The children come down the stairs and wait outside the door. They are excited and some are jumping up and down. These are kids after all.
The doorkeeper greets each child by name and asks “Are you ready?” The question is pleasant but real. Crossing the threshold into the room is an intentional act. Each child needs to be ready.
Getting Ready
When the children come into the room they settle quietly into their places in front of the storyteller. When all the children are gathered around, the storyteller begins the story, one of sixty taken from the Bible. The storyteller uses sand for the desert, blue cloth for the sea, and figures for the people and the animals. The storyteller looks at the figures not the children, to keep the children focused on the story. From time to time the storyteller pauses to invite the children to wonder about key parts of the story.
When the story is finished, the children play with the figures and retell the story to themselves or use paper and colors or other art materials to express their reaction to the story. Later there is a feast, a mini form of communion, prayers and a blessing for each child.
 Parables
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Does it work?” Ask any child what the story was about and see for yourself.
“Godly Play” is a Montessori based method of teaching our children ages 2 to 11 the great stories from the Bible. Godly Play was originated by an Episcopal priest, Jerome Berryman, some thirty-five years ago. The program requires time, money, preparation and training for the adults who tell the stories and greet the children. We take our Godly Play seriously because we take God seriously. But at a deep level, Godly Play is fun, for our children who learn about God and for our adults who often say that they learn more than they teach.
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If you would like your child to participate in Godly Play, please take them to the Godly Play room PROMPTLY by 9:45 am so everyone can hear the entire story.
The Godly Play room is located on the lower level to the left as you come down the stairs.
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