True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice. — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This session begins the program's exploration of the Blake covenant phrase "to dwell together in peace". The story spotlights Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., two...

Adapted by Lynn Ungar from a story by Jerrilyn Jacobs on the My Hero project website and information on the Free the Children website. You could say it all started with a little thing. Craig Keilburger watched his older brother Marc get excited about a science project when Marc was 12 years old.

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Ball of yarn Optional: Scissors, including left-handed scissors Description of Activity In addition to building community through sharing information about important events in participants' lives, this version of sharing joys and concerns uses a...

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Large roll of plain paper Pencils and color markers Masking tape or painter's tape String and scissors Preparation for Activity Determine a hallway or meeting room in your congregation that gets significant traffic and get permission to place the...

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity A piece of light-colored fabric, approximately 2x3 feet, for each participant Pencils for all participants Colorful permanent markers and scissors (including left-handed scissors) to share Yarn, fine hemp cord, or embroidery floss; and sewing needl...

Activity time: 10 minutes Preparation for Activity Make sure you have an open space large enough for the group to sit in a circle in chairs or on the floor. Learn the rules of the game so you can easily and smoothly explain it to the group. Description of Activity Craig Keilburger is just one...

Learn about Free the Children and how you can get involved. Read more about Craig Keilburger on the Peace Heroes website. The online Awesome Library of the Evaluation and Development Institute gives links to a http://www.awesomelibrary.org/Classroom/Social_Studies/World_Peace/Hero… variety of...

Reflect on and discuss with your co-leader(s): How did the timing go today? What might we do to make it work better? What worked well? What didn't? What connections did we make with the children? What connections did the children make with each other? How was this evident? How could we improve a...

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Taking It Home Optional: A rug made by a participant in Activity 3 Preparation for Activity Download and adapt the Taking It Home section and copy as a handout for all participants (or, email to parents). Description of Activity Explain that the...

Description of Activity Fundraising with a talent show or benefit concert can give children a fun and empowering way to join the tens of thousands of children and adults worldwide supporting Free the Children....

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice, candle, and matches or LED/battery-operated candle Newsprint, markers, and tape Hand ornaments cut from card stock (see Welcoming and Entering) Pens, pencils, or markers Preparation for Activity Set up chalice....

Materials for Activity Card stock in various colors Scissors, including left-handed scissors Hole punch String or yarn Pencils or markers Preparation for Activity Create a sample hand ornament: Trace your own hand on card stock, cut out the shape, punch a hole in the top, pass a piece of yarn...

Have children cut cord, embroidery floss, or 1/4-inch ribbon into 24-inch lengths. Knot one end of the cord, to keep beads from slipping off. The knot will be more secure if it is not at the very end of the cord—it can always be trimmed when the bookmark is done. Thread a needle with the cord....

1. A two- to six-straw "loom" will work best. Decide how many straws to use; the more straws, the wider a bookmark you will weave. 2. Cut as many pieces of yarn as you have straws, each piece about five inches longer than the straws. 3....

Who in this congregation... Plays music for services or sings in the choir? Makes coffee, tea, or snacks? Teaches religious education? Greets people as they come in? Helps plan special events? Serves on the board of trustees/board of directors? Helps new people learn about the congregation? Helps...

Adapted from an Aesop's fable.One summer's day, a Grasshopper was hopping about in a field, chirping and singing to his heart's content. Hard-Working Ant passed by, struggling with the weight of a kernel of corn she was taking to the nest. "Why not come and sing with me?" said Grasshopper....

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook Preparation for Activity Learn "From You I Receive, To You I Give," Hymn 402 in Singing the Living Tradition, so you can teach it....

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 3, Beaded Bookmarks Colorful hemp cord, embroidery floss, or yarn Beads of a size appropriate to the thickness of your cord, floss, or yarn; wide, shallow containers to hold beads Sewing needles appropriate to the size of your cord ...