WONDERFUL WELCOME
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Children
SESSION 1: THE GIFT OF LOVE
BY AISHA HAUSER AND SUSAN LAWRENCE
© Copyright 2008 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 11/8/2014 8:54:13 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
SESSION OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Love is something like the clouds that were in the sky before the sun came out. You cannot touch the clouds, you know; but you feel the rain and know how glad the flowers and the thirsty earth are to have it after a hot day. You cannot touch love either; but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything.
— Annie Sullivan
This session introduces the concept of intangibles, qualities that cannot be seen but exist and have value nonetheless. "Welcome" is itself an intangible gift, and it is through a variety of intangible gifts that welcome is communicated. The Wonderful Welcome program opens with the intangible gift of love.
This session begins with the Wonder Box, a beautiful, gift-wrapped box. Each time the group meets, the children will have a chance to wonder, and then find out, what is inside. In subsequent sessions, the Wonder Box will contain items that represent a central story or an intangible gift, but in this session, the children will find it empty.
However, is it really empty? It does contain the gift of love. As you guide the children to discuss love as a gift, you also introduce the concept of intangible gifts. Your guidance prepares the children to discover more intangible gifts as they explore "welcome" as the umbrella for the other gifts presented in this program.
In the story, The Real Gift, a child learns to distinguish between a homemade gift and the love with which it was made. The story demonstrates that although you cannot see or touch love, you can give and receive it by expressing kindness, offering acceptance, and sharing time with others.
Ask the children to think about the intangible gifts they bring to the world, and the intangible gifts they receive. When and how do they receive love from others? When and how do they show empathy? Have others given them the gift of friendship? How do they show that they want to be someone's friend? In this session, children begin a broad investigation of how they use intangible gifts to welcome others into their lives.
If you plan to do the Faith in Action activity, Coffee Can Music, plan ahead to collect coffee cans with snap-on plastic lids. You may wish to engage parents or the entire congregation to help save cans.
GOALS
.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
SESSION-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Welcoming and Entering |
|
Opening | 5 |
Activity 1: Wonder Box | 5 |
Activity 2: What Is It? Game | 10 |
Activity 3: Story — The Real Gift | 10 |
Activity 4: Shadow Play | 10 |
Activity 5: Singing "Little Drummer Boy" | 10 |
Faith in Action: Intergenerational Craft Time — Coffee Can Music | 60 |
Closing | 10 |
Alternate Activity 1: Nametags As Gifts | 10 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Every day we have multiple opportunities to be welcoming. As a leader you will model welcoming behavior every time you meet with this group. Reflect on how you recognize the intangible gift of loving welcome.
How you have experienced welcome — as a child and as an adult — may influence how you feel about this session. Think about times when you felt welcomed by the love of strangers. Think about times when you have had an opportunity to show loving welcome to others. Acknowledge times when you did not feel loving toward others and were not as welcoming as you could have been. Gently let go of the negative experiences.
Take a moment to think about a joyous welcoming experience, such as a time when you welcomed someone who was visibly grateful, or a time when you deeply needed to be welcomed, and someone met your need. Keep this memory with you, and the positive energy it creates, as you lead this session.
SESSION PLAN
WELCOMING AND ENTERING
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
The Welcoming and Entering section is intended for the time before the beginning of a session when participants arrive individually over a period of time (that is, "straggle in").Your participants may arrive together from worship.
Welcome participants as they arrive. Introduce them to the title of the program. Invite them to find their nametags, place a heart sticker on them and put them on.
OPENING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather participants in a circle around the chalice. Explain that each session starts with a ritual. Ask if anyone knows what a ritual is. You may say:
A ritual is something you do again and again, often at the same time of day. If you have a routine for going to bed, that is a kind of ritual.
All around the world, Unitarian Universalists of all ages light chalices when they gather together. With this ritual, Unitarian Universalists can connect to one another, even though they might never meet each other.
Now we will light the chalice, the symbol of our Unitarian Universalist faith; then say together our opening words.
Light the chalice and invite the children to repeat each line of the opening words, line by line.
We are Unitarian Universalists.
With minds that think,
Hearts that love,
And hands that are ready to serve.
