With the addition of our 3rd Godly Play classroom, we will in the fall of 2005, have six ages participating in Godly Play classrooms. Our teachers have been trained especially to bring this very special curriculum to our congregation. Parents leave their children in the very capable hands of the doorkeeper at the threshold, so that the classroom space is clearly a child’s sacred space. The children now know the routine to sit down in their circle to hear the story and be an active part of the community of children that is fostered. They hear the story, wonder carefully with the storyteller about the story, respond to story, and share a feast with their classmates. The structure of the class represents the structure of our worship.
O.K. this is wonderful, but what again, exactly, is Godly Play?
Godly Play was developed and classroom tested for more than 20 years by Episcopal priest, author and teacher Jerry Berryman. It is a discovery method of teaching and learning which engages the whole child – hands, heart, mind, senses and intuition. It has been found that this is the best way for children (perhaps all of us) to internalize what we learn. The children are exposed to the Sacred Stories, Parables, and Liturgical action of our faith tradition. They are invited into the stories by “wondering” where their place is in the story. They are then asked to creatively respond to the story by the use of art materials provided in the classroom.
The classroom itself is considered a sacred space. The shelves in the room hold the stories of the People of God, surrounding the room with the history of God’s people. The materials used to tell the stories are beautiful, natural materials. The structure of the Godly Play experience is truly designed to give children the space to explore their own relationship with God.
Our older classroom (3rd and 4th graders) will house stories that are more complex and require longer attention spans. The wondering and response time will be geared to the burgeoning abstract thinker
The teachers and students are deepening their experience with some stories that are familiar and learning new ones in a fresh way. Please stop a teacher to ask questions, pick up our weekly parent page story sheets and come in to talk about this wonderful curriculum; I’d like to hear what you think or what you are wondering about!
Sheila