MORAL TALES
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Children
SESSION 1: WE ARE ALL ONE
BY ALICE ANACHECKA-NASEMAN AND ELISA PEARMAIN
© Copyright 2010 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 11/8/2014 4:51:11 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
SESSION OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Rain does not fall on one roof alone. — Cameroonian proverb
This session introduces the notion that our interconnectedness with one another and the Earth forms the basis for understanding justice and goodness. Our well being is linked to the well being of those around us. Not just the well being of humans, but also the well being of the animals and plants that share this planet with us; not just our friends and neighbors, but also people who live on the opposite side of the world. When we understand the full implications of our interdependence, justice and goodness are natural and necessary responses.
Before this session, plan the Opening and the Closing you will use throughout the Moral Tales program. When you open and close each session the same way, you help participants conceptually connect all the sessions together and give them an experience as practicing Unitarian Universalists. In addition to reviewing the opening and closing words suggested in the Opening and Closing, you may also like to read Leader Resource 1, Alternate Openings, and Leader Resource 3, Alternate Closings. You might also check in with your director of religious education and Moral Tales co-leaders before choosing Opening and Closing words.
GOALS
This session will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
SESSION-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Welcoming and Entering | 0 |
Opening | 5 |
Activity 1: Web Name Game | 5 |
Activity 2: Group Behavior Covenant | 10 |
Activity 3: Introduction of story Basket and Centering | 5 |
Activity 4: Story — We Are All One | 10 |
Activity 5: "We are All One" Game | 20 |
Activity 6: Clean-up | 2 |
Closing | 3 |
Alternate Activity 1: Candles of Joy and Sorrow | 10 |
Alternate Activity 2: Bugs Nature Walk | 30 |
Alternate Activity 3: Living Being Masks | 20 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Read the story, "We Are All One." Think about the children you will see this morning and their families, whether newcomers or long-time members of your congregation, strangers to you or old friends. Envision a roomful of children coming together. Repeat the refrain in your mind: We are all one. Consider what that means for the group.
If you are someone who feels disgust or fear in response to insects and other small creatures, try to let it go. As you tell the story and lead the session it will be important for you not to communicate your negative associations to the children. You need to model the oneness we share with all creatures.
If you like, do a brief meditation on the session's central message. Sit comfortably. Close your eyes or find a focal point to gaze at with a soft focus. Pay attention to your breathing. As you breathe in, imagine peace and calm entering your body. Feel your oneness with the universe. As you breathe out, let go of any stress you are experiencing. With each breath, inhale oneness. As you experience calm and inner peace, repeat the refrain inside your mind: "We are all one." Continue for two or three minutes.
SESSION PLAN
WELCOMING AND ENTERING
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
As children enter, greet them and invite them to create and put on their own nametags. Show them where to gather in a circle after they have finished.
OPENING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
With children gathered in a circle, light the chalice.
Show the children where you have posted the opening words. Teach them by saying or singing each line slowly for the children to repeat, then inviting them to join you in saying or singing the line together. If your opening words are a song, you might say the words first, and then add the tune.
You may wish to use this adaptation of Reading 418, Singing the Living Tradition:
Come into the circle of love and friendship.
Come into the community of justice and goodness.
Come and you shall know peace and joy.
When the children seem ready to say or sing the opening words with you, recite or sing them together.
Extinguish the chalice.
Related content:
ACTIVITY 1: WEB NAME GAME (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite the children to sit in a circle. When everyone is settled, hold the ball of yarn in your hand and say:
Hello. My name is (your name).
I love to (something that you love to do).
Holding onto the end of the yarn, pass the ball to someone else in the circle. Greet that person by saying:
Hello, (person's name).
Prompt the person to respond with these words:
Hello.
My name is (person's name).
I love to (something that he/she loves to do).
Instruct the person to hold onto a piece of the yarn, pass the ball of yarn to someone else in the circle, and say:
Hello, (person's name).
The new person holding the ball of yarn repeats the process, saying "Hello," sharing his/her name, and telling something he/she loves to do before passing the ball of yarn along to someone new.
As the ball of yarn gets passed, the yarn will begin to form a web. Encourage children to gently toss the ball of yarn across the circle. If the ball of yarn is only passed and never tossed, no web will form.
