Beltane: Growth & Community
Beltane celebrates the height of spring—flowers blooming, bees buzzing, and communities dancing around the maypole. Our school year ends with joy!
UU Principle Focus
5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process
Like bees working together in a hive, we learn that everyone has a voice and a role in our community.
Learning Goals
Language Arts
- • Read simple sentences independently
- • Write simple words and sentences
- • Share stories orally
Math
- • Review all counting and number skills
- • Simple addition and subtraction
- • Patterns and measurement
Science & Nature
- • Understand pollination
- • Observe garden growth
- • Learn about interdependence
Social-Emotional
- • Celebrate accomplishments
- • Value community
- • Express joy and gratitude
Weekly Lessons
Week 1: Flowers Blooming
🕯️ Hearth Circle
Bring flowers to circle. What makes us feel alive and joyful?
📖 Language Arts
Reading practice - simple sentences about spring
🔢 Math
Counting petals, sorting flowers by color and size
🌿 Science & Nature
Parts of a flower - petals, stem, leaves, roots. Dissect a flower
🎨 Art & Handwork
Pressed flower art, flower crown making
🏃 Movement
Be a flower - start as seed, grow, bloom, sway in breeze
📚 Story Time
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
📺 "Just Can't" Day Alternatives
Videos:
- SciShow Kids: Flowers
- Blippi: Flower Garden
Shows:
- Nature: Flowers blooming time-lapse
Audiobooks:
- Planting a Rainbow
Week 2: Busy Bees
🕯️ Hearth Circle
Bees help flowers and flowers help bees. How do we help each other?
📖 Language Arts
Reading practice - bee and flower words
🔢 Math
Hexagons in honeycomb, counting by 6s introduction
🌿 Science & Nature
Pollination - how bees help plants make seeds
🎨 Art & Handwork
Beeswax crafts, honeycomb prints, bee puppets
🏃 Movement
Bee dance - waggle dance to show where flowers are
📚 Story Time
The Honeybee and the Robber by Eric Carle
📺 "Just Can't" Day Alternatives
Videos:
- Wild Kratts: Bees
- SciShow Kids: Pollination
Shows:
- Nature: Bees
Audiobooks:
- The Honeybee and the Robber
Week 3: Maypole & Community
🕯️ Hearth Circle
We're all connected like ribbons on a maypole. Who's in our community?
📖 Language Arts
Reading practice - community helper words
🔢 Math
Patterns with ribbons - ABAB, AABB, ABC patterns
🌿 Science & Nature
Interdependence - how living things need each other
🎨 Art & Handwork
Ribbon weaving, friendship bracelets, mini maypoles
🏃 Movement
Maypole dance practice - weaving in and out
📚 Story Time
It Takes a Village by Hillary Clinton
📺 "Just Can't" Day Alternatives
Videos:
- Daniel Tiger: Community
- Sesame Street: Helpers
Shows:
- Mr. Rogers: Community helpers
Audiobooks:
- It Takes a Village
Week 4: Fairies & Magic
🕯️ Hearth Circle
What magical things do we notice in nature? Fireflies, rainbows, dewdrops?
📖 Language Arts
Reading fairy tales, magical vocabulary
🔢 Math
Fairy math - tiny numbers, counting small things
🌿 Science & Nature
Real 'magic' in nature - bioluminescence, camouflage, metamorphosis
🎨 Art & Handwork
Fairy houses from natural materials, fairy doors
🏃 Movement
Fairy flight - light, dancing movements
📚 Story Time
Fairy tales from around the world
📺 "Just Can't" Day Alternatives
Videos:
- Tinkerbell movies
- Wild Kratts: Fireflies
Shows:
- Nature: Amazing animals
Audiobooks:
- Fairy tale collections
Week 5: Fire & Passion
🕯️ Hearth Circle
Beltane celebrates fire. What are we passionate about? What lights us up?
📖 Language Arts
Reading about things we love, writing 'I like...' sentences
🔢 Math
Addition review - combining things we love
🌿 Science & Nature
Fire safety review, the sun's energy, warmth
🎨 Art & Handwork
Sun crafts, fire-colored art, passion projects
🏃 Movement
Energetic dancing, jumping (over pretend fire)
📚 Story Time
The Sun Egg by Elsa Beskow
📺 "Just Can't" Day Alternatives
Videos:
- Cosmic Kids: Fire Yoga
- SciShow Kids: The Sun
Shows:
- Magic School Bus: Gets Fired Up
Audiobooks:
- The Sun Egg
Week 6: Growth & Abundance
🕯️ Hearth Circle
Look how much we've grown this year! Share proud moments.
📖 Language Arts
Reading review - show off our skills! Read to younger kids
🔢 Math
Measuring ourselves - how tall? Compare to beginning of year
🌿 Science & Nature
Garden check - what's growing? Harvest early vegetables
🎨 Art & Handwork
Growth charts, self-portraits (compare to fall), memory books
🏃 Movement
Show off new skills - jumping, balancing, dancing
📚 Story Time
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
📺 "Just Can't" Day Alternatives
Videos:
- Sesame Street: Growing Up
- Wild Kratts: Metamorphosis
Shows:
- Nature: Animal growth
Audiobooks:
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Week 7: Beltane Celebration & Year End
🕯️ Hearth Circle
Beltane ritual - dance the maypole, celebrate our year together!
📖 Language Arts
Create a 'What I Learned' book, share favorite stories
🔢 Math
Year-end review games, math celebration
🌿 Science & Nature
Nature walk - observe all the life around us
🎨 Art & Handwork
Flower crowns, maypole ribbons, year-end art show
🏃 Movement
Maypole dance, celebration games, outdoor play
📚 Story Time
Student choice - favorite book from the year
📺 "Just Can't" Day Alternatives
Videos:
- End of year celebration videos
- Favorite movies
Shows:
- Nature: Spring celebration
Audiobooks:
- Favorite audiobooks from the year
🌸 Beltane Celebration Ideas
- • Dance around a maypole with colorful ribbons
- • Make flower crowns and wear them all day
- • Jump over a small (safe) fire or candles for luck
- • Build fairy houses in the garden
- • Have a picnic outdoors with seasonal foods
- • Wash faces in morning dew for beauty and health
- • Leave offerings of milk and honey for the fairies
- • Celebrate the end of the school year!