2nd Grade Hearth Circle
Deepening practice with fables, saints' legends, and more independent participation.
🕯️ Second Grade Focus
Second grade Hearth Circle introduces fables with moral lessons and stories of inspiring people (saints and heroes from many traditions). Children take more responsibility for leading circle elements.
Duration: 20-25 minutes. Second graders can engage in deeper discussions about story meanings.
📋 Daily Structure
1. Opening (3 min)
- • Bell, breathing, and centering
- • Child lights candle and leads opening verse
- • Brief moment of silence
2. Calendar & Weather (4 min)
- • Child writes full date independently
- • Weather observation with descriptive words
- • Note moon phase and seasonal changes
- • Days until next Sabbat or special event
3. Gratitude & Intentions (4 min)
- • Share gratitude with detail: "I'm grateful for ___ because ___"
- • Set an intention for the day: "Today I will try to ___"
- • Optional: Write gratitude in journal
4. Verse & Movement (4 min)
- • Seasonal verse with gestures
- • Movement: stretching, yoga, or circle game
- • Song related to current unit theme
5. Story Time (8 min)
- • Fable or saint/hero legend
- • Discussion: "What lesson did the story teach?"
- • Connect to UU principles when relevant
- • Recall: "What happened in yesterday's story?"
6. Closing (2 min)
- • Closing verse or blessing
- • Extinguish candle
- • Preview the day's lessons
🌿 2nd Grade Seasonal Verses
🌾 Lammas
"The farmer's work is nearly done,
Golden fields beneath the sun,
We gather grain with grateful heart,
Each of us has played our part."
🍂 Mabon
"Light and dark now stand as one,
The harvest work is nearly done,
We give thanks for all we've grown,
And seeds of kindness we have sown."
🎃 Samhain
"The wheel has turned, the year grows old,
We gather close against the cold,
Remember those who came before,
Their wisdom lives forevermore."
❄️ Yule
"In winter's heart, a light is born,
The sun returns on solstice morn,
We kindle flames against the night,
And share our gifts of warmth and light."
🕯️ Imbolc
"Brigid tends her sacred flame,
Calling spring to come again,
Though snow still falls, we feel the turn,
New life awakens, hearts still yearn."
🥚 Ostara
"The earth awakens from her sleep,
New life emerges from the deep,
In balance now of dark and light,
We celebrate spring's pure delight."
🌸 Beltane
"Around the maypole, ribbons fly,
Beneath the bright and warming sky,
The earth is dressed in colors fair,
Joy and laughter fill the air."
☀️ Litha
"The sun stands high at summer's peak,
Its golden blessings now we seek,
Long days of warmth and light abound,
Magic and wonder all around."
🦊 Working with Fables
Second grade features Aesop's Fables and animal stories with moral lessons. In Hearth Circle:
- • Tell, don't just read - Learn to tell fables from memory
- • Discuss the moral - "What did the tortoise learn? What can we learn?"
- • Connect to life - "Have you ever felt like the fox who couldn't reach the grapes?"
- • Act it out - Simple dramatization helps understanding
- • Draw the story - Quick sketch in Main Lesson Book
💡 2nd Grade Tips
- • Deeper discussions - Second graders can explore "why" questions
- • Writing practice - Write the moral of the fable
- • Memory work - Memorize verses and short poems
- • Leadership roles - Rotate who leads each part of circle
- • Nature connection - Fables feature animals; observe real animals too