Godly Play 101: Wondering

This is the latest installment in a series called "Godly Play 101", in which I share some of the basics of Godly Play. (For you non-Americans, "101" is  the number for an introductory level course at university.) Our topic today is "Wondering". This is the part of a Godly Play lesson where we have the chance to respond to and go deeper with a biblical story through open-ended questions.

Storyteller from Wonderful in an Easter Kind of Way graciously agreed to write this article for me some time ago and I have been saving it for just the right time. Since I am now drowning in the middle of beginning-of-the-school-year prep for my English classes, this seemed like a great time to post it! Take it away, Storyteller . . . 


Godly Play storytellers signal the end of the lesson and the opening of a time of reflection by pausing for a moment and then raising their eyes to make contact with their listeners. They say, slowly, thoughtfully, I wonder...

Each genre of Godly Play story has a slightly different set or style of Wondering Questions. I call these questions, but they aren’t phrased as questions, and that’s deliberate. Everyone is encouraged to wonder, everyone is free to share their responses, but nobody is ever pressured to answer.

FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT WONDERING:

1. WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE VERBAL
• Although I initially thought of the Wondering as “the Verbal Response Time”, it does not have to be verbal. Young children may simply point, for example to show you what they liked the best. (As the Storyteller you might choose to name what they point at, but you can also just echo their pointed gesture, or touch or even lift what they’ve indicated: This? Mm-hmm!) The "Faces of Easter" lessons encourage non-verbal responses in which children make connections between these lessons and other stories or materials in the room (although Sheila has also blogged here about some lovely verbal explanations given during this lesson).

2. WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE ALL SERIOUS
• Wondering can open us up to truly big questions, but it’s good to start off with ice-breaking questions, even if they sound silly. I wonder if these sheep have names. Nye says, “A facilitator who accepts whatever they say is … likely to encourage children to feel safe to say more, and to risk saying things that are really hard to express, which is often the nature of deep spiritual material.” (Children’s Spirituality, p.38)
• So we do not ridicule, but accept any answer that is earnest or honest. Once, in setting up the Parable of the Good Shepherd, a child suggested that the square made of brown strips could be a television. After I had told the story and started the wondering, when I wondered what the sheepfold could really be, someone answered, “their home”. So I wondered aloud, I wonder what it is about this place that reminds you of home? The first child joyously shrieked, the TV!!
3. WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE UPBEAT OR ORTHODOX
• As I’ve written in a post on my own blog, the question about leaving things out (in particular) makes room for expressing disagreement and discomfort with the story. Our scriptures contain stories of those who wrestle with God, or bargain with him, or sulk about his actions, or even deny him under pressure. Such doubts need not mean the end of our relationship with him - far from it!
  
4. WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE TO FOLLOW THE SCRIPT
• Berryman’s advice is to end the Wondering before the circle has spent all its energy, while there is still wonder in the air. What that means is that you don’t always get to all of the questions recommended in his scripts, not even when there are only four of them. The Wondering is a bit like the wind (or the Holy Spirit!); it can eddy and swirl and suddenly take off in an unexpected direction and you might find yourself following up on some of what has been raised: I wonder why that is? Entering into the spirit of the activity is far more important than sticking to the script.
5. WONDERING DOESN’T HAVE AN AGENDA
• Remember point 4. The Wondering is not an time for review - I wonder who remembers the name of the city Abraham came from? Nor is the Wondering a way to enforce a common interpretation - I wonder what the moral of this story is? Our wondering always has to be genuine.
• Remember point 1 as well. After you ask a question, leave a little time hanging so that everyone has a chance to consider it. But if nobody seems inclined to respond, go ahead and ask the next question. Look around the circle with interest (sometimes people new to Godly Play are not sure whether they are allowed to speak), but without creating pressure. If you feel that your circle members are not engaging with these questions (even inwardly), it is probably time to put the materials away. But remember Mary - sometimes people just need to treasure these things, pondering them in their hearts. Godly Play honors that.

I wonder if you have any experiences of Wondering that you'd like to share in the comments.
 

Thanks, Storyteller! 

For more Godly Play basics, see these links:

Godly Play 101: The Space

Godly Play 101: The Genres

Godly Play 101: The Language of Silence

Godly Play 101: The Genres

When you are first learning about or trying to implement Godly Play, it can be a bit overwhelming! There seem to be many new things to consider that it helps to break it all into "bite-size" chunks.  That is what I will be attempting to do in the "Godly Play 101" series.

There are three main types or "genres" of Godly Play stories:

• Sacred Stories ("Glaubensgeschichten" or "Stories of Faith" in German)
• Parables
• Liturgical Lessons

Each of these genres has a specific purpose and materials that make them easily recognizable.  

The Sacred Stories, many of which are from the Old Testament, deal with the theme of spiritual identity. In these stories we explore how God meets his creation both as individuals and as a community. We learn to ask questions about how the story of human history is intertwined with the story of God and what our place in this story might be. Also running through these stories is the game of "Hide and Seek" where, according to the Godly Play UK website, "the people of God are called into a relationship that proves to be both revelatory and elusive".

The materials for the Sacred Stories are simple, natural and beautiful. The wooden figures purposefully have no faces, so that the listener can use his/her imagination to fill in the blanks and come to his/her own conclusions. (In Godly Play, less is always more.) Probably the most famous feature of the Sacred Stories is the Desert Box (or Desert Bag) filled with sand used for many of the Old Testament stories.  Godly Play Deutschland has recently come up with an "Erdsack" or "Soil Bag" for stories that do not take place in the desert.  Stones, twigs, wool and other natural materials are used in these stories.

