• Newsprint and markers
• Construction paper in a variety of colors, scissors (including left-handed scissors), and glue
• Newspapers or magazines with pictures to cut out

• Plan how you will form small groups of three to five and give each group a work area.

Participants work as a team to make a picture about their gifts.

Form small groups at work tables or on the floor. Give each group a sheet of newsprint, a set of markers, and collage materials. Explain that each group will make a gift machine. Ask them, as a group to draw a machine in the middle of the newsprint. On one side, ask the participants to show themselves going into the machine. On the other side of the machine, tell participants to show what gifts they would like to have. For instance, one participant may wish they could play the guitar for people; they might draw a guitar or find a picture of one to paste coming out of the machine. When every group is finished, gather the entire group together and have each small group explain their machines.

Process the activity with these questions:

• Are your gifts something you could really have someday, or are they imaginary?
• If the gifts you wished for are real, how they might you go about acquiring that talent or gift?
• Are any of you working toward their gift goal? How? (For example, perhaps someone is taking guitar lessons.)
• If your gift was imaginary, why did you want that gift? Could you accomplish the same goal with a real gift? (For example, if someone wanted to be able to fly to save people in trouble, is there another, real way they could have the gift of helping people in trouble?)

Leaders may need to help tie knots or bows on the sticks. For younger participants or participants with physical limitations, ask other participants or leaders help make a talking stick.