Why on Earth did a bunch of 3-year olds learn the word “synchronicity”?

I had the great pleasure of presenting some workshops on awareness-boosting activities and storytelling the Annie Ant’s Awareness book at Earth Frequency Festival this month.

We experienced a wonderful time camping with my crew in a special ‘Family Camping’ section, which in my opinion is a brilliant idea for festivals! It meant that the late-night party-goers (or 4am returners) were not waking us sleep-deprived parents or tired children. It also meant that when the kids got up at the crack of dawn they could all sit around and chat together or play games that didn’t bother adults who were not used to the noise of rambunctious little people.

As a mum this felt invaluable for me, because everyone camping around us were also parents I didn’t feel stressed when my kids were being a bit loud or boisterous. As I sometimes do at other festival campsites when I know old mate next door has probably only had an hour sleep; or on errands in busy places where the general public doesn’t understand or remember how to be empathetic with children.

I was also able to send love to the mama camping behind us when her baby awoke and cried in the night. I am sure she felt more comfortable and relaxed tending to her baby’s needs than she would have if surrounded by a group of non-parent festival goers.

As I grow my own awareness and self-reflections I realise that this is a real trigger for me (worrying about what others think/feel about my children and their behaviour). I know when we are triggered it can cause us to react in less compassionate ways than we would normally choose. I am working to become unconditioned from this vice, but until then it feels good to surround myself with people who understand – other mamas and papas!

Now, back to the story of synchronicity…

So there I was in my first workshop with a bunch of lovely children and their parents.

I do have a set of activities to do with older kids who are obviously better able to grasp the concepts of mindfulness and emotional intelligence. However, the group on this particular morning were mostly 3 and 4 year olds. I adjusted accordingly.

We sang some songs, did some basic breathing and movement exercises and before I lost their attention we launched into the story.

“Annie was an angry ant,

she always seemed to fuss and rant,

her mind was dark,

her face was mad…”

They enjoyed making their scary, mad faces back at me.

“And at the park she still stayed sad.”

“Other creatures were all so scared,

Her temper tantrums were most feared.”

Little Annie the ant didn’t know how to deal with her big feelings.

As the story flowed on, different children in the group pointed out how her actions affected the energy, plants and animals around her. They could see the flowers wilting, the flowerpot cracking and her friends feeling worried.

Fantastic perceptions for children so young!

Thankfully, in the story, Annie decides to take a great leap and learn the connections between her thoughts, feelings and actions – a big step towards emotional intelligence and self-regulation.

It is not that feelings are “good” or “bad”. They are just emotions, reactions to life.

E-MOTIONS or Energy in Motion moving through us.

We can learn how to release the energy in healthy (not harmful) ways and consciously direct the energy in motion with our intention and attention through our body-mind field.

Often people will shift to anger (kind of like a defence) to avoid feeling the more painful emotions underneath. Things like sadness, fear and disappointment. When anger is repressed or ‘not heard’ the person may turn inwards and it becomes depression.

The saying “You gotta feel it to heal it” rings true. The first step to releasing emotions or truly hearing others in their feelings is to accept and acknowledge them, the full spectrum.

Basically, learning about emotions from a young age helps children to name how they are feeling, explore what they need and find solutions. Having this language and skills makes it easier for other children and adults around them to work together towards connection and resolve. This in turn builds resilience for individuals and families.

Synchronicity… Thoughts become things!

So, there we were reading Annie Ant’s Awareness at Earth Frequency and we get to the part about how our thoughts create our reality. As Annie skims a stone across the water she thinks about how she would like to eat an apple. Most people cannot see it, but the form of her thought ripples out across the space-time continuum (as it does when each of us has a thought that simultaneously flows inwards and outwards through the cosmos).

Lo and behold, the giant old apple tree reaches out and passes Annie an apple.

That is synchronicity I tell the children. Thoughts become things.

Where our attention goes, energy flows.

What your mind can conceive and believe, you can achieve!

It is an understanding of these mental models that result in some of the most successful (and hopefully happily fulfilled) people on the planet.

A few pages later we get to the part where Annie is expanding her awareness. The sacred geometry of the Flower of Life spreads out from her activated, growing heart.

The children are all smiling, feeling happy for Annie the ant and peaceful in themselves as we take some deep breaths in and out, expanding our own awareness.

Suddenly, one child shouts out, “bubbles!”

They all start to join in, “bubbles, bubbles, BUBBLES!!!”

For at least a minute they are smiling and clapping at the picture, “bubbles!”

When that all calms down we move on with the story… A few pages later the children start shouting again, “bubbles, bubbles, BUBBLES!”

They are even more excited this time, some standing up and running around.

I notice that they are pointing, but not at the book anymore.

I follow their gaze and look behind me.

A MAGICIAN has arrived out of nowhere and is blowing giant BUBBLES that the children are going crazy for. Seriously some of these bubbles are big enough to fit a small child inside (will try that experiment another time!)

After the magician appologised for interrupting story-time, and the kids had calmed down from magical giant bubble madness, we reflected on what had just happened.

We turned back to the bubble page that had initially gotten the children so excited.

“How’s that for instant manifestation?!” exclaimed one of the mums.

The children’s eyes widened in amazement as they thought about how their thinking and singing out about bubbles could have attracted the magician to them at that very moment!

“This is synchronicity.” I smiled at them as their mouths opened in wonder.

“Can you say synchronicity?”

“Syn…chron…icity… SYNCHRONICITY!” they cheered.

I wonder what they will be experiencing more of now…