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Teaching Guide for Adain's First Full Moon Circle
Written and Illustrated by W. Lyon Martin

About the book:
A young boy attends his first public spiritual celebration, a circle to honor the full Moon.  In addition to Aidan's story, the author/illustrator has incorporated a side story: Seamus the Squirrel is gathering acorns for the winter.  The illustrations of Aidan's story have pictures of acorns hidden in them for the reader to count and find.

About the guide:
This guide includes discussion questions and projects appropriate for book clubs, literature circles, library, home and classroom discussions. It is intended to provoke thought and insight into the subject and themes of this book including an understanding of Pagan spirituality.

Pre-reading Activity:
Give each child a blank piece of paper or have them open to a clean page if they are using a writing journal. Ask them if they have ever been excited or nervous about going to a new place, or trying something new.  Have them write about it or draw pictures to express their experiences.  Share.

Discussion Guide:
Why is Aidan nervous about attending the Circle with the Coven? (predictive question)
What role does drumming play in the Circle and ritual?
Why does Aidan think that he has done something wrong? (predictive question)
What other things could Aidan have done to make himself more comfortable casting the circle?
Each Full Moon of the year has a special name (January: Wolf Moon, February: Snow Moon, March: Worm Moon, April: Pink Moon, May: Flower Moon, June: Strawberry Moon, July: Buck Moon, August: Sturgeon Moon, September: Harvest Moon, October: Hunter's Moon, November: Beaver Moon, December Cold Moon) Discuss the meaning and history of moon names (http://obs.nineplanets.org/psc/fullmoons.html).  As students what they would call the moon of the month they are currently in.  Draw or write in journal and discuss and share.
Why does Aidan cast the circle in a clockwise direction.  What would moving the staff in a counterclockwise direction do?
What do you know North, South, East and West to mean?  How is it different in this story?  How is it the same (the same concept can be applied to “circle” and “element”--see vocabulary words)?
Why do Aidan and the Coven members place their hands on the ground after the energy release?  What do you think they are trying to do?
At the end of the story, Aidan sees a deer and fawn in the woods.  Look at the illustration that accompanies this part of the story.  After he splashes his face and opens his eyes, the animals are gone, but Aidan says that he as seen a goddess—the Divine/God in female form.  Do you think that he has?  Why or why not?
The Full Moon Circle is a religious/spiritual event for Aidan.  How is it similar to your religious/spiritual practices?  How is it different?

Projects Across the Curriculum:
Language Arts:
Vocabulary words (can be found in the back of the book):  Define and discuss (how are the meanings of some of the words in the story different from the meanings that you know?): circle, cast circle, coven, earth power, elements, harvest moon, high priestess, release, ritual, wicca/wiccan, ley lines, clockwise.
Personification: Define personification (a figure of speech that gives an inanimate object or abstract idea human traits and qualities, such as emotions, desires, sensations, physical gestures and speech).  When Aidan arrives at the site for the circle, he thinks “the tree branches mimicked hands reaching for the sky.”  Take students on a nature walk.  Have them apply personification to natural objects that they find.  Write or draw observations in a writing journal.

Music:
Drumming was part of the ritual that Aidan attended.  Have the students sit in a circle.  Pass a hand drum around and have each student tap out a beat.  Discuss the sounds and rhythms?  What do they inspire or make you visualize?

Art:
Aidan's First Full Moon Circle is actually two stories in one.  There is Aidan's experience, and there is also that of Seamus the squirrel who is storing nuts for the winter.   W. Lyon Martin incorporated pictures of acorns into the illustrations of Aidan's story as a find and seek activity.  Have students choose an object, then create an illustration from a favorite story embedding/incorporating images of the object into it.  Use illustrations from Aidan's First Full Moon Circle as a model.

Math:
Find and count the acorns hidden in each picture.  Add the totals of each illustration together to get a grand total.

Science:
Discuss the phases of the moon and how they effect life on earth.  Track the moon's phases by making a moon phase magnet. 

This guide was created by Natalie Zaman, a NJ Certified Teacher (English K-12), co-author of Graven Images Oracle (www.gravenimagesoracle.com) and an editor, writer and co-founder of Broomstix, a new age online magazine for children (www.broomstix.com). 

Moon Phase Magnet
by Natalie Zaman

You can keep track of the moon on a daily basis (and do a little recycling at the same time!) by making a moon phase magnet.
You'll need:
Paper Moon and Shadow
Construction Paper
Glue
Scissors
Magnets (You can buy these at a craft store, but you may already have some. Many businesses give away business card sized magnets. Collect and save these—and make sure that they're not ones that folks in your house need!)

Print out the Moon and Shadow below and cut them out. If you don't have a printer, use a coffee or other large can to trace two circles—one on a blank piece of paper, and one on a black piece of paper, and cut them out. The black circle will be your shadow, and the blank circle (which you can color and decorate any way you want) will be your moon.
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 Glue your moon and shadow (print side up) to sheets of construction paper.
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Once the glue is dry, carefully cut them out so they retain their shape and size.
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Flip the moon and shadow over so that they are now construction paper side up.
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Cut up your magnets and glue them to the construction paper side of your moon and shadow—cover as much of the construction paper as possible without going over the edges—the more magnets, the better!
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Put your finished magnets on a metal surface—like your fridge.
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When the moon is new, place the shadow completely over the moon. As the days pass, move the shadow so that it reveals more of the moon underneath. If you're in doubt about how much to move, wait until it gets dark and have a look at the real thing!
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