Teaching

hm_day

I'm getting my third degree (High Priestess status) this year! I will be teaching a kid's program, so I'm starting the curriculum. For those who have kids, what would you want your children to learn about our path?

Dare2Believe

Hi,
I don't have children of my own but I have a step-daughter who is almost 15 and has been asking me "pagan" questions for many years. I think it is good to teach the basics; Sabatts, Esbats, what you believe about deity, what magic is and is not especially in this world of Harry Potter and Sabrina the teenage witch (my step-daughter was convinced if she only had a "real" magic wand she could make a certain boy fall for her).

As an Early Childhood Education major I can say that children of all ages love making crafts. You could make crafts to go with each of the pagan holidays and teach them the lore behind them. Depending on the age group you may want to teach them some basic rituals, circle casting, or small meditation.

Just my two cents. Congratulations on your 3rd degree. Would love to hear how the teaching goes with the young ones.

hm_day

Thanks for the congrats!
Dare2Believe- I agree with the crafts. In a way, I'm following some things that my mother has done. She is also a high priestess and was teaching a children's group through a church. Is anyone familiar with CUUPS? If so, that's what she worked through.
As for the whole Harry Potter, etc. crap, I can relate. My mother and I were in a store looking at books, and these two girls came in with their father and were looking at "love potion" books. My mother politely educated them, not rudely or anything, and the guy shuffled them away as if she was saying she was going to eat them.

Thanks for your input!

KayakAngel

Congrats on the third degree! I know a little about CUUPS, just from our local Unitarian church. From what I know, the main focus of that kind of program would be discussing positive behaviours and positive thoughts, a humanistic approach. Since I think the main thing we should be teaching children is that positive leads to positive, and negative leads to negative (Rule of Three, for Wiccans), that is a great start. Those girls looking at love potions in the store would have benefited from knowing that, I guess.

LexxyV

Congrats how awesome!

SkinnyShadow

I am a mother of two - ages 2 & 1/2, and 9.
First of all, I've found that the number one way you're going to get through to any child is by action. They need visual learning and hands-on activities. I agree that fundamentals of positive-positive, and negative-negative are the basis of a strong grounding foundation. Also, teaching tolerance of other beliefs (including christian beliefs) is a must - what is one person's truth, may not be another person's truth, and that is as it should be. Teaching to calm the mind through meditation (the "bubble meditation" is great for kids), visualization activities, colouring/painting auras in nature etc., kid-friendly history, and crafts crafts crafts! Just some ideas and my 2 cents. Congratulations, and lots of love to you and yours.
-K.

hm_day

I am a mother of two - ages 2 & 1/2, and 9.
First of all, I've found that the number one way you're going to get through to any child is by action. They need visual learning and hands-on activities. I agree that fundamentals of positive-positive, and negative-negative are the basis of a strong grounding foundation. Also, teaching tolerance of other beliefs (including christian beliefs) is a must - what is one person's truth, may not be another person's truth, and that is as it should be. Teaching to calm the mind through meditation (the "bubble meditation" is great for kids), visualization activities, colouring/painting auras in nature etc., kid-friendly history, and crafts crafts crafts! Just some ideas and my 2 cents. Congratulations, and lots of love to you and yours.
-K.

Thank you! My mother taught a children's program for the last few years, so I will also be using some of her ideas. However, hers was mainly young young kids, where I want it to be from young kids all the way up to teenagers, so obviously having different types of activities and responsibilities (as far as being in ritual goes). As far as meditation, well, I need to learn to do that myself before I try to teach it to anyone else

SkinnyShadow

lol, yeah (meditation comment)
If you look up the bubble meditation, it may really be something you'd like. Honestly, I've helped adults learn this way to. It's super simple, and a good way to start. Basically, you sit down, close your eyes, listen to your heart beating. Now comes the fun part. For every thought that comes into your head, you imagine encasing it in a bubble, and it floating away... thought after thought, as soon as you recognize it ( as a thought) you turn it into a bubble, and watch it float away. At first, you're going to have bubble after bubble after bubble.. but eventually there won't be as many and you'll start to remember the feeling of thoughtlessness abd it will be easier to get to that place. It really does work. Just the act of turning your thoughts into bubbles is forcing you to focus only on the bubbles, and actually removes you from everything else, including all those wandering thoughts - it can be quite the task at first, which is what your brain needs in the beginning.
Anyway, it's the best one I've found for someone with an active mind.

rammsteinsoldier

Congratulations on the 3rd Degree.