Together we care for our Earth,
And work for friendship and peace in our world.
Extinguish the chalice.
ACTIVITY 1: WONDER BOX (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Use the Wonder Box to help participants understand the concept of intangible gifts.
With the children still in a circle around the chalice, invite them to guess what could be in this big, beautifully wrapped box. After receiving some guesses, open the box with wide eyes and much enthusiasm. You could say something like:
Oh my goodness! This is the best gift that anyone could ever get!
When the children peer into the box, tilt it so that they clearly see there is nothing in it. As they show disappointment or confusion, immediately explain that the box has a precious gift that cannot be touched or seen: the gift of love. Ask, even though we can't really see love, it is very important, isn't it?
ACTIVITY 2: WHAT IS IT? GAME (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity involves imagination and interaction that model an important concept: A physical gift doesn't matter nearly as much as the feelings of giving and receiving.
If children seem to need a change from sitting in a circle, invite them to stand in a circle instead. Explain that each child will have the opportunity to give the Wonder Box to the person next to them. The person receiving the gift gets to imagine what the gift is.
A child will turn to the person next to them and give them the box. The person receiving the box will then tell the person what is in the box. For example:
Wow, thank you for the purple pet monkey you gave me!
To show the children how to play this game, leaders can receive the first gift and model an enthusiastic reaction.
When the box has gone around the circle, ask the children what it felt like to receive the Wonder Box. Ask how it felt to give a "gift" that made a friend happy because the friend got to choose what it was. If you have time, invite the children to pass the box again, in the opposite direction.
ACTIVITY 3: STORY — THE REAL GIFT (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
The story emphasizes the importance of appreciating gifts we cannot see, such as love, time, and welcome.
Invite the children to make themselves comfortable for listening to the story. Read or tell the story.
After the story, encourage discussion by asking:
ACTIVITY 4: SHADOW PLAY (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
When the children solve the riddle, ask them what they need to make a shadow (a light source, an object that will cast a shadow, and a surface on which the shadow can be cast.) Explain that we can see shadows, so we know they are there, but we can't feel them. Note that they can change shape, and even disappear!
Tell the children that they will now have a chance to play with shadows. Show them the light source, and explain that they must be careful not to touch it because it is hot and breakable.
With the light source behind the screen, allow one or two children at a time to go behind the screen with an adult watching to make sure they are not too close to the light source. Invite them to make shadows for the other children to watch.
Encourage them to:
You might invite two or more children to make a group shadow sculpture. Or, invite the "audience" to make requests: "Make a bunny. Make an angry shape. Make a curvy shape. Make a ball bounce."
Make sure everyone has a chance to make shadows.
If you have time, invite three volunteers to perform a short shadow play, acting out the parts of the grandmother, Nelson, and the lost, crocheted blanket from the story, The Real Gift.
Give the children a few minutes' notice before ending the shadow play, and turn off the light source to end the activity.
ACTIVITY 5: SINGING "LITTLE DRUMMER BOY" (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
In the song, "Little Drummer Boy," a child gives an intangible gift to one of the most important figures in human history. The little boy has nothing tangible or material to offer the newborn king, only the intangible gift of his song.
Tell the group they will learn and sing a song that demonstrates an intangible gift that is given and received. Say:
In the story, Nelson thought his green blanket was the gift. He was upset when it got lost. But really the present was the time he spent and the love he shared with his Nana Elsa. After we sing "Little Drummer Boy," see if you can tell me what the real gift is in this song.
Teach the children the song, one verse at a time. Then distribute percussion instruments if you have them, or invite children to pat their thighs or stamp their feet to emphasize the "rum pum pum pums" as you sing it through together once or twice.
Suggest they consider the percussive noises they make as a gift of music. You might invite them to demonstrate:
The animals and people who hear the little drummer boy in this song do not receive a present they can see or touch or keep. But they all know they are getting a wonderful, real gift when they hear the drummer boy's music. Even the ox and lamb keep time with him and the baby Jesus smiles. The baby seems to know the boy is giving love in the form of music.
