Circle Time Activities with VeggieTales

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media® and DreamWorks, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #VeggieTalesfun http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH

If you like to talk to tomatoes
If a squash can make you smile
If you like to waltz with potatoes
up and down the produce aisle...

Then you'll love our new visitors to circle time! Some of our favorite VeggieTales characters are joining our line-up of activities for circle time. Throughout the year, those activities have included: calendar skills, weather, songs, video clips, daily devotions, memory verses, flashcards, finger puppets, mini lessons, stories, poems, discussion times, and much more! Now, our VeggieTales friends will be joining us! Circle time should be music-filled, interactive, fun, and maybe even a little silly. These characters are bringing positive messages and fun to the time in our home school day that sets the tone for the rest of the day.

VeggieTales has been promoting strong virtues and faith-filled lessons for decades. I even remember watching the show as a child. Now, my kids can watch the episodes and have them brought to life with these fun, new toys. And since I know you are gong to ask...we found them at Walmart.

Up to this point, I haven't shared many details on the inner workings of our home school. It's been a journey that I've spent this first year figuring out myself. Yes, I came into it with plenty of teaching experience under my belt, but no amount of experience in the public school system was going to prepare me for the world homeschooling. It's been a whole different adventure! There have been many successes this year but also plenty of mistakes. After a year of trying different methods on for size and uncovering the learning styles of my children, I feel prepared to start answering some of the questions we've been peppered with and to give that inside look into our home school. Let's start that tour with a look at circle time...

Circle time is the interactive block of time that begins our school day. It usually occurs after we've had breakfast, gotten dressed, and finished our morning chores. This time helps set the tone for the rest of the day. Since a huge component of our circle time is a daily devotion and bible verse; Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, and their lessons on positive values fit in seamlessly. When I plan out this block of time for the week, I place the supplies we'll need into a basket. Organizing things this way, makes it easy to just grab the basket and find a spot on the rug with the kids. The VeggieTales characters have jumped right in and are going to be the ones presenting a discussion question, devotion, memory verse, and video clip all themed around a positive message that I want to cover with the kids. The lessons include things like patience, sharing, forgiveness, and love--all values that VeggieTales promotes.

Let me walk you through circle time on this particular day...

• Welcome song
• Calendar
• Days of the Week song
• Flashcards on the theme for the week
• Discussion: Bob and Larry pulled out an envelope with the discussion questions inside. "Are the words we choose to use important?" "What kinds of words should we use when speaking to others?"
• Finger puppets: The kids used the puppets and the VeggieTales characters to role play a conversation using kind, encouraging words.

• Devotion: Sticks and Stones from the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young; We finished Five-Minute Devotions for Children by Pamela Kennedy earlier in the year and loved it!

• Memory verse and copy work: "Encourage one another and build one another up." Using the printable below, the kids copied the verse onto the lines and drew a picture to go along with it in the box.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Blank copy

Click the desired image, save, and print!

• Video: Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed (A VeggieTales video that teaches kids the power of words)
• Closing song

The kids loved incorporating VeggieTales into our daily circle time. To be honest, I think that block of time needed an extra element of fun. As long as the show and their characters remain one of the kids' big interests, we'll keep including them in our schedule! Do your kids love VeggieTales too? Do you love the positive life lessons they promote? In this day and age, isn't it refreshing to find quality toys and media for kids?

Happy circle time!