Advent: The Week of Plants

During the second week of December, we celebrated the plants.  Our movement incorporated an exercise in which we became seeds which sprouted, grew, leaved, blossomed, fruited, then let each of these fall as we returned into the the ground to sleep as seeds.  We practiced whittling motions during our  morning circle and sang the second verse of "People Look East"

2. Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,One more seed is planted there:Give up your strength the seed to nourish,That in course the flower may flourish.People, look east and sing today:Love, the rose, is on the way.

Before snack we spoke the second verse as we lit the second candle:

“The second light of Advent is the light of plants–
Plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance.”

The class heard the story a story I adapted about a Robin seeking shelter, a proud maple tree, a despondent willow, a flexible cedar, and a generous doug fir.  The robin missed the southerly exodus and was looking for shelter for the winter.  The willow and the maple refused and thus lost their leaves while the cedar and the doug fir invited her in and thus were allowed to keep their greenery.  The robin's heart was warmed so much her breast turned red and she didn't need to fly south for the entire winter any more. 

This was a big week for many of the children because this week they received their own whittling knives.  I told the story of the star children and the story of the earth children.  Those who were at Mother Earth School for kindergarten had previously passed through the stages of being moon children (4 year olds), sun children (5 year olds), and star children (6 year olds.)  Star children learned the ways of knife safety.  Our class was taught knife safety by the Cedars (2nd/3rd graders.)  They speak the following verse before checking their "blood circle" and then withdrawing their knives:

This marked their transition from star chidden to earth children, which is the name we chose for our class.  They are finally putting their feet on ground as they go through the 6 year change.  This is evident by their drawings of themselves and also can be sensed when we watch them interact with the world.  Those who received their traditional steel fixed blade knives with a finger guard at their kindergarten graduation were now allowed to bring them to school.  Those who hadn't were guided one by one ceremonially to the forest where they found their knife in the gnome home among the roots of the "birthday tree" hidden under some moss.  

They spent the week whittling their apple branches into knitting needles to celebrate the realm of the plants.

Advent: The Week of Stones

During advent season, we anticipate the return of the sun and celebrate the human being's growing capacity for universal love and freedom.  We express our gratitude to the world for supporting us in this endeavour.  The first week we celebrate the stones.  We placed 4 candles on the nature table and brought crystals, shells, bones and rocks to show our gratitude.  Before snack we spoke the following verse:

"The first light of advent is the light of stones, found in seashells, crystals, minerals and bones."

And sang the following song as we lit only the first candle:

"Advent, advent the candle burns, first one then two then three then four, then stands the light of love at the door."

For morning movement, we spoke this:

"Crack, crack, the rock we hack" (we formed our fists into stones and used our other first to simulate flintknapping in rhythm)
 "Quake, quake, the mountains shake" (stomping always in rhythm)
"Bang, bang, our hammers clang" (fist over fist)
"In caves so old we search for gold" (turn around dipping then rising hand over eyes)

We also revisited the following verse as we stepped:

Little gnomes so short and strong
heavy footed march along
Every step is firm and loud
Every head is tall and proud

Pick and hammer each must hold
Deep in earth to mine the gold
Hanging over each ones back
hangs a little empty sack

When the hard days work is done
Home again they march as one
Full sacks make a heavy load
As they march along the road

 Finally, we practised the first verse of the song "People Look East":

"1. People, look east. The time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the guest, is on the way."

After practising flintknapping motions for a couple days, the children learned how to properly strike obsidian with a stone to release a flake and reveal an edge sharper than a knife.  They heard nature stories about how the obsidian loves to live near water and they observed how a crater is formed under the obsidian after chipping.