Value of All Living Things; and Stories of Giving and Forgiving. Each section has a number of folktales in it; each story is for a distinct chapel (except for the “Companion Tales” that are shorter tales that can be used together) and has its own chapter in the book. Not surprisingly the stories often support more than one theme and those are noted with each story. Each chapter includes:
A brief introduction to the story and the rationale for choices made regarding the telling of the story.
A suggestion for a spoken introduction before telling the story.
The story.
A suggestion for what to say following the story to relate the chapel time to life at school. Note: You will see that this generally starts with “And here we . . . .” The “here” denotes the place you name your school or group that you are speaking to.
Storytelling tips specific to the story.
A description of artwork to be created by children to accompany story.
The skeleton of the story to guide your re-telling.
Musical notation and lyrics for a story refrain.
Part Seven includes a thematic list of traditional and original songs that can be the basis of your own songbook. Many of the original songs listed were specifically written for chapels as sing-alongs for before or following the story. This section also includes some new thematic songs notated.
We feel this book can be an invaluable resource as we work to make all of our children feel welcome.
part 1
CREATING THE FRAMEWORK
FOR STORYTELLING
chapter 1
SETTING UP CHAPEL
Where Shall We Gather?
Keep it simple! The space we use for chapel is a carpeted room in the basement of the school. At one end are a simple altar, a piano, an easel with felt board, and a few stools for musicians and a song leader. Behind the altar is a large woven wall hanging created years ago by school parents that has simple images from Bible stories. There are no chairs in the room. Everyone sits on the carpet facing the altar. Of course we have folding chairs nearby for someone (an elderly person or pregnant mom) who needs a chair. The back half of the room’s walls house books on shelves for the library. Our school is in New York City and though many parents are on their way to work, they happily join the others in their work clothes (generally business suits) with children in their laps sitting together on the rug. The room is simple and handled simply, and it serves us well.
Some schools use the sanctuary of the church. Others use an auditorium, a gymnasium, or a classroom. Each situation creates its own benefits and challenges. Wherever you gather, the size of the space and the size of the children should be taken into consideration. What might at first glance look perfect to an adult may not be the right circumstance for a young child. For example, sitting in pews can make children feel isolated from the others in their class. Many schools solve this by having everyone gather in the chancel, or by having the children gather in the chancel while parents sit in the pews. Some schools use the sanctuary without considering whether another available space in the building might actually serve their purposes better. What at first might seem like a terrible choice (like a carpeted room in a basement) might actually offer just what you need—a simple space to gather with children.
Choosing a setting with few visual or sound distractions (or smells for that matter) will help the children stay focused on the story, the songs, and being together. When there are fewer potential distractions, there will be less need for rules to control behavior. The children become engaged in the story and “follow the rules” without being told. A simple setting is a good place to start.
Who Will Attend?
The immediate answer to this question is simple: children. Of course the chapels are for children and therefore children will attend, but how many and when? How about parents? If the school has a pre-school, kindergarten, and lower grades, do all the students attend together? The answer to all these questions is: It depends. It depends on your particular circumstances.
Our school is devoted to early childhood with over two hundred preschoolers attending. The youngest begin at two-plus and the oldest are five when they leave. We have decided that our chapels will not include our youngest children. The behavioral expectations would not be fair and the stories are too complex. This is not to say that there are no stories in this book appropriate for such young children. Some are and can be shared with the youngest children—with care and a very small group. At our school the children begin chapel in the fall when they are three. We have morning and afternoon sessions, so there are chapels for both. We have three classes of three-year-olds and three classes of four-year-olds in each session, so there is a discreet chapel for each. On Wednesday, we have chapel for fours and on Thursday for threes. The children get to share the experience with two other classes of children as well as their parents. This provides them a larger group experience and makes them more aware of being part of the whole school. Thursday chapel is for the younger group because it gives the children several days in school each week before the chapel gathering with a large group. Additionally, we have told the story already for the Wednesday fours’ group so the story can more easily be tailored for the younger listeners.
The size of many early childhood (including kindergarten) schools make one chapel for the whole group the right choice. In a school with Pre-K through elementary, you probably will want to group the Pre-K and kindergarten (and possibly first grade) together, with a separate chapel program for second through fifth grades. For special occasions, if you have the space, it’s nice to have the whole school gather together.
We invite the parents to bring their children and stay for chapel each week. In fact, it is assumed (and expected) that at least one parent will attend every chapel. This is our community time together and by the end of the year, the parents have spent the majority of their time at school attending chapel with their children. Many parents remark that at first they were not keen on coming to chapel but soon grew to enjoy it. When their children have moved onto another school, numerous parents let us know how they miss the weekly gatherings. The fact that the parents attend chapel dictates when they are held—at the beginning of the session (in our case 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.). The parents sit with their children on the floor in the chapel. On occasion a parent is unable to attend. When this happens, a grandparent, relative, adult family friend, or caregiver is welcomed.
At many gatherings with children and parents present, I have seen the children sitting together at the front with the parents gathered in the back. The reasoning behind this is that the event is really for children and this seating arrangement makes them the focus. Additionally, it keeps the seated grown-ups from blocking the sight lines for the children. These seem like very good reasons. However, what often happens is this: because the parents are gathered in the back with the focus on the children, they forget that they are still in the same space and often talk with each other. With the added noise from the back, the children are less attentive. However, the most important reason for seating parents with their children is so that parent and child are sharing the chapel experience. Watching your child listening to a story is very different from listening to the story with your child. I have come to believe that each gains from the other’s presence. The parent is able to hear the story through their child and gain an understanding of the story with the child; the child receives support in understanding the story and the spiritual experience itself thorough the parent. It is profound. Singing together and hearing a story that can later be discussed is a shared experience very, very different from one where the children and grown-ups are seated separately (especially in early childhood).
Some