When all participants are included in the web, invite everyone to stands up and hold onto their pieces of yarn. Then, gently tugs on the yarn you are holding. Ask the group:
Then, drop the yarn you are holding. Ask:
Allow some children to drop their yarn to see what happens. After the children have offered a few observations, tell the group in your own words:
The Earth is a lot like this web. We are connected to everything in our world by a web just like this one — only you can't see the yarn. When we pull on the web or if we break it, all of the other animals and plants feel it, just as you could all feel it when I pulled on this yarn. Just like our web fell apart as some of us began to let go.
That's why we have a Unitarian Universalist principle that says we are all part of the interdependent web of all existence.
This exercise serves multiple purposes. It gives the children a chance to become familiar with one another's names while introducing the session theme, "We are all one." A tangible web of yarn can help make the notion of interconnectedness more concrete for seven- and eight-year-olds. In addition, by greeting one another as the yarn is passed, the children get to welcome and be welcomed into the Moral Tales community.
ACTIVITY 2: GROUP BEHAVIOR COVENANT (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Creating a covenant empowers the children in Moral Tales to take responsibility for their individual and collective behavior. In addition, the covenant helps you create a safe place for learning.
Tell the children that their time in Moral Tales is a lot like the web they just created with yarn. You may say:
When we are together, each one of us is tugging on the yarn and everyone feels the effects. Sometimes those are good effects and sometimes they can be hurtful to other people or make it hard to learn.
Indicate the newsprint you have posted and ask if any of the children know what a "covenant" is. If they do not know, tell them it is a promise. Explain that the group will make a list of the sorts of behaviors which will help create a positive learning environment. You may ask:
Write on the newsprint children's suggestions. If you need to prompt the group, you may suggest listening to one another other, including everybody, sharing, taking turns, helping one another, keeping our hands to ourselves, or kindness. Whenever possible, help the children reframe "don'ts" such as "don't insult others," "don't steal," or "don't lie" as their opposite, desirable behaviors such as using kind words, respecting property, or honesty.
When ideas have stopped flowing or the list seems complete, tell the children that their suggestions will be included in a group behavior covenant that everyone in Moral Tales can sign, next time the group meets. Tell them that even co-leaders will sign the covenant. You can say:
When you sign the covenant, it means you agree to promise the rest of us that you will follow it.
Assure the children that if anyone in the group ever feels that the promises in the covenant are being broken, they can talk to a leader, who will make sure the matter is resolved.
Note: Keep this exercise brief. If children are not engaging in the process, be sure the most important rules are included and then move on to the next activity.
ACTIVITY 3: INTRODUCTION OF STORY BASKET AND CENTERING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the children in a circle in your storytelling area. Show them the storytelling basket. Explain that every time they will hear a story in Moral Tales, you will have special things inside the basket for them to look at and touch. As this ritual is repeated in future sessions, children will come to expect it. They will be curious each time and tune in to find out what the objects and story will be.
If you are using an altar as a focal point, take the cloth cover from the storytelling basket and drape it over the box or small table. If the cloth cover has a special story, such as who made it, where it comes from, or the meaning of any symbols on it, briefly share the story with the children. Tell the group that the items in the story Basket will be placed on this altar or table after the children have passed them around the circle.
Take the story-related items from the basket, one at a time, and pass them around. Briefly name the various objects. Children may ask questions about some of the items, begin to tell stories about similar things they have seen, or wonder aloud why an object is included. Tell them the group can talk more about the items after the story. Make sure you invite them to do so once you have finished the story and follow-up discussion.
As items come back to you, place them on the altar. Objects that are fragile, or which should not be passed around for any reason, can be held up for all to see and then placed directly on the altar. Display the items for children to look at as they listen to the story.
Now remove the chime, rain stick or other instrument from the story Basket. Tell the children that every time you tell a story in Moral Tales, you will first use the instrument to help them get their ears, their minds, and their bodies ready to listen.
Invite them to sit comfortably and close their eyes (if they are comfortable doing so). You may tell them that closing their eyes can help them focus just on listening.
In a calm voice say, in your own words:
As you breathe in, feel your body opening up with air. As you breathe out, feel yourself relaxing.
Repeat this once or twice and then say:
Now you are ready to listen. When I hit the chime (or turn the rain stick over), listen as carefully as you can. See how long you can hear its sound. When you can no longer hear it, open your eyes and you will know it is time for the story to begin.
The goal of this activity is to help the children settle in and deepen their ability to listen. The sound made by the instrument helps children focus their concentration.
