Green Story Circle: The Birthday Edition

The Project: Every month I get to introduce my son Loki’s kindergarten class to a new “green” story and lead them in an environmentally themed activity. And I’m looking for your brilliant ideas and recommendations to help me along!
March’s Book: On the Day You Were Born (1991) by Debra Frasier
March’s Activity: Talking about Earth Hour, singing Happy Birthday, and eating cupcakes!

Loki’s birthday cupcakes

Just over five years ago, I found myself sitting on the floor of the local bookstore’s children section, 37 weeks pregnant, bawling my eyes out shamelessly.  I blame the hormones.  But Debra Frasier’s beautiful book, On the Day You Were Born, had a big hand in it too.  In fact, the lovely story (more like a poem) still brings a catch to my throat, especially today, my big guy’s fifth birthday.
On the eve of your birth, word of your coming passed from animal to animal.
The reindeer told the Arctic terns, who told the humpback whales, who told the Pacific salmon,
who told the monarch butterflies, who told the green turtles, who told the European eel,
who told the busy garden warblers, and the marvelous news migrated worldwide.


So begins the journey of our planet preparing to greet a new member of its living community.  What I love about this book, besides its lyrical language and tenderness, is its subtle reminder of all that nature gives to us for no reason other than the fact that we exist to enjoy it.  The gift of moonlight, lighting our windows; the gift of ocean waves cleaning the sand for our footprints; the gift of oxygen miraculously offered by our trees; and even gravity’s gift—“a promise that you would never float away.”  In all the universe, these wonders are uniquely ours simply because we are Earth-born.  When our conservation scientists speak about “ecosystem services” this is—at the very basic level—exactly what they mean.
Loki’s class was enthralled by the song-like meter and Matisse-like vibrancy of the images.  To engage them more deeply, I asked them to act out parts of the story:  the tall trees capturing sunlight in their leaves, the waves crashing on the shores.
After the story (with the promise of homemade cupcakes wafting across the room) we talked about something else that’s turning 5 this March:  Canada’s Earth Hour.  It was a great connection.  Our planet gives us so many wonderful things that turning out our lights for one hour on one night—as a promise that we will protect those gifts—seems like the very least we could do.  I invited everyone to join Loki and our family for the annual High Park lantern walk (I’m so excited he’s finally old enough to stay up for it!).  I hope wherever you are, you find a special way to celebrate and honour our earthly privileges and pleasures next week.  And I hope you’ll share those stories with us!

Loki & little brother Nate

Happy birthday, Loki.  And Happy Earth Hour, everyone!