WORLD OF WONDER
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Children
SESSION 15: WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
BY REV. ALICE ANACHEKA-NASEMANN, PAT KAHN, AND JULIE SIMON
© Copyright 2013 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 11/9/2014 2:51:22 AM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
SESSION OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees... We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind. — Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Greenbelt Movement
Throughout this program, children have explored the wonder of the interdependent web of all existence and their place in that web; they have seen that their individual actions have an impact. In this session, children learn the power of working together cooperatively to make a difference by hearing about the Green Sanctuary Program of the Unitarian Universalist Association. They hear the story of how the First Unitarian Church in St. Louis engaged people of all ages to make a difference in their congregation and in the community.
GOALS
This session will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
SESSION-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Opening | 5 |
Activity 1: Earth Ball Name Game | 5 |
Activity 2: Story — Growing Green | 10 |
Activity 3: Cooperative Storytelling | 10 |
Activity 4: The Whole World on Our Heads | 5 |
Activity 5: The Whole World with Our Hands | 15 |
Faith in Action: Starting a Nature Club | |
Closing | 5 |
Alternate Activity 1: Welcoming Web Game | 10 |
Alternate Activity 2: Green Sanctuary Tour | 20 |
Alternate Activity 3: Community Puzzle | 15 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Find a place where you can be quiet with your thoughts. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for several minutes, perhaps repeating a word or phrase to separate yourself from the activities of the day. Read the quote from Wangari Maathai:
It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees... We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind. — Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Greenbelt Movement
Then, reflect:
Allow your own sense of reverence, wonder, and awe to be present as you lead this session.
SESSION PLAN
OPENING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
The opening circle rituals reinforce the theme of interdependence and the web of life and provide leadership opportunities for participants.
Gather participants in a circle around the chalice. Using the Leadership Chart created in Session 2, assign roles for this session. Briefly describe each job. Explain that next time you meet the jobs will change and anyone who did not get a job today will have a chance during another session. Throughout the session, prompt those with leadership tasks at the appropriate times.
Remind the group that each session starts with the ritual of lighting the chalice. In these words or your own, say:
All around the world, Unitarian Universalists of all ages light chalices when they gather together. With this ritual, Unitarian Universalists are connected 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 chalice-lighting words.
As needed, help the designated leaders light the chalice and lead the chalice-lighting words:
We light our chalice to honor the web of all life.
We honor the sun and earth that bring life to us.
We honor the plants and creatures of land, water, and air that nourish us.
And we honor each other, gathered here to share the wonder of our world.
—adapted from words by Alice Anacheka-Nasemann
Point to the covenant the group created in Session 1 and briefly review it. Invite any newcomers to sign their name. You might have the Welcoming Leader or Justice Leader invite newcomers to sign the covenant, if those roles have been assigned.
Remind the children that each time we meet, we will explore something about our seventh UU Principle: respect for the interdependent web of life. In these words or your own, say:
Today we are going to talk about working together cooperatively to care for the interdependent web. What does it mean to cooperate? (take responses) Cooperation is working together with other people to get something done. And it's not just working together, but playing together too. Have you ever played cooperative games? We'll try that today. Taking care of the interdependent web is hard work that can't be done by just one person — so learning to work with others is a very important thing to know how to do.
Including All Participants
At this age there is a very wide span in terms of reading abilities; point out words as you read them to the children, but do not expect them to be able to read.
ACTIVITY 1: EARTH BALL NAME GAME (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity engages active learners while helping everyone learn the names of participants and leaders.
Stand in a circle with participants. Say, in these words or your own:
One important way to make connections and help everyone feel welcome is to know each other's names. We will use this earth ball each time we are together to help create connections in our group. When someone throws the "earth" to you, catch the ball and say your name.
Demonstrate by throwing the ball gently to a co-leader. Have the co-leader say their name.
Then everyone says "Welcome, [co-leader's name]." Then, that person will gently throw the earth ball to someone else in the circle, who will say their name and be welcomed by the group.
Continue until everyone in the circle has been introduced.
