Hugs on the Wind
Thank you to Vernise Elaine Pelzel, my friend and co-author, for sharing some good curriculum ideas, activities, and a song. They are here along with some of my own.
Make sure to click the tabs to expand additional read-along group activities.
Activity 1: Hugs Are On The Way (Song)
by Vernise Elaine Pelzel © 2006
To the tune of Here Comes Peter Cottontail:
| Hip-pity-Hop-pity Hugs Are On The Way! | (slap thighs) |
| Here comes Little Cottontail Hopping down the clover trail Hugging the wind, now Hugs are on the way |
(R hand, 2 fingers up for ears) (bounce hand) (hug self and open arms forward) |
| Here comes Little Cottontail Grinning smiles, the clouds will sail Traveling miles across the sky today |
(R hand, 2 fingers up for ears) (draw grin on face, looking up) (two hands swirl high R to L) |
| Hip-pity Hop-pity Hip-pity-Hop Hip-pity Hop-pity Hip-pity-Hop Hip-pity Hop-pity Hip-pity-STOP |
(slaps thighs, or jump up, turn around and wiggle tail; clap on STOP) |
| Close your eyes, you’ll feel the Hugs Look-up at clouds; you’ll see the smiles Think of who you’ll send some to this way |
(close eyes, hug self) (point up R hand) (R finger taps temple) |
| Hip-pity-Hop-pity Hugs Are On The Way! | (slap thighs) |
Activity 2: Little Cottontail’s Meadow Salad
(This is an accumulative activity, a fun way to practice memorization skills, and a way to learn your vegetables.)
Mama Cottontail was gathering wild lettuce and sweet red clover in Hugs on the Wind. Little Cottontail loves salad!
Let’s add some vegetables to Mama and Little Cottontail’s Meadow Salad. Then we’ll toss our salad and enjoy!
Tossing, tossing in the bowl
Sweet red clover, wild lettuce, and some ____________. (Child names a vegetable, such as “carrots”.)
Tossing, tossing in the bowl
Sweet red clover, wild lettuce, carrots, and some ____________.
Each child adds a vegetable and tosses the imaginary salad with their hands.
Variation: Experiment with clapping the rhythm of the vegetables as they are added to the bowl.
Variation: Experiment with adding a movement/gesture as each vegetable is added. (Examples: Hands high in air for wild lettuce. LEAN FORWARD AND CHOMP FOR CARROT.)
Variation: Make an orchestration called “Little Cottontail’s Salad”. The teacher or parent begins, repeating her/his chosen vegetable pattern & gesture. One at a time, the teacher points to each child, and he/she joins the rhythm orchestra. The orchestra ends when the teacher again points to each child to stop. The teacher whispers the last vegetable name.
Activity 3: The Great Green Meadow
(a science activity)
Little Cottontail lived in the Great Green Meadow.
What other animals might live in the Great Green Meadow?
If you lived in the Great Green Meadow, what animal would you be? What would you find to eat in the Great Green Meadow?
What would you do for fun in the Great Green Meadow?
Draw a picture of your favorite animals in the Great Green Meadow, having fun.
Activity 4: Missing Someone Special
(a separation activity)
Have you ever missed someone, the way that Little Cottontail missed his grandfather? Maybe you have missed a friend or a pet or a relative.
Write a letter to Little Cottontail telling him about the person or animal that you have missed or that you miss now. Draw a picture of that person or animal.
Activity 5: The Five Senses
Name our five senses. (Touch, hearing, smell, sight, taste.)
Little Cottontail and Mama Cottontail use their senses a lot in Hugs on the Wind.
List the different ways they use each sense.
Possibilities:
- Great Green Meadow – smell of flowers and grasses
- Sight – all the colors, clouds above, stars at night
- Taste – sweet red clover and wild lettuce
- Hearing – wind, river, trees
- Touch – grasses tickling, cool river water
Draw a picture of your favorite part of the Great Green Meadow and how it makes you feel.
Created by Marsha Diane Arnold
Hugs on the Wind is a lyrical piece, almost a poem. It is a story steeped in nature and so it makes an interesting piece to read as an orchestration or a meditation. This chorus can be used as a simple reading or an exciting performance piece.
It can be modeled by teachers or older students for younger. Then if they wish, they could also try it.
Voice 1: Little Cottontail looked across
Voices 1,2,3,4,5,6,7: the Great Green Meadow
Voice 2: to where the sky
Voice 3: touches the grass.
LC: Mama
Voice 4: Mama (echo)
Voice 5: Mama (echo)
LC: I wish Grandfather Cottontail hadn’t gone so far away. I think he misses
Voice 6: misses (echo)
Voice 7: misses (echo)
LC: me
Voice 1,2,3,4,5,6,7: too much.
MC: I am sure he does.
LC: What do you think Grandfather misses
Voice 6: misses (echo)
Voice 7: misses (echo)
LC: most about me?
MC: He always loved your snuggly hugs.