Including All Participants
If anyone in the group is unable to hold or pass items, or cannot see the items, make sure you or a child in the group offers the person a chance to see and touch each object, as needed.
Some people do not feel safe closing their eyes when they are in a group. If any children resist, respect their resistance and suggest they find a single point of focus to look at, instead.
If you have a basket of fidget objects for children who will listen and learn more effectively with something in their hands, make the fidget object basket available during this activity. For a full description of fidget objects and guidance on using them, see Leader Resources.
ACTIVITY 4: STORY — WE ARE ALL ONE (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Before you begin telling the story, "We Are All One," look around the room and make eye contact with each person.
Use the sound instrument to signify that the story has ended.
Including All Participants
There are children for whom it is very difficult to sit still, even when they are paying attention to what is happening around them. This can be frustrating for teachers, as well as for the children who find themselves in situations where they are expected to maintain stillness for prolonged periods of time. If there are children in the group for whom this is the case, consider adopting the use of "fidget objects" as described in the Leader Resources section. Fidget objects can provide a non-disruptive outlet for a child's need to move.
ACTIVITY 5: "WE ARE ALL ONE" GAME (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
In this activity, children explore empathy by pretending to be human and non-human characters in the story, "We Are All One," and other living beings. You will guide participants to stretch their innately human perspectives to imagine the perspectives of other living beings.
Gather children in circle, in a large floor space where they have room to move without touching one another. Say, in your own words:
Just like the ants in the story, all living beings might have things they would want to say to people if they could and if we could understand them. We can't really know what other living beings are thinking, or even if they think at all. But by watching them carefully and by using our imaginations we can have ideas about what they might say to us.
I am going to call out a character from the story or say the name of another living being. You will make up a motion or pose to become that character or animal.
Using the list provided in Leader Resource, Animal Posing, say the name of a character in "We Are All One." Once children have found a pose or a motion to represent that character, invite them to call out things the character might like to say. For example, if they are being the ants, they might say, "Help! We're drowning!"
You may allow all of the children to call out at once. Or, ask them to go around in a circle. If you go around in a circle, start in a different place each time so the same children do not always go first or last.
When it seems to be time to move on to a new character or animal, call out:
In our web of life...
Instruct the children to as quickly as possible re-form their circle, hold hands, and respond:
We are all one.
Then, give the group another character or living being to act out.
If the group is large, you may prefer to select two or three volunteers to demonstrate a pose or motion in the center of the circle for each story character or living being. Only these volunteers will speak as the character or living being you name. Instruct the volunteers to be ready for you to say "In our web of life... " and quickly rejoin the group holding hands in the circle. Choose new volunteers to act and speak as the next character or living being.
As a practice round, have everyone pretend to be the woman searching for the healing herb. Show them the suggested pose (Leader Resource, Animal Posing) of placing a flat hand above the eyes, as if searching for something. Once the children are in the pose, invite them to say things that the woman might have said in the story. Model using first-person language, speaking as the woman; for example, "I hope I can find the herb," rather than "The woman wants to find the herb." After a minute or two, say "In our web of life... " and guide the children to respond, "We are all one."
When you've finished with the characters in the story, give the group other living beings to portray. Use the suggestions on Leader Resource, Animal Posing, or come up with your own living beings and poses. Once the children have gotten into the swing of the activity, invite them to think of their own living beings to portray. When it is time for children to say what theirs might like to say, if it could, prompt with these questions:
Including All Participants
Guide children with limited mobility to pose as they are able. Engage all who can participate in the speaking part of the game.
ACTIVITY 6: CLEAN-UP (3 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
In this activity the children are asked to return the meeting space to being as neat and clean as they found it and to put away the materials used in the session. Remind the children that other people may use the space, and should be able to find it clean and ready to use.
Engage the children in thinking about materials that can be recycled. Specifically identify any aspect of clean-up that will help the children understand and accept their own responsibility as users of the meeting space. Use the clean-up activity to help children think about how their actions affect others and to gain good feelings from participating in a group effort.
If your congregation has a recycling system, ask a child or pair of children to take the recycled materials to the bins. If your congregation does not have a recycling system, this may be a good Moral Tales project to initiate! In the meantime you might want to suggest that a different child each week take home a bag of recyclables. First, ask parents if they wish to participate in this project.
