STORYTELLING AND
NEURO-SENSORY INTEGRATION:
The Nursery and Kindergarten

To see the world in a grain of sand
And Heaven in a wildflower
To see infinitey in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

This is the world of the young child, their gift. In order for them to harvest this gift, they need to feel safe and at ease in the world. This depends in large part on their neuro-sensory integration; if their nervous systems are not settled, they cannot feel that safety. In this class we explore reflex and sensory integration and the role of movement in this process.

Along with the movement work, we futher explore storytelling, focusing in on the roe of story in the world of the young child.

PROCESS CALLS: walking the walk

Each month we take some time to talk with one another about our own experinece of walking in this new world, about the places that are a great relief and the places that are a real challenge. Sharing our experinece of bringing this work into our work with children and into our lives gives us perspective and helps us support one another. These calls happen monthly throughout the program.

THE ARTS: THE EARS OF CHILDHOOD:
The Primary Years

The arts are the language of the elementary school child. In this course teachers begin to learn how to bring all academic learning to the children, through the arts.

This course is the first section of the indepth tour of the Grades. Because the primary student, in Grades One and Two, is just entering this more focused and independent world, we take the time to explore these these two years in detail.

As well, it is during this time that we establish the underlying rhythms of living and learning that will run through all the other grades, and through all of life. It is here we strengthen and ground the child’s deep attention and set his compass to seek deep connection to his own life.

FOUNDATION COURSE Level II

TRIGGERS and MONSTERS:

We all carry certain memories, assumptions, and expectations from our own history. Whether conscious or not, these profoundly color the way that we work with children. twardly we handle it well. And we have other times when these same behaviors spark our compassion and release our creative problem solving abilities. Our history can imprison us or give us vast openness and spontaneity, and an ability to empathize with the child’s challenges. Consciously experiencing and understanding more about our own perspectives makes it possible to refine our work with children and remain open to change. 

This course begins with explorations of several theories on human development and group process. These offer us doorways to begin to see how our assumptions and fears block our ability to look openly at situations. Through movement, artistic work, and discussion, participants will share their personal experience of different theories.

The issues raised through this study will serve as a reference point for ongoing work with the Enki approach throughout the three-year program. They can then begin to learn how to apply this to work with parents and teachers to support the children.

CHILDSPEAK

With the ground we have built in our study of the young child, we now apply this to writing nature stories for grades K-2. The goal here is not that everyone should become a writer, but that as we try to put our understanding into a story, the many ways that we are still approaching the world through concept rather than experience, present themselves. As we work to step ever further into writing from sensory experience, we not only improve our communication skills all around, but we also begin to recognize when we have left the sensory world and moved into lecture. This is an awareness that will be core to all classroom management and all storytelling.

This course involves a lot of partner work as the students help one another recognize the writing patterns that keep them in the realm of concepts, and offer ideas for bringing them back into sensory experience.

THE ARTS: THE EARS OF CHILDHOOD:
The Upper Elementary Years

With the indepth work on the early grades in place, we move on to exploring how this approach to teaching through the arts expands into Cultural Unit Studies to meet the older children.

At this point, all academic work is being
brought not only through the arts, but through the cultural study of that unit. Teachers learn how to do this in such a way that we continue to let child development and integration be our core guides.

We then go on to look at the changes called for in the Jr. High School years with their need for increased independence and peer work.

PROCESS CALLS: walking the walk

These continue through the entire program.