Session 6: Expression (Paintbrush)

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

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Toolbox of Faith, Grades 4-5

In This Section

Introduction
From Toolbox of Faith

Beauty without expression is boring. — Ralph Waldo Emerson The paintbrush symbolizes personal expression of our inner life and thoughts. In this session, participants engage in and reflect on various means of personal expression, such as painting, writing, music, and theater. Allow time for…
Session-at-a-Glance
From Toolbox of Faith

ACTIVITY MINUTES Welcoming and Entering Opening 5 Activity 1: Story — The Cellist of Sarajevo 10 Activity 2: Word Bodies 10 Activity 3: Skits in a Bag 10 Activity 4: Responding to Music with Paint 15 Activity 5: Council Circle 10 Faith in Action: Ideas…
Spiritual Preparation
From Toolbox of Faith

Take a moment and let your body and mind settle. If you are comfortable doing so, spend a few moments in peaceful meditation. In preparation for this session on expression, reflect on how you personally prefer to express yourself, and ways you might like to try. Take an inventory of your own…
Welcoming and Entering
From Toolbox of Faith

Materials for Activity Unruled index cards or small squares of blank paper A variety of materials for doodling, such as colored pencils, markers, watercolors, tempera paint, and brushes or rubber stamps and ink pads Optional: Magazines, scraps of paper, scissors (including left-handed scissors), …
Opening
From Toolbox of Faith

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice candle or LED/battery-operated candle Lighter and extinguisher, if needed Newsprint, markers, and tape Tool of the Day — a paintbrush Optional: Toolbox of Our Faith poster and clear tape Preparation for Activity Print the opening words on…
Activity 1: Story - The Cellist of Sarajevo
From Toolbox of Faith

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story, “The Cellist of Sarajevo” Preparation for Activity Read the story and prepare to tell or read it to the group. Description of Activity Gather participants in a comfortable configuration for listening to a story.
Activity 2: Word Bodies
From Toolbox of Faith

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Paper and pencils for writing the words assigned to each group Preparation for Activity Review this activity, Activity 4: Skits in a Bag, and Activity 5: Responding to Music with Paint….
Activity 3: Skits in a Bag
From Toolbox of Faith

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Large grocery bags, one for each small group of four or five children For each grocery bag: a kitchen implement, something for the head, something for the feet, something electronic or from a desk, and a toy or silly item Preparation for Activity…
Activity 4: Responding to Music with Paint
From Toolbox of Faith

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Music CDs or tapes, and player Cafeteria trays or large sheets of aluminum foil or glossy paper for all participants Tempera paints or finger paints Optional: Pudding to use as paint, large #10 cans Newspapers for covering worktables Optional: Larg…
Activity 5: Council Circle
From Toolbox of Faith

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Tool of the Day — a paintbrush Chalice and candle Safety matches and long fireplace matches Small dish for spent matches Candle snuffer Council candles (a tea light or votive candle for each participant, or some to share if group is very large) One…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Toolbox of Faith

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: Ideas
From Toolbox of Faith

Description of Activity To experience personal expression as a quality of Unitarian Universalist faith, create a Faith in Action project where the children share their own expression with others or appreciate expression made by others. Make and Donate Art Cards Engage the children in making…
Taking It Home: Expression (Paintbrush)
From Toolbox of Faith

Beauty without expression is boring. — Ralph Waldo Emerson IN TODAY’S SESSION … The paintbrush symbolizes personal expression of our inner life and thoughts….
The Cellist Of Sarajevo

Jessica York

From Faith Curricula Library

Many people who feel passionately about injustice in the world speak up about it. Speaking up can take many forms because different people have different ways of expressing themselves.
Find Out More About Session 6: Expression
From Toolbox of Faith

The Cellist of Sarajevo In the children’s picture book, Echoes from the Square by Elizabeth Wellburn and illustrated by Deryk Houston (Rubicon Publishing, 1998), a young boy is helped to cope with war by Vedran Smailovic’s actions….