AGREEMENTS REGARDING CHILDREN

The guiding principles that set the context for the agreements are:

Respect/Respond (Respect people/respect things)

Support

Protect

Agreements:

RESPECT PEOPLE - When on wheels (bikes, skateboards, scooters) 1) slow down 2) give respectful warning 3) pass safely

- Be kind to each other; don?t hurt their feelings or their bodies

- Make sure everybody in the game is a player (especially before engaging in games of physical contact)

- Knock before entering a house; obey the flag (some people put out a flag at their homes when they prefer not to have visitors)

- Kids are not allowed in houses without adults.

RESPECT THINGS - Bikes/skateboards/scooters on paths only; No riding bikes/skateboards/scooters on steps

- Use of spigots/hoses only with adult permission

- Pee in a bathroom; in the orchard is o.k.

- Be gentle with plants/trees

- Only pick ripe fruit

- Toys or vehicles belong off the paths

- Take care of things/don?t break things (if something does break, tell an adult)

These agreements will really work if parents engage with their children about them. To help the kids learn these agreements, Ana has volunteered to work with the older kids to do a performance piece about these agreements for the younger kids. And the next step for parents collectively is to have a meeting with the kids where the kids can take ownership of these agreements and help enforce them themselves.