Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

• A large, heavy stone
• A bath towel or other strong cloth
• A copy of story, "The Stone in the Ka'ba"
• Optional: “Muhammad of Makkah” coloring sheet, and crayons

Preparation for Activity

• Place the heavy stone on a worktable that children can reach, or on the floor.
• Set aside the bath towel or cloth.
• Review the story, "The Stone in the Ka'ba" so you can tell it rather than read it.
• Optional: Print the coloring sheet and copy for all participants. Place coloring sheets and crayons where children can use them when invited but will not be distracted beforehand.

Description of Activity

Children practice cooperation and problem-solving skills as they learn about some values of Islam. Gather the group around the work table where you have placed the stone. Tell the story, "The Stone in the Ka'ba."

When the story is done, bring out the cloth. Choose four volunteers to reenact moving the stone.

Engage the entire group in observing where and how the four volunteers need to cooperate. Can they lift the stone together and place it on the cloth? What is it like to carry the heavy stone together, when it is on the cloth?

Invite the children to pretend another nearby spot is the Ka'ba wall. Let them work together to carry the stone there. Point out that to keep the stone balanced on the cloth the children carrying it together need to walk at the same pace.

Tell the group that Muhammad encouraged people to set aside their differences and work together for the good of all. As Unitarian Universalists, we believe in that, too.

Including All Participants

Offer children the opportunity to color the illustration provided to engage different learning styles and to help children focus on or relate to the story. A coloring activity can be a "preview" of a story. It can work as a quiet activity to help children physically settle. You might use it afterward to help the group recall and respond to the story.