CLOSING (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the children in a circle and show them the Wonder Box poster. Explain that it looks like the Wonder Box because it is another place where we will remind ourselves about our intangible gifts. Tell them how very happy you are that you all could spend time together. You may say:
Giving thanks for being together is a way of showing loving welcome to one another. I am going to teach you some words of gratitude to say at our closing each time we meet. "Gratitude" is a word like "grateful" or "thankful."
Invite the children to hold hands and repeat each line after you.
We are thankful.
We are thankful to be here.
We are thankful to be here, together.
We are thankful to be here, together, now.
Then ask one child to gently squeeze the hand of the person to their left, and have that person continue to pass the squeeze until the squeeze has returned to the person who started it. Tell the person who started the squeeze to signal that it has returned to them by raising their arms, still holding hands with the people on either side. When this happens, instruct everyone to raise their clasped hands, together. If you like, suggest a word for them to say at this moment, like "Good-bye!" or "Shalom," or the name of this session's intangible gift — Love.
Distribute copies of Taking It Home. Thank participants and say good bye.
FAITH IN ACTION: INTERGENERATIONAL CRAFT TIME — COFFEE CAN DRUMS (60 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Make sure the children understand that their adult partner will take home the coffee can drum they make together. Remind them that they — the children — will go home with an intangible gift, the time they spent with someone in our community.
Form child/adult pairs to work together and indicate where they may sit at work tables. Try to form non-family pairs. Invite partners to introduce themselves to one another, or go around the room and have everyone say their name. Then say:
The children in Wonderful Welcome have talked about ways to give an intangible gift, like the gift of love. One way is by spending time making something together with someone, and another way is to make music with or for somebody. We're going to do both now.
Indicate where you have posted the getting-to-know-you questions for pairs to ask one another, if they wish. You may use these:
Invite everyone to use these questions to learn about one another as they decorate paper to wrap around their coffee cans. If the group is making shakers instead of drums, make the dried beans available.
Try to visit and help each pair as they work. Explain that the adult visitors may take home the musical instruments.
When everyone is finished, you may wish to gather the group to show their coffee can instruments and make music together. Invite everyone to help clean up and then celebrate together with a snack.
Including All Participants
Try to avoid making family pairs, not only so children can spend time with an adult they do not know well, but also to minimize "left out" feelings among children who do not have parents present. If you will serve a snack, find out about the allergies and food limitations of all participants and plan accordingly.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Reflect on these questions and discuss them with your co-leaders.
TAKING IT HOME
Love is something like the clouds that were in the sky before the sun came out. You cannot touch the clouds, you know; but you feel the rain and know how glad the flowers and the thirsty earth are to have it after a hot day. You cannot touch love either; but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything.
– Annie Sullivan
IN TODAY’S SESSION…
This program uses a Wonder Box that contains different items in each session to introduce the children to a particular intangible gift. In this first session, the Wonder Box was empty to reinforce the idea that intangible gifts, such as today’s gift of love, cannot be seen. The story, The Real Gift is about a child who makes a blanket with his grandmother. The child is upset when the blanket is lost, but the grandmother explains that the real gift was the time they spent together and that gift can never be lost.
The children learned the song “Little Drummer Boy” and discussed the meaning of the intangible gift given by a poor boy who could not offer gifts of gold. The children also played with shadows to illustrate something real that they can see but not touch.
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about…
Talk about some special times you have spent together as a family and with friends. Identify some times when children gave or received material gifts and times when no material gifts were exchanged. Take turns trying to name the intangible gifts each of you gave or received when you were together with people you love.
EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try…
The Faith in Action activity for this session partners children with an adult in the congregation to make a craft together. The older partner takes the finished craft home. The children, however, know they, too, leave with a gift – the time spent making something together with someone in their community. You can find simple crafts appropriate for younger and older people to do together at home on the All Free Crafts (at www.allfreecrafts.com/indexpage.htm) website.
FAMILY DISCOVERY
See if your congregational library has or wishes to order the book (at www.uuabookstore.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=707) A Lamp in Every Corner: A Unitarian Universalist Storybook by Janeen K. Grohsmeyer (
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: NAMETAGS AS GIFTS
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
If you have time and materials, invite children to make heart-sticker nametags like theirs for the other members of their families. After the session, they may give others their nametags. Say:
This gift is more than just a nametag. It is a way to tell the people in your family that we were thinking of them today while we talked about love, and what an important gift love is to give and receive.
