Coco the Butterfly - A Cosmic Kids Yoga Lesson Plan PREVIEW

Coco the Butterfly Kids Yoga Class Plan In this story we deal with ACCEPTING CHANGE and embracing NEW EXPERIENCES. Coco has just hatched from her cocoon but is reluctant to spread her wings and start flying. She’s afraid of what will happen and worries so much that she holds onto her cocoon to keep her wings in. After a visit to a see a snail, Coco is unable to hold her wings back any longer and suddenly she’s off! We support her through this change and celebrate her new found ability to fly!

Set in a delightful meadow!

About embracing change

Story script

Pose checklist

Best for 4 to 8 year olds

Watch Jaime leading this adventure on YouTube

Character image

Change Activity

Things to remember Pens or crayons for kids to write in the Change activity

Print out the character pic and a Change activity for each child.

© Cosmic Kids 2019

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Coco the Butterfly

© Cosmic Kids 2019

Coco the Butterfly - Story Script

We get onto our bikes and cycle to the meadow.

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Today we’re off to meet Coco the Butterfly! Just the other day she was all snuggled up (knee hugging) in her cocoon, but today’s the big day when she spreads her wings to finally become a butterfly.

Look! Some butterflies are already free and fluttering (butterfly pose) around enjoying their new wings! But Coco… she’s still all huddled up, hugging our knees - holding onto her cocoon with her wings tucked away.

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“I don’t want these silly wings. I want to be a caterpillar and for my cocoon to stay on forever. I don’t want to change and be a butterfly!”

We can’t believe that Coco is so sad about her wings. “Your wings are amazing. You are free to fly and dance in the sunshine and go wherever you please. Sometimes change can be a good thing.”

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“Lots of things change as we go through life. Being afraid of chang e is normal, but we can choose to accept it and look for what’s good. “

All of a sudden there’s a clap of thunder in the sky. Come to stand, legs wide and clap hands above our heads. Now comes the rain. Pitter patter fingers on our head and face. The rain is getting heavier.

Patting our chest and arms. There’s lightning striking down from the clouds (standing spin) Quick, let’s take shelter in the cave (cave/house pose).

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We huddle up in the cave, wrapping our arms around to hold opposite shoulders. Coco looks around and starts to consider how perhaps her wings could take her to all sorts of places. When you step back and take a moment to notice all the good things rather than all the bad things you do start to feel much better about life. We call this ‘counting our blessings.’

“It’s helpful to think about all that is good in your life.

Having food to eat, playing, looking at books happy!” and spending time with family. Thinking this way can make us feel

Outside we see a beam of sunshine - stretching up to the sun. It’s still raining a little too, so a beautiful rainbow appears in the sky. Coming into our rainbow pose!

© Cosmic Kids 2019

The rain has passed but the ground is wet so out come the snails (snail pose - extended puppy pose)!

Soozie the snail stretches forward (snake pose) to say hello. “Bootiful day! I loves a bit of rain! Does wonders for my skin. Though I do sometimes wish I could leave this old shell behind and fly away like you can Coco.”

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Coco huddles up her wings (seated hugging knees), gripping her cocoon. “I love your shell. May we come inside to see?” Soozie is delighted to and invites us in for a cup of tea. She opens up the shell door, closes it behind her. Inside we find ourselves in a charming living room. There’s a comfy armchair and a table with a pretty tablecloth and a bowl full of green leaves. Soozie is much smaller in here and pours the tea from a red spotty teapot (triangle pose).

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Coco who is sitting still wrapped in her cocoon, reaches forwards for her cup of tea (reaching arms forward), but as she reaches forward, she lets go of her cocoon and her wings pop out to the sides (butterfly pose)! They begin to flutter, and she lifts one wing, and then the other (ie both)! She flies up, coming to stand with her arms and legs wide and then it’s chaos! She starts bumping into the walls of Soozie’s shell in our flying butterfly Windmill pose. She whooshes everything off the shelves and knocks all the furniture over. It’s chaos! Finally she lands in mouse pose, her wings (our arms) stretched forward.

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We say to her “Coco! You really ought to be outside up in the sky! Then you’ll learn how to use your wings properly. Let’s roll you up so we can fit you out of the door!”

Lying on her back she draws in one wing (hug in with one knee), then the other (hugging both knees on our back) and she rocks up to sit. We wrap Coco back in her Cocoon hugging our arms round tightly. Now we rock n roll her out the door. Three times to get her out. 1, 2 and on the 3rd one let’s stand up! 3 weeee she’s free!!! Coco spreads her wings open like a star!

