Educating Young Students From The Inside Out

Educating Preschool students from the "Inside Out"
Showing posts with label Sacred Space. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sacred Space. Show all posts

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Tree and leaves in the autumn


Leaves in the autumn came tumbling down,
Scarlet and yellow, russet and brown,
Leaves in the garden were swept in a heap
To jump up and down in,
with our two tiny feet.

Red leaves and yellow leaves,
Orange leaves and brown.
Leaves are everywhere,
Happily dancing down. 


I believe every school classroom all over the northern hemisphere is celebrating the seasonal changes now as we celebrate autumn. Our classroom at the Living Wisdom School of Seattle, is no exception. Our focus this month have been the beauty of trees. I like to build on the spiritual experiences for young children through the study of our earth's natural rhythms. 



What do the trees teach us?
  Just to name a few qualities that I focus on: inner power, strength, calmness, beauty. and stability. Tree medicine comes through many experiences in the classroom.  We can share a powerful story from nature, a song, interwoven bark textures, and though a multitude of visual art creations.    
I love the fall and all the many ways it can open the heart in nature.
 As we all know the projects are endless. 



Our class plays daily in our natural playground filled with Cedar, Douglas Fir, Maple, Alder and Hemlock trees. Is is a joyous sight to behold.  The children and I love to bath in this carefree childlike setting, filled with make believe bears, gnomes and fairies. The children are transported to a magical wonderland of their make believe worlds and story telling. 





We end each morning with a gathering together at the base of our trees. Here, we do an exercise called: "Reciprocal Breathing". We offer thanks to our trees at the conclusion of our morning in the playground. 

It is the highlight for many of us. 



May this fall be full of many blessings to your family and loved ones. May we all share in the inner  peace the leaves, and trees bring to us in this autumn season.  





Thursday, November 15, 2012

Guest Post: Celebrating Circles




In our classroom at the Living Wisdom School we celebrated the Fall Equinox with one of our specialty teachers, Martia Denniston. I have had the great privilege of collaborating closely with Martia on several large art projects and she has taught me so much about creating extraordinary spiritual art experiences that uplift young children. 
 This month I have asked Martia to be our guest bloggers and describe our ceremony and celebration. 


  Celebrating Cycles

May 2012: A dawning awareness and astonishment appears in the face of a youthful student when he asks me, “Are we really made of stars?” his voice rising upward at “stars”. “Yes,” I reply, “we are made from the elements of the stars.”  In a moment of meaning we experience a meeting of mutual understanding and admiration.

These are the moments I live for.

I am privileged to create celebrations and art with children. Like the 4 & 5 year olds in Chandi's class I started life curious and connected to the world of nature. As I learned to read I became more and more immersed in a world of imagination and less interested in exploring the world outside. At 45, I awoke with a shock at how distanced I was from the natural environment and my Self. Experiencing nature, and ourselves as nature, helps us develop an authentic inner life. We learn who are, where we come from, where we are going...WHY WE ARE HERE.

Why I am here, at Living Wisdom School, is to volunteer my life experience in service and sharing. The teachers, children and I weave shared experiences of gratitude and relationship in ceremonies to celebrate our place in the cycle of the seasons, to honor the Earth as our Mother, to evoke respect for the elemental forms of the Universe, Earth, ourselves...to revere all Life.

I am a Tree
coiled within a seed within the earth. I stretch and grow as I draw the element of water up from the earth into my trunk and branches. I become living earth, growing and unfurling my leaves, feeling the breeze of air whispering through me. Lifting my hungry leaves up and up I capture the fire of the sun. I am water, earth, air, and fire. For many decades I remain here, the center of a world of life, breathing in, breathing out, cycling air and energy. After a long time I become weary with longing to return home. I fold in upon myself and into the earth, returning to the planet water, earth, air, and fire for the future life that will embody the memory of me.

The Circle
We lay out the directions for our circle. West is water (mist & clouds, rivers & oceans, blood & tears, tides without and within cleansing and healing). North is earth (asteroids & moons, mountains & forests, hearts & muscles, skeletons and shells for strength and endurance). East is air (ether, atmosphere, breath, the inhale and the exhale, inspiring and awakening). South is fire (sun, earth's molten core, life's metabolism of energy, creating and transforming). In the Center we become a Unity of Spirit, the Center is here and everywhere. Each of us takes a tiny glass pebble. We silently, secretly say our words of gratitude and slip the stone into a receptacle of water placed at the center of our Center.


Does every child understand it all? Do I? Deep in our being we do. We know what we are doing is significant and sacred. I see it in the glow of respect and reverence in their small faces, in the hallowed hush of their bodies.

    Autumn Appreciation
I read the Greek myth of Persephone, Hades and Demeter. I come to the part where the land is laid waste by the mother's grief for the loss of her daughter. My voice falters and tears find form as I push forward a small blue bowl of water, “these are Demeter's tears.” I am moved by the moment of mystery. We are all touched and talk about Autumn rains and darkening landscapes, what is going and what is coming.

I am a living Autumn, my hair turning and skin weathering like bark on the trees. Like the oldest trees on our planet, I hope I have gained a little wisdom. The children are mere beginnings of Spring, full of joy and enthusiasm. They are helping me to heal the cares of my past. I hope I am helping them to see the possibilities of the future.


