Rainbow Institute
RI is an arm of Rainbow Community School that seeks to inspire a holistic education movement through transformative learning experiences, resources and research. The work of RI is inspired by the holistic educational model known as the Rainbow Seven Domains approach. RI strives to help individuals, educators and institutions nurture the spiritual identities of all community members by inviting the sacred into the school experience. Each RI blog post will offer reflections on various spiritual domain happenings at RCS and will share transferrable and adaptable lessons and resources. We hope that these posts will serve as a resource for you and your organization.
~ West Willmore,
Co-Founder of Rainbow Institute
Be the Change
In 2012 Rainbow Community School (RCS) was selected as an Ashoka Changemaker School, a network of schools that empower students as changemakers by prioritizing empathy, leadership, and collaborative problem-solving as student outcomes. They recognize the capacities of...
Points of Connection
Connection and community at Rainbow is often nurtured through rituals, traditions or celebrations that mark the passage of time. We begin the school year with an opening ceremony during which the entire school comes together to offer blessings and intentions for the...
Mind In A Jar
The integrated RCS curriculum fosters learning in a holistic way. This approach is void of the restrictions often imposed by teaching discreet subjects. Purposeful integration acknowledges, builds on and reinforces the existing relationships between subject...
The Philosopher’s Box
Rainbow Community School had a special guest this week! Best-selling author and Ph.D., Lisa Miller, toured our school. Lisa authored The Spiritual Child and is also the head of clinical psychology at Columbia University Teachers College. She has conducted and compiled...
The Co-Creation of Centering Altars
An altar is commonly associated with a religious purpose. It is often a structure or space, considered sacred, on which offerings are placed and used in a rite or ritual. However, we often create altars to honor various things that aren't necessarily associated with a...
Walking the Talk is a Journey Not a Destination
We live in a time of uncertainty, in a world that is unpredictable and in a society that is, in some cases, changing rapidly and in others stuck. Nevertheless, our work as educators is more important now than ever. As an organization, we aim to live our mission...
Only Love Can Do That
Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. –Martin Luther King Jr. Rainbow Community School is governed by light and founded on love. Connection to oneself, others, the natural world and the...
Harnessing the Power of the Circle
Teaching thematically Integrated thematic units are considered best practice at Rainbow. Thematic lessons are layered in both discipline and in learning domain. Layering in this way encourages theme engagement from many angles and through many lenses. This allows...
Strengthening your light in the season of darkness
The week back to school after a long winter break is often buzzing with excitement and anticipation. During these days, children will share stories of their time apart, celebrate coming back together and show enthusiasm for what is to come. Time is also set aside for...
Bringing the spirit back into the holidays
Centering practices aim to strengthen our learning community by inviting spirit and sacredness into each space and each day. At RCS, we see this daily practice as a meaningful ritual that is integral to a child's healthy spiritual development....
There is a field, I’ll meet you there
Rainbow's centering curriculum aims to support the spiritual identity development of each learner through various contemplative, mindfulness and meditative practices. It also serves to cultivate a strong class coherence and foster a collective wisdom through...
The Present Moment is All You Ever Have
The centering rituals, although all rooted in mindfulness and in sacred spirit, vary from Rainbow classroom to Rainbow classroom. For example, the middle school, known as Omega, opens each centering with a reflection on a quote, a lyric, or a blessing. As centering...
Listening Conferences: A Deep Listening Activity
The words of American spiritual teacher and author Ram Dass encourage us to live FULLY, in the present moment, without judgement. How do you achieve this? What practices do you embrace? “Be Here Now” for example, calls on mindfulness practice. “The quieter you become,...
Turning Routine into Ritual
Fall is here and fall break has likely come and gone for many of us. This season often brings a lot of transition for our students. These transitions are embedded in the rhythms of the natural world, the energy around celebrations and holidays, and within...
The Three Questions
Daily centering practice is a part of every Rainbow classroom. These practices, although all anchored in the Rainbow Spiritual Domain Learning Outcomes, take on many shapes and forms and evolve based on the learning needs of the children and the passions of the...
Gratitude Jars
The beginning of an RCS school year serves as a rite of passage for every student and their classroom community. This time is symbolic of rebirth, renewal, a new beginning- a fresh start. RCS teachers begin by creating a sacred and safe foundation in which the...
Return with Elixir
Summer is a breeding ground for travel, adventure, and memory making. Its long days, breaks from school and work, flexible schedules also yield down time, rest, and a chance to turn inward and reflect. Having said this, I share with you an inspiring centering activity...
Nature as Divine Teacher
A culture that is permeated by a materialist philosophy sees the Earth as a commodity- a resource to bought, sold, quantified and controlled. In this view- humans are separate from nature instead of interdependent. Many of the educational methods at Rainbow aim to...