Voice 1: Little Cottontail felt the Wind tickle
Voices 2,3,4,5,6,7: (light laughter)
Voice1: his ears
Voice 2: and ruffle his fur.
LC: I have an idea, Mama! I will wrap my hugs around the Wind. The Wind will blow…
Voices 1,2,3,4,5,6,7: Whoosh…sh…sh…Whoosh.
LC: them to Grandfather, all the way across
Voices 1,2,3,4,5,6,7: the Great Green Meadow.”
MC: “What a clever Cottontail you are.”
Voice 1: Little Cottontail made a circle with his arms
Voice 2: and lifted it high in the air
Voice 3: as the Wind rushed past.
Voices 4,5,6,7: Whoosh…sh…sh…Whoosh. Whoosh…sh…sh…Whoosh.
LC: What else do you think Grandfather misses?
MC: Your smiles always made him happy.
Voice 1: Little Cottontail looked up at the bright
Voice 2: white
Voice 3, 4, 5: Clouds
Voices 6,7: gliding by.
LC: I have an idea, Mama. Cloud smiles can travel miles
Voice 1: miles (echo)
Voice 2: miles (echo)
LC: all the way to Grandfather. I will send my smiles up to the Clouds.
Voices 3, 4, 5: gliding by.
Voices 6, 7: gliding by.
Voice 1: Little Cottontail looked high
Voice 2: into
Voice 3: the sky
Voices 4,5,6: and grinned,
Voice 7: then turned somersaults in the grass.
LC: What else does Grandfather miss?
Voice 1: (as an aside.) Little Cottontail liked this game.
MC: Remember how he laughed at your jokes?
Voice 1: hopping
Voice 2: hopping
Voice 3: hopping
Voice 4: hopping
Voices 5,6,7: hopping to the River.
Voice 1: Little Cottontail listened to the River
Voice 2: as it murmured
Voice 3: to the rocks.
Voice 4: murmuring (loudly)
Voice 5: murmuring (softly, as echo)
Voice 6: murmuring (loudly)
Voice 7: murmuring (softly, as echo)
Voices 1, 2, 3: murmuring to the rocks.
LC: I have an idea, Mama! I will tell my funniest joke…
Voice 1: A joke?
Voice 2: Ha. Ha.
LC: to the River. The River will carry it to him.
MC: That is a good idea.
Voice 1: gathering
Voice 2: gathering
Voice 3: gathering
Voice 4: gathering
Voice 5,6,7: gathering wild lettuce.
Voice 1: Little Cottontail leaned over the River’s bank
Voice 4: murmuring (loudly)
Voice 5: murmuring (softly, as echo)
Voice 6: murmuring (loudly)
Voice 7: murmuring (softly, as echo)
Voice 3: and whispered his funniest joke
Voice 1: A joke?
Voice 2: Ha. Ha.
Voice 3: into the water.
Voice 1: The River babbled merrily
Voice 2: merrily (echo)
Voice 3: merrily (echo)
LC: Now the River and Grandfather and I have a joke
Voice 2: Ha. Ha.
LC: together.
Voice 1: Little Cottontail laughed
Voice 2: and twirled
Voice 3: through sprinkles of sunlight
Voice 4: until he grew tired.
Voice 5: Ho-o-o. (Pitch starts high and sinks, patting mouth to get yawn sound.)
Voice 6: Ho-o-o. (Pitch starts high and sinks, patting mouth to get yawn sound.)
Voice 7: Then he lay beside the River
Voice 1: listening to leaves high above.
LC: Listen, Mama. The Trees are singing.
Voice 1: La, la, la, la. (Possible notes: C, C, C, D)
Voice 2: La, la, la, la.
LC: I think Grandfather is sending his summer song. I think he is singing to the Trees.
Voice 3: Here is my song. (Possible notes: F, E, D, C)
Voices 4: Here is my song.
LC: far across the Meadow
Voice 3: Here is my song. (F, E, D, C)
Voice 4: Here is my song.
LC: and they are singing to each other
Voice 1: La, la, la, la. (C, C, C, D)
Voice 2: La, la, la, la
LC: all the way to
LC, Voices 1,2,3,4,5,6,7: us.
Voice 1: Mama stopped
Voice 2: in a patch of wild lettuce
Voice 3: and listened.
MC: Yes. He always sang it when we were together.
Voice 1: Little Cottontail
Voice 2: and Mama
Voice 3: listened
Voice 4: until orange and yellow sun ribbons
Voice 5: touched the Earth.
Voice 6: the Earth (echo)
Voice 7: the Earth (echo)
Voice 1: Mama Cottontail started hopping
Voice 2: hopping
Voice 3: hopping
Voice 4: hopping
Voice 5: hopping
Voices 6,7: hopping home.
Voice 1: Little Cottontail hopped sleepily
Voice 2: Ho-o-o. (Pitch starts high and sinks, patting mouth to get yawn sound.)