Out in the sunshine, Coco flies one way and the other! She stretches up and soars into the light. We wave and wish her joy, closing our eyes with our hands at our hearts.

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We are proud that Coco has finally discovered how to love who she is, to accept herself and find her freedom using her natural gifts.

“We get to know ourselves by trying things.”

Relaxation

We lie back now on the lovely green grass and look up above to see the bluest of skies. We feel that warm sunshine beaming down on our bodies and faces and enjoy this moment to count our own blessings. How we are full of fun, and love to play. How we enjoy the world around us and are thankful for our friends. It’s tempting to look at others and wish we had what they have, but when we take a moment to think of all the amazing stuff about ourselves we can be totally happy with who we are. Time to wake up now…

© Cosmic Kids 2019

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Follow-on Activity - How to think about change!

In this activity we think about a time in our life when we experienced change. We acknowledge the feelings we had and adopt a positive mindset to appreciate the good things that came from that change.

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Handout copies of the activity sheet along with pencils to write with. Ask the children to write their answers in the boxes, prompting ideas as they need. At the end, give the children an opportunity to share their experience.

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This is a wonderful follow-on to the Coco story. It encourages the children to acknowledge their own feelings around change and learn a process that can help us to accept change in a positive way.

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Coco the Butterfly - Pose Summary

Coco was all snuggled up (knee hugging) in her cocoon.

But today she becomes a butterfly!

We get onto our bikes and cycle to the meadow.

All of a sudden there’s a clap of thunder!

Now comes the rain. Pitter patter fingers on our head and face.

The rain is getting heavier. Patting our chest and arms.

We huddle up in the cave. Coco counts her blessings - perhaps her wings will take her places!

Outside we see a beam of sunshine stretching up to the sun.

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Look! Some butterflies are already free and fluttering (butterfly pose) around enjoying their new wings!

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Quick, let’s take shelter in the cave (cave/ house pose).

The rain has passed but the ground is wet so out come the snails.

Soozie the snail stretches forward. “Bootiful day!

Though I sometimes wish I could fly away like you Coco!”

But Coco is still all huddled up, in her cocoon! “Your wings are amazing, Coco!”

There’s lightning striking down from the clouds (standing spin).

A beautiful rainbow appears in the sky.

Coming into our rainbow pose (both sides)!

Soozie opens up the Coco huddles up her shell door, and closes wings (seated hugging it behind her. knees), gripping her cocoon. “I love your shell. May we come inside to see?”

© Cosmic Kids 2019

Coco who is sitting still wrapped in her cocoon...

...reaches forwards for her cup of tea (reaching arms forward)...

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...and a table with a pretty tablecloth...

...and a bowl full of green leaves!

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Inside we find a charming living room.

There’s a comfy armchair...

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...and lets go of her cocoon and her wings pop out to the sides (butterfly pose)!

She flies up, coming to stand and then it’s chaos!

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Coming up to sit we rock n roll to splash down into the river!

We wrap Coco up so she can go outside and fly! Lying on her back...

...she draws in one wing (hug in with one knee)...

She starts bumping into the walls of Soozie’s shell in our flying butterfly Windmill pose.

...then the other (hugging both knees)...

© Cosmic Kids 2019

Soozie pours the tea from a red spotty teapot (triangle pose).

They begin to flutter, and stretch lifting one wing, and the other!

Finally she lands in mouse pose, her wings (our arms) stretched forward.

...and she rocks up to sit!

...and the other!

She stretches up and soars into the light.

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Now we rock n roll her out the door. 1, 2 and 3! (to standing)

On 3 weeee she’s free!!! Coco spreads her wings open like a star!

Out in the sunshine, Coco flies one way...

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We wrap Coco back in her Cocoon hugging our arms round tightly.

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We wave and wish her joy, closing our eyes with our hands at our hearts.

We are proud that Coco has finally discovered how to love who she is, to accept herself and find her freedom using her natural gifts. Relaxation

For more detailed guidance on how to instruct the poses, download our 253 page The Big Book of Kids Yoga Postures • • • • • •

220 kids yoga poses, including partner poses and breathing exercises 400 high quality pose images Clear, child friendly instructions into each posture Anatomical focus, benefits and contra-indications for each pose Teaching tips to make the poses work for kids A linking index to each pose

© Cosmic Kids 2019

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