high to the floor. “Fall!”

4 min Teach · Fall

Everyone picks up one leaf and holds it up as high as their arm goes.

Do it three times. The waiting is the lesson — twenty children watching one leaf come down is the quietest the room will be all week.

Littles say the one word and drop a hand: “Fall!” Bigs: “The leaf falls from the tree.”

Teacher fails: throw your leaf up and announce brightly, “Look! It's falling!” while it is clearly going up. Nod, satisfied. Wait for them to fix you.

The 秋 card goes down beside yesterday's 树. Autumn is the season that takes the leaves off — say it once, in Chinese, and move on.

3 min Song · Down, Down, Down the Leaves Come — chorus + Tuesday verse

Sing this one standing. Everybody is a leaf; the last word puts them on the floor. It is the easiest transition to sitting you will ever get.

3 min Game · Leaf catch

“One, two, three — eyes on me!” Everyone gathers a small handful of leaves and stands in a circle, well spread out.

Almost nobody catches one the first time. That is the joke and they love it. “Fall!”  Bigs: “I caught one leaf!”

Three rounds. Then the quiet version: throw them up and don't catch — freeze, and watch every single one land. Count how long the last one takes.

Finish by sweeping them all back into the basket together, everybody, no exceptions. The tidy-up is part of the game — announce it that way and it stays fun.

1 min Close

Both hands high, fluttering down as the voice comes up. Whisper → normal → shout:

Got 3 spare minutes? Fletcher and the Falling Leaves (Julia Rawlinson) — a little fox worries about his tree losing every leaf. Stop before the last page and ask what they think happens.

2 min Magic Box hook

Before the chant, the box goes round the circle and everybody puts one hand flat on it. Say nothing. Watch the faces.

Peek in, then pull the scarf out slowly and wind it round your neck, twice, with a huge sigh of relief.

Everyone hugs themselves and shivers. “Cold!”

4 min Teach · Cold

Hat, scarf, glove — each one goes on you, in the wrong order, while they watch.

Littles shiver and say the one word: “Cold!” Bigs take the frame: “It is cold in autumn.” and “I wear a hat.”

Then out to the window or the door: everybody touches the railing or the glass with one finger. 凉不凉? Come back in and touch a friend's warm hand. Cold, warm, cold, warm.

Teacher fails: put the woolly hat carefully on your foot. Sit back, pleased. “Ahh. That's better now, isn't it?” Wait for twenty children to move it for you.

The 冷 card joins 树 and 秋 on the shelf edge. Three down, two to go.

3 min Song · Down, Down, Down the Leaves Come — chorus + Wednesday verse

Sing it once sitting and once standing with the real scarf being passed from child to child on the beat. Whoever is holding it at “Brrr” does the biggest shiver.

3 min Game · Dress for the cold relay

“One, two, three — eyes on me!” The scarf, hat and glove go on a mat at the far end of the room. Two lines, or one line racing the song.

Each child runs, puts on one item, runs back, hands it over. “Cold!”  Bigs, as they hand it on: “It is cold. Put your hat on!”

Then the sort: the two signs (秋天 Autumn and 夏天 Summer) go down at either end of the circle, and the cards come out one at a time. Sandals — which end? Woolly hat — which end?

The sorting cards from page 14 go straight onto the shelf after this, still warm from the game. What they sorted standing up in the circle, they will do again kneeling at a mat — that is the whole trick of this week.

1 min Close

Everybody hugging themselves and shivering, voices growing. Whisper → normal → shout:

Got 3 spare minutes? The Mitten (Jan Brett) — one lost mitten in the snow and every animal climbs inside. They will predict who comes next by the third page.

2 min Magic Box hook

The box is heavy today. Ask two children to lift it together, and let them fail once.

Shake it — a solid, dull thud, nothing rattles. Sniff it — it smells sweet and earthy.

Both arms out as if carrying a full basket. “Harvest!”

4 min Teach · Harvest

One thing at a time, right round the circle. Everybody holds it, feels the weight, says the word.

Littles name the food or just say the week word: “Harvest!” Bigs: “The field gives us food.” and “The persimmon is soft.”

Then the counting: how many chestnuts? Lay them in a line and count together. Put them back in the basket one at a time and count down again.

Teacher fails: take an enormous bite out of the raw sweet potato. Chew. Beam. “Mmm! Delicious!” Offer it round. Wait for the outrage.

The 菊 card and the real 菊花 go down beside the basket. The chrysanthemum is the flower that opens just as everything else is finishing — and it is waiting for tomorrow, when we hold our 重阳节 (the festival itself falls on Sunday 18 October).

