In this unit, our learners have been exploring all aspects of creation. After many exciting weeks of diving into the creation story through discussion, building, and art, we arrived at the study of Shabbat- God’s time to rest.
To begin our discussion of Shabbat, our class worked together to build a fort out of the chairs and pillows that we usually sit in to hold our Texploration discussions. On this day, instead of sitting in a circle of chairs or in desks, we sat safely squished together in a cozy fort, surrounded by pillows and a blanket roof. Just as Shabbat is the practice of noticing and appreciating holy moments that separate one day of the week from the ordinary, we figured our discussion of Shabbat should be different from our previous discussions of creation. While building our Textploration fort, I was so pleased to see learners making space, both physical and emotional, for each other- checking in on each other’s needs and helping to ensure everyone was comfortable.
In our discussion, we spoke about the power of rest and reflection and the importance of a holiday that comes every week no matter what. Kiddos reflected on times in which they felt uninspired to celebrate or to see friends and considered the benefits of leaning on community in those times. We ended our conversation by sharing our favorite ways to celebrate Shabbat and brainstormed new traditions that could help us rest and connect to the holiness of our communities.
Students shared that they like to celebrate Shabbat by:
- Spending time with family
- Kind and helpful Behavior
- Saying Blessings
- Lighting candles
- Braiding and eating challah
- Remembering it is Holy
- Singing
- Watching the Phillies
Ideas we came up with for new traditions were:
- Spending time in nature
- Going to the zoo
- Making books
- Cooking dinner with family
I am so excited to see these new traditions develop and continue to find ways to notice and appreciate the holy moments in our everyday lives.
