For January's Children's Program, we shared our names and something we've appreciated about the natural world, such as the new coating of snow, lots of animal tracks and signs, and the way the winter light shines through dust particles in a room.
We then read and acted out the book Over and Under the Snow, written by Kate Messner and illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. In the book a child takes off on a cross country ski adventure through the woods with their father. The child notices a red squirrel, who quickly darts below the snow, opening up an entire animal world just beyond our awareness, but very much a part of our world. The child encounters a great horned owl, deer tracks, a hunting fox, and a fire with hot chocolate and marshmallows above the snow, while we also learn about the moles, voles, mice, bullfrogs, beavers, bears, and other creatures all burrowed just beneath us. We then practiced a cozy hibernation meditation, listened to the sound of the Temple bell, and closed with a group OM.