3 min Song · Down, Down, Down the Leaves Come — chorus + Thursday verse

Sing this one with the basket in the middle of the circle. On “gives all it holds” everybody's arms open outward — away from themselves, not towards. Tomorrow they give the cake away; this is where that starts.

3 min Game · Feel the harvest

“One, two, three — eyes on me!” The cloth goes over the basket. Nobody looks in again.

Narrate your own turn first: “Ooh… it's bumpy… it's got little rows… it's CORN!” Out it comes.

“Corn!”  Bigs: “I have the sweet potato. It is heavy.”

Every child gets a turn — about eight seconds each. Right or wrong, everybody claps: the basket is its own control of error, you pull it out and you see.

Put the persimmon in last, and warn them it is soft before the first hand goes in. One squashed persimmon is a good story; four is a floor to mop.

1 min Close

Arms out as if carrying a heavy basket, voices growing. Whisper → normal → shout:

Got 3 spare minutes? The Little Red Hen — a whole harvest from seed to bread, and nobody helps. They will be furious on her behalf, which is exactly right.

2 min Magic Box hook

The box comes out full, heavy, rustling, and smelling faintly of cake.

Pull the props out one at a time and hold each one up in silence — they will supply the word before you can open your mouth.

Bare twig → “Tree!”  A handful of leaves, dropped → “Fall!”  Scarf → “Cold!”  Corn → “Harvest!”

Last of all, the walking stick and the cake. Everyone waits. Hands pull up a ladder. “CLIMB!”

4 min Teach · Climb, then the whole week

Everybody stands. We tell the whole week with our bodies, twice — slow, then fast:

Then coats on, and out. Climb the steps, or the little hill, or the slope by the gate — whatever you have. At the top, everybody stops and looks out at everything. Out of breath is the right way to arrive.

Read 《九月九日忆山东兄弟》王维 up there: “独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲。遥知兄弟登高处，遍插茱萸少一人。” Then ask, quietly: 你想谁? Who do you wish were here with us?

Teacher fails: set off down the steps announcing “Up we go! Up, up, UP!” Keep going down, cheerfully. Wait to be turned round.

The 高 card completes the row: 树 · 秋 · 冷 · 菊 · 高. Point along it and let them tell you what each one was.

3 min Song · Friday verse, then the WHOLE song

The finale: chorus → Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday → chorus, sung at the top of the climb with the 重阳糕 waiting at the bottom. They learned it one verse a morning without noticing, and this run-through is the review of the whole week.

3 min Game · 登高 — climb high, then give the cake away

The climb is the game. Up together, look out together, and come down together holding the rail.

At the bottom, unwrap it — and then don't eat it. Every child carries a piece to the grandparents at the gate. “For you!”  Bigs: “Happy 重阳节! This is for you.”

If the weather is against you, climb the indoor stairs to the top landing and look out of the highest window you have. It still counts. The cake still goes to the gate.

重阳节 is also 老人节, Elders' Day. Giving the cake away instead of eating it is the whole festival in one thirty-second act — don't explain it, just do it and let them feel it.

1 min Close + awards

Every child gets a “You are a STAR!” award to take home with a leaf from the basket. Then, standing, with all five gestures:

Got 3 spare minutes? We're Going on a Bear Hunt (Michael Rosen) — a whole-body chant about going over and under and up. Do it with the actions, standing, after a week of climbing.

The four chords

Tempo: slow and swaying, like something drifting down — this is not a marching song. Let the Am in the third line sit for a beat longer than feels comfortable, then lift into “That's how the autumn goes!” Chant it without the uke first; add chords once they know the actions.

Chorus — sing it every single day

Sing the chorus twice each time. The actions are the whole point — a two-year-old who flutters both hands to the floor and touches their nose and toes has understood autumn, whether or not a single word comes out.

One verse a day — verses use only C and G7 (Thursday opens on Am)

The build: each day sing chorus → today's verse → chorus. By Friday they know five verses without ever “learning” the song — Friday's finale is the whole thing top to bottom at the top of the climb, and it doubles as your review of the entire week.

If you're brand new to ukulele

Practice this loop for five minutes tonight: C (4 strums) → F (4 strums) → C → G7 → C. Add Am last: it is one finger on the same string as F, so slide from Am to F and back until it stops feeling like a change. That's the entire song — and four of the five verses are only C and G7. If your fingers get stuck, put the uke down and do the finger-play instead: the class will not notice, and the actions carry the meaning either way.