Have Yourself a Meaningful Little Christmas-The Christmas Tree

Well, there was (and still is) a little drama surrounding the usage of Christmas trees. Some have considered them Pagan, they have been outlawed, contested, etc. But I like to think of the evergreen as a symbol of eternal spirit.  Evergreens are green all year round, and like our spirit—stays vibrant and beautiful all year round. Today I am sharing a few ideas of how we can teach children about the symbol of the Christmas tree while also addressing the educational basics of math, literacy, science and music.

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Botany {plant identification}

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If you live in a climate with an abundance of conifers, get bundled up and take a walk outside! 

Pine Cone Identification Chart

University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point has tree identification cards that can be used to help your budding botanists identify the conifers in their surrounding area. They include pictures of the bark, needles/leaves, cones, fruit and other features of the tree for identification. There are also tons of plant identification resources on Pinterest.

You can create a baggy book by placing samples of the conifers inside of plastic bags and matching them with the plant identification cards. See The "Unworking" Mom's blog for a great tutorial on making baggy books! Martina Huppertová also has a pretty cool tutorial on YouTube about how to make baggy books out of gift bags rather than plastic bags.

And my favorite conifer-related song (okay, it also the only one I know--but that doesn't take away from it's awesomeness):  "C is for Conifer" by They Might be Giants.

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Math {patterned counting}

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I created a Skip Counting Christmas Tree to give my crafty daughter a chance to work with number patterns. You can get the FREE template for the craft at my TPT store. The pieces of the tree need to be cut out, and then write a number on each piece of the tree to represents a skip count sequence from the smallest to largest number. I made trees for counting by twos, fives, tens and one hundred. I encouraged my daughter to pick one number piece, and then she found the other corresponding pieces. She then chose two number pattern trees to glue on construction paper and created a winter scene.

For smaller learners you can also just count by ones. The size of the pieces of the tree will reinforce the comparison of numbers since the smallest number will be on the smallest piece of the tree, and the largest number will be on the largest part of the tree. You can also use this craft for those learning the order of the alphabet. You can write one letter of the alphabet on each tree—or—for older children, write a word on each tree and have them place the words in descending alphabetical order.

  

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Literacy & Reading {Deeper Meaning Craft}

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From http://www.mynameissnickerdoodle.com/

Here is a new take on a preschool Christmas craft favorite. Many of you may be aware of the cute Christmas wreaths you and your kiddos can make with cut outs of their hands. To ante up on the Christmas spirit and encourage reading and handwriting skills, you can write words on the hands/berries/bows/wherever they fit that relate to the symbolism of the Christmas wreath.

As I mentioned, the Christmas tree is significant because it stays "ever green" like our spirit. When the evergreen is shaped in the fashion of a circle, it reinforces the idea of eternity—like a circle, our spirit goes on forever.

 You can have a casual conversation with your child(ren) about the eternal nature of our spirit when you are cutting out the hands. {These casual conversations really pique my daughter's interest!} Then ask, "What do you think about when you hear the word 'spirit'?" Try again with words like "eternity" or "evergreen" or "circle". The key here is to aid in the creation of "mind maps" that facilitate a deep understanding and connection to the physical and spiritual world.  Have fun!

 

~*Merry Christmas*~

 

 

 

Have Yourself a Meaningful Little Christmas—The Star

Christmas time is rife with symbols that encourage us to look within to assess and get in touch with who we really are. One of my most favorite symbols of the Christmas season is the star.  In the Nativity story, a bright star led the shepherd and wise men to Jesus. Wise men and shepherds represent those who have the wisdom and awareness to find the truth and nature of divine being. In this story, the star represents the internal positioning system that leads us to our divine blueprint—Jesus.  Today I am sharing mathematical, scientific and literary activities that expose the wisdom and meaning behind the star.  

Stars have been an important navigational system for eons. Their rhythmic dance tells us where we are in space and time. Stars represent a light in the dark, or a piece of understanding in a sea of uncertainty. A light we feel in ourselves that leads us to serenity. 

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Mathematics

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Drawings of stars are often depicted as polygons with radial symmetry—meaning that if you fold the shape along its many axes, it will be symmetrical. Thus stars, as we depict them, radiate beautiful symmetrical energy. It's what makes people recognize a "star" rather than some other random shape.

I used star polygon clip art from Clip Art Etc to make some star puzzles. The song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" works great with this activity because as you see, all of the stars are made up of congruent diamonds (hence: like a diamond in the sky").

