We end each SpiritPlay class with a feast. We were warned in the training that one of the children would say "crackers and juice are not a feast" and sure enough someone does almost every week. We explain that it's not the food that makes a feast, but the people.
The co-teachers and I ignored the advice that you bring only enough snack for each child to have one serving, and now we realize our folly. You know how once you sit down at dinner, the kids immediately think of things you could get them in the kitchen? It's like that but with 12 children. It's hard to create a quiet, sacred space when the discussion is all about how many crackers everyone gets, and who can have more, and how to clean up crushed crackers and spilled apple juice.
Over the past 3 weeks we've gotten much better at waiting until everyone is served and ready before we begin to eat. We even say a grace or have a moment of silence- which is pretty counter-cultural at our Unitarian Universalist church. Recently, after my attempt at corporate prayer, the following dialog ensued:
7 year old boy: I don't believe in God.
6 year old girl: I don't believe in God either.
5 year old boy: I'm the only person in my family who believes in God.
Older brother: That's not true, what about Dad?
I love SpiritPlay.
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2 comments:
hey ginger, i'm not really sure what spiritplay means.
Wow. Good Point. It's a very cool way of teaching sacred stories and sacred language to children based on the Montessori Method. I've added a link in the original article to help explain.
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