Session 10: The Gift Of Protection

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Wonderful Welcome

In This Section

Introduction
From Wonderful Welcome

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another and all involved in one another. — Thomas Merton This session focuses on the interdependent web of life and introduces the intangible gift of protection…
Session-at-a-Glance
From Wonderful Welcome

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 5 Activity 1: The Wonder Box 5 Activity 2: Nature Inventory 25 Activity 3: Story — The Green Man 5 Activity 4: If I Were the Green Man/Woman 15 Faith in Action: Energy Inventory varies Closing 5 Alternate Activity 1: Earth-Protection Skills 5…
Spiritual Preparation
From Wonderful Welcome

Today, children’s outdoor play is more limited than that of previous generations in terms of where they can go, what they can do, and how long they can stay outdoors. Children with little direct experience of the outdoors may find it hard to understand the seventh Unitarian Universalist Principle…
Opening
From Wonderful Welcome

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice and candle or LED/battery-operated candle Lighter and extinguisher, if needed Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Print the opening words on newsprint and post. Description of Activity Gather participants in a circle around…
Activity 1: The Wonder Box
From Wonderful Welcome

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Wonder Box (See Session 1 for instructions.) Items obtained from nature, such as acorns, fallen leaves, pine cones, twigs, wildflowers, grass, green leaves, in-season fruit or vegetables Preparation for Activity Place items from nature inside the…
Activity 2: Nature Inventory
From Wonderful Welcome

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Paper, and crayons or pencils for all participants Optional: Stickers representing items in nature (leaves, trees, acorns, squirrels, insects) Preparation for Activity Arrange to walk around the outside of the congregation….
Activity 3: Story - The Green Man
From Wonderful Welcome

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story, The Green Man Optional: “The Green Man” coloring sheet, and crayons Preparation for Activity Read the story. If you can prepare to tell it rather than read it from the page. Optional: Print the coloring sheet and copy for all…
Activity 4: If I Were the Green Person
From Wonderful Welcome

Materials for Activity Paper — preferably green — and crayons, color pencils, thin markers Preparation for Activity Give each child a sheet of paper and put coloring implements on work tables for all to share. Description of Activity Invite the children to imagine that they are the Green Person.
Closing
From Wonderful Welcome

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Wonder Box poster Leader Resource 1, The Earth Tape or glue stick Copies of Taking It Home for all participants Newsprint, markers and tape Preparation for Activity Display the Wonder Box poster. Print out Leader Resource 1, The Earth, or obtain…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Wonderful Welcome

Reflect on these questions and discuss them with your co-leaders: How do we feel about today’s session? What parts of the session worked well? What can we learn from the experience of this session? What preparations do we need to make for the next session?
Faith In Action: Energy Inventory
From Wonderful Welcome

Materials for Activity Notebooks and pens or pencils Preparation for Activity Find out from an energy company in your community how to conduct an energy survey in your congregation. Or, schedule a time for an energy company auditor to come lead the group in conducting an energy survey. Engage…
Alternate Activity 1: Earth-protection Skills
From Wonderful Welcome

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers and tape Preparation for Activity Gather ideas for skills and behaviors children ages five, six and seven can use to protect the Earth. Include: Use trash and recycling barrels instead of littering, when you are at school or at a…
Alternate Activity 2: Fairy Houses
From Wonderful Welcome

Activity time: 35 minutes Materials for Activity A basket for each child A shoebox or a heavy piece of cardboard for each child’s fairy house Scissors, tape and glue to share Imagination! Preparation for Activity Identify an outdoor space, preferably with trees, where the children can safely walk…
Alternate Activity 3: Outdoor Meditation
From Wonderful Welcome

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Optional: Cushions, sheets or blankets for participants to sit on outside Optional: A timer Preparation for Activity Decide if you will have the children do a walking meditation or a sitting meditation while outdoors….
Taking It Home: The Gift Of Protection
From Wonderful Welcome

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another and all involved in one another. Thomas Merton IN TODAY’S SESSION… The children discussed the importance of connecting with nature and took a nature…
The Green Man

Sophia Lyon Fahs

From Wonderful Welcome

From Stories in Faith: Exploring Our UU Principles and Sources Through Wisdom Tales (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2007). Once upon a time, there lived a rich and vain young squire. Servants prepared his favorite foods each day. His every wish was granted. One of the young man’s…
Leader Resource 1: The Earth
From Wonderful Welcome

Printing This Handout Download a high-resolution copy of this Handout (PDF) for printing.
Find Out More
From Wonderful Welcome

Blue Boat Home The song, “Blue Boat Home,” Hymn 1064 in Singing the Journey: Supplement to Singing the Living Tradition. reflects the spirit of this session. Some of the lyrics, by Peter Mayer, are: Far away from the rolling ocean Still my dry land heart can say I’ve been sailing all my life now…