The power of prayer. Or something like that.
By The Horse
@TheHorse (205831)
Walnut Creek, California
October 8, 2016 4:17pm CST
I had a funny and enjoyable experience yesterday at the preschool in Berkeley. One of my young friends had been told, No, you can't play with us! by two of her peers. She did what any sensible 3-year-old would do: She climbed the play structure and cried heartily.
I went over to her and asked her if she wanted to build a Mishkan with me. A Mishkan is a portable place of prayer and reflection. Moses and the Jews built them, according to legend, as they moved across the desert from Egypt to The Promised Land.
She said yes, and I passed her pieces of wood as she constructed a wooden structure atop the play structure. She then proceeded to sit in it, her tears reduced to a convincing pout.
After about five minute of reflection in her Mishkan, she got up and looked around. Another peer asked her if she wanted to build another Mishkan with her. She said yes, and the two of them spent the next half-hour of free play time working on a new Mishkan in anther part of the play area.
I helped them a bit, and then quietly slipped way. I'll attach a picture of my young friend pouting in her Mishkan. I'll add the other two I took in the Comments section.
25 people like this
23 responses
@TheHorse (205831)
• Walnut Creek, California
8 Oct 16
Yep, redirection is a powerful tool for working with kids of this age. I wanted to support her and validate her sadness. Making the Mishkan was perfect, because it focused her attention, but still allowed her to be sad for awhile longer if she so chose. When she rose to check things out, she wasn't as tired as she looks in the photo. I think I just caught her blinking.
9 people like this
@vandana7 (98834)
• India
9 Oct 16
@TheHorse ..So cute...my princess is now allowed to go to school...they do some religious function...yesterday they did that...oh boy she was fighting to come to my place...smh...they had tough time to make her sit and complete that ritual. She only went back when allowed her to take my cell phone..lol. An year or two later, we won't be this close...right?
5 people like this
@vandana7 (98834)
• India
16 Oct 16
@TheHorse .. I am sorry I do not like Jimmy Hendrix or Janice Joplin or Amy Winehouse. I have not even heard Zappa and Sublime..tomorrow then I will let you know..what if at all I think of them.
And you wouldn't fool me if I were not willing to be fooled..lol. I am a grown up Pony!!!
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205831)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Oct 16
@vandana7 I wonder if one would have to be American (or perhaps British) to fully appreciate Jimi Hendrix. The Blues grew up in America and became popular among the British. Hendrix basically mixed the Blues with a healthy dose of LSD, which was popular among hipsters in the 1960s and 1970s. Actually, I think heroin was his undoing, though.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40056)
• Laguna Woods, California
9 Oct 16
You are very thoughtful in the way you deal with children. Some adults just don't "get it." 
5 people like this
@GardenGerty (157563)
• United States
8 Oct 16
So many times we rush in to "Make kids play fair" when with a little time and distraction all can be made well and kids can enjoy new experiences.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Oct 16
I was not familiar with a Mishkan but it is a great idea, one I think all parents and child caregivers could use as a tool. Very effective.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Oct 16
@TheHorse I like the idea of it being a Miskkan though, I am Christian but that is just another part of the Jewish tradition in my mind.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205831)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Oct 16
@BelleStarr Yep. I call myself a non-denominational Judeo-Christian. A Mishkan can be any "sanctuary." When I go to a church and maybe light a candle, and then just sit, I feel a sense of peace. But our sanctuary can be a river bank, a mountain top, or anywhere we happen to find ourselves. It's the idea of walking away from a conflict and reflecting that matters.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
16 Oct 16
what a fascinating creation
2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
16 Oct 16
@TheHorse I rather like that age, good for the soul
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
8 Oct 16
You handled that very well, for a psychologist. No, really you did. I just had to throw that in,
3 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
8 Oct 16
@TheHorse 
Hey wait, me too, can't stand it.
Hey wait, me too, can't stand it.3 people like this
@TheHorse (205831)
• Walnut Creek, California
8 Oct 16
@JamesHxstatic As soon as I tap my desk exactly eight times, I'll get back to some reading and commenting.
3 people like this
@paigea (35705)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
Did you explain to her what a Mishkan was? I am trying to think how to use this idea on the playground at recess.
I worked at a school where we were required to use guided imagery. We were provided very specific scripts we had to read to the childre to take them on a "journey". This was a cultural thing but didn't fit with my mindset. But I approached it from the idea of a book. i had loved as a child. Long story short, I came to love doing the guided imagry witb my class. They learned to think things tbrough. Academic things and personal things.
4 people like this
@TheHorse (205831)
• Walnut Creek, California
9 Oct 16
This little girl is from Israel, and her parents are both Jewish, I think. Our teachers discuss the Mishkan in the classroom, so I'm pretty sure she knows what a Mishkan is. Her Hebrew is better than her English, but her English is improving rapidly, so I was able to communicate with her in English (I speak about ten Hebrew words). Can you elaborate a bit more on "guided imagery"? I'm not sure if that's a part of my repertoire or not.
3 people like this
@paigea (35705)
• Canada
9 Oct 16
@TheHorse I think guided imagery might be called visualization? I am not sure. This was at a First Nations school. The students put their heads down, closed their eyes. Soft music was played and the light dimmed. The scripts involved walking along a path, giving problems to the "grandfather rock", feeling the sun, and deriving strength from that, and seeing all sorts of other things. Each subsequent script became more complex. I read them, without really being able to relate to them.
But as a child, one of my favourite stories was Tommy and the Wishing Stone. ( an ancient book) Tommy goes on adventures when he makes wishes. He turns into a meadow mouse and then other animals and learns what it's like to be hunted, teased by a boy, etc.
First I read those stories to the class to give them the idea of a "journey". Then I did the required guided imagery. Some fell asleep, all grew more calm and able to think.
I don't have those scripts any more, so can't really remember what was in them
2 people like this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
8 Oct 16
If only everyone would spend time in prayer and reflection before rejoining their groups when they are sad or angry. A nice teaching moment!
3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
16 Oct 16
Disappointments always bring other emotions to the surface, pony...
You did a good job by helping her let it all out so she could move on from the hurt! 
You ARE good with kids!
You ARE good with kids! 2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
10 Oct 16
i love this story :) we all need a place such's this'n to build ones own serves a bit 's a distraction from what's ailin'. what a cutie!
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
12 Oct 16
@TheHorse i'll try to keep 'p, hon. i've been 'iffy' here 'f late.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
11 Oct 16
I had to go look at the photos first, charming photos and the idea of making them think of something else is a great idea. I have never heard of a Mishkan so thank you for sharing it with us.
2 people like this
@Daljinder (23233)
• Bangalore, India
16 Oct 16
We live and learn! I learned something new for today. Thank you!
The girl is just absolutely adorable....I saw other pictures too...! 
2 people like this
@TheHorse (205831)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Oct 16
Incredibly, she actually used the permanent (indoor) Mishkan the next day when someone rejected her. She went In, reflected for only a minute or two, and then came out and said "Will you play with me?" to the same girl she'd played with the day before. I think they became mommy and baby kitties.