I created a puzzle for 4,5,6,7, and 8 pointed stars. (There are also just blank stars). You can download them for FREE at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store (most of my stuff is free).

I printed two copies: one blank one to be used as the template for the puzzle that I printed on blue paper, and another copy that I cut up to be used as the puzzle pieces.

Using the Star Puzzles

Counting & Matching Shapes

• For the littlest ones, you can print two copies of each blank stars and make a matching game. You can also help them count the number of points on the star without counting one twice. (which is quite the struggle for kids starting to count). You can make it fun by placing a star sticker or drawing a star on each point of the star as you count it.
• For fun you can also have your child pick his/her favorite star. Have them glue together their puzzle on a piece of paper with the saying "Like a Diamond in the Sky". Add glitter…lots of glitter…instant smiles.  

Symmetry & Fractions

• Show your children how the star looks the same on both sides when folded along points of symmetry. Challenge your kids to find the points of symmetry on each star. How many points of symmetry can they find?
• I also made a puzzle which shows the fractions for each piece. I am of the persuasion that rather than waiting until 3^rd grade (which the Common Core suggests) to teach fractions, we should be exposing children to the idea of fractions early on while they are in the mode of learning to add and subtract. My child caught on to the concept quite quickly: she has a little brother and knows all about splitting things up into "equal parts".
• To supplement the introduction to fractions, I used the [FREE] Equivalent Fractions Puzzle 1-1/6 from What I Have Learned's TPT Store. I am all of out of colored ink to be quite honest, and so I just made mine of out construction paper and laminated it to make it a puzzle. I love puzzles.   

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Geography & Astronomy--the North Star

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• For fun: cut out a star shape from some cardboard boxes and have your kids shine a flash light on the shape in the dark. You can even turn out all of the lights to show your children how star light can be used as a navigational system. 



http://ursaminorconstellation.weebly.com/facts.html

• Some consider the star in the Nativity story to be the North Star--a part of Ursa Minor or the "Little Bear/Dipper". There is considerable debate about it, but if you would like to include it in your lesson plan, Souledout.org has a good easy to understand page on Ursa Minor (and Major). You can make a drawing of the constellation as well. Love, California even has an Ursa Minor pillow for sale. I'm thinking if you are crafty you can make a template of the bear and make a paper or felt creation of your own.

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Deeper Learning

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• Here is a free writing/drawing prompt to get your child thinking about the star symbolism.
  • Imagine that you had your very own special star in the night sky. It shines brightly and beautifully and is leading you to a place. A magical place where you can become the best person you could ever be. [pause]. What does the person look like to you? What does he/she do Why do they do it?
    
  • "We Three Kings" is a perfect song to compliment this project. 

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Literacy

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I am not going to re-invent the wheel here. There are tons of star-related reading and writing activities out there. Although I really like the idea of using sight words with the "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" poem.

 

~*Merry Christmas!*~

 

∞ Self Discovery as Education ∞

 

The infinity and spiral symbols exemplify the methods and content of 'Mastering.Infinity". The infinity symbol represents our ongoing journey of balancing and integrating our physical and non-physical experiences and environments. The spiral symbolizes the expansion of being that results from the accumulation of a wide array of experiences and perspectives. Both of these symbols signify the ability to understand the position of the self in all environments and to practice unconditional love for all. 

Learning to Heal

(education worth its weight in gold)

     Suffering and dissatisfaction often stems from the inability to fulfill the desire to truly understand and incorporate ourselves as physical and non-physical beings. Our experiences serve as a monumental catalyst to awaken ourselves up to our truest nature and develop the gifts that we are here to share with one another.

However, for many children and adults, their current modes of education fail to trigger or allow room for the pivotal healing situations and environments needed for self-revelation. 

You may call it a "soul", "spirit" or "inner teacher", but all people—including young children—have a guiding light that facilitates self-revelation and peace. We yearn to be connected to this profound wisdom we hold within us. I believe it is the role of education to develop and maintain this connection. Nonetheless, many educational institutions and curriculum supplant the inner teacher with perspectives parading as facts which leads to confusion, dissatisfaction and separation.

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Traditional (institutional) education systems can often be characterized as reinforcing separation from others and compartmentalization of the self through a variety of mechanisms:

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Separation by perceived ability 
Students are constantly in competition with one another through academic and athletic evaluation to assess whether they are meeting the expectations of others. As a result they are placed in "tracks" that can result in rigid life trajectories. These practices may reinforce separation from their own inner-judgment, truest talents and physical separation from those with varying abilities. 


