KID'S SPACE!

This committee's activities have been revised according to a decision made at the January Ritual for Business. This page will be growing and changing in the near future to fully reflect those changes. Stay tuned!

KidSpace has been reorganized; the classes are now as follows:

• Sprouts (formerly WeeSpace), 0-4 years of age, led by a Sprout Leader;
• Shoots (formerly KidSpace), 4-8 years of age, led by a Head Shoot;
• Saplings (new grouping), 8-12 years of age, led by a Gardener;
• Trees (formerly TeenSpace), 12-16 years of age, led by an Ent.
In all cases, a child may be asked to join a different class (on a permanent or temporary basis) based on their abilities, regardless of biological age.

In all cases, the classes will have a pre-approved volunteer leader who has submitted to a background check, understands the curriculum and expectations of their class' age group, as well as the stipulations of our community's values and our lease, and is compensated with a stipend for their time and trouble. We would like to see a variety of teachers from both inside and outside the community assist with this process, so if you know anyone who has the time and inclination to help out on Sunday afternoons, please let Linda know, as she is the current (interim) KidSpace Coordinator while curriculum and teachers are being arranged.

Important Classroom Events

Keep Saturday, April 19th in mind: that's the day that EarthFest takes place at Shawnee Mission Park. Gaia Community will be sharing a table with Heartland Spiritual Alliance at this public event, and we need people to help staff the tabl. We will be providing a craft opportunity for children attending EarthFest; planting seeds in egg cartons, so we could use some hands for that as well.

April 27th:b> Shoots and Saplings classes will be continuing to learn about the Jewish faith, including celebrating Passover and learning more about Jewish traditions and culture. The Trees class will continue to study ritual form, especially the style most commonly used by Gaia Community.

May 4th: Beltane will be intergenerational this year, so all classes except for Sprouts will be upstairs/outdoors with the main ritual.

Finally, in May we will need to restock on juice boxes and small snacks for the children to have during KidSpace If you are interested in donating either of these items, please let Linda know by e-mail or phone: 913-385-7743. Your help is greatly appreciated! Volunteers are also needed to help serve as "Cookie Gods or Goddesses"; these folks donate baked goods for sale on Sundays after ritual, with 100% of the proceeds going to the KidSpace program. Sign up for April 27th or beyond by contacting Linda.

Regular meetings of the KidSpace Committee will resume in April, on the second Thursday of each month; contact Amanda for more information about where these will be held (the March 13, 2008 meeting had to be cancelled).