# Circle Time

> Plan circle time, morning meeting, or opening routine for PreK-2 classrooms. Use this whenever a teacher asks for a preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade, or 2nd grade morning meeting, greeting, song, calendar/weather, theme discussion, movement activity, story time, SEL check-in, or closing ritual. Triggers on "plan circle time for monday", "morning meeting for kindergarten about feelings", "presch…

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-jellypod-inc-school-skills-circle-time`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [Jellypod-Inc](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jellypod-inc)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Productivity](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/productivity)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [Jellypod-Inc](https://github.com/Jellypod-Inc)
- **Source:** https://github.com/Jellypod-Inc/school-skills/tree/main/skills/circle-time
- **Website:** https://jellypod.com

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-jellypod-inc-school-skills-circle-time
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# circle-time

Plan ready-to-run PreK-2 morning meetings sized to a requested duration and calibrated to age. Every plan is printable and teacher-runnable without additional prep.

## When to trigger

Use this skill whenever a user asks for a circle-time plan, morning meeting, opening routine, calendar/weather segment, greeting or closing song, or transition/SEL activity for PreK through 2nd grade. Teachers may phrase the request many ways — trust the description keywords, not a strict format. If the only thing missing is the age band, ask one clarifying question. Otherwise proceed with defaults.

## Inputs

Parse these from the user's request:

- **Age band** — PreK (3-4), K (5-6), 1st (6-7), 2nd (7-8). Required.
- **Theme** — weather, feelings, letter/number of the day, seasonal, SEL topic, community helpers, nature, book-of-the-week. If absent, suggest two and pick one.
- **Duration** — 10, 15, or 20 minutes. Default 15.
- **Group size** — small (≤8), medium (9-15), large (16+). Default medium.
- **Accommodations** — sensory, bilingual/ELL, mobility, nonverbal/AAC.
- **Calendar/weather included?** — default yes for K-2, no for PreK.
- **Date / day-of-week** — optional.

### Age inference (check before asking)

| Phrase | Band |
|---|---|
| "preschool," "PreK," "3-year-olds," "daycare" | PreK |
| "kindergarten," "kinder," "5-year-olds," "TK" | K |
| "1st grade," "first graders" | 1st |
| "2nd grade," "second graders" | 2nd |
| "morning meeting" alone, no age | ask once |

If age is missing and you can't infer, ask ONE question:

> Quick check — which age band? **PreK · K · 1st · 2nd**

Accept freeform ("PreK circle time about apples, 15 min, small group, sensory-sensitive child") or structured prompts.

## Workflow

1. Parse inputs; fill defaults.
2. Compute per-segment time budget from the age calibration table below.
3. Load `references/tunes.md` and compose original lyrics to a public-domain tune that matches the theme, age, and meter.
4. Load `references/books.md` and pick one primary and one alternative picture book matching theme + age (title + author).
5. Load `references/finger-plays.md` for movement; pick one that fits group size; always include a seated alternative.
6. Load `references/sel-frameworks.md` and choose the check-in protocol (thumbs, colors, feelings wheel, one-word share) appropriate to age.
7. Load `references/transitions.md` for one-line transition cues between every adjacent segment.
8. If any accommodation is flagged, load `references/accommodations.md` and apply substitutions inline (not as footnotes).
9. Assemble the markdown plan in the 8-section output order below.

## Output — required sections in this order

Every plan must include every section below (calendar is included only when requested). Place a one-line transition cue between every adjacent pair of segments.

1. **Header** — theme, age band, duration, date (if supplied), total estimated time, and a materials list.
2. **Greeting (2-3 min)** — named greeting ritual (handshake, wave, name song, ball pass) with teacher script.
3. **Song (2-3 min)** — full original lyrics (≥2 verses or 4 lines), tune attribution in the form "to the tune of [public-domain tune]," and hand motions if applicable.
4. **Calendar / Weather / Attendance (2-3 min)** — only if the user requested it or the age band defaults to yes. Include day-of-week chant, weather observation prompt, and attendance cue.
5. **Theme Discussion (3-5 min)** — 3-5 open-ended questions + 2-3 vocabulary anchor words + an optional visual-aid suggestion.
6. **Movement or Finger-Play (2-3 min)** — named activity with step cues AND a seated alternative listed inline.
7. **Story Time (3-5 min)** — primary book (title + author) + one alternative (title + author) + 2-3 pre-reading prompts + 2-3 post-reading prompts.
8. **SEL Check-in (1-2 min)** — feelings protocol (thumbs / colors / feelings wheel / one-word share) with teacher script.
9. **Closing Ritual (1-2 min)** — transition-out song or chant + preview of the next activity.