Separation by learning content
Students learn subjects in a "stand alone" fashion that does not allow them sufficient space to develop connections with learning material. Categorizations of the material and spiritual worlds are put in place by human beings, yet school systems often act as though these divisions are unquestionable. Textbooks teach from a limited perspective of the educationally elite and nationalized curriculum overlook the need for students to learn different things at different time in different ways. In this way, students are alienated from the learning process and are treated as the universal, rather than the unique, student. 


Separation by life experience 
Students learn with students who are much like themselves. They are close in age, live in neighborhoods in close proximity to one another, and are probably in similar economic positions. We often think there are stark contrasts in school settings, but if we think about life in a global manner, these contrasts are closer to pink and red than black and white. There is a great deal of healing that can occur from learning with people who are substantially older, younger, richer, poorer, religious, or secular that you are. Since interaction with others is a significant method of self-revelation, we become richer in spirit and gain new understandings of how the world works when we have meaningful encounters with those we consider different from ourselves.

Mastering Infinity is in the business of self-discovery.  I understand that we are created uniquely with divine purpose.  I believe that education is a restorative process that facilitates certainty within ourselves and environments so that we may uncover and share our most profound gifts with the world.

~*Eternal Peace, Love & Wisdom*~

 -D.J.

What is a "Good Kid"? (from a child's point of view)

 Exactly what is a “good kid”?

Does she do everything you say?

Would she rather do her homework than go outside and play?

Does he obediently go to bed at the same time every day?

Will she follow instruction always--never to discover her own way?

‘Cause I’m thinking that defiance ain’t all that horrific,

The reason for my rebellion is really, fully scientific.

How can my path be discovered when the one ahead is riddled,

With your footsteps—and you’d like my feet’s prints in the middle.

Never straying too far left or right, always shuffling ahead,

With my eyes fixed on “progression”, a route which is said

To bring stability, prosperity, as long as my fidelity

Aligns with the rationale of this ridiculous un-finity.

But I crave more than security, than a life full of prediction,

An existence free of worry, sadness or infliction.

Living with an open heart, embracing what is here,

Is how I choose to find my path--to see past want and fear.

You won’t find me planning life around gaining wages,

I follow my spirit’s guidance, applauding all my stages.

Never pushing too far ahead or peering too far back,

Is the method that I use to keep myself on track.

I’m not a good kid, but I wouldn’t call myself appalling,

I’m just searching for new ways to fulfill my life’s calling.

So before you scoff or cheer, judging my behavior as worthy or unsound,

Recall the child’s journey of steering spirit on the ground.

Lend me a helping hand to discover my own being,

And I will show you all life needs is sincere believing.

~*Eternal Peace, Love and Wisdom*~

 

 

-D.J.

The Polarity Experience: Positivity-Negativity

For a minute—step outside of the confines of our value-laden cognition patterns—what is positivity? What is negativity? What makes these concepts in opposition?

 

Positivity and negativity are concepts—they are not real. You cannot touch them, you cannot inform them of anything, they are not even constant or universal.  I will not dip my toe in the pool of nihilism here and say that there is nothing—that there IS no right/wrong, good/bad and life is a moral free for all.  Instead I argue that the way in which we choose to conceptualize (think) and operationalize (act upon) these constructs is often “willy-nilly” and is largely dependent on social settings/contexts.  We can hardly perform a behavior--no matter how high our intentions--that does not harm another being since all consequences of our behaviors are largely hidden and unforeseen.  Yet, all actions have a clandestine mission to balance the whole "system".

 Everything simultaneously needs to be brought into balance and is already in balance.  This is because there is both a time-bound existence in which we perceive things to need to change to be in balance, and a timeless experience wherein things are already in balance.  This relates to Bentley's Paradox which is concerned with the question of whether the Universe is infinite or finite. The idea here is that if the Universe is infinite, then "the force on any object, tugging it to the left or right, would be also infinite, and therefore the stars should be ripped to shreds in fiery cataclysms" (Kaku, 2005).  The other side of the paradox is that if the Universe is finite, then the Universe would collapse on itself.  I believe this is just another paradox in which both sides are true.  Just as we have a life that is bounded by time, and another existence that transcends it--so is the Universe both finite and infinite.  Finite in that this Universe will come to an end and infinite in that another existence that supersedes our idea of a Universe will continue because it never ceases being. 

