Young children are actively working to make sense of the world, including their own personal beliefs. We as teachers have been wrestling with how to support the children in Kohavim to explore their interest, ideas, and questions about God. How do you investigate something that you cannot hold, touch, or even see?
As we moved our classroom outdoors this past week, being in nature provoked discussion and many ideas about God. On Monday, Rachel independently started singing "Happy Birthday to God" as we sat down in a circle for morning meeting. When a child was pulling on a branch of a tree, Dylan and Zack discussed how God made that tree and pulling on the branch would be hurting God and God's feelings.
The teachers noticed how organically the children's comments emerged out in nature. On Tuesday, we set up one of the tables with pieces of watercolor paper and black permanent markers. We asked the children to draw their ideas and presented them with the following prompt: What do you think God looks like and where do you think God lives? Their drawings and comments (see just a few of their comments below) were amazing! Stay tuned to find out how we will continuing exploring their ideas together!
"I think God lives in the sky. I just drew the sky."
"He lives on a big mountain. God lives on a big mountain where it's always dark, mostly dark. It's a castle with God in it."
"Trees. He made the trees. I think God looks like a boy. It's God. God lives everywhere. It would be the world with a tree. I'm gonna make it extra big."
"I think he lives in an apartment. It's an apartment and that's God's creatures going into the house"
"God is invisible. Cause no one saw him"
Wow. What interesting comment. I am very curious to hear what comes next.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I was going to say: Wow.
ReplyDeleteI hope they always want to talk about G-d the way they do now.
ReplyDelete