Materials
crawl tunnel
balance beam, piece of wood, or ribbon or tape
Instructions
1. This is a great activity to prepare children for nap time.
2. Have the children lay out their mats and sit on the carpet. Play a new-age CD
or tape as background music.
3. In a soothing voice tell this original story. Have the children act it out, moving
from the carpet to their mats, and preparing to rest.
It's summer and you are crabs on the beach.
You've been busy all morning roaming the rocky
shores scavenging for food to eat. You climbed
rocks and dug into the sand. Now all your limbs
are weary. Slowly crawl to your resting place
(mat) and take a deep slow breath in, then out.
Stretch out your tired claws (arms). Your claws
helped you gather food and are now tired. After
you've stretched out your claws, bring them in
close to your soft belly to rest. Stretch out your
legs. They were busy all morning scurrying over
rocks. After you've stretched them out, pull them
into you shell to rest.
The sun shines on you. You are warm and dry and comfy in your shell. The waves
wash the shore over and over again. It is a calm sound, like music to your ears. You
close your eyes and dream of finding more tasty treasures after you wake up.
More to do Movement:When the children get up from their rest time, encourage them to
scurry around the room like crabs looking for a new shell.
Science: Read and learn about how hermit crabs live and move.
