This is the perfect time of year to speak to the Core Routine of Thanksgiving. Actually, every day is the perfect time to give thanks. Gratitude is a fundamental practice that uplifts your spirit and points your focus towards the good things in life.
Getting children to recognize and appreciate the beauty in the natural world builds feelings of awe and wonder, freeing the imagination to explore possibilities. It is a feel good thing, perfect for emphasizing special moments and punctuating endings; endings to a wander, to an event, to the day.
In our little book Curious Coyote, we offer ideas of how to expand Coyote’s activities, including one called What I Love. We found that children get stuck on saying the same things over and over. If it is a group they tend to say the same thing as the first person who probably just said I love being here. Which is nice but not very introspective.
What we are looking to encourage is a deeper exploration of those things which catch your attention, spark curiosity, bring feelings of excitement or enthusiasm. The Thanksgiving Address, a Mohawk prayer, is a wonderful outline to get minds looking deeply into the natural events of the day and feeling into why you are feeling appreciation.
I have been broadly general here to give you a sense of it.
With each season the elements of existence change, plants bud and expand, animals are born and grow, ponds freeze over and then team with life.
These daily differences are what we are encouraging children to notice and feel something about. Noticing the moon in a daytime sky, is it waxing or waning? Noticing the awkward groups of fledgling birds as they make their way into the world. And certainly examining the beautiful details of each plant’s journey.
The Thanksgiving Address
Read this around the dinner table, as part of a morning routine, a mediation, or anytime you want to give thanks – whether as part of a schooling activity or everyday living.
I give thanks for the hard rocks that form the foundation of our experience on earth. For their stunning beauty and generosity as they spread the essential minerals that are fundamental in all plants and animals.
I give thanks for the water that sparkles across the lands and fills our bodies with it’s vital force.
I give thanks to the plants that so cleverly harvest sunlight bringing us food, shelter and beauty.
I give thanks to all the animals that fly, burrow and roam. They tend the earth, feed us, keep us company and are a source of endless mystery.
I give thanks to the atmosphere that shields our planet and provides the ever present winds that carry the rains, spread the seeds and builds the beautiful panorama of the clouds.
I give thanks for the wonder of the moon with her cycles and rhythms that pull the tides and our own emotional flows.
I give thanks to the sun who’s force holds our planet in perfect revolutions and who’s energy feeds life on earth.
I give thanks for the billions of stars that shine in the night sky. Where our ancestors and future generations reside and we find a source of infinite possibilities.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you
As the year ends in the deepest night and the Sun makes its turn, reflect on the joys and sorrows of the year. Release the sorrows to the sun looking for the growth that always comes from challenging experiences. Embrace the joys and recognize what makes your soul sing.
May your Holiday’s be cosy and bright,
~Lexie
“Nature is calling, let’s go outside and play.”
About the Author
Lexie Bakewell is a lifelong naturalist and retired teacher, who homeschooled her children all the way up. Now, having just finished her book, Coyote’s Pocket Guide to Connecting Kids with Nature, with her friend Ellen Haas – she is stepping out of retirement to share her wisdom to aid those joining the adventure of at-home learning.
