12/13-12-16
The holiday season is often a time of giving gifts. As we end our session (and the year) perhaps heroes will wrap up more gifts than they even realize.
In the Spark Studio… We had so much fun this session learning about traditions around the world. Every day the heroes were asking insightful questions. They were constantly making connections; finding similarities between their own traditions and the traditions of others. What a beautiful gift to start to be aware of and appreciate others’ traditions.
Our “German Christmas Market” was a hit. Heroes took pride in writing about the items they were selling. Having seen the Fire Studio host their market the day before gave the Sparks added pride in their responsibilities in the exhibition. We loved seeing so many special guests come support our journey!
In the Fire Studio… Heroes took a moment to verbally acknowledge to the rest of the studio whether or not they completed their session excellence goal, and more importantly whether or not they “earned a jolly.” Earning a jolly meant they worked hard and were proud of what they did. Some heroes who didn’t finish their goal still felt they earned a jolly (some of them worked so hard!); some heroes who did finish their excellence goal felt they didn’t earn a jolly (they hadn’t set a very hard goal). It was a gift for me to listen to such honest and insightful self reflection. I believe the ability to self reflect on their effort and only compare with their own best effort, will be a gift in their lives. This was certainly my highlight of the week.
During Civ this week the heroes tremendously enjoyed shooting arrows, riding “horses” (scooters), and sock wrestling as they learned about the Mongols… I just had to share some pictures!
We had a delightful end to Session 3 with the holiday party exhibition, put on 100% by the heroes. They took complete ownership of their quest challenges and provided an informational and entertaining afternoon for their exhibition guests. Thank you for coming!
Our visits to Buddhist, Sikh, Orthodox Christian, and Muslim places of worship were enlightening and enjoyable. We loved seeing minds and hearts open this session as the heroes considered the beliefs, traditions, and foundational stories of so many heroes around the world. Appreciating and gaining understanding of others’ beliefs is a gift that we hope lasts much longer than this session!
Having the opportunity to associate with your heroes is truly our gift. Thank you for sharing them with us. We look forward to new gifts and adventures in 2022!