Including All Participants
If throwing and catching the ball is difficult, do the activity seated with legs out and feet touching, rolling the ball instead of throwing it. If any participant cannot stand or sit on the floor, have everyone play in a circle of chairs.
ACTIVITY 2: STORY — GROWING GREEN (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the children in a circle in the storytelling area and show them the story basket. Say something like:
This is our story basket. I wonder what is in it today?
Take the story-related items from the basket, one at a time, and pass them around. Objects that are fragile or cannot easily be passed around can be held up for all to see and then placed on the altar/centering table or any table or shelf.
Sound the chime or rain stick. When the sound has completely disappeared, tell or read the story, "Growing Green," which introduces the Green Sanctuary program and how one congregation, the First Unitarian Church of St Louis, engaged all ages in working together.
Including All Participants
Fidget objects, described in Session 1, Leader Resource 1, can provide a non-disruptive outlet for anyone who needs to move or who benefits from sensory stimulation.
ACTIVITY 3: COOPERATIVE STORYTELLING (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Tell the children they will create a story together, one sentence at a time. One player starts and each child adds a sentence until everyone has had a turn and the story feels complete. This activity can be done over and over to create many stories.
If you are doing this activity outdoors, suggest that the children create a story about the nature they see around them.
Including All Participants
Be sure everyone has a chance to participate, especially those who are quieter.
ACTIVITY 4: THE WHOLE WORLD ON OUR HEADS (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity addresses active children. It can be done in pairs if you have enough plastic earth balls or beach balls for each pair. Or, it can be done in small groups. The object is for pairs or groups to get the ball from the ground to their heads without using their hands.
ACTIVITY 5: THE WHOLE WORLD WITH OUR HANDS (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Using Leader Resource 1, Handprint Garden Mural, as a guide, tell the children they will work cooperatively to paint a garden mural using only their hands (mostly). Each person will make a flower representing themself, using a brush to make only the stem, and using their own hand dipped in paint to make the blossom part of their flower. When the flowers are done, direct the children to use their paint-dipped hands to complete the picture with handprint grass, sky, and sun.
Leave time for everyone to wash their hands.
Variation
Take a digital photo of each participant's face, then print and cut out the face and glue it in the center of that child's handprint flower.
Including All Participants
Position the mural paper also everyone can reach and decorate it.
CLOSING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather in a circle by the World of Wonder mural. Say in these words or your own:
Today we talked about the importance of working together cooperatively to care for the earth. Unitarian Universalists believe that all people and animals and plants are part of an invisible web of life, like our World of Wonder mural. Each time we meet we add something new to our mural, but today we worked cooperatively to create this mural, which we'll hang next to the other one.
Display the Handprint Garden mural adjacent to the World of Wonder mural.
Point to the lyrics to the closing song "We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands."
Invite the Song Leader to start the song with accompanying hand motions. Participants can help each other remember hand motions or can create new ones.
Distribute Taking It Home. Thank the children for participating and invite them to return next time.
FAITH IN ACTION: STARTING A NATURE CLUB
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Hold a family gathering to assess and support interest in forming a Family Nature Club. The free, downloadable toolkit from the Children and Nature Network describes many options. You might wish to make this initial gathering a nature activity such as a family hike or an outing to a local park. Or, plan for the families to share a meal together.
If there does not seem to be sufficient interest in forming a club, there may be interest in an occasional event. Consider planning outings based on the changing seasons. If your congregation has members who are pagan or involved with another earth-based religious tradition, collaborate on creating a multigenerational celebration of the earth. Or, plan an event such as a night hike based on a book about nature such as When the Moon Is Full: A Lunar Year by Mary Azarian or The Night Tree by Eve Bunting. You could invite families to bring their favorite nature-related book to share.
Whether or not this gathering launches a nature club, at the very least it offers intentional time for families to share nature together.
Including All Participants
When selecting activities, be mindful about being inclusive of all.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Take a few minutes to evaluate the session with your co-leader immediately after the session, while it is fresh. Share your thoughts with other team leaders and the religious educator. You might find it helpful to consider these questions:
TAKING IT HOME
It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees... We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind. — Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Greenbelt Movement
IN TODAY'S SESSION... we talked about working together cooperatively to care for the interdependent web. We heard a story about the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis and how people of all ages are engaged in projects to become a "Green Sanctuary." We played cooperative games and created a handprint garden mural together.