Between every adjacent segment, insert a one-line teacher transition cue (e.g. "Criss-cross applesauce, hands in your lap — it's song time!").

Total per-segment times must sum within ±2 minutes of the requested total duration.

## Age calibration

| Band | Max segment | Language | Movement | Calendar math |
|------|-------------|----------|----------|---------------|
| PreK | 5 min  | 5-7 word sentences, concrete nouns | Lots, frequent standing | No |
| K    | 10 min | Short sentences, 1-2 new vocab words | Moderate, ≥1 standing activity | Yesterday/today/tomorrow |
| 1    | 10 min | Full sentences, 2-3 vocab words | Moderate | + days-remaining, number-of-day, patterns |
| 2    | 12 min | Longer discussion, early writing prompts in closing | Any | + date-math, early place-value |

Discussion questions escalate from concrete ("What did you eat for breakfast?") at PreK to reflective ("When is a time you felt proud?") at 2nd.

## Locked defaults

- **Songs:** Original lyrics set to public-domain tunes (Twinkle, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Wheels on the Bus, Frère Jacques, Row Row Row Your Boat, etc.). Write fresh words each time that fit the theme and meter.
- **Books:** Title + author suggestions. Always include one alternative in case a title is out of print.
- **Holidays:** Default to nature/seasonal framing (harvest, lights, spring). Offer tradition-specific versions on request.
- **Inclusive language:** "grown-up at home" / "family" / "the people who love you." Diverse authors and family structures in book picks by default.
- **SEL default:** Responsive Classroom four-component structure (greeting, sharing, group activity, morning message). Conscious Discipline phrasing available on request.

## Micro-example (what a generated plan looks like — trimmed)

**User:** "15-min circle time for K on feelings, medium group"

**Inferred:** K, theme=feelings, 15 min, medium. No clarifying question needed.

```
# Circle Time — Kindergarten · Feelings · 15 min

**Materials:** feelings-faces cards, classroom carpet spots.

## 1. Greeting (2 min)
Name song to the tune of "Row Row Row Your Boat":
  Hello, hello, hello friends, glad to see you here…
  [4 lines, continues with each child's name in turn]

→ "Criss-cross applesauce, hands in our laps — song time!"

## 2. Song (3 min)
"My Feelings Face" — to the tune of "If You're Happy and You're Knowing It"
  When I'm happy and I know it, show your smile (big grin!)
  When I'm grumpy and I know it, show your frown …
  [2 more verses: sad, excited]

## 3. Theme Discussion (4 min)
Show feelings-faces cards. Ask:
  - Have you ever felt the way this face looks?
  - What makes you feel happy? Sad? Excited?
…
(Calendar/Weather, Movement, Story, SEL Check-in, Closing follow.)
```

Every adjacent segment has a one-line transition cue.

## References (load on demand)

- `references/tunes.md` — public-domain tune catalog with meter, syllable patterns, age fit, and composition rules for writing ORIGINAL lyrics.
- `references/books.md` — picture-book catalog by theme — title + author + one-line summary + age band only.
- `references/finger-plays.md` — age-appropriate finger-plays and movement rhymes with seated alternatives.
- `references/transitions.md` — transition chants, call-and-response cues, visual-cue strategies, teacher scripts.
- `references/sel-frameworks.md` — Responsive Classroom (default) + Conscious Discipline (alt) briefs, feelings check-in protocols.
- `references/accommodations.md` — bilingual, sensory, mobility, AAC, religious-neutral, inclusive-family substitutions.

## Edge cases

- **Mixed-age request:** calibrate to the younger band; add "stretch prompts" for older children.
- **Large group (16+):** prefer whole-group call-and-response over individual shares; pace for transitions.
- **First week of school:** emphasize name-learning greetings, low-demand SEL, predictable structure.
- **Rainy / indoor-only:** favor finger-plays and seated movement; no "go outside" activities.
- **Sensory-sensitive:** pick visual transition cues over auditory; swap loud activities for breathing or quiet finger-play.
- **Bilingual:** offer key vocabulary and greetings in English + L2 (default Spanish, or user-specified).
- **Nonverbal / AAC:** offer point-to-picture paths, thumb scales, and 5-second pauses after each prompt.

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [Jellypod-Inc](https://github.com/Jellypod-Inc)
- **Source:** [Jellypod-Inc/school-skills](https://github.com/Jellypod-Inc/school-skills)
- **License:** MIT
- **Homepage:** https://jellypod.com

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-jellypod-inc-school-skills-circle-time
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jellypod-inc
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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