We gathered together for our first Meeting For Worship in the music room with both Kathy and Raji's Kindergarten classes. The children were eager to enter this beautiful space and immediately settled down to a spot in the large group circle where each class was quietly settling in. Seeing old familiar faces and friends brought smiles and feelings of joy to the faces of the children as they greeted each other in a very " quiet way". A few Cardinals nestled themselves in the circle next to or in-between Kindergarden friends, and the delight in their being with children in their larger AFS family was a gift to observe. We knew from that moment on, that joining together with our larger community in Lower School for MFW was a valuable experience on many levels that we would look to continue and develop in the days ahead.
After sharing a few moments of shared silence together, we ended Meeting by shaking hands with neighbors near us and then singing This Little Light Of Mine, led by Raji on the guitar. Waves good bye and even a few hugs were shared and we exited the music room with a wonderful sense of calm and peacefulness... joy.....
When retuning to our Cardinal classroom we gathered on our meeting rug for what we thought would be a brief meeting to go over the schedule for the rest of the morning, when we realized the children were more interested in sharing their thoughts and feelings about Meeting For Worship. We recorded the children's reflections about MFW from this impromptu conversation which continues to give us greater insight into understanding how our children think and feel.
Why do we have moment of silence?
“We do peace”
“We share a moment of silence when a message is being said, we stay quiet”
If you want to share a message, what kind of things can we talk about?
“We can talk about peace and how you love your parents.”
“Be kind and respectful.”
Why do we use the singing bowl?
“So we can hear the sound waves.”
How do you feel about Meeting for Worship?
“I like Meeting for Worship because it’s calm.”
“I like peace because it’s peaceful and quiet.”
“It’s so fun because we have to be quiet.”
How do you feel about today’s MfW in the Music Room with the Kindergarteners?
Young – “It was good.”
Lilly – “I like about Kendall, to see my friend Kendall.”
Jayden – “I like Meeting for Worship because we get to sit in quiet. I like sitting cause my heart beated fast and slow and medium.”
Radha – “Sit peacefully and greet our friends.”
Stella – “I like about Meeting for Worship cause we spent time with everybody.”
Tori – “I like when I was sitting.”
Wyatt – “Sitting next to Hannah.”
Kate – “Me too! I like sitting next to Wyatt.”
Samuel – “I like sitting.”
Noel – “Young sitting next to Eliza.”
Andrew – “Sitting with Paula.”
Katy – “What I like about it was I saw my friend Eliza.”
Violet – “I like when I saw my very best friend Hannah.”
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