Spirit Play (ages 3-6)
We put the power of meaningful stories into the hands of our young children. Our Story Boxes are literally boxes with props from classic stories that reveal ways to live a principled life. To hear the children wonder aloud about a story or re-tell it to a friend is precious indeed.
Here are some of the Story Boxes we'll present this year:
~ Old Turtle by Douglas Wood
(affirming multiple descriptions of God)
~ The Empty Pot a Chinese fable retold by Demi
(the value of honesty)
~ The Blind Men and the Elephant an Indian tale retold
(the benefit of group “vision”/understanding)
~ The Life Cycle of the Frog
(a natural wonder)
~ The Dancing Camel by Betsy Byars
(the power of intrinsic motivation)
~ The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
(celebrating individuality)
~ Goodnight, my Duckling by Nancy Tafuri
(independence and the constancy of love)
~ Mole and Baby Bird by Alison Newman
(showing empathy by allowing freedom)
~ What's Bigger than a Whale? by Robert E Wells
(a perspective of sizes in the universe)
~ Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
(lifelong love)
~ The Mountains of Tibet by Mordicai Gerstein (appreciating the cycle of life)
In addition to hearing our Story Boxes, we teach the children to do as much as possible for themselves: to light the chalice (with help), to choose an activity and put it back afterwards, to serve each other water and crackers, to listen to the needs of others, to ask their own questions and often to answer their own questions as well; to laugh, to tug, to decide, to sing, and then to extinguish the flame ~ all with the comforting assurance that we'll light it together again next Sunday.
Lizzie Teer and Esther Rupert lead this class with the help of a few special volunteers. We all look forward to serving your children.
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