CU 6.01Birthday Walk Around the Sun
On a child's birthday, the child carries a globe around a sun symbol once for each year of life while the guide tells the story of that year.
Presentation
- 1
Ask the family ahead of time for a photograph from each year and one short story for each year.
- 2
Gather the class in a circle. Place the sun symbol in the center and the month cards around it.
- 3
Say: 'The earth travels around the sun. One trip takes one year.'
- 4
The birthday child holds the globe and stands at their birth month.
- 5
Read: '[Name] was born in [month]. Here is a picture.' Show the photo.
- 6
The child walks around the sun once, ending at the birth month. Say: 'Now [name] is one year old.' Show the next photo.
- 7
Repeat for each year until the child's current age.
- 8
The class sings a song chosen by the family.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Children lead the walk for a classmate
- Place the birthday on the class calendar
- Count the months as the child walks
Control of error
The month cards mark the starting point; the child ends each walk at the same month, and the number of walks equals the child's age.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Walks the correct number of times for their age
- Says that one trip around the sun is one year
- Names their birth month
Guide note
Some families do not celebrate birthdays for religious or personal reasons. Ask each family privately and offer a different celebration (such as a 'my life story' share) or none. Use a battery candle, not a flame.