What exists is a whole ecological system that is best understood together to highlight its interdependencies—but when we use our judgmental faculties we see “good” and “bad”.
“Oh look a bunny! [good] Oh no, a fox is about to eat it!” [bad]. But it’s good if you’re the fox right? 
The labeling/categorization of positive and negative is highly influenced by what “team” you are playing for. This in-group/out-group push and shove is an enduring facet of human history.  It is in our ancient religious texts and on our modern-day television and computer screens.  It goes something like: Group A doesn't like Group B so Group A makes up false accusations or judges and embellishes behaviors enacted by Group B as unusual and thus, "bad".  Group A is "normal", and normal is "good".  And of course, on the other side, we have Group B claiming they are normal and Group A is "bad".  It really takes both camps to participate in a stereotype for it to stick and have meaning.   

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Yet until we realize that we are on the same team—that positivity and negativity is a byproduct of the ideology that there are “teams”—we will be stuck in an endless debate about who is good/bad, positive/negative, and who can and cannot be trusted or legitimately share their opinions.

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Many of us yearn to wake from this black and white novella and step into the kaleidoscope of  life which embraces and includes light and dark—and everything in between—into a beautiful tapestry of life.  The question is:  how do we create an ethos that does not revolve around avoiding bad and embracing good?

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then your thoughts and feelings are worth millions.  The links between our thoughts, feelings and speech create and categorize our experiences into limiting storage bins.  (This was good, that was bad.)  To arrive at a way of life that minimizes this dichotomy and maximizes the ecological fluidity that is your life, changing your thought behaviors is a necessary step.  When we spend our time labeling positive and negative aspects, we end up focusing on what we want to experience (desire) and what we don't want to experience (fear) rather than what is (experience). 

One way to minimize the pitfalls of fear and desire is to be truly thankful for what we do have, and to speak,  think and feel about things in a different way.  Instead of saying, "I want/need to lose weight."  Try rephrasing it as, "I am losing weight."  And then most importantly--go do it.  "Want" and "Desire" are akin to "try".  You can say, "I am trying to lose weight." But why throw the "try" in there?  A logical follow-up to this statement that is not being said is, "but, I'm not losing any weight." 

 Focus on DOING--instead of "trying", "wanting" or "avoiding".  Frame your thinking and your words with craft to reflect action and a transcendence of a dualistic point of view.

Taking the time to judge your interactions with people, places and things as positive/negative takes you out of your current moment of experience.  When you are reflecting on the events of the day or thinking about what you will do tomorrow you are taking yourself out of the only moment that really matters-NOW.  Sure, it is useful to reflect at times to come up with new solutions to a reoccurring problem.  But when we focus on how we judged others or how we felt others judged us (i.e. Did I look stupid when I did such and such?  Do I look like this person when I do that?  Did that person mean to make me feel like that?)  we are largely wasting our time.  What other people think of you is none of your business.  What matters is how you feel about you.

Living happens in the now.  What matters is the choices you make right now.  Choosing to relegate your now experience to thinking about time that has or has not happened yet is fruitless.  Focusing on the past and future is often where we tumble into those pitfalls of "desire" and "fear".  When you bring your attention into the present, you may notice that joy is readily available.  That instead of groping for that thing, person or event that will make you happy, the experience of being alive is joyful in itself.  You can begin to open up your intuitive faculties and to shut down the cyclical thought patterns that produce the same events and emotions that you are trying to "want" and "avoid" your way out of.

It is here--in this space where you recognize the loving interconnectedness of your life to others around you in the NOW moment--that you can learn to transcend the positivity/negativity trap.  You can truly learn to love with your heart open, free of judgment and not be scared of being taken advantage of.  How could you?  No one can take more than you give because there is an infinite supply of love.  (isn't that great!)

Not the smothering and selfish kind of love where you ultimately want others TO BE LIKE YOU—the way you deem is correct, worldly, right—but to accept them for who they are and to help each other out of bleakness of duality. 
 

Unconditional love feels like you are the friend, the enemy, the mother, the father, the brother, the sister, the oppressor and the oppressed all rolled into one—you cannot decipher your relationship with them in this terminology and you needn’t do so because you are recognizing that you are staring your CREATOR in the face.

