Writing a Woodcutter Circle

I have been very drawn to working with the archetypal Woodcutter image. It's a wonderful combination of vigorous active work and the nurturing spirit.

Last June I made a master list of songs, poems, and movement verses for all of the different traditional professions I could think of; today I am going back to that brainstorm list to help me find ideas for the Woodcutter!

As always, I make long lists and then get lots and lots of sleep while my mind works on the question. I need to find the key images, find the joyful narrative that connects the images, and edit out all that is superfluous.

Movement Journeys and Circle Adventures: Movement Enrichment with a Therapeutic Approach for Early Childhood, volume 1 & 2
by Nancy Blanning and Laurie Clark
Zoo Exercises - rabbit - p.12

Zoo Exercises - wheelbarrow - p.13


Rhymes for Fingers and Flannel Boards
by Louise Binder Scott


Los Maderos de San Juan / The Woodmen of San Juan - p.43

The Woodchopper - woodcutter - p.52

Squirrel in a Tree - woodcutter - p.89

Five Little Robins - woodcutter - p.95

Little Birds - woodcutter - p.95

The Elf’s Coat - woodcutter - p.99

The Owl and the Brownies - woodcutter - p.101

Three Little Oak Leaves - woodcutter - p.119



Around the World with Finger Puppet Animals
by Suzanne Down

Deer poem/theater ideas/finger puppet patterns

Brown Bear poem/theater ideas/finger puppet patterns

Bunny poem/theater ideas/finger puppet pattern

Squirrel poem/theater ideas/finger puppet pattern

Hedgehog poem/theater ideas/finger puppet pattern

Wolf poem/theater ideas/finger puppet pattern



Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child through the Rhythms of the Day
by Shea Darian


"I Will Work with Joy" song - p.88 - general work

'Work-a-Day" song - p.91 - general work

"Many Hands" song - p.93 - general work

"Peace Bless This House" song - p.191



This Is The Way We Wash-a-Day book & CD
by Mary Thienes-Schunemann


"Lovely Sunshine" song - p.45 - general work



The Breathing Circle: Learning through the Movement of the Natural Breath
by Nell Smyth

The Sun Above is Bright - p.58

Brr it’s Cold - p.66

The Door's Shut Tight! - p.73

We Push the Saw, We Pull the Saw - p.76 - woodcutter

Ten Bright Candles - p.84

Bear Has a Snout - p.93

Looking through the Garden Gate - p.94



Festivals Family and Food: Guide to Seasonal Celebration
by Diana Carey and Judy Large

Red in Autumn - woodcutter

Spindlewood - woodcutter
(tune on Let Us Form a Ring, disc 2, track 38)

Snow Song - woodcutter
(tune on The Singing Year, track 93)



A Child’s Seasonal Treasury
by Betty M. Jones

Mine Host of the “Golden Apples” - woodcutter

Woodchoppers - woodcutter

Five Little Leaves - woodcutter

Autumn Leaves - woodcutter

The Squirrel - woodcutter

Five Little Chipmunks - woodcutter

Wintertime (first 9 lines) - p.70

Chestnuts - p.73 - woodcutter

Spring is Coming - woodcutter

The Little Men - woodcutter

Fairy Ring

Mama Bird, Have You Heard? - woodcutter

I just love the "Woodpecker" song on Hap Palmer's CD Rhythms on Parade.

And Miss Erin at the Waldorf School of St. Louis shared with me a great movement idea for "building a woodpile." First stack the big logs (sit, extend legs fully and cross them and uncross them as an X several times), then the little logs (extend arms fully and cross and uncross them as an X several times), and then the tiny twigs (extend pointer finger fully and cross and uncross them as an X several times).

I discovered that there's a start to my vision of this Circle in Nancy Foster's Let Us Form a Ring (pages 18-20 of the book; tracks 28-32 on the first CD). She focuses more on the quiet walk through the woods in the Winter, looking at the beauty of the snow. I want to bring in more of the work of chopping wood, and the movements of the animals he sees as he goes along.

I also found three different woodcutter verses on pages 61-62 of Winter by Wynstones Press.

I like some of the verses from Estelle Breyer's Movement for the Young Child (and this book is available free as a PDF from the Online Waldorf Library). I could see "The Earth is Firm Beneath My Feet" on page 91, "The Lovely Sun is Shining" and "In All I Say" on page 92, "The Blue Sky Above Me" on page 94, and "Ha, Ha, Laughs the Wind" on page 98.

We loved "It Snows" from Gesture Games for Autumn and Winter by Wilma Ellersiek, page 90, in the Honeybee in Winter Circle and I think the children would like us to use it again.

I also like "Winter Weather" (page 89, track 75), "Hello Brother Wind" (page 90, track 76), "Blow, Wind, Blow!" (page 91, track 77), "The North Wind Doth Blow" (page 92, track 78), "King Winter is Come" (page 96, track 82), and "Mark Your Steps" (page 97, track 83) from The Singing Year book & CD.

When the final Woodcutter Circle comes together, I'll be sure to share it here!

If you're interested in the conscious use of archetypal images in early childhood storytelling and puppetry, I highly recommend Suzanne Down's upcoming summer workshop!

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Steiner's '12 Professions'
The Moral Value and Artistry of the Worker Archetype
in Fairy Tales and Story for Young Children

June 21-25, Boulder CO

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