Tapestry of Faith: Sing to the Power: A Social Justice Program for Children Grades 4-5

Taking It Home: The Power of Place

Charity begins at home, and justice begins next door. — Charles Dickens

IN TODAY'S SESSION... the children heard about Project Harvest Hope, a UU organization which promotes economic development in Unitarian villages in Transylvania (ethnically Hungarian Romania). This project, which was started as a partnership between the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Oakland, California and the Unitarian church in Ok'land, Transylvania, shows earth power in honoring both our own location and the different locations that are dear to others. The children played a game to practice skills of communication and attention, brainstormed about their own gifts and the gifts particular to their congregation, and made posters with both the motto of the Transylvanian Unitarian church (Egy Az Isten) and their own religious motto.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. What are the particular gifts of your family's location? What do you love about the neighborhood where you live? What are the particular gifts of your family? What do you have to share with the world?

FAMILY GAME. The children played a game which requires both creative communication and active attention. To play it as a family, choose one person to be "it," the person who will guess. Have that person leave the room and the others choose an adverb—a word ending in "ly" that describes how an action is done (quickly, elegantly, carefully, etc.). When the guesser comes back to the circle, they may ask members of the family to perform certain actions in a way that expresses the adverb. For instance, the guesser might ask one person to walk across the room, another to read aloud, or another to pick up a piece of paper. Each person who is invited to act should perform the action in a way that expresses the adverb. The guesser attempts to identify the adverb. Play a few times, then talk about what was easy or hard about the game.

FAMILY ADVENTURE. What places other than where you live are important to your family? Some possibilities might be grandparents' homes; favorite vacation spots; a favorite park, restaurant, or community center; places where parents worked or went to school when they were younger; or a relative's gravesite. Make a visit together to a place that holds significant memories. Share stories of experiences that tie you to the place.