Lion and Lamb teaching respect, acceptance for 25 years

BLUFFTON — It may have looked like story time for the Bluffton first-graders visiting The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton University on Tuesday afternoon, but it was really much more.

“Enemy Pie” is a children's book about a boy changing an enemy into a friend. After reading the story, center Director Louise Matthews followed with a discussion about how to be a friend and how to be nice to others.

The center has taught messages of caring, respect and acceptance of others to thousands of children and adults since opening 25 years ago.

“I always use children's books to lay a foundation, whether children, college students or adults,” said Matthews, the center's director for the past eight years.

The Lion and Lamb will celebrate its 25th anniversary with an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. today. A two-day children's conference for third- through seventh-graders will be held Oct. 21 and 22. Participants of “Celebration of Peace: A Bridge Between Us” will consider the significance of common ground between people, and learn to build “bridges” of understanding and acceptance, through music, stories, art, cooperative games and multinational interaction.

The cost is $45 if registering by Monday, $55 by Oct. 4 and $75 later. For information or to register, go to http://j.mp/nz66lW.

The Lion and Lamb started in a small room in the school's library. School officials had said they would assess after three years. It moved into its new and current home on the lower level of Riley Court near the end of that third year.

The center's connection to the university has grown, Matthews said. Several college students scooted past small chairs filled with first-graders Tuesday to find books and other resources. Integrated art students and education majors are often found browsing shelves.

“We try to get students who are going to be teachers to learn the value of incorporating children's book into their regular programming,” Matthews said. “The messages in children's books are so relevant to all of us, even adults. There are a lot of life lessons.”

Books, videos, music and other resources are available to be checked out by the public. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon Fridays, and other times by appointment. Call 419-358-3207. The center also sponsors special programs and visitors, including inviting international students to share about their cultures.

The most important work, Matthews said, is with area children. She does programing with children several times a week, either visiting them in their classrooms or inviting them to the center. She would rather have them on campus so they can experience the artwork in and outside the center.

“It is a whole different experience when they get to come here and explore the center and be in this environment,” she said. “I think anytime you step into a place full of art and full of books, it draws you because there is so much that can be discovered.”

Children will always need to learn about kindness and respect, Matthews said, but the message is especially needed today when bullying is such an issue around the nation. Matthews goes about it differently, focusing on the positive side of caring, respecting and accepting others rather than the negative side of bullying.

Matthews started using the center 25 years ago when she was home-schooling her children. On Tuesday, she played her guitar as the first-graders sang “I Can Make the World a better Place to Be.” They learned it as kindergartners during a visit to the center.

“When I work with small children sometimes it feels like I am planting the seed. When I work with older children and college students it feels like I am watering seeds,” she said. “It is always a process of growth. Peace is not just a destination. It is a way of getting there.”