Join Ethical For Solstice! and Register for 2016!

Winter Solstice Festival is Coming Up!
It takes place on Dec. 20th! 11am.  4th Floor of NYSEC, 2 W. 64th St.
Free, and for all.
Children, we'll prepare for it on December 13, 11am!

 

We'll be creating a community enactment of an ancient Japanese tale!

A unique and participatory spin on Solstice!  

With all ages, collaborating!

Come on over for a great time!!!!

ETHICS FOR CHILDREN: LOOKING BOTH FORWARD AND BACK

www.YoungEthicalExplorers.blogspot.com

LOOKING FORWARD:  Get involved in 2016

Family Festivals are open to the public, and free of charge.  

January 10th THE JUSTICE JAM!

and  February 7th HELPFUL HEARTS FESTIVAL 

Enroll in Winter Season of Ethics For Children:  

Jan. 10 through March 27, 2016 

(sessions on 3 day weekends, depend on RSVP planning of the group)

RSVP:  EthicsForChildren@NYSEC.org

$100 per family for seasonal enrollment.

Free for Ethical Member Families

All ages work together and collaborate.

Parents are invited to attend the Morning Meeting simultaneously, 

yet they are always welcome to stay and participate. 

THE PLAN FOR 2016:  

Genuine Justice January 

            invites children to stand up for a fair world

Friendly Familial February 

            invites children to explore family diversity

Moving Mindful March 

            invites children into yogic fun 

LOOKING BACK (notes from Audrey Kindred):

As the Ethics For Children's leader, I'd like to share some themes of the past season with the larger Ethical Community.  The fall season of Ethics For Children has been delightful, bringing new friends in to discover Ethical, while creating rich celebrations of the seasonal themes.  The fall focus of Ethical Study was on developing a caring and attentive MIND.  A homemade coloring book I made guided the group to CREATE PEACE through a vision of the mind as a castle (inspired by the work of colleage in mindful-education, Courtney McDowell):  

• First, children quiet their mind, and "place one thought-stone at a time, to build the castle of the mind."  
• Then, they recognize their heart as the "treasure box of Valuable Values" 
• Then they draw upon the valuable values of the heart, to inspire the "helpful hands that build THE BRIDGE OF DEED," through which actions make a difference in the world.
• Then, as valuable values are challenged, they may recognize their BIG FEELINGS are stoked.  These big feelings are represented by an Inner Dragon that would vigilantly defend the castle's treasure
• Finally, the child must tame her/his Inner Dragon.  With deep fiery breaths, the child face their big feelings peacefully   
• Now, the child, as the great ruler of the castle, feels safe, calm and powerful.  
• Finally, children, as rulers of their mindfulness-castles, freely greet one another and celebrate the shared TREASURE of their valuable values with one another.

No matter what age you are, if you would like a copy of our Thought-Stone coloring book, simply ask at EthicsForChildren@NYSEC.org.

Giving Thanks, Giving, and Thanking

Gratitude and Generosity Festival 

Children of all ages, 

and their grown-ups, are welcome!

Free. Fun. Friendship.

NYSEC, November 22, 11am

64th St & CPW, 5th floor.

rsvp:  EthicsForChildren@NYSEC.org

Fall Season 2015

FALL CALENDAR -- click this link, and scroll down for calendar.

For September, we invite new friends of all ages to come join in the joy of Ethical Learning! 

In the early half of the fall season, we'll be building our own personal 
"Ethical Treasure Chests with Valuable Values." 
In late fall, we'll be developing our "Peace Tool Kits" 
to engage us in the communicative practices and deeds that activate those values.  

Visitors are welcome to try out the programming for a free session at any time, with RSVP.  RSVP to EthicsForChildren@NYSEC.org, please.  You may wish to try out a season with us.  Cost should never stop you, so please ask for scholarship if necessary.  Otherwise, a contribution of $100 per season is suggested. Ethics For Children is free of cost for members' children.  Ethics For Teens with RSVP is free to all teens. 

NYSEC Ethical Membership is available for all families to who discover a sense of belonging at NYSEC and wish to build the Ethical Culture of New York City.  To explore the possiblity of becoming a NYSEC member, please arrange a dialogue with  NYSEC Leader Anne Klaeysen.  

Ethical Parenting, Step-Parenting, Grand-parenting Workshop!
           With Anne Klaeysen

           Thursdays, September 10 & 24, AND October 8 & 22.

               

      September 20th:  International Peace Day Celebration

            11:00am:  Ethics For Children

            1:30pm:    Ethics or Teens.

FALL CALENDAR

Summer Fun at NYSEC, 2015

Ethical Explorers:  

Looking Back and Forward, with Open Doors and Open Minds

This summer, Ethics For Children hosted a fabulous five session series with Ethics teacher Audrey Kindred and visiting artist Amy Reid titled "Animating Humanism and Humanity."  We thought a lot about human ancestors of the past and descendants of the future, and how we fit into the picture.  From these contemplations, four-year-old Marifer coined a delightful question for us to contemplate: "Are amoeba our ancestors?"      Collaborating children of all ages made several short animations including "Just a Spoonful of Humanity Makes the World Go 'Round.... In the Most Delightful Way." To enjoy these animations, visit  "www.AnimatingEthics.blogspot.com." (You may link to this on NYSEC's website. In your enthusiasm, you may choose to share these animations freely on public media.  

            In our lovely short summer session, we hosted NYSEC's 3rd-ever rooftop slumber party: NIGHT LIGHT. What a wonderful experience for the many who came!  Here is 8 year old Sylan's paragraph to describe it:

Sylvan offers:

"At the Ethical Culture sleepover, I slept on the slide.  So did Dad.  Mama brought chick pea salad and pasta salad, and David's Mom brought hummus, carrots, and celery to the sleepover. I liked the animation that we did before bed.  Amy was up in the balcony, and we were on the stage.  We started around in a circle.  We moved a little bit, and then Amy took a picture.  We kept doing that, and after the sleepover Audrey sent us the animation so that we could see how it put the pictures together.  That was my favorite thing about the sleepover."

ANIMATIONS FOR ANIMATING HUMANISM

ANIMATING HUMANISM:
Below, you may link to the wonderful very short and sweet animations created by Ethical Explorers 2015, Summer:

Animating Life on Earth

Animating Night Light

Animating Sand Mandala

Animating A Spoonful of Humanity

Summer Invtites! July 5-Aug. 2

Bernette Rudolph, Sculptor

NYSEC Ethical member and artist, Bernette Rudolph (www.BernetteRudolph.com) led our group in an abstract sculpture project.  Ethics For Children has gotten to know Bernette through the Wonder Friends Project in which she has a code-name, Bunny From Brooklyn.  She wrote letters for many weeks with a special young friend, code-named AwesomeSauce23's.  Finally, they met and she offered to come spend time with all his pals at NYSEC.  She introduced them to abstract sculpture, with her favorite substance: wood.

As a Wonder Friend, Bunny From Brooklyn wrote: "I make art all the time. I cut wood images on a band saw and hang my art on the walls...  I actually have two saws.  I have a big band saw with a large blade that goes in a circle. I cut very large pieces of Birch wood on this saw. Then I have a scroll saw with a small blade that goes up and down like a sewing machine. On the scroll saw I cut very fine small works.  I sometimes make puzzles for children when they visit my art studio....   I teach children art in my studio. We build with wood and cardboard boxes and clay."

Once the sculptures were strong, we got together to paint them.  Bernette suggested the powerful choice of painting them all one color, recalling the works of Lousie Nevelson.  Here is how they developed! "AwesomeSauce23, please be first and last in our Sculpture Pics!"