Including All Participants
All children should assist as able.
CLOSING (3 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the group in a circle. Thank the children for participating and sharing their stories and ideas in this session. Tell them something that you liked about the way they worked together as a community.
With a ball of yarn, repeat the web game, this time saying, "Goodbye, (child's name)" to the person to whom you pass the yarn. Encourage children to throw the yarn to someone new this time. Invite the group to stand up together, holding the web.
Lead the children in singing "As We Leave This Friendly Place," Hymn 414 in Singing the Living Tradition. Sing together while holding the web:
As we leave this friendly place,
Love give light to every face;
May the kindness which we learn
Light our hearts till we return.
Say in your own words:
As Unitarian Universalists we believe that all creatures in the web of life are important and we are all one. See you next time!
Ask the children to help you carefully put down the web. Distribute the Taking It Home handout you have prepared, and dismiss the group.
Related content:
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Take a few minutes to evaluate the session with your co-leader immediately afterward, while it is fresh. Share your thoughts with any other team teachers and your director of religious education.
You might find it helpful to consider these questions:
TAKING IT HOME
Rain does not fall on one roof alone. — Cameroonian proverb.
IN TODAY'S SESSION...
We heard the story, "We are All One," and tried to imagine what various living beings — human and non-human — might say to us if we could understand them. We made a web together and learned about the seventh Unitarian Universalist Principle, "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. TALK ABOUT...
Ask your child to tell you about the web the group made in Moral Tales. Draw them out about how and why the group made the web together. Talk briefly with your child about their understanding of the Unitarian Universalist seventh Principle, "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." Share your own thoughts and beliefs.
Ask your child to tell you about the game, "We are All One." Take turns pretending to be different animals or plants. Imagine together what they might say if they could speak.
EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. TRY...
A FAMILY RITUAL
Gratitude circle. Gather around a chalice or candle. Light the chalice or candle, and have each family member light another candle from it (with assistance, as needed). Take turns naming things that humans receive from nature using the phrase, "I am grateful for ( )." End the gratitude circle by saying together, "In this web of life, we are all one," and blowing out the candles.
A FAMILY GAME
Go on a nature walk together and challenge yourselves to find as many examples of interdependence as you can. Possibilities include bird nests in trees, spider webs on grass, bees pollinating flowers, and tree roots in the soil. In a city, go to a neighborhood park for the nature walk. Or, look for signs of plant and animal life such as grass poking through gaps in the sidewalk, pigeons or gulls seeking food, or window and rooftop gardens in window sills and on rooftops.
FAMILY DISCOVERY
Learn together about nature and its cycles, food chains, and ecological systems. Your local library probably has many books about ocean, rainforest, desert, savannah or forest habitats. Recommended reading from the Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole are The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book About Food Chains and The Magic School Bus Hops Home: A Book About Animal Habitats.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: CANDLES OF JOYS AND SORROWS (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the group around the container and the basket of candles. Tell them, in your own words:
Candles of joy and sorrow give each of you the opportunity to experience a ritual that the adults do every week in many Unitarian Universalist congregations. When you light and place your own candle, you can share with us about things that make you happy, which are your joys, and things that might be making you feel sad or worried today. Those are your sorrows.
Begin by lighting a "starter" candle. As you firmly place the candle in the sand so it stands up in the container, you can offer a joy or sorrow of your own, if you feel the modeling will be helpful to children in the group.
Invite the children to come forward, one at a time, and light a candle of joy or sorrow from the starter candle and push it into the sand. Encourage each child to then face the group and tell them what the candle is for.
If the session has time for it, use this activity as part of the Opening to deepen the group's sense of community. It gives participants a chance to name those things which they carry in their hearts, encourages their listening to others, and, in many cases, makes a link with the adult worship experience.
Do not leave candles burning unattended. When all who wish to participate have done so, blow the candles out and put the matches away in a safe place.
Including All Participants
If a child is reluctant to name a joy or concern, assure him/her that he/she will be welcome to do so another time, and invite him/her to light and plant a candle in silence. If a child cannot physically light and plant a candle, invite him/her to choose another child to do so while he/she names a joy or sorrow.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 2: BUGS NATURE WALK (30 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
A nature walk is an ideal learning modality for children who learn best by doing. It is also friendly to kinesthetic learners, who learn with movement. Through guided, first-hand encounters with other living beings, children develop empathy and experience awe.