Voice 3: Ho-o-o. (Pitch starts high and sinks, patting mouth to get yawn sound.)
Voice 4: beside her.
Voice 1: Soon, the lights
Voice 2: of a thousand Stars
Voice 3: winked
Voice 4: across
Voice 5: the sky.
LC: Grandfather always winked at me when he tucked me into bed. I think Grandfather is winking to the Stars, so they can wink to me.
Voice 1: Mama kissed
Voice 2: Little Cottontail’s nose
Voice 3: and nestled him
Voice 4: into his soft
Voice 5: warm
Voice 6: bed.
Voice 7: snuggly (whispered)
Voice 3: cuddly (whispered)
Voice 7: nuzzly (whispered)
Voice 3: warm (whispered)
Voice 1: Little Cottontail looked deep into the Moon
Voice 2: hanging bright
Voice 3: and bold
Voice 4: in the sky.
LC: Let’s blow our kisses high to the Moon, Mama, so the Moon can blow them to Grandfather.
Voice 5: Together,
Voice 6: they blew kisses
Voice 7: all the way
Voice 1: up
Voice 2: up (echo)
Voice 3: up (echo)
Voice 4: to the Moon.
Voice 1: Then they dreamed
Voice 2: of Wind hugs
Voice 3: Cloud smiles
Voice 4: River jokes
Voice 5: and Tree songs,
Voice 6: as Stars winked above
Voice 7: and Moon kisses floated
Voice 1: down
Voice 2: down (echo)
Voice 3: down (echo)
Voice 4: from the sky.
Created by Marsha Diane Arnold
Grade Level: 1-3
Roles: Narrator, Little Cottontail, Mama Cottontail
Narrator 1: Little Cottontail looked across the Great
Narrator 2: Green
Narrator 3: Meadow
Narrator 4: to where the sky touches the grass.
Little Cottontail: “Mama, I wish Grandfather Cottontail hadn’t gone so far away. He misses me too much.”
Mama Cottontail: (gathering sweet red clover) “I am sure he does.”
L.C.: “What do you think Grandfather misses most about me?”
M.C.: “He always loved your snuggly hugs.”
Narrator 1: Little Cottontail felt the Wind
Narrator 2: tickle his ears
Narrator 3: and ruffle his fur.
L.C.: “I have an idea, Mama! I will wrap my hugs around the Wind. The Wind will blow them to Grandfather, all the way across the Great Green Meadow.”
(L.C. makes a circle with his arms and lifts it high in the air.)
M.C.: “What a clever Cottontail you are.”
L.C.: “What else do you think Grandfather misses?”
M.C.: “Your smiles always made him happy.”
L.C.: (looking up at the clouds and smiling) “I have an idea, Mama! Cloud smiles can travel miles, all the way to Grandfather. I will send my smiles up to the Clouds.”
L.C.: “What else does Grandfather miss?”
M.C.: “Remember how he laughed at your jokes?”
L.C.: (listening to the River murmuring) “I have an idea, Mama! I will tell my funniest joke to the River. The River will carry it to him.”
M.C.: (collecting lettuce) “That is a good idea.”
L.C.: (whispers his funniest joke into the water) “Now the River and Grandfather and I have a joke together.”
L.C.: (twirling around, then listening to the leaves.)
“Listen, Mama. The Trees are singing. I think Grandfather is singing to the Trees, far across the Meadow, and they are singing to each other, all the way to us.”
Narrator 1: Mama stopped
Narrator 2: in a patch of wild lettuce
Narrator 3: and listened.
M.C.: “Yes. He always sang it when we were together.”
Narrator 1: Little Cottontail and Mama listened
Narrator 2: until orange
Narrator 3: and yellow sun ribbons
Narrator 4: touched the earth.
Narrator 1: Mama Cottontail started to hop home.
Narrator 2: Little Cottontail hopped happily beside her.
Narrator 3: Soon, the lights of a thousand Stars
Narrator 4: winked across the sky.
Little Cottontail: “Grandfather always winked at me when he tucked me into bed. I think Grandfather is winking to the Stars, so they can wink to me.”
Narrator 1: Mama kissed Little Cottontail’s nose
Narrator 2: and nestled him into his
Narrator 3: soft,
Narrator 4: warm bed.
Narrator 1: Little Cottontail looked deep into the Moon,
Narrator 2: hanging bright
Narrator 3: and bold
Narrator 4: in the sky.
Little Cottontail: “Let’s blow our kisses to the Moon, Mama, so the Moon can blow them to Grandfather.”
Narrator 1: Together, they blew kisses all the way to the Moon.
Narrator 2: Then they dreamed
Narrator 3: of Wind hugs,
Narrator 4: Cloud smiles
Narrator 1: River jokes
Narrator 2: and Tree songs
Narrator 3: as Stars winked above
Narrator 4: and Moon kisses floated
Narrators 1, 2, 3, 4: down from the sky.