• Printouts of chalice clip art, at least four different images per child
• Scissors
• Construction paper circles, two per child
• Hole punch
• Yarn
• Tape
• Glue sticks, one for each pair of children
• Several bowls of Fruit Loops, Cheerios, or other donut-shaped cereal
• Dress-up clothes and hats for children and bears
• Large blanket, big enough so that all the children can sit on it, and (optional) a waterproof liner
• Snack, e.g., Teddy Grahams (and napkins or paper plates) and juice (and cups)
• Moistened paper towels
• Trash can with liner, and a recycle bin
• Optional: Digital camera or smartphone
• Optional: Teddy bear-related music and equipment to play it

• Print a variety of clip art chalices, copy them, and cut them apart into small circles. Provide a variety of chalice images.
• Cut out construction paper in circles larger than the chalice circles, and punch a hole in the top of each circle.
• Cut yarn in 18" lengths, two lengths per child.
• Make "needles" on one end of each yarn string by taping it. This will make it easier to thread the cereal beads.
• Set up the activity area with the chalice and paper circles, glue sticks, yarn, and bowls of cereal.
• