The idea for this post if from Sydney Solis of Storytime Yoga.
The children’s classic The Owl and the Pussy Cat by Edward Lear is a perfect example of how to combine literature and yoga for learning and fun. It’s easy to see how yoga poses such as eagle pose (owl), cat pose (pussy cat), boat pose (pea-green boat), tree pose (bong-tree), cow pose with pig sounds (Piggy-wig), half moon pose (light of the moon) combine to create a wonderful physical poem which compliments this charming nonsense rhyme. By using yoga with literature you help children to involve more senses and thereby increase retention by creating and reinforcing neuron pathways in the brain. Besides that – it’s fun.
artwork from Nicola’s Art Room
The Owl and the Pussy Cat
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat:
They took some honey, and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are, you are, you are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!”
Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?”
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose, his nose, his nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand on the edge of the sand
They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
Enjoy this wonderful video by master storyteller and children’s yoga expert Sydney Solis of Storytime Yoga as she takes a group through the poem along with the corresponding yoga poses.
For more suggestions on how to use yoga in Language Arts class visit the Yoga Classroom Language Arts page.
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Hi there. Sydney is right that it is easy & wonderful to teach kids yoga, especially fun poses like the half moon pose. We have a great free yoga video on half moon pose. It was made by Leeann Carey, my boss & an inspiring yoga teacher. I thought your readers would benefit from taking a look at this: http://planetyoga.com/yoga-blogs/index.php/free-yoga-video-pose-breakdown-of-half-moon-pose/