This activity is obviously dependent upon weather and season.
If you are a new co-leader and/or the children are new to each other, you may prefer to stay on the grounds of your congregational building for this nature walk. New children and/or their parents may not be comfortable with a longer field trip during the very first session of Moral Tales. If you do plan to leave the grounds, factor the walking time into your planning; remember, children walking in a group do not walk as quickly as an adult walking alone.
As children ready themselves to go outdoors, talk a little bit about the story, "We Are All One." Remind the group about how the peddler helped the ants and the centipede? Say something like,
We are going to go on a walk, just like the peddler did. We're going to look for ants and other insects. Like the peddler, we'll see if any need our help.
Ask the children to imagine what it would be like to be that small in the world:
Explain the following rules for the walk:
Walk with the children to a good insect-finding location. Encourage them to turn over rocks and look under leaves for signs of insects. If possible, find some anthills to observe together. As the children look, circulate and continue to foster empathy, asking questions like:
Including All Participants
If any children in your class use a wheelchair or are otherwise mobility-challenged, be sure that your nature walk takes place on level ground, on wheelchair accessible paths. Be ready to carefully lift an insect, for a child in a wheelchair's closer inspection.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 3: LIVING BEING MASKS (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
If you have time, add this activity before Activity 5, "We Are All One" Game. The masks are meant to help children step into the roles of other living beings, either the characters in the story, "We Are All One," or other living beings you will introduce during the Activity 5 game.
Invite children to make a mask representing a character in the story (the woman searching for the healing herb, one of her children, the queen ant, another ant, or the centipede) or any other living being. You may suggest a cat, a snake, a tree, a bumblebee, a frog, an elephant, a bear, a fish, or a wolf.
Allow children to decorate their masks with feathers, pipe cleaners and markers. It is not important for children to accurately portray the character or living being they have chosen. Help each child glue a popsicle stick on one side of the mask. When the glue on the popsicle sticks dries, show children how to hold the stick to keep the mask in place.
When you do Activity 5, "We Are All One" Game, use this variation: Ask the children with the appropriate mask to come to the center of the circle as you call out the name of a character or living being. Once they find their poses, invite the others in the circle to imitate the pose(s) and add their ideas of what this living being might say. As in the regular version, you will shift focus to a new character or living being by calling, "In our web of life... " at which time the group stands in a circle, holds hands, and replies, "We are all one." Make sure you know what each child has drawn on their mask, so you can call them forward. As you call out characters or living beings that are not represented by any of the children's masks, allow any volunteer to come to the center of the circle.
MORAL TALES: SESSION 1:
STORY 1: WE ARE ALL ONE
Adapted from the story, "We Are All One," in Stories in Faith by Gail Forsyth-Vail (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2007), which was adapted from a Cantonese tale adapted by Lawrence Yep.
Once there was a young woman who lived simply but happily with her husband and their three children until one day a strange illness of the eyes came into their home. First her husband and then their eldest son started having trouble with their eyesight. Everything looked blurry and grey to them. They went to the local doctor and they tried medicine after medicine. But nothing worked, and soon they found they could not see at all.
Within a week, the illness had spread and now their middle son also could not see, and their youngest, a daughter, was showing the beginning symptoms of the illness, rubbing her eyes and complaining that everything looked blurry. Some of their neighbors, as well, were afflicted with this strange illness. The people of the village began to wonder if they would all soon lose their eyesight.
The woman was beside herself with worry. She visited doctor after doctor until finally one doctor told her of a miracle herb that might cure this illness. This healing herb was a plant that grew only in the deepest part of the forest. The woman decided she must leave her family to seek the herb.
Early the next morning she headed into the forest. She looked under bushes. She looked behind trees. She looked everywhere, but the herb was nowhere to be seen. Many hours later, exhausted, but still determined, the woman came upon a small stream. She sat down to rest, still looking around her for the herb.
Then she noticed a big rock had fallen into the stream, making the water run out of the stream to form a little pool. That little pool of water was flooding an anthill. Although she was in a hurry to find the herb, her heart went out to the ants. The woman stopped looking for the herb long enough to remove the big rock and dig a new channel for the water. With satisfaction, she watched as the water flowed away from the anthill. "We are all one," she stated simply, and she continued on her way.
