School Information

A major emphasis of the Labyrinth Resource Group since its inception has been to bring the labyrinth experience to children in Santa Fe. In the eight elementary schools in which we have organized the building of permanent labyrinths on school grounds, we have worked with the school staff and with the classes to introduce them to the labyrinth and show them how it can be used with children. Children love the labyrinth immediately as they race to the center and out again. Some labyrinth facilitators have used the labyrinth for games or for art, but our emphasis has been on enriching and improving the lives of children. Some kids have used the labyrinth to deal with grief at the loss of a loved one or pet; others have used it for problem solving or conflict resolution; many use it to calm down when they are angry or upset - but all children say they enjoy walking the paths of the labyrinth.

The comments of children tell more than we can describe what the labyrinth means to them:

CHILDRENS COMMENTS ON THE LABYRINTH EXPERIENCE
My dog died two weeks ago and I have been very upset. After I walked the labyrinth, I realized my dog would live in my heart forever.

When I walked the Labyrinth I felt relaxed and comfortable. I felt small - kind of in not out. It was very peaceful and quiet.

I thought about my grandma’s death. I decided to think about the good parts of her llife, rather than her suffering. The labyrinth helped me find a way to forget about her suffering.

I figured out a way to talk to people to get their attention. It is better to talk than to grab someone’s neck when they are bugging you.

I thought about the lies I have told. I am really sorry about the lies I have told my friends.

I thought about my grandpa looking down on me from heaven. I thought about things we used to do and how fun he was. I want to feel happy about myself because I know he is watching me.

I feel bad about getting an F in math. I thought of a plan to work harder. It made me feel better.

I decided to go home tonight and say sorry to my sister.

It makes you feel happy when you walk around it.

Sometimes, when you get to the middle, you can pray.

It helps you feel better when you are mad.

When you walk the labyrinth, you can sometimes feel that God is with you.

CURRICULUM IDEAS

We welcome contributions from teachers with more ideas about using the labyrinth with children. Please send a brief summary of any project to Marge McCarthy. Your name will be listed with your contribution. This list compiled by Ava Fullerton.

INTRODUCTION
Ancient labyrinths from as early as 18,000 BCE have been found as far afield as Peru, Egypt, India, Scandinavia and the British Isles and as nearby as Galisteo, New Mexico. Labyrinths appear all over the world: for example in Roman mosaics, in the stone floors of medieval churches and cut into the turf of English village greens. Today there are thousands of new labyrinths across the United States and around the world.
Today people find that labyrinths still answer complex human needs. It is possible to lose the sense of space and time and be fully present in the moment as one walks. Unlike a maze, the labyrinth’s single path carries one to the center and out again.
We know that labyrinths are a powerful tool for bringing people together. People feel supported and inspired by sharing the experience of a labyrinth walk. Those dealing with loss are nourished by walking with others who are also in pain. Those yearning for peace in the world feel hope as they walk with a group focusing on this thought. School children walk the labyrinth to resolve conflict, calm down and be better able to focus. Thousands of people around the world walked in community in the aftermath of 9/l l--sharing the anger,pain and grief of that day and allowing the healing to begin.

CREATIVE LABYRINTH PATTERNS
Make a labyrinth in the snow.Make a labyrinth out of cans for a school food drive.
Gael Hancock, page 15

Use chalk or liner on a lawn or paved areaMake a night time pattern with candles.

WELLNESS AND MOVEMENT
Use different movements in the pattern: walking, hopping, skipping, linking hands.Play “Simon Says” in the patternDance through the labyrinth. There is is a tradition of dancing through the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral.Use music with a walk. Sing a marching song, play a tape, use rhythm or musical instruments.Use “turns” in the labyrinth for a physical circuit: pushups, jumping jacks, tree pose, toe touch, etc.Be “animals” Perhaps with music. “Fantasia” comes to mind. Call out animals: tiger, giraffe, butterfly, octopus, fish.Use the labyrinth as a training course for soccer, basketball dribbling, etc.Check blood pressure before walking and after. Discuss the results.
Gael Hancock, page 21

Discuss the center of the labyrinth as a focus goal. Discuss types of goals: a pair of shoes, helping a friend, an abused animal, making a team, an exam. What kinds of goals seem appropriate? Think of a secret goal. Walk with a purpose. Walk as a group with a group purpose.

Walk the labyrinth for anger, calming or sorrow therapy.Use the labyrinth for inter-grade or intergenerational or community activities.Use the labyrinth to focus for a test. Talk about centering, clearing the mind. Walk the labyrinth with the test as a focus. Take the test. Talk about how it seemed to work. Would you like to try this again? Why?

LANGUAGE ARTS
Make cards using labyrinth patterns. Write poem, message or greeting in the “path”.Walk the labyrinth thinking of poetry: concrete, Haiku, rhyming, free verse. Do the writing as a group, as small groups, as individuals.

Explore labyrinths in the literature of mythology: Theseus and the Minotaur for example, or myths in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona in the Pima and Hopi cultures.Write essays or poetry involving experiences with feelings or emotions connected with the labyrinthMake a writing assignment. Walk the labyrinth with the assignment as a focus. Do the assignment. Discuss the use of the labyrinth with the class. Did it help you do a more effective job? Why? How?Make bookmarks celebrating the labyrinth. Use a poem you wrote or a thought that is meaningful to you. Decorate it and give it to a friend or loved one

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY
Make a large time line, as a class activity. Incorporate research to identify dates, locations, cultures and types of labyrinth patterns involved. Where does the labyrinth seem to fit in with the people and their time in history and their homeland?Do a global map of labyrinth locations. Key in the appearance of the patterns, dates and cultures involved.

MATH AND SCIENCE
Estimating:
Run off individual sheets of a labyrinth pattern.
Have children estimate the length of yarn that it would take to “walk” the pattern.
Cut
Glue onto worksheet
How close were you in your estimations?
May use with other patterns on other days
May incorporate inches and/or metrics.
Viola Espinoza, Pojoaque Elementary School
Pojoaque, N.M.

RESOURCE BOOKS
Saward, Jeff--Ancient Labyrinths of the World, Caerdroia
A brief and comprehensive look at labyrinths: what they are and where they are. Very good for culture and history

Hancock, Gael D.--108 Ways to Use Labyrinths in Schools
Lots of practical ideas for group and classroom implementation. Grouped in curriculum categories.

Saward, Jeff--Labyrinths and Mazes, A Complete Guide to Magical Paths of the World
A comprehensive resource covering all areas.

WEB SITES
Labyrinth Resource Group www.labyrinthresourcegroup.org
Web site with general information including a manual of our work in Santa Fe.

ART ACTIVITIES
In the sand, draw the “seed” with a stick. Pass the stick to a child. Have the child draw the next line. Then another child draws the next line and so on until the pattern is completed.

You may add another set of brackets to the seed pattern and repeat the exercise. See how it works out.Do table-top labyrinths with seeds, stones, leaves, etc.Draw labyrinths on Frisbees with acrylic glow-in-the-dark paint. Fly them under the stars.
Gael Hancock, page 38

Make a labyrinth mobile.
Gael Hancock, page 23