Kids Yoga Story, Matthew and Sophie's Fairy Adventure

            Age Group:  3 to 6 Matthew and Sophie’s Fairy Adventure

Matthew and Sophie’s were visiting Granny.
 

It had been raining for days and days.

Not just soft misty rain. Tapping fingers on face and head.

But fat, juicy raindrops that formed gigantic puddles.  Pounding feet on the floor while sitting.

Puddles so deep that the fairies who lived at the bottom of the garden could go swimming and diving. Lying on tummy and swimming by kicking legs and circling arms.

Granny always talked about the fairies but Mum would always give as a funny look behind Granny’s back as if she was just a little bit cuckoo. Stand up straight and tall with arms by the side, then lean forward from the waist and say cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo.

But secretly, we loved Granny’s fairy stories.  Granny always said that her great, great, great grandfather was a fairy and that’s why she could see and hear them.  Standing on one foot in tree pose and gently flapping arms like butterfly wings. Fairy Pose.

Whenever something sweet or unusual happened in the house she would say that it was most certainly fairy tricks.  Like if she found a beautiful feather on her pillow, or a flower in her tea.  From a small ball on the floor (child pose) grow into a kneeling beautiful flower.

And sometimes when Granny does naughty things like bringing home a new puppy. Down-face dog pose.  Feet on the floor hip distance and hands on the floor shoulder distance.

Or a tiny hedgehog and putting it in granddads bed to keep it warm. Curl into a tight ball.

She would have an excellent excuse and say, “the fairies did it”. From a tight ball grow into a flower and then into standing fairy pose.

“Well my darlings”, said Granny, “The rain has finally stopped, put on your wellies and go outside for a splash and a splosh; be careful not to stand on the fairies, they really don’t like that”.

So Matthew and Sophie put on their wellies (mime putting on wellies) and jumped down the steps (jumping) and onto the soggy grass and squelchy mud (squelching).  

The children were making lots of noise. Jumping, squelching and happy noise.

Granny came out and said, “shush, can you hear that noise (tinkling) it’s the fairies. Fairy pose.

“Are you ready to meet my little fairy friends?”, asked Granny. Ask children if they are ready?

“You can meet your great, great, great Uncle Ferdy, he’s a very important fairy you know”. 

The children looked at each other, not sure if Granny really was crazy or telling the truth. But Granny always told the truth so they stood very quietly and listened very carefully and became very still so they could hear the sound of their breath. Squat with hands in prayer pose – elbows inside knees.

Granny pointed to the big old chestnut tree in the very corner of the garden. Tree pose.

The children strained their eyes, looking and looking until, all of a sudden they heard music and saw bright colours in the tree branches. They fairies were dancing; they were having a fairy dance. Dancing Shiva pose. Take left leg with left hand and lean forward with right arm out in front.

Granny said, “they want you to dance with them”, so the children danced and danced and danced. 

Even Granny was dancing, lightly twirling and whirling. Twirling.

A little later after lots of smiling and dancing they sat down for a fairy picnic on the lowest branch of the chestnut tree. Sit on mats and pretend to eat.

They ate lovely, luscious fairy cakes.

They drank fairy lemonade.

Dessert was hazelnuts and berries.

But even after eating a lot of the fairy picnic they had grumbling stomachs. So inside they went for their tea. Delicious human food: mashed potatoes, baked beans, peas and corn.

Then they washed their faces. Washing face etc.

Brushed their teeth.

And put on their pajamas.

They were very tired and ready for bed. Lie down and stretch.

Matthew slipped into bed and it was surprisingly warm. So he nestled his feet a bit lower into the covers and let out a shriek. Shriek.

Which gave Sophie a terrible fright. Shriek again.

A baby hedgehog had been snoozing at the bottom of his bed. Sit on bottom and bring knees into chest, rock and roll.

Sophie said, “Matthew it must have been the fairies”.

Matthew knew this must have been true because the little hedgehog wakened by all this commotion had crawled out of the covers and to the open window, where he turned to Matthew with a quick wink and disappeared into the starry night. Lie down and twinkle fingers in the air.

The children yawned, stretched and snuggled into bed. Yawn and stretch.

And had the most wonderful dreams. Shavasana.

© Veronique O’Toole 2016