The woman slept soundly that night, curled up under a large tree with a blanket to keep her warm. As she slept a strange dream came to her. In it she was inside the anthill, surrounded by cheering ants. The queen ant stepped forward majestically. "Do not be afraid," she reassured the woman. "We have brought you here to thank you for saving our home and our lives. In return, if you ever need our help, all you need do is call for us, and we will hear you and come to your aid." As the dream faded and the woman began to wake, she heard the queen ant's voice calling after her, distinctly saying, "We are all one."
All through that day, the woman searched for the herb. She wondered if she were already too late — and if everyone in her village was already blind. She was startled from her thoughts by the sound of a bird, intent upon catching a small centipede. The centipede was scurrying across the ground as quickly as his many legs would carry him. Taking pity upon the defenseless centipede, she quickly scooped him up and frightened the bird from her prey. Saying, "We are all one," she carried the centipede to some leaves and placed him gently in their cover.
That night she again had strange dreams. This time she was visited by the centipede. "Thank you for saving my life," the tiny voice proclaimed. "And now I will help you as you helped me. The herb you seek can be found by an ancient oak tree, in the very center of the forest." An image of a gnarled and twisting trunk came to her mind as she heard the centipede state, "We are all one." Then she awoke.
The woman spent the next morning making her way into the heart of the woods, searching for the oak tree. As the day progressed she noticed that the trees around her were getting blurry. Gazing towards the sky, she saw that the sun was still high in the sky. With a dawning horror she realized that she, too, must have contracted the strange illness. Quickening her pace she continued toward the center of the forest, but with every step her eyesight worsened.
Just as she was giving way to despair, she found the ancient oak tree! Even though she could barely see, she could tell it looked just like the one she had seen in her dream. Stumbling and out of breath, she began to search for the herb frantically. It was no use — her eyes could no longer tell one plant from another. Crying with frustration she wept for her husband, her children, herself, and the people of her village.
She turned to try to retrace her steps to her home and then she remembered. The ants! Perhaps they could help her now. She called to them and soon enough small voices responded.
" Bend down," the queen ant's voice called. "The herb you seek is right here. I am standing on it."
Gently the woman knelt and reached towards the sound. With cautious movements so as not to harm the queen ant, she found the herb and plucked it. Slowly and carefully she tore a small piece of the leaf and chewed it. Almost instantaneously, her sight was restored! Joyfully she harvested the herbs and prepared to return to her village. Before she left, however, she thanked the ants and proclaimed one last time, "We are all one."
The woman walked as swiftly as she could — all day and then all night, by the light of the moon. She hoped, oh, how she hoped, that she would return on time to save her village from blindness.
Finally she reached her home. As she called to her children they followed her voice, for by now they were all completely blind. Anxiously she gave them bits of the herb and then she waited to see what would happen. One minute passed — and then another — and then her eldest son laughed with joy. "I see you!" he shouted, "I truly see you!"
Soon everyone in the village had been cured of the strange illness and the woman who had saved them all returned to her simple but happy life with her husband and their three children. And she never forgot that "We are all one."
MORAL TALES: SESSION 1:
HANDOUT 1: MASK TEMPLATE
MORAL TALES: SESSION 1:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: ALTERNATE OPENINGS
Young children appreciate ritual. Repeating the same opening words or singing the same song at the start of each session supports a structure and consistency of practice that will strengthen each child's sense of belonging in Moral Tales as well as their Unitarian Universalist identity.
An adaptation of Reading 414 in Singing the Living Tradition is suggested for opening words to begin each session of Moral Tales. However, you may prefer to use opening words that are usually used in your congregation's religious education program; another reading or song, such as those offered below; or a completely different opening ritual that you design for this group.
If you want to use a hymn or song you do not know well, consider asking the music director of your congregation to teach it to you or to record it for you to play during your Openings to accompany the group. If you are uncomfortable teaching or leading a song, invite a musical volunteer from your congregation to join the group for the Opening and teach/lead the song for you, at least for the first few sessions of Moral Tales.
Alternate Openings
1. Have children sing the first verse of "Enter, Rejoice and Come In," Hymn 361 in Singing the Living Tradition:
Enter, rejoice and come in.
Enter, rejoice and come in.
Today will be a joyful day.
Enter, rejoice and come in.
2. Sing the first verse of "Come, Sing a Song with Me," Hymn 346 in Singing the Living Tradition.
Come, sing a song with me.
Come, sing a song with me.