This is our desert bag being used for an Old Testament Sacred Story.

The second genre is the Parables told by Jesus, and these stories are meant to help us ask questions about the Kingdom of God.  What exactly is the Kingdom of God and how do we see and experience it? The style of the Parable genre help children to think creatively and, according to the Godly Play UK site, "see new possibilities".  The parables are also particularly effective with adults. Because many of us grew up with a few specific and limited interpretations of the parables, this genre points out time and again that no matter how many times we have heard the parables, there is always more to learn and consider.  

The striking feature of the material in the Parables is that the figures are two-dimensional.  This is done intentionally to give a storybook feel to them, since they are stories that Jesus told rather than being actual events that took place in history.  Also, the Parables are kept in a wooden, gold box that represents that value, timelessness and mystery of them. My favorite line in the introduction to each parable likens the lid to a door.  "Sometimes you knock and the door opens. But sometimes it remains closed.  I don't know why this is, but don't let it worry you. You can always come back again anytime.  And one day the door will open." (My translation of the German back into English.: ) )

Materials used for the Parable of the Sower

The Liturgical Lessons are the last genre.  These stories deal with the whys behind the rituals and traditions in church.  They help prepare children to take a meaningful part in church services and understand important sacraments such as baptism and communion.  Godly Play came out of the Anglican tradition, so depending on your particular tradition, you may have to tailor  some of the stories to fit your particular setting. 

The materials in the Liturgical lessons are usually three dimensional figures and objects placed on a felt underlay.  For example, in the baptism story, objects representing the Trinity are placed on three white, felt circles, and a doll is "baptized" to visually explain this sacrament.  Below is a lesson about communion that ties in the imagery of the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23 inviting the sheep to his table.

Materials for "The Good Shepherd and the World Communion",
a liturgical lesson about communion.

The Wondering Phase (Ergründungsgespräch) is also different for each of these genres, but I will try to discuss that in another post. 

Fellow Storytellers, please help me out by 

adding to the conversation.: )

Godly Play 101: The Space

In a perfect world, we would all have a Godly Play room.  It would look something like this:

Picture borrowed from Godly Play Deutschland e.V., of which I am a proud member!

In case you can't read the German descriptions, the circles in the middle are where the children and the storyteller sit in a circle to hear the story.  Directly behind the large circle, representing the Storyteller, is the Focus Table, which as the name suggests, gives the children a visual focal point in the room. Above this story circle are tables where the children can use art materials during the creative phase. The other shelves in the room hold the art materials and the many different Godly Play stories told throughout the year that the children can choose from during the creative phase.

That having been said, I only know of a few GP storytellers in Germany that actually have rooms like the one described above.  Most of us are religion teachers or children's workers who use borrowed rooms and transport our materials from place to place in suitcases.  In my case, I am a children's pastor for a church plant (that doesn't have property of its own) and teach religious clubs at an elementary school.  My Godly Play "rooms" are my kitchen, the park in summer, and a borrowed classroom.  Even my on-line friend Storyteller in Finland (whose blog Wonderful in an Easter kind of way you should definitely read), who is part of an already established church, doesn't have a GP room and transports her stuff each week.

So, if you are thinking of starting Godly Play or Young Children in Worship with some group of children and don't have access to a room to permanently set up as the GP room, don't let that deter you from plunging into the great adventure! Think rather of creating Godly Play "space".

Maria Montessori wrote of the necessity of a "prepared environment". This would be an environment that includes aesthetic beauty, structure, appropriate freedom and child-friendly materials.  A Godly Play "space", whether it is in the park or in a classroom, needs to have these elements and requires a little forethought.  I have to admit that I haven't always gotten it right and my thoughts have evolved in this area.: )

• A GP space should be aesthetically pleasing.  A disorderly room does not allow the mind be at ease for prayer or meditative thought.  If you are in borrowed space, you may have to rearrange some furniture before you begin.  (In the Easter Club, the children themselves helped with this each week and it was a bonding experience for us all.)  Outdoors in the park, look for an area where trees or bushes provide natural boundaries and where there is less traffic.  
• Godly Play spaces need structure, so that the children know what to expect and are able to build community together. The materials should be positioned in an orderly way that the children can reach them without help from an adult. There should also be a routine to the children's service, so that they learn what comes next without too many surprises.  
• The children should have an appropriate measure of freedom in making decisions about how they want to spend their time.  In a permanent Godly Play room, all the stories and all the art materials are available at each worship service.  However, in my case, I couldn't possibly haul all of those things around in a bicycle trailer each time.  So, I offer a smaller selection of stories, art materials and practical life activities. The children are then still able to make their own decisions about what to work on. 
• A focus table in the room/space is not 100% necessary, but is very helpful for the children. (I obviously didn't have one in the park!) The things on it, such as the Christ candle, Nativity, Cross and Risen Jesus help children to draw connections between the stories and give their eyes a place to rest if they wonder away from the story. 

A simple focus table in my kitchen. 

So, prepare your space, wherever it may be, have fun, and let yourself learn (even through mistakes!).  If I've left out any aspects that other fellow storytellers feel are important, please feel free to join the conversation.