 

Love freely and you will always be free,

In La Kesh

{"I am another you"}

~*Sophia Alcyone*~

Growing through Mythology

      We are all in mythology--whether you are a star-crossed lover (the story of King Arthur), vain and in love with your own reflection (Narcissus), feel tricked into accepting responsibility you did not want to undertake (Persephone), or have had your love interrupted by a jealous sister (Ishtar and Ereshkigal).  These dramas occur because we lose sight of our interconnectedness and unity. Myth is a universal language filled with parables that echo our life struggles and triumphs.  The zodiac represents a universal time--a unit of measurement--better yet, a context of the situation.  These settings are "places" and "names" that represent the energy flowing through the universe and your psyche.  Mythology is one way for us to recognize patterns of energy so that we may journey back to ONE.
 
    On our journey of remembrance of unity, as individuals we have "aspects" or parts of ourselves that have "fallen" into duality.  We no longer represent the unity within ourselves--and no longer feel at "one" with the Creator or Creation energy.  (And anything other than an expression of unity is an illusion.)  I also find that it is not a coincidence that "sin" is very close to "sine" in Latin which means "without" and that "sin" in Hebrew literally means "to miss the mark".  What I believe is "missing" or "without" is the idea that we are not separate.
 
    Mythology is filled with stories about "mini-falls" or dualities, and as such they are filled with fears and desires.  These are the symptoms of an illusion since the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, are all emergent from the same energy.

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  The intention we put behind energies make entities/beings/contexts seem "positive" or "negative", but the Truth is neutral.  
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Mythology are stories in our collective conscious that remind us of times when we forgot the penultimate rule: that We Are One.  Dreams are an important mechanism to relay these stories in contexts that make sense to you--to personalize the universal.
 
    Every myth has its impossibility.  There is always something a little unexplainable....and this is why myth is relegated to fiction.  "How doe he have super strength?"  "How did she get pregnant as a virgin?"  "How did they return from the underworld?"  "How does s/he know things that we are heretofore oblivious to?"  But what if these stories represent real accounts written in metaphors, yet the metaphors have lost their context over time and are now taken at face value.  Once we can transcend the limitations of the chronological context, these stories represents underlying principles and archetypes that echo throughout time.  Again with each archetype representing a "duality" or a fall.  

      As we heal our mini-illusions that collectively create the grand illusion in our minds and bodies, your being, the planet and the universe(s)  will heal as well.  We can stop reenacting  the infinite play of illusion and participate in the reality of unity.  Our children will lead lives in abundance....rich with opportunity. And by "opportunity" I mean the ability to achieve that which is imprinted on their souls...what it is "in their blood to do"...to express themselves in the way they intend.  Opportunity is not equivalent to the ability to acquire mass amounts of wealth or to attain a position in a hierarchy that gives more weight to those who venture farther away from "one".  For as we seek to obtain credentials and goodies that set us apart from the rest, what we end up with is just that--being "a part, not whole--and without experience of the reality of equality.
 

Mythology assists us in understanding the forces in our lives that we have little understanding of.  We often wonder how it is we end up in the same situation or fail to learn a certain lesson, or why our lives never go quite as we plan them.  It is because who “we” think is doing the living and planning is only a small representative of the totality of our being.  There are planners in our being that many of us are largely unaware of.  A part of you wants you to fail because you don’t think you can do it, you are not worthy, or maybe because deep down inside, you know that the path you are pursuing is not the location of your bliss.  

 

Ossian Summoning the Spirits, Gérard, 1802

The forces that make up your own sphere of consciousness are the same ones that govern the body and the universe, but are manifested as psychological dispositions.  Your mind, body and spirit are in constant war with itself to create harmony (another paradox)—much like the cosmos—to maintain a balance.  We already have a notion of this in our biological sciences called “homeostasis”.  Homeostasis is the idea used to talk about how various parts of your biological being work together to achieve balance, and that when organs and systems are out of balance, dis-ease occurs.  Your conscious and subconscious mind also works in this fashion. 

 Psychological discomfort often arises because we are all of these energies, but desperately try to identify only with those attributes that we consider positive.  This of course disrupts our natural state of internal harmony and agitates the energetics inside of us that we  consider "negative".  Ironically, as experience is a large circle or loop, the more we run away from the dark or negativity, the faster we run into it again.  All is experience—positive and negative—the best we can do is to hold on to the center. 

We are all one, we are all the energy of source...there is no need to be envious, confused, angry or depressed.  Yet, don't beat yourself when you feel these emotions.  If you find yourself reenacting any of these "mini-falls", look at the source of this situation/feeling.  Be honest.  You can look through a mythology book (or website)...identify with the "fall", the character, the setting...and call upon the name associated with this fall to acknowledge, process and release this fear/desire. 

In La Kesh

 

{"I am another you"}

 

~*Sophia Alcyone*~