Including All Participants
Be ready to help some children spell or print family members' names.
WONDERFUL WELCOME: SESSION 1:
STORY: THE REAL GIFT
Nelson was worried. He had been worried about something all week and this afternoon, it was going to happen. During clean-up at church school, he decided to talk to his teacher, Lilia.
"Nelson, is everything okay?" she asked.
"Well, not really. My Nana Elsa is moving in with me and my dads today."
"It sounds like you do not want her to move in," Lilia said.
"Our house will be too crowded," Nelson said. "And now I will have three grown-ups telling me what to do. My grandmother, and my dads."
Lilia took a minute to think. Then she said, "You know, Nelson, both your dads are my friends, and I know your grandmother, too. I know they all love you very much. It may take time to get used to her living with you. But, I think it is important that you welcome Nana Elsa, even though you are worried." Lilia said.
"Welcome her? Why? She is already in my family," Nelson said, puzzled.
"Nana Elsa may be worried today, too," said Lilia. "She is moving into a home where three people already live. She might be worried that you and your dads don't really want her there. It will be important to let her know that you do love her."
Nelson thought Lilia was probably right. Nana Elsa might be feeling worried, today too. When he got home, Nelson made a card for his grandmother. He drew himself, his dads, and Nana Elsa standing in front of their apartment building. He wrote, "Welcome, Nana. I love you, Love, Nelson." He brought the card into the extra bedroom where his grandmother was putting her clothes into the dresser drawers.
"Hi, Nana. I wanted to give you something," he said.
"Oh, thank you very much Nelson," she said. "I love this card. I wanted to give you something too, but then I thought it would be better for us to make it together."
"Make what?" Nelson asked.
"May I teach you how to crochet? It is easy. We could make a small blanket together, to put on your legs when you watch TV," Nana Elsa said.
"Can I pick the color? I really like green," Nelson said.
The next day, Nelson and his grandmother walked to the craft store and bought green yarn and crochet needles. For two weeks, almost every day, Nelson sat with Nana Elsa after school, talking and crocheting. When the blanket was finished, Nelson took it to church to show Lilia.
"Wow, you made that with your grandmother?" Lilia said. "That sounds like fun, and, it looks warm."
Nelson loved that blanket. He took it everywhere with him. Because he took it everywhere, one day when he wanted to take it to bed with him, he couldn't find it. Soon the whole family was looking for it. But the green, crocheted blanket was gone.
At bedtime, Nelson was still upset. Nana Elsa sat on his bed and held his hand. "Nelson, I hate to see you so sad," she said.
"But Nana, we made that blanket together. I love it so much, and now it's gone!" he cried.
"I know you feel bad, But you know, Nelson, the most important gift was not the blanket," said his grandmother. "It was the time we spent making it.
"You made me so happy when you welcomed me into your home. I wanted to spend special time with you making something and we did that. The real gift was the time we spent being together. We will always treasure that time and our love for each other and our family."
Nelson looked up at Nana Elsa. He rubbed the tears away from his face. He realized his Nana was right. The time they spent together was the real gift. And he realized he was glad, now, that his grandmother lived with him and his dads.
"I love you very much, Nana," he said.
"I love you very much, too, Nelson."
WONDERFUL WELCOME: SESSION 1:
HANDOUT 1: LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.
Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?
Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.
FIND OUT MORE
"Little Drummer Boy "
Much can be learned about the song, "Little Drummer Boy," online. The U.K. website, Carols.org (at www.carols.org.uk/little_drummer_boy.htm), notes:
... the song includes no less than 21 rum pum pum pums... 'Little Drummer Boy' has been a huge hit for several artists. The most notable rendition was created by the most unlikely combination of Bing Crosby and David Bowie. This version ... was in fact Bing Crosby's most successful recording since the legendary White Christmas.
Intergenerational Craft Activities
See simple craft ideas for people of all ages to do together on the All Free Crafts (at www.allfreecrafts.com/indexpage.htm)website.