Light the candles one
by one
Count off the days in
rhyme
Every day a task well
done
For now it’s Advent
time
It is always with much joy
that we write to you about the coming season that we will share with the
children. Yes, the shops downtown are completely ready for the holiday season,
but here in the Kindergarten we possess the luxury of Time. Soon we will feed
the last pumpkin to the sheep. Our leaves are raked and our firewood is stacked.
Just as the November winds and rains have swept away all signs of early autumn,
we are cleaning out and making ready for what is to come. The woods and frog
ponds are becoming quiet, and daylight is dwindling. There is an emptiness as
the Earth breathes in and expectancy as we approach the darkest time of the
year. It is as if the entire natural world is coming to a point of stillness –
waiting for the advent of what… and who… is to
come.
Throughout history,
humankind has waited for the return of the sun and the rebirth of life. There
are as many ways to celebrate this as there are individuals. We experience it in
several ways with the children. Here is a description of some of the activities
and events to come in the kindergarten.
The
Moss Garden – Each child will receive
a ceramic bowl.During the first week of
December, beginning with the sparseness of the empty bowl, we will experience
the gifts from the mineral world – sand, shells and crystals. During the second
week we find the world of plants, using the moss that we have carefully
gathered. The third week brings the animal world. Finally, we come to the human
realm, represented by a candle.
For our young children,
the center of their lives is their family. Father and Mother to a little child
are much more than individual personalities. They are the fullness, love,
support and encouragement that surround them. And surely every family who
receives a child has a moment of experiencing that they receive a gift from
heaven. Somewhere in our consciousness we regard them as a little King or Queen,
and of course during infancy they are treated as
such.
So it is for this that we
build our gardens during the season of Advent. We celebrate the family (not
necessarily the historical Holy Family, but a Universal Family). This is what
surrounds our children as they become a part of this world. We mark this coming
into the world or “incarnating” with the family festival of the Advent Spiral. This will take place at 4:30 pm next
Sunday, December 8th at Spindlewood.
Inside the Kindergarten, a
spiral of evergreens is built on the floor with a large pillar candle standing
on a stump in the center. At the opening of the spiral are set shining red
apples with small white candles placed in the center. Here we find the spiral
form as symbolic of the universe. Everything – galaxies, growing vines,
seashells, our bones, the inner part of our ear, all move or are formed in the
dynamic of the spiral. When we wipe a table, sweep the floor or rake leaves, the
movements are in the spiral.
The evergreens placed in
this form are “everlasting”, eternal. The child takes her apple that is symbolic
of one’s own individual karma or life challenges, walks into the spiral, lights
her candle from the central pillar, walks out of the spiral and places the apple
and lighted candle on the spot that she chooses. The child finds her place in
the world. As each child adds her lighted candle to the dark garden it gradually
becomes illuminated. This beautiful ceremony is accompanied by singing and the
gentle tones of the harp of our neighbor Cheryl Martine.
Of course, no discussion
of how the symbolism is interpreted occurs before or after the event. We allow
the child to take what he may from the ceremony. We allow him to enter fully,
without discussion. For safety sake, please no long dresses; long hair needs to
be tied back away from the candle flame. Afterward, the apples and candles will
be brought outside and distributed. If there are siblings or friends between the
ages of 4 and 9 who would like to carry an apple/candle, please sign their names
on the poster in the mudroom, so that we will know how many to
prepare.
The
feast of St. Nicholas is December 6 – Who knows, perhaps by the
following Tuesday he will find his way to our polished boots and
shoes?
On
Thursday, December 19, families are invited to come in from 8:30 – 9:30am for
a Gingerbread Tea Party. According to our tradition, the oldest girl
in the kindergarten will dress as Santa Lucia, wearing a crown of light and
carrying the gingerbreads, accompanied by the baker boys.
Wishing you all joy and
deep peace,
Miss Susan & Miss
Elisa