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about... times when your family has worked cooperatively with others. A project at school? At your congregation? In the wider community? Are there interfaith partnerships in your area?
EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. The people at First Unitarian in St. Louis shared the bounty of their garden with a local food pantry and also served meals there. Organize a neighborhood food drive for a local organization. Sign up to prepare and serve a meal at a local homeless shelter.
A Family Adventure. Create your own handprint family garden mural or other cooperative project. Invite friends or neighbors to join you.
Family Discovery. Find out more about the UUA's Green Sanctuary program (at www.uua.org/environment/sanctuary/index.shtml). Is your congregation participating? If not, are there other families who might be interested in working together to develop a Green Sanctuary proposal for congregational leaders?
A Family Game. Try cooperative storytelling or play other cooperative games. Invite your friends and neighbors too! Two great resources are the books Everybody Wins! and Win-Win Games for All Ages by Sambhava Luvmour and Josette Luvmour.
A Family Ritual. Many UU congregations celebrate seasonal communions—with water, flowers, or bread. With your family, try an apple communion, a rock communion, or a seed communion. Learn more from The Communion Book by Carl Seaburg or create your own.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: WELCOMING WEB GAME (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity makes the concepts of interdependence and the web of life concrete with a web made out of yarn.
Tell the children that together you will create a web, like a spider web. Explain that, holding a piece of the yarn, you will roll the ball to someone else in the circle and welcome them by name. Then, that person will pass the yarn to someone else and the group will continue until everyone has been welcomed and is holding a piece of the yarn. Remind the children:
1. Do not let go of your piece of yarn when you roll the ball of yarn to the next person.
2. Pass the ball of yarn to someone who is not sitting right next to you.
Start the game. When everyone is holding a piece of yarn, point out that you have created a web together.
Ask everyone to hold their piece of yarn. Then, pull on your piece and ask the children what they noticed. Point out that everyone could feel the tug. Invite another child to tug the string and ask the children if they could feel that, as well. See if they can tell, by feel, who made the tug.
Now drop your string and ask the children what happens to the web. Ask the children what they think would happen if half of the group dropped their pieces of yarn. As needed, point out that the web might fall apart. At the end of the game, ask for a volunteer to roll the yarn back into a ball.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 2: GREEN SANCTUARY TOUR (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Tour the congregation's building and grounds for signs of "Green Sanctuary" type projects. If your congregation participates in the Green Sanctuary program, it is ideal to have leaders of that group on hand to talk about it. If not, use the list of congregational green actions you created before the session. If the congregation has a compost bin, have the children take food scraps to "feed" it.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 3: COMMUNITY PUZZLE (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
The Community Puzzle consists of large universal blank puzzle pieces that fit together in any order. Have participants take a puzzle piece and decorate it with their first name and a small picture or a word about how they can care for the interdependent web. When everyone has finished at least one puzzle piece, gather the group around a table and put the puzzle together. Optional: Display the puzzle during coffee hour and invite congregants to add their piece to the puzzle.
WORLD OF WONDER: SESSION 15:
STORY: GROWING GREEN
By Janeen Grohsmeyer.
Holding up an apple (or other fruit) as you begin telling this story provides a focus. If no one responds to your questions, or if the group is too big, you can give your own answers. If appropriate, slice the fruit and hand out pieces to students.
Have you ever eaten an apple?
Do you like to have them sliced up? Or do you like to bite into a whole apple with your own teeth and have it go crunch? Do you like red apples? Green? Maybe golden?
After you've eaten the apple, what do you do with the core, the part with the seeds and the stem?
[Hold it up if you have a real apple.]
At home? At school? Here?
Someday, this apple core will rot. It will get mushy and brown. It will fall apart into smaller and smaller pieces. After a long while, those little pieces of apple core will be part of the dirt. That's called composting, when pieces of plants turn into dirt.
The apple seeds can grow in that dirt. The seeds can grow into apple trees. Those apple trees will make more apples. Those apples will have apple cores. And those apples cores will make more dirt, for more seeds, for more trees, for more apples.
