Early in August, almost a dozen sangha children gathered at Rigdzin Ling for a long weekend. Bruce Darby and Nancy Barton had begun to plan for the gathering back in the spring and were delighted when Glenn Sandvoss agreed to participate.
Glenn had only to bring out a bag of clay for the children to be instantly intrigued; in no time at all, myriad images began to appear. Bruce helped the children make drums, and Nancy showed them how to fashion a simple kite from a paper bag. Some tried their hand at juggling; others tried walking on stilts. They climbed trees, played tag, and ran with our many dogs. The number one fun activity, however, was water play: the pond provided hours and hours of fun, sometimes rowdy, sometimes calm.
On Saturday the children were introduced to various ritual instruments in the shrine room and, without much ado, began playing together vigorously. The sounds they made filled the room like a powerful, spontaneous puja. Later, upstairs in the costume room, they had a chance to try on a few of the masks that are used in lama dancing. In the kitchen, several children helped make pizzas, which were then fired in our new brick oven.
As Saturday came to a close, the children could be seen zigzagging across the Gonpa, engrossed in the challenges of a treasure hunt. It was heartwarming to watch the group working together, older ones carrying little ones in order to keep up with the rest. Once they had claimed their booty— ingredients for “smores”—they gathered around a fire to roast marshmallows.
The children’s time together came to an end on Sunday as they put away their craft supplies and released worms in the flower gardens near the pond. We warmly thank all those who made this weekend possible and look forward to next year’s children’s retreat.
Early in August, almost a dozen sangha children gathered at Rigdzin Ling for a long weekend. Bruce Darby and Nancy Barton had begun to plan for the gathering back in the spring and were delighted when Glenn Sandvoss agreed to participate.
Glenn had only to bring out a bag of clay for the children to be instantly intrigued; in no time at all, myriad images began to appear. Bruce helped the children make drums, and Nancy showed them how to fashion a simple kite from a paper bag. Some tried their hand at juggling; others tried walking on stilts. They climbed trees, played tag, and ran with our many dogs. The number one fun activity, however, was water play: the pond provided hours and hours of fun, sometimes rowdy, sometimes calm.
On Saturday the children were introduced to various ritual instruments in the shrine room and, without much ado, began playing together vigorously. The sounds they made filled the room like a powerful, spontaneous puja. Later, upstairs in the costume room, they had a chance to try on a few of the masks that are used in lama dancing. In the kitchen, several children helped make pizzas, which were then fired in our new brick oven.
As Saturday came to a close, the children could be seen zigzagging across the Gonpa, engrossed in the challenges of a treasure hunt. It was heartwarming to watch the group working together, older ones carrying little ones in order to keep up with the rest. Once they had claimed their booty— ingredients for “smores”—they gathered around a fire to roast marshmallows.
The children’s time together came to an end on Sunday as they put away their craft supplies and released worms in the flower gardens near the pond. We warmly thank all those who made this weekend possible and look forward to next year’s children’s retreat.
Early in August, almost a dozen sangha children gathered at Rigdzin Ling for a long weekend. Bruce Darby and Nancy Barton had begun to plan for the gathering back in the spring and were delighted when Glenn Sandvoss agreed to participate.
Glenn had only to bring out a bag of clay for the children to be instantly intrigued; in no time at all, myriad images began to appear. Bruce helped the children make drums, and Nancy showed them how to fashion a simple kite from a paper bag. Some tried their hand at juggling; others tried walking on stilts. They climbed trees, played tag, and ran with our many dogs. The number one fun activity, however, was water play: the pond provided hours and hours of fun, sometimes rowdy, sometimes calm.
On Saturday the children were introduced to various ritual instruments in the shrine room and, without much ado, began playing together vigorously. The sounds they made filled the room like a powerful, spontaneous puja. Later, upstairs in the costume room, they had a chance to try on a few of the masks that are used in lama dancing. In the kitchen, several children helped make pizzas, which were then fired in our new brick oven.
As Saturday came to a close, the children could be seen zigzagging across the Gonpa, engrossed in the challenges of a treasure hunt. It was heartwarming to watch the group working together, older ones carrying little ones in order to keep up with the rest. Once they had claimed their booty— ingredients for “smores”—they gathered around a fire to roast marshmallows.
The children’s time together came to an end on Sunday as they put away their craft supplies and released worms in the flower gardens near the pond. We warmly thank all those who made this weekend possible and look forward to next year’s children’s retreat.
Early in August, almost a dozen sangha children gathered at Rigdzin Ling for a long weekend. Bruce Darby and Nancy Barton had begun to plan for the gathering back in the spring and were delighted when Glenn Sandvoss agreed to participate.
Glenn had only to bring out a bag of clay for the children to be instantly intrigued; in no time at all, myriad images began to appear. Bruce helped the children make drums, and Nancy showed them how to fashion a simple kite from a paper bag. Some tried their hand at juggling; others tried walking on stilts. They climbed trees, played tag, and ran with our many dogs. The number one fun activity, however, was water play: the pond provided hours and hours of fun, sometimes rowdy, sometimes calm.
On Saturday the children were introduced to various ritual instruments in the shrine room and, without much ado, began playing together vigorously. The sounds they made filled the room like a powerful, spontaneous puja. Later, upstairs in the costume room, they had a chance to try on a few of the masks that are used in lama dancing. In the kitchen, several children helped make pizzas, which were then fired in our new brick oven.
As Saturday came to a close, the children could be seen zigzagging across the Gonpa, engrossed in the challenges of a treasure hunt. It was heartwarming to watch the group working together, older ones carrying little ones in order to keep up with the rest. Once they had claimed their booty— ingredients for “smores”—they gathered around a fire to roast marshmallows.
The children’s time together came to an end on Sunday as they put away their craft supplies and released worms in the flower gardens near the pond. We warmly thank all those who made this weekend possible and look forward to next year’s children’s retreat.
Early in August, almost a dozen sangha children gathered at Rigdzin Ling for a long weekend. Bruce Darby and Nancy Barton had begun to plan for the gathering back in the spring and were delighted when Glenn Sandvoss agreed to participate.
Glenn had only to bring out a bag of clay for the children to be instantly intrigued; in no time at all, myriad images began to appear. Bruce helped the children make drums, and Nancy showed them how to fashion a simple kite from a paper bag. Some tried their hand at juggling; others tried walking on stilts. They climbed trees, played tag, and ran with our many dogs. The number one fun activity, however, was water play: the pond provided hours and hours of fun, sometimes rowdy, sometimes calm.
On Saturday the children were introduced to various ritual instruments in the shrine room and, without much ado, began playing together vigorously. The sounds they made filled the room like a powerful, spontaneous puja. Later, upstairs in the costume room, they had a chance to try on a few of the masks that are used in lama dancing. In the kitchen, several children helped make pizzas, which were then fired in our new brick oven.
As Saturday came to a close, the children could be seen zigzagging across the Gonpa, engrossed in the challenges of a treasure hunt. It was heartwarming to watch the group working together, older ones carrying little ones in order to keep up with the rest. Once they had claimed their booty— ingredients for “smores”—they gathered around a fire to roast marshmallows.
The children’s time together came to an end on Sunday as they put away their craft supplies and released worms in the flower gardens near the pond. We warmly thank all those who made this weekend possible and look forward to next year’s children’s retreat.
