SECTION II -FAMILY ISSUES
Promoting Pagan Family Values - Selene SilverWind
Pagan Parenting - Windseeker
Promoting Pagan
Family Values - Lammas
By Selene Silverwind
Slvrwind@aol.com
The dog days of summer are upon us. Those days when we all want
nothing more than to lounge in our air-conditioned houses
watching the summer drift by or sit on shaded porches drinking
lemonade and eating popsicles while a giant fan churns the
oppressing air, but that's no excuse to slack off on promoting
Pagan family values.
Since it is so hot, we don't want any of these activities to be
too strenuous. Below are a few simple activities you can do in
the shade. The first is making ankle bells. All you need are
small round bells you can buy at the craft store and ribbon
narrow enough to go through the holes. Slide five or six bells
onto each ribbon, tie the ribbons on their ankles, and you're
good to go. Now pass out pots, pans, anything else that can serve
as a musical instrument and let the kids bang away (you too). Ask
them to create a beat that feels like summer to them, slow and
heavy or light and carefree. They can tap their feet on the
ground to jingle their new bells. Or just wear the ankle bells
throughout the day, to bring a little summer joy into you midst.
Children also like to make books. A simple method is to cut plain
white sketch paper to size and staple it together. Cut out two
pieces of thin cardboard slightly larger than the paper and lay
them on top of a piece of old wallpaper cut slightly larger, with
enough room in the middle to place the stack of paper upright
between them and enough room to close the book. Trace around the
cardboard and remove. Mix glue and water to make the glue easier
to spread over the wallpaper. Spread the glue inside the traced
lines and attach the cardboard. Allow to dry, then tape the outer
sides of the stack of paper to the cardboard. Make sure the tape
is slack enough to allow the book to fold closed. Glue wallpaper
into the inside, covering the cardboard and first and last page,
again leaving enough slack to open and close the book and allow
to dry. It's best to do one side at a time. You can also ask the
children to pick out a journal from the store and encourage them
to draw, write, or make collages in it to express their personal
magickal experiences. Once the books are made, make a trip to a
nearby natural spot and spread out (in a shady spot). Provide
pens, crayons, and whatever else, and ask the children to write
or draw whatever they feel from the place.
Now I'm going to propose something a little different from the
usual community activity. Given the current political climate, we
Pagans are in need of some really good press. International Pagan
Pride Day has been set for September 18, 1999. Several events are
being planned at the local level. There is probably at least one
in your state. Visit http://www.geocities.com/Athens/9802/paganpride.html to locate
the local coordinator for your area or to sign up to coordinate
an event. Even a little help will be greatly appreciated by the
coordinators.
Pagan Parenting