That's the circle of life. Things change and turn into other things, and everything works together to create something new.
Here is a story about people in a Unitarian Universalist congregation, who changed how they did things. They decided to work together and create something new.
First, they decided they wanted to have a Green Sanctuary. A sanctuary is a sacred place, a place where you can be safe. The room where we have worship services is a sacred place, and that room is called a sanctuary.
Now, having a green sanctuary doesn't mean you have to paint the walls of that room green. Being green means you help things grow, like plants. They're green.
Being green means being part of the circle of life. Being green means taking care of the Earth, and treating the Earth like a sacred place. The Earth isn't just our home. The Earth is our sanctuary.
The Earth is too big for one person, or even one group, to take care of. So we all work together, and each of us takes care of the part where we are.
To help the Earth, the people in the congregation decided to make a garden and grow food. To have a garden, you need good dirt. To get good dirt, you need compost.
So, whenever the RE class has snacks on Sundays, they collect all the apple cores. Of course, they don't always eat apples. Some days they collect orange peels, or watermelon rinds, or the green leaves off strawberries. Banana peels, celery leaves, carrot tops, cherry pits... All of those plants can become compost.
They need a place to put all the plant pieces, so the plants can have time to turn into dirt.
The older kids got hammers and nails and wood. They built a big, sturdy box, called a compost bin. Some grownups helped.
That compost bin sits outside near the garden. And every Sunday, all the leftover plant pieces from all the RE classes go into the compost bin. The apple cores and the banana peels and the carrot tops and everything else get brown and mushy, then fall apart bit by bit. People put leaves and grass in there, too. It takes a while, but finally, all the plants compost and turn into good brown dirt.
The people in this congregation have Garden days. Everybody gets shovels and rakes. They take the compost, that good brown dirt, and they mix it in with the dirt that's already there.
In the spring, they plant seeds—tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, all kinds of good things to eat. Some flowers, too.
All through the summer on Sundays, some of the kids in the RE classes go out and water the plants. Some kids pull out weeds. Some mix in more compost. Parents and teachers help, too. There's always a lot to do in a garden.
But sometimes, it's nice to just sit and look at a garden. A lot of people do that. They watch the birds that come. They watch the butterflies. They touch the plants and sniff their flowers and listen to the humming of the bees.
Gardens are good places to be.
Especially when the food is ready to eat. You can pull a little red tomato off its green stem and pop it right into your mouth. You can eat a strawberry that's still warm from the sun. You can split open pea pods and eat the tiny green peas, one by one by one.
Yes, gardens are good places to be.
But not everyone has a garden. Not everyone has enough food to eat. So, the people in this congregation decided to share what they had grown. Some days, they pick the tomatoes and the cucumbers and the peas. They put them in bags and they take them to a food pantry, a place where anybody who's hungry can get something to eat. Sometimes the grownups and the older kids stay and help to cook food there. They make sandwiches and soup.
And if there's any food left over, any apple cores or carrot tops or celery leaves, they bring those plant pieces back to their garden and put them in the compost bin. There, the plant pieces will turn into good brown dirt, and the compost will help the garden grow again.
And so the circle of life goes on, around and around, and in the green sanctuary that is the Earth, people work together and help make things new.
WORLD OF WONDER: SESSION 15:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: HANDPRINT GARDEN MURAL
"Gardening with Kids" from iStockphoto.
FIND OUT MORE
See a good resource for cooperative games on the Learning for Life website (at www.learningforlife.org/exploring-resources/99-720/x08.pdf%20coop%20games).
The community garden is just one of the Green Sanctuary projects taken on by the people of the First Unitarian Church of St Louis (at www.firstuustlouis.org/engaging/special-interest-groups/green-sanctuary-committee). Other projects include:
Founded in 1977, the Green Belt Movement (at www.greenbeltmovement.org/) (GBM) has planted over 47 million trees in Kenya. GBM works at the grassroots, national, and international levels to promote environmental conservation; to build climate resilience and empower communities, especially women and girls; to foster democratic space and sustainable livelihoods.