Come, sing a song with me,
That I might know your mind.
And I'll bring you hope
When hope is hard to find,
And I'll bring a song of love
And a rose in the winter time.
3. Teach the children these traditional opening or chalice-lighting words and the hand motions that accompany each line:
We are Unitarian Universalists
with minds that think (hands tap head lightly),
hearts that love (tap chest lightly),
and hands that are ready to serve (hands outstretched).
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MORAL TALES: SESSION 1:
LEADER RESOURCE 2: ANIMAL POSING
Characters in story, "We Are All One" | Suggested pose/motion | Suggested statement |
Woman looking for herb | Put a hand above one's eyes as if searching for something | "I hope I can find the herb." "I've been searching for a long time." "Poor ants. I should help them." |
Woman's family members and other villagers who have the illness | Cover eyes with hands | "Everything looks blurry. I cannot see!" "I hope a cure is found." |
Ants | Huddle on the ground | "Help us!" |
Centipede | Arch back forward, then back, and wiggle arms | "I've got to get away." |
Hungry bird | Flap arms | "I am so hungry!" |
Living Beings | Suggested pose/motion |
Cat | On all fours with backs arched |
Tree | Extend arms, as branches |
Snake | Wriggle on floor |
Bumblebee | Point finger in front of face, as a stinger |
Frog | Crouch and bounce on bent legs |
Elephant | Stand with arms dropped straight down and swung as a trunk, with hands clasped |
Bear | Stand with knees slightly bent and arms crooked in front of body |
Fish | Press palms together with back and forth swimming motion |
Wolf | Cup hands around mouth and point face up, as if howling |
MORAL TALES: SESSION 1:
LEADER RESOURCE 3: ALTERNATE CLOSINGS
Young children appreciate ritual. Using the same Closing for each session helps to gives a clear end to your time together, each time, and reinforces each child's sense of belonging in Moral Tales as well as their Unitarian Universalist identity.
Hymn 414 in Singing the Living Tradition, "As We Leave This Friendly Place," is the suggested closing song for each session of Moral Tales. However, you may prefer to use a Closing that is the usual one in your congregation's religious education program; another reading or song, such as those offered below; or a completely different closing ritual that you design for this group.
If you want to use a hymn or song you do not know well, consider asking the music director of your congregation to teach it to you or record it for you to play to accompany the group. If you are uncomfortable teaching or leading a song, invite a musical volunteer from your congregation to join the group for the Closing and teach/lead the song for you, at least for the first few sessions of Moral Tales.
Alternate Closings
1. Pass the peace. Have children stand in a circle holding hands. Pass a gentle squeeze to the person on your right. As each person receives the squeeze, he/she passes it along until it travels around the circle back to you. You may want to end passing the peace with a short phrase such as "Go in peace" or "Peace and love to you."
2. Have children sing "Go Now in Peace," Hymn 413 in Singing the Living Tradition:
Go now in peace.
Go now in peace.
May the love of God surround you,
Everywhere, everywhere you may go.
3. Have the children sing "This Little Light of Mine," Hymn 118 in Singing the Living Tradition:
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
For a second verse, replace "This little light of mine... " with:
Everywhere I go...
For a third verse, replace "This little light of mine... " with:
Building up a world...
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Fidget Objects
The idea of having a basket of "fidget objects" available during session activities comes from Sally Patton, author, workshop leader and advocate for children with special needs. It is a simple, inexpensive way to include and welcome children who find it difficult to sit still or who learn better while moving.
Provide a basket for fidget objects. Fill it with pipe cleaners, koosh balls and other quiet, manipulable objects.
When you introduce the fidget object basket to the group, begin by saying that some people learn best when their hands are busy. Give an example such as someone who knits while listening to a radio program or doodles during a meeting or class. Point out the fidget object basket. Tell the children they may quietly help themselves to items they may wish to use to keep their hands busy if this helps them to listen. However, also tell the children that the fidget object basket will be put away if the items become a distraction from the story or any other group activity.
You can make the basket available for the duration of the session, or bring the basket out only during activities, such as hearing a story told, that require children to sit still and listen for a significant period of time.
Two pictures books in the Magic School Bus series touch on interconnectedness:
The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book About Food Chains by Joanna Cole (Tandem Library, 1999)
The Magic School Bus Hops Home: A Book About Animal Habitats by Joanna Cole (Tandem Library, 1999).