Seeds That Sprout with a Jump

Children are seeds curled up in the soil; the rain (tambourine) slowly wakes them, and when the sun comes out they sprout with a big upward jump, opening their arms like a flower. They practice jumping up from a crouch and expressing themselves through movement.

How to play

1. Curl up into a ball on the floor: we're sleeping seeds, with a scarf hidden in our hand (2 min).
2. Gentle rain (soft tambourine): the seed slowly stretches without getting up (2 min).
3. "Here comes the sun!": sprout with a big jump up and open the scarf like a flower (3 min).
4. The flowers dance in the wind and turn back into seeds; repeat the cycle (4 min).
5. At the end, the flowers stay still facing the sun and breathe (1 min).

Rules

• The seed waits crouched until the sun comes out.
• We sprout upward, in our own spot.
• We land with bent knees, like a flower that doesn't break.
• Every flower has its own space.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: sprout from sitting by raising the arms and opening the scarf.
• Hearing impairment: the sun is a yellow card the teacher holds up.
• Autism: repeat the cycle exactly the same way and announce how many times we'll sprout.

Learning goals

• Jump up from a crouch.
• Express a cycle of nature through the body.
• Match movement to sound cues.

Equipment for a class of 25

• tambourine: 1
• colorful scarves: 25

Teacher tip

This ties in nicely with a garden project or a field trip. Remember the jump starts from a crouch—it's harder than it looks, so keep repetitions few in a row.

More main activities for Elementary