Birthday Circle

Birthdays are important at ALRM, celebrated with a Birthday Circle.

The birthday circle starts when all the children have a seat, criss cross applesauce.  The birthday child receives his or her crown, usually with his or her name and age on it.  We place lit candles in the middle of our circle, one for each year of the child's life.  These candles represent the sun.  The child will then hold the earth (a small ceramic globe) in his or her hands.  The child slowly walks around the length of our circle rug, while everyone says, "And the seconds went by, and the minutes went by, and the hours went by, and the weeks went by, and the months went by and Sam turned one years old."  Then we sing, " You've been around the sun one time, you've been around the sun one time, you've been around the sun one time, you've been around the sun one time."  These two steps are repeated until the correct age is reached, at which point the child is asked to sit next to the sun.  We sing Happy Birthday and blow out the sun.  After this, the birthday child chooses a special helper to pass out plates and napkins, and the birthday child passes out his or her special treats.  In true Montessori tradition, the birthday child often gives a book to the school on his or her birthday.