to a story. Generally we sing for ten or fifteen minutes at the beginning of the chapel. The vast majority arrive for the first sing-along song but this setup allows for children with a parent to arrive during the singing and join right in. At the close of the sing-along, there is a song we sing each time that says “Now it’s time for our story.” We then tell the story. Depending on the story, this segment lasts from five to fifteen minutes, though most of the stories presented in this book can be told in about eight to twelve minutes. You will note there are a number of shorter stories. Sometimes it is fun to share two stories (companion tales) in one session that explore one idea in a couple of ways. We close with a theme-related sing-along. Half an hour is a good length of time for chapel through second grade.
At many schools where the parents are not a part of the equation, the children come to chapel with their classes, sit with their group, and leave with their teachers. This allows for the chapel to be held at a convenient time for all the classes.
Having parents at chapel has many benefits, but with young children, saying goodbye is a bit more of a challenge. These children have gotten used to saying goodbye to their parents at the classroom door and getting on with their school day. For a child to have a parent sit and sing and listen to a story at school with them is very special, so separating after chapel can be difficult. At our school, for years the parents said “goodbye” to the children in the chapel space and the young children gathered with their teachers to return to the classroom. This often resulted in at least one crying child while another is still clinging to a parent’s leg. This will happen on occasion no matter what you do. However we have found that by having the parents walk with their children to the classroom following chapel, the children fall into a known routine—saying goodbye at the classroom door. It has made a huge difference. Many of the discoveries we have made seem obvious once they are in place, but not until then. So we continue to observe the children and discuss any problems to see if we can adjust to make the experience more meaningful.
Our Chapel Format
Our chapels consist of singing and sharing a story. Each chapel we begin by singing songs from our chapel songbook. Following a period of singing (around ten minutes), the school’s director joins us and we announce, “Page one!” Page one provides the lyrics to the song (“Chapel Story Time” found on page 233) we sing at every chapel before the story. The director then welcomes everyone, makes a brief comment about the day’s story, and acknowledges the group that made the artwork that will accompany the story.
The story is then told. Following the story, the director reflects on how it relates to life at school. Then she announces the name and page number of the thematically selected sing-along song. After the entire group sings the song, the director directs the families to accompany their children to their classrooms.
The format offered above is excellent for very young children. This basic outline can be expanded upon for older children (first through fifth grades). Singing together is welcome with any age group; with older children you can sing more verses of songs as well as ones with more complicated music. Often a class will prepare a special song to open or close a chapel. You can expand the story by including the students as singers or actors (or narrators). The refrains are in good keys for young singers. Some schools also have students read a passage from the Bible to accompany the story. At Saint Mark’s School in Altadena, California, students light and extinguish the candles on the altar followed by a moment of silence to appreciate the flame (or smoke). Often the chapel in elementary grades is also a time for announcements. Trinity School in New York City uses chapel as an opportunity to share anecdotes of when students helped someone. Actively involving the children in the chapel gatherings should be a focus of elementary chapels.
The Stories
Stories are the centerpiece of our chapel program. There are many excellent stories that can be used for a chapel gathering. Picture books, folktales, personal stories, and Bible stories can all contribute to a vibrant program. Picture books for young children offer a story they can revisit on their own or with others. Folktales demonstrate to children that we learn from many cultures. Personal stories remind children that everyone has experiences in common and that we learn from events in others’ lives. Bible stories offer a wealth and depth of story that is central to our culture. In Building a Children’s Chapel, the vast majority of stories are Bible stories; for this volume folktales from around the world have been selected and retold especially for chapel gatherings. Refrains have been created for many of the stories; the pacing and intent have been attended to with care for the young listener. As with the Bible stories in the previous volume, the stories have been crafted to be meaningful for quite young, while still exciting for older children. Likewise, the stories chosen are deep and significant and not dumbed down for younger children, but rather told in a way they can be engaged.
Pay attention to pronouns in animal stories. There is a tendency in all of us to assign pronouns according to our sense of a particular animal. For instance, without even thinking, a bear or lion will become a “he” and a kitty or bunny will be a “she.” With the story game “Going on a Bear Hunt,” I specifically call the bear a “she” throughout. Sometimes after the story I will lead a storytelling follow-up so the children can express their ideas. I say, “Well after the bear’s picnic, some of the children went home; some went to the movies; some went to the ice cream shop. What do you think the bear did?” Most of the time, even with having said “she” for the bear multiple times, the children will suggest, “He went back to his cave” or “He went to get pizza.” You will note in this volume that sometimes I have assigned “she” to many animals to try and balance the book with important male and female characters. I have also used “it” for animals at times, but find when they are main characters, it is easier for the children to relate to either a “he” or a “she” than an “it.”* You do not need to try and remember which character is a “he” or “she”; it is more just being aware of how you are using your pronouns. This is part of our goal for Making Room for Everyone—using he/she/it and they and being aware that the Bible stories are heavily weighted toward male main characters.
You will also note that often the main character in a story has a specific name. When I found these stories, sometimes the characters had names and sometimes they were just “the young girl” or “the little boy.” With our focus on and openness to different cultures, it seems like a nice chance to normalize what might at first seem like unusual names. By having these names used in stories, children listening will come to like the names and if some of the listeners know the name, it will reassure them of their special place in our community.
The stories in this book were told many times before they were written down. They were told in many different ways and in a variety of languages. The fact that they have been written down does not mean that they are now in a definitive form. You are reading the stories the way that I tell them. I have often added songs or repeated phrases that were not found in the source material. I like to think that telling these stories aloud releases them back into the oral tradition. This allows them to stay alive and for you to let them grow with
