The Dewdrop Digest

Clouds in Water Zen Center
The Dewdrop Digest
Connecting Children, Youth and Sangha
Sunday, October 3, 2004

Welcome, old friends and new friends, to the first day of Fall Quarter for children and youth at Clouds. We have six classes meeting today, from nursery to Middle School. Zen for Teens, our high school group, meets for six consecutive weeks starting next Sunday October 10 (spread the word about that!).

This is The Dewdrop, which will tell you what we're learning and doing. Plus ideas for Home Practice and "homework" for the next session. The Dewdrop is published on most Children?s and Youth Practice Sundays and is archived on the Clouds website: www.cloudsinwater.org/dewdroparchive/dewdrop.htm.


2003-2004 theme: Peace-making and Inter-being
This year, our aim is that each student will:

• Be empowered to be an everyday peace-maker;


• Connect with her/his own Buddha-nature, where true peace resides;


• Gain, or deepen, understanding of Inter-being (i.e., emptiness, or the caring connectedness that is the true nature of reality) in an age-appropriate manner;


• Make friends, and enjoy a sense of belonging-ness, in this sangha;


• Look forward to being here, for learning, connection, fun and more.

For Fall Quarter, we'll explore this through stories of heroic peacemakers. In Winter Quarter we will delve into the whole notion Inter-being with more deeply, through study, practice and joint artistic expression. In the Spring, we will link this with precept practice and Right Action, and express our understanding through service projects that make peace, build community and sustain the environment.

Fall quarter theme: Spiritual Heroes and Inter-being
This quarter, we're looking at heroism, most especially spiritual heroism.

Over the course of the quarter, we'll discover that some heroes are mythological, some very real but larger-than-life, some are people that we meet everyday. We'll wonder, What is heroic? What's special about spiritual heroes? Is caring enough, or does there need to be an action to make it real? What are some of the different ways of being courageous? How do I contribute to the peace of others, and where would I like my own heroic journey to lead?

Today's lesson and summary of a typical class schedule:
Classes typically begin with an opening ritual with candle-lighting, incense offering, gathas and gasshos. More on these in the next Dewdrop.

Today, most classes will follow this with a fun icebreaker and then discuss overall class goals as well as classroom guidelines for how we treat each other in order to maximize learning, enjoyment and connection. Usually, the teacher would see how much the students recall from the last class and invite students to share stories about their recent home practice as relates to the topic. Then she would introduce the new lesson material.

Perhaps at this point, some yoga or other age-appropriate movement, game or stretch. Then onto a story, discussion, and personal stories related to the lesson. Then an art, craft, and/or activity.

Preschoolers and the K-1 class will have more movement interspersed as well as a snack. The 4th-5th graders and Middle Schoolers are quite apt to stray from this rhythm, so next week we'll feature something special about their classes.

Home Practice and "homework":
Students: Be on the look out for people and deeds that you admire - in stories, TV, and real life. Ideas for "show-and-tell" - jot down the title, bring the magazine, draw a picture, make a collage, write a skit, bring a photograph, or have a story to tell.

Parents: Out loud, "catch" yourself, your children and others in heroic acts - e.g., patience with a small child, meeting a learning or physical challenge, owning one's feelings and responsibility in a quarrel.

Families, individuals and students: Before bed, review with yourself (and possibly together, as a family) how you (and other family members) were heroic peacemakers. If there was a situation where you yourself acted in a way that was decidedly less than heroic, visualize, in detail, exactly how you'd like to re-do the scenario so that your heroic qualities are actualized and your words and deeds contribute to the well-being of yourself and those around you. Encourage your children to try the visualization; use your own judgment as to what age you would suggest this; it worked well for us starting at age 8 or 9. Carry the images of your actual and imagined peacemaking as you go to sleep.

Extra credit: Discuss, wonder, explore: Who are our cultural heroes? Are all of them your personal heroes? What about heroes in other cultures, other times?

Extra credit: Discuss, wonder, explore: What is a spiritual hero?


Question, idea, concern? Contact Children's and Youth Practice Coordinator Katharine Krueger at 651-222-6968 x10 or cp@cloudsinwater.org.


posted by webmaster on 10/03/2004 12:35:00 PM | link