Tapestry of Faith: Amazing Grace: A Program about Exploring Right and Wrong for Grade 6

Activity 3: Story and Discussion - Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom

Part of Amazing Grace

Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • Read through the story.
  • Photocopy Story 1, "Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom," one for each participant.

Description of Activity

Say that you are going to share a story from the Ashanti people, who live in Ghana, a country in western Africa. The story shows that UUs are not the only people who believe they can find wisdom in different sources.

Read or tell Story 1, "Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom." Alternately, you might ask for one or more volunteers to read it.

Ask for youth reactions to the story. Use the following questions for further discussion:

  • Do you think the story is true? If it is not true, does it say something truthful? How would participants say the same thing?
  • What does the story say to people who are trying to find answers to questions about right and wrong or to other big questions?
  • Why do UUs like to tell stories from around the world? Do you think this is a good story for Unitarian Universalists who believe that they should look for their answers in many Sources?

Offer language like this if it feels appropriate for your group:

You might say that everybody in the world has big questions. Moreover, everybody in the world has some wisdom, some part of the answer to those questions. When we get together to talk and share our ideas, we are all exploring the great mystery together. We are learning from each other, and through that learning we can help to make the world a better place. That is one reason why we gather with others in our UU faith home.