Merigar’s Children’s Day celebrated its 4th year running and was greeted by perfect summer weather, sunny with fresh, cooler air under a diamond sky.
Add nearly 20 children to the landscape at the Yellow House veranda and down the hill to the Mandala Hall to have a day full of energy and creativity. The children were able to participate in Kumar Kumari yoga, Khaita Joyful Dances, art and play.
This year, the youngest group included children from 2 to 5 years in age so it was no surprise when 7 boys ranging in age from 2 and a 1/2 years to 3 years arrived. They played on the Yellow House veranda with pongo, rolling out and cutting shapes, painted on a large papered wall, constructed wooden train tracks and enjoyed picture books and stories read to them by mum and dad.
As the morning progressed, the set of active boys designed a runway with the yoga mats on the grass, running, taking off and crashing along the way. (so much for a quiet, calming yoga lesson!) With water play added, they filled and carried bottles and containers to their fortress up the ramp in front of the Yellow House, a coordinated action repeated sgain and again.
It was time then for a ‘merenda’ of cool water, juice, fresh fruit and cakes. Afterwards, the boys explored again the activity choices of blocks, pongo and painting as music played.
Moving on to the older children….
For older children, ages 5 to 11, the day continued in the Mandala Room, where a program packed with activities awaited them. The theme of this year’s event was: “Our mind is like the sky, and our thoughts are like clouds.” As in previous years, we organized the yoga, dance, and art workshop activities around a common theme: clouds, which have become a simple metaphor that resonates with the world of children. The experience we wanted to offer was this: just as clouds come and go in the sky, our thoughts can also come, pass by, and make room for new thoughts—or simply leave space.
The morning began with some warm-up games, designed to activate the body and prepare for the activities, led by Dina Priymak, Angelica Siedlecki, and Letizia Pizzetti. Immediately afterward, we created a space dedicated to imagination: the children were invited to mentally observe the clouds and transform them, using their own bodies, into many different animals. A simple game that left room for imagination and freedom of movement. The morning continued with a session of Kumar Kumari Yoga, concluding with a pleasant moment of relaxation.
After a short break for a snack, it was time for the Khaita Joyful Dances, led by Elvira Riposati and Christiane Rhein.
Elvira explains:
“Among the dances presented was ‘Sem kyi Rang Dang,’ ‘The Natural Splendor of the Mind.’ I chose this dance because our mind, by its very nature, is clear, pure, and luminous. It is like the sky, which is always blue even when there are clouds. Emotions, thoughts, and worries are just “clouds” that pass by: as soon as the wind blows, the clouds drift away and the sky shines again. As we dance, we let our inner sky shine and share wonderful smiles with everyone.”
Then we started dancing and all had a great time.
Once the dancing was over, we returned to the Yellow House for lunch before resuming our activities in the afternoon. Then it was time to get to work on the creative workshop, led by Cristina Conticelli.
Cristina explains:
“We started by drawing a face, learning some simple rules of proportion, and then we painted the face with the colors of the sky. We cut out our faces, which became masks to wear! Then we made little speech bubbles on which we wrote our thoughts. With the speech bubbles cut out and attached to sticks, the children then played by passing their thoughts in front of their own images. It was an activity that also offered a small space to observe what’s going on inside us.”
To wrap up the day, there were, of course, traditional games and the ever-present snack prepared by Domenico—featuring ice cream, fruit, and cookies—which was very much appreciated by the young participants.