Earth, ourselves,
breathe and awaken,
leaves are stirring,
all things moving,
new day coming,
Life renewing.
Pawnee Prayer

To close our ceremony we share in the Blessings of the Fruits of the Earth, calling out the qualities we are about to consume: richness of plum, melody of pear, knowledge of apple, brightness of orange...fruits to sooth our souls, berries of summer to which we say farewell until next year. We use their juice to dye grains of rice. Tomorrow we will arrange bright blue seashells (water), crushed shells of eggs dyed green (earth), light yellow grains (air), and the raspberry red rice (fire) in patterns to make mosaic mandalas ~ circles of elemental forms, our inner feelings and thoughts made visible.

It is a good day.




 

 Martia Dennison

 Martia Denniston

Since graduating from the Whole Systems Design program at Antioch University in 2001 Martia has worked with school, community, and spiritual groups in many capacities, including designer, school librarian and storyteller, and art, meditation, and youth group teacher. Martia earned a certificate in Drawing and Painting from the University of Washington in 2008 and is a mixed media artist. She co-creates art and nature experiences with teachers at Living Wisdom School and Gaia's Temple in Seattle. “I have always used nature as our inspiration and teacher for art. I believe that making art can enhance our ability to observe deeply the processes of nature, and that observing the interactions between living systems and their environment will enrich students' art making. My dream is to help nurture in our youth a lifelong relationship with Nature and Mother Earth, one characterized by mutuality, founded in inquiry, exploration and self-expression, with a healthy respect for the awe and mystery of Life.”


Thursday, January 26, 2012

Your eyes are the window into the soul





This week at the Living Wisdom School our classrooms celebrated with one of our staff members her national heritage, culture and events in her early life. She has a extraordinary story to tell about coming to this country with her family on a boat from Vietnam. She is one of my dearest friends and shares so much joy with many truth-seekers. Her generosity is so humbling. 




  Together we were able to participate in the Vietnamese New Year and tour the local Buddhist Temple just around the corner from where we live in Lynnwood,Washington. We took a small group of older students there this afternoon from our 3rd-5th grade class at the Living Wisdom School.

This is a magical spiritual place and I wanted the children from our school to feel the power and devotion that is so measurable on the grounds.



There is a section at the top of the property, lined with over 30 statures of Buddha and Quan Yin.

Devotional Prayers   


Walking peacefully together in a prayer mediation, we instructed the children as to the deeper meanings of each Buddha. I also spoke to them that each stature represented a small part of themselves inwardly.

One of the third graders said to me, "You can really look into their eyes and see the difference."  Many of these children have been at our Living Wisdom School now for many years. They know what it is like to pray, meditate, chant and they see themselves as light and energy bodies.


Even though stormy weather had closed down the New Years celebrations, the temple remained open just for our students. They were also personally guided through prayers in the temple by one of the monks. They were able to do full saluations to the Buddha along side of him.  Two of the boys when leaving today said to me," I wish I could live here."

Lightening incense and offering prayers to the great ones.


This was a deep experience for all of us today.



May your heart and soul be filled with gratitude during this auspicious time in the Asian New Year.

" I bow to the soul in you as you bow to the soul in me
And together we are one." 

Aum, Namaste

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Teaching children with spirit



The Staff at the Living Wisdom School recently had an evening promotional event meeting new  potential parents at our local Parent Map Preschool Event.  If you were unable to attend here is a video that I compiled for our Living Wisdom Booth. It shows some of our activities that we participate in each day. I hope you enjoy it. More information about the Living Wisdom School is located on our website.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Away in a Manger

“Children and Festivals around the World”


Our focus in the curriculum for December is the cultures, children and festivals taken from around the world. 
In chatting with my group it has been sometime since I have actually told the story about the baby Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas. In a private school we are able to tell these spiritual stories. One of the little girls in my class loves to sing: "Away in the Manager" so that is where I started last week
 Saint Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first nativity scene in 1223 intending thereby to cultivate the worship of Jesus Christ. 

Many Christian traditions celebrate this every Christmas. 

Away in a manger
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down his sweet head

The stars in the sky
Looked down where he lay
The little Lord Jesus a sleep on the hay...

Making our manger scene

Today we were acting out the play together. It was a very sweet time. 
We had two Mary's today.

The baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.


They made the basket cradle for the baby. The sheep are looking on. 

The morning continued with acting out the story with figurines and natural lavender play-dough. 
Creating this creche scene together brought out such sweetness in the children.  Using natural materials also brings forth the calming spirit in the young child.



Joy to the world the Lord has come
This was a show and tell nativity scene from one of our classmates. 


Let heaven and nature sing, let heaven and nature sing, let heavn and heaven, and nature sing. 


 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

To walk in sacred space

 The summer has just arrived in the Northwest and its almost time for us to return back to school.

At the beginning of each new year, I like to set up time to bond and play with my new students during the summer. This week was our second chance to enjoy our new friends and families. In gratitude the sun has been shining all week. The Ananda Community has five expansive acres to explore. The children just bath in the peaceful beauty and the serene sacred landscape. I often hear tears from the children when their parents have to put them in the car to drive home. 
Young children love animals


Isn't that what I eat in Chinese food?

 
How do green beans grow?


 Where do carrots come from?






There are many paths to explore



How did all these rocks get here? This is our heart path. Sacred hearts are all through these rocks.    
Look, I found one!    
 
 
 A wise saint said: "Environment is stronger than will." Children can feel the power of a sacred space. I  have the wonderful opportunity to facilitate this at the our Living Wisdom School. What a journey we are about to embark on together as we prepare for a new school year.
 
"Where Ganges, woods, Himalayan caves and men dream God.
I am hallowed; my body touched that sod!"
 
Stanza taken from the poem,  "My India "
 Whispers from Eternity by: Paramhansa Yogananda