A Wisdom School for Children & Youth

WISDOM WALK WORDS™

…..A 14 Day Parent/Child Journey Into Greater Awareness of Self & Others

Dr. Marsha A. Tongel

WISDOM WALK WORDS

Copyright ©2012 All Rights Reserved - Marsha Tongel

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Today’s world is fraught with misunderstanding, miscommunication, and the

mistreatment of others. From bullying to actual violence we can see the

result of lack of character in individuals and poor relationship development

with others.

Wisdom Walk Words

provides parents with an opportunity to take a little

time each day over a two week period to journey with their child into a

greater awareness of self and others. Each day a wisdom thought is offered

for parents to explore and discuss with their child. These wisdom thoughts

are not necessarily new, but seem to be lost in our current high tech, low

touch, social media world.

May you find this journey to be fun and enriching for both you and your

child…..

Blessings…

Dr. Marsha A. Tongel

Give thanks and express gratitude

for all you are and all you have

Every moment and everything in your life is a gift. What do you do when you

get a gift? You thank the giver. Take time every day to thank the universe for all

that you are and all that you have been given.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Make list of everything that you are grateful for. Have your child do the same.

Share the lists and discuss.

WALKING WORDS

When I fill my heart with gratitude, my life becomes a joy.

Appreciate Mother Earth and use

her resources wisely

We live on one planet which has limited resources to keep us alive, such as

clean water, air, etc. Sometimes we take both our planet and its resources for

granted and misuse what we have been given.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Think of two things that you should do that would positively affect our planet’s

resources such as plant a tree or garden, recycle, use less plastic, etc.

WALKING WORDS

Today I will send a hug to every tree I see and a kiss to every flower and thank

Mother Earth for all the beauty she shares.

Honor your breath and the gift of life

you have been given

In the hub bub of daily life we often sink into auto pilot of moving here and

there and doing this and that. We feel that the more connected and active we

are, the more alive we are. Yet it is in our stillness and our breath that we really

honor our life.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Shut off all electronics (TV, computer, cell phones, X boxes, etc.) and sit and be

still with your child. Focus on each other’s breath and realize its importance.

WALKING WORDS

I honor each breath that I take.

Use your talents and share your gifts

Everyone has a purpose in life and comes into this world with gifts and talents

to share with others. Often, life is just a journey to discover that important gift

that you have to share and the things that attract us are part of that self-

exploration.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Start your journey by making lists of what you and your child find interesting- a

new skill, craft, subject or language. Think of ways that you can explore those

interests together such as doing research on the Internet, meeting and talking

to someone who specializes in that area or even taking a class together. Or

think of a talent or skill that you currently have that could be shared with others

in your family or community.

WALKING WORDS

I will begin to unwrap the gifts within me to share with others.

You are part of the web of life, use your

words & gifts to strengthen rather than

destroy the web

We are all part of the web of life and what we do to others we do to ourselves.

Each of us has a purpose within the web and anytime we sever the web we

cause a disconnection.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Have your child think of different ways that we are part of the web of life. Then

research together the various ways that our society is breaking or destroying

this web such as cutting down rain forests and dumping waste into the oceans.

Think of ways together that you can work to strengthen the web of life in your

everyday actions such as not buying certain items or eating certain foods or

boycotting particular stores.

WALKING WORDS

I see myself as part of the larger web of life and respect the importance for all

parts and everything within the web.

Respect all of life

All life has value. All people of all cultures have value. Some of our deepest

problems in society are due to a lack of respect for the value of ALL of life,

starting with the smallest, nastiest insect. Actions, such as being cruel to

animals, start emanate from having disrespect for living things. This attitude

can easily and quickly accelerate resulting in a lack of value for human life. And

it gets exaggerated when much of our television programs and movies reflect

this disrespect for life by showing the disposability of life. If we want to change

our society we need to begin honoring all of life and realize that everything

makes a start there first.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Discuss with your child how they feel about violence and the violence that they

see on TV, in the movies or even the games that they play. How do they feel

that this has affected their life and actions? What changes could they make to

be more respectful of all of life?

WALKING WORDS

I honor the life in everything and everyone that crosses my path.

Care for your body and your spirit When you care for your body, you are also caring for your spirit. Eating the right

foods, exercising, getting enough sleep and spending more time in nature help

you to develop a strong body. Being a peace with oneself and others helps to

nourish the spirit.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Along with your child, think of some the ways that you can better care for your

body and spirit. Maybe it means eating more nutritious meals or getting more

sleep. Possibly as a family you can provide more opportunities to exercise

together such as taking walks or biking or swimming. Or maybe there is a

mandatory ‘unplugging’ time when everyone shuts down the televisions,

computers or cell phones and takes time to just be with one another.

WALKING WORDS

I take time to take care of my body and my spirit.

Listen and learn from the experiences of your elders

Our society has overlooked the importance and value of the information, experience and even stories that our elders have to share. Elders are the wisdom keepers of society and provide a key link in understanding our history. In addition they pass on values and ethics through the morals and lessons they teach.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Seek out an elder in your family or community and ask them to share with you

and your child their ‘story’ and the wisdom they wish to share about life.

Afterwards discuss with your child what they learned and gained from the

conversation and how they may use this wisdom in their life.

WALKING WORDS

I welcome learning from the knowledge and experience of those who have

traveled further along life’s path.

Do something each day for head,

heart and hands We become better individuals when we continually strive to develop our selves.

We do this by learning something new each day (head); caring or doing

something for someone else each day (heart); and using our hands to create to

enhance our creative talents.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Together with your child look for something that you can do together for head,

hands and heart such as baking a new cookie recipe and sharing it with

neighbors or someone in a nursing home; planting flowers that you dry and use

to make gifts; or learning a new language together and then inviting someone

from that culture over for lunch. The ideas are limitless.

WALKING WORDS

Today I will become a better person by exercising the power of using my head,

heart and hands.

Uplift others through your actions

and words You never know what the person you meet or interact with may be going

through in their life. In our relationships, our words and actions can either be

depressing or foster negativity or spread cheerfulness and positive thoughts.

One kind word or a sincere smile can be uplifting to someone who is having a

tough day.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Think of a person or family that you know is going through a rough time. It could

be because of illness, death in the family, divorce or even someone losing a job.

With your child make a list of some things that you can do and say that could

uplift that person or family. Maybe it is cooking dinner or cleaning their

sidewalk or even taking their dog for a walk.

WALKING WORDS

I will greet everyone I meet today with kindness and a smile.

Support and provide aid to others All of us need a helping hand from time to time. It is comforting to know that

someone is there to support and help us when we most need it. And, generally,

these same folks will be there when we need a helping hand. This is especially

true when kids get confronted by bigger or bullying kids in school and feel they

are all alone.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Have your child think of someone - a sibling, playmate or a friend that may need

some support or a helping hand. Maybe they need someone to walk to school

with them; help them with homework; playing ball or doing some chores.

Discuss ways that your child can be more supportive and how you will support

your child in doing it.

WALKING WORDS

I am mindful of those around me that may need my support or an extra helping

hand and respond accordingly.

Practice forgiveness

All of us have been hurt by the words or actions of someone else. When

someone hurts us we can either hang on to the anger or resentment or even

thoughts of revenge, or let go, forgive and move forward. When we embrace

forgiveness we move towards greater physical, emotional and spiritual well-

being and a deeper and more enriching relationship with the other person. The

Hawaiians have a forgiveness practice called Ho’oponopono, which translates

into I love You, I’m Sorry, Please Forgive Me, and Thank You.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Share a time with your child when you found it difficult to forgive someone.

Explain how you felt and how that affected your life. What happened after you

forgave them? Ask your child to share with you who they may be having a

difficult time forgiving- sibling, friend, neighbor, family member, teacher etc.-

and why. Together ,look for ways that that they begin to practice forgiveness in

that relationship.

WALKING WORDS

Forgiveness helps me to love myself and others more.

Be of good character at all times Once you lose your character you lose the respect and trust of those around

you. It can take a long time to gain back that respect and trust. The best thing is

to always be a person that reflects good character in all your words and actions.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Ask your child to list what they think makes up a person of good character.

Discuss each item on the list and ask your child where they feel they may need

to improve their character and how you could best help them do that.

WALKING WORDS

I walk with my head high because I only speak and do out of the highest

qualities of trust, honesty, responsibility and respect.

Don’t judge others

All people of all cultures have value. Some of our deepest problems in society

are due to a lack of respect for the value of people who are different from us.

Yet it is these very same differences that add to the diversity and richness of

life. For example, think how boring life would be without Italian, Mexican,

Greek or Greek foods! Each culture’s stories, traditions, dress and food make

our life more fun and interesting.

PARENT/CHILD ACTIVITY

Have an honest discussion with your child about people that they dislike or even

hate and why. If it based on a particular culture, race or religion ask them why

they feel that way. Then explore the contributions and gifts from that culture,

race or religion. Ask your child if they could the reach out in friendship to

someone different so that they can get to know them in a different way, or

invite them to dinner to get to know them better.

WALKING WORDS

With every person I meet I break down the walls of my attitudes and

perceptions.

Wisdom Walk Words is part of a transmedia project that includes:

The LeGACY Wisdom School for Children and Youth is a multi-discipline, multi-generational

and multi-ethnic learning program that prepares children and youth in new ways to deal with current and emerging critical issues through ancient and indigenous elder teachings that recapture the wisdom, values and spirit that have enabled many cultures/societies to survive in the past. The teachings are offered on-line as well as through structured workshops and after school, camp and retreat programs.

Wisdom Snippets is a knowledge book that introduces children and youth to ‘snippets’ of wisdom

from various ancient cultures and disciplines through the Wisdom Keeper, Wisdom Words, Wisdom Walk exercises and Wisdom Affirmations.

In This Time of Brokenness….. A Grandmother Speaks is a story book about a

Grandmother who was sent by the “Wise Ones’ to teach children about the brokenness that is happening throughout our world right now and ways that they can rebuild from the brokenness to create a better world for all

The Adventures of Mystii and the Majestics is a fun, adventure tale, and a future

animated film traveling theatre production that teaches children about how to cope and live in today’s world using their special gifts and strengths.

Dr. Marsha Tongel is the thought leader behind LeGACY….a Wisdom School for Children & Youth. Her

organizational and educational background; interest in ancient and indigenous teachings; and concern

over how well prepared future generations will be to deal with the complex and multi-system problems

that they will be inheriting led her to develop the LeGACY program. LeGACY is a multi-discipline, multi-

generational and multi-ethnic learning program that prepares children and youth in new ways to deal with

current and emerging critical issues. The program offers children and youth teachings and tools from

various cultures and disciplines to help them evolve into the type of problem solvers, leaders, designers

and communicators needed to address global social, economic and environmental issues.

For more information email mtongel@aol.com