Prayer Spaces Day
Last week, within the busy schedule of a St Andrew’s Prep day, there was an opportunity for some quiet reflection and enquiry for Years 6 to 8 during a new initiative – Prayer Spaces Day.
Put together by the RE and PSHEE departments, the day provided the children with an opportunity to explore faith and spirituality from a broadly Christian perspective in a safe, creative and interactive way. The drama studio and chapel areas were transformed with lights, cushions, maps, post it notes, music, bubble tubes, plasma balls, cardboard boxes and mirrors to create a range of ‘stations’ each offering a different experience, activity or expression opportunity.
Children were encouraged, through these activities, to think about world problems and to write prayers for specific parts of the world, to think about the existence of God and ask questions ‘Why did you create this fantastic land?’, ‘Why is the world so unfair?’, to reflect on things we have done or said which were later regretted and to think about the importance of saying sorry and also the power of forgiveness.
The day focused upon bringing an experiential dimension to a variety of subject areas. It offered channels of expression for the children’s thoughts and feelings about important issues and experiences in their own lives and the lives of people around them and the children were encouraged to offer prayers or messages to people who they knew needed help or support.
The children approached what was a new venture for them in a mature and positive way, engaging with the activities and using them as a way of expressing thoughts and feelings about the things in life that matter to them:
‘It was good to have some time of quiet. We could concentrate and it felt still and calm.’
‘It was better than I thought because it was unpredictable and you got time to think.’
We cannot always give the right answers but by providing space and time for the children to think about prayer and allowing them to engage with it in various different ways the prayer space provided for them in a way that was educational in a holistic and pastoral way.
