Sugar Plums Dance

     The stigmatized crainiofacial anomalies students, happily (?), gradually began to internalized that they had to accept being less attractive to society, but that they could and would find friends.  Especially, while building our Gingerbread houses for the holidays.  (These diverse kids from multiple cultures had no preconceived architectural designs for ginger, correction, graham cracker houses.) We talked about how, if they asked for help, they could build their own future.  Math lessons for kindergarten through fifth grade involved calculating the number of crackers all the way to perimeters, areas and windows. The calculations for how many ounces of frosting were needed to keep their adobes, pyramids, cabins, et cectra entertained us the most.  Clean up had everyone volunteering.  Licking up the cemented errors on the construction site.  Friendships formed as they share building techniques.
     I summarized that they had practiced, if only for the moment, how to share our precious gifts of attention, tolerance and being better at, but not better than, others.  You do not have to look good to feel good.  To keep the good feelings, the instructions for Winter Break included contemplating and remembering the feelings each time that they looked at their Gingerbread house. They, too, could 'let sugar plums dance in their heads.'  Some "Candy Thoughts" to dance in their heads, that I continued using, came from Mrs. H.  Her bagged candy creative message:

• Lifesavers to remind you of the many times others need your help and you need theirs
  
• Butterfingers to remind you that everyone makes mistakes - remember to forgive and ask forgiveness from others
  
• Snickers to remind you to always smile, enjoy life and our friendship
  
• Sweet & Sour candies to help you appreciate the differences in others
  

     So, to all the Santas out there.  What's in 'their' socks to make sugar plums dance in their heads?

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