Heartfelt School

“Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!"
Thank you Megu for sharing the Setsubun ritual with the children this week. Together we chanted “Oni, out! Good fortune, in!” as we threw beans and chased out the "oni." We used soy beans based on the belief that the valuable and nutritious soy beans house strong, earthly spirits, and that their power would repel the bad. It is said that the symbolic act is to chase away the winter cold, illnesses, as well as bad luck and unhelpful/old energy, creating space for the new season and year. After the throwing of beans, each child received the number of beans reflecting their age, and ate them for good fortune and health.
Megu shared a beautiful story that starts with little kids throwing beans at onis but end up befriending a child-oni and discovering that the onis may not be scary afterall. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful ceremony, songs and stories with us. The children had such a joyful experience chasing out the unhelpful energy, making space for good fortune to come in.

Check out this super sweet and beautiful teen run program!!

We changed our start date, and we'll kick off the year with a full week of crafts over the Thanksgiving break (5 stories and 5 crafts). This week is for all ages and will focus on the theme of gratitude, generosity, and bravery of heart. We will read stories of indigenous people including one of my favorites, Thanks to the Animals, and other wonderful stories. There will be fun crafts focused on our theme that will keep your child engaged and entertained during the break.

https://www.antibiasleadersece.com/the-film-reflecting-on-anti-bias-education-in-action/?fbclid=IwAR3p9sMDCWEl4gjxdA5D3oCtV6LAWX-szZV5C6nsyKYZfltpP8ElHQaxzik

Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years The Film: Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years