ABSTRACT
Children and teens are often the forgotten mourners. They can get lost in the grief of the adults around them or missed by the myths of society that children don’t know what is going on, or in the case of teens that they don’t care. This book is written for adults, but the beauty of art is that the forms can be adapted to the needs of any audience (Bertman, 1991). Each chapter in this book will contain a section on how the particular expressive form can be used with children and teens. Specific exercises or alternative modalities will be offered for use with younger groups where appropriate. In part III, chapter 19, Penny Allport tells the tale of being introduced to a cemetery exercise by her seventh-grade teacher, Mr. Reid. Many years later as an adult she was introduced to the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions. She then brings what she has learned to North America and uses the Day of the Dead ritual with teen girls. There are many doors into the minds of children and teens, and ritual and activities are wonderful ways to activate their innate curiosity.
