Dear Pigeon Plum Families,
What a month September has been! It seems as if in a blink of an eye it has flown by. I hope everyone is doing well and that you are all recovering from the experiences of Irma. I am sure that you have all experienced a myriad of emotions. I myself have experienced anxiety, frustration, sadness, thankfulness, hopefulness, and most of all gratefulness.
This being said, it is important that we are mindful of each other during this time of recovery. Within the toddler community we practice and try to exemplify mindfulness and peace in at least two ways in our daily classroom routine: the Peace Candle and Ghandi’s Prayer for Peace.
“Peace begins with me. The more peaceful I am inside, the more peace I have to share with others.” Louise Hay
Each day during circle we create a mindful, peaceful environment by singing Candle for Peace. Often, this turns into a magical moment within the classroom. Friends who have chosen to continue working through circle stop and put their work away so that they can join us for the Candle for Peace song. Not only do we sing Candle for Peace, we also pass around a battery-operated votive candle. The candle represents peace, and through this the children can visually see peace, and offer and accept peace in a concrete way by relating it to an object and action. This has become my most favorite time of the day. It is such a special sight to see the toddlers offering peace to one another in such a beautiful and calm way.
‘I offer you peace, I offer you love, I offer you friendship’. This is how Ghandi begins his Prayer for Peace. Isn’t this a lovely sentiment?! Who wouldn’t want to receive these things, especially while we are all recovering from Hurricane Irma? It is important for our toddlers to not only see, but also experience what it means to be a peaceful, loving and mindful friend. As teachers, we model this behavior throughout the day. It is our hope that by seeing this behavior, your children will start enacting this mindful behavior. At the end of circle time each day we come together as a class and say Ghandi’s Prayer for Peace.
“If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.” Dali Lama
~Ms Dori, Ms Melanie and Ms Sarka
