Today I was reminded that each day we meet children who wear a happy face despite some overwhelming realities.  I was alone in the library shelving books when a first grader arrived.  She checked her books in and carefully placed them on the sorting shelves.  As she took her position looking for a book nearby, I asked her if she had a good Thanksgiving.  "Yes," she said, hesitantly.  Wondering where the hesitancy came from I probed a bit.  Did you have Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad?  What followed changed the rest of my week. 
"Well, it is just that my family has lots of fights, so we can't all be together at the same time." Then she explained how she had spent time with Mom and then with Dad, but woven in was the narrative of "big fights."  Sometimes grown-ups can act more like children than children, and it is so sad that many children suffer through adult behavior that reflects all that we are trying to help our children learn to eschew.

Her demeanor and the expression of the depth of her sadness over what had taken place over Thanksgiving  lead me to change the Native American story I haad planned to tell this week in celebration of Native American month.

I told the Pueblo Tale, A Heart Full of Turqoise, which I learned from Joe Hayes when I lived in New Mexico.  I used the story with the children whose parents had come to the Clovis Carver Public library to learn how to parent.  Many were mandated by the court to attend because they were abusive.  I told this story the first night because it is highly engaging as children participate in the story and learn to sign for the things as indigenous Americans might have done.  

It is a bit brutal.  At one point in the story the good giant takes his hunting knife and kills the evil giant.  He cuts the evil giant "from his navel to his nose" exposing a heart full of thorns and cactus burrs and prickly things. The children look horrified, but the story doesn't end there. The good giant reaches into the evil giant's heart and removes them.  Then he pours in the finest rose quartz and turquise from his medicene pouch into the empty heart filling it. The good giant sews the evil giant back up, and when the evil giant wakes up HE becomes the protector of the children of the Pueblo.  Those children asked for that story every week for the 12 weeks of the program.  In the end I understood what the children saw in this story that they desperately needed to be true. They found hope that their parents could also be transformed.

When I told the story to third graders today I asked them why they thought the story was so powerful.  It amazes me when children this young get the message so clearly, and while they do not use words  like "ressurection" or "transformation"  they are quite capable of expressing the deep meanings of literature.    They told me enthusiastically that the evil giant turned good.  You can't ask for more than that.  

Traditional stories have deep and layered meaning that is important for us all to hear, share and retell.  These stories give us hope and sanity in a chaotic time of pandemic and divisions in our society. The children who listen so intently in front of my storytelling rocking chair give me hope that the future can be different (transformed) from the past!

Where Plants Come From

We had eager garden helpers on Friday!  We searched for and found a pinecone to turn into a bird feeder.  It is always fun to make this project with children.  We slather the cones with lard, then pat the seeds into the lard liberally (and onto the floor and surrounding table).  We use cotton twine to tie to the top of the cone so that it is easily hung in a tree or bush.  

We then talked about some of the seeds and berries in the garden and who benefits from leaving them rather than "cleaning up the garden"  We discussed the birds that migrate and those that stay behind in winter.  The kids were particularly interested in the Milk Weed --Asclepias Tuberosa!  It makes the most remarkable and orderly organization of the seeds inside the pod!

Inside a Milkweed Pod

Monarchs sipping nectar

When we pulled seeds out they were fascinated by how light and soft the silk around them is and we talked about the many ways that plants get planted.  They were quick to point out that birds eat them and poop them out, but they were shocked by the idea that wind, rain or even other animals can plant seeds as well.

All this was in the name of fun -- not one mention of what the kids had to learn!  I will wager that they will remember this even without any attempt to teach because they were fascinated.  Other questions that came up were;  Why are all those pine needles on the ground in the garden?  What are those purple berries that look like blue berries?  They were excited when I told them that they are poisonous to use, but not to the birds.  HOW come?  These are real questions and when a child is curious it builds their ability to critical thought.  HOW many teachable moments are lost to the corporations who script the lessons we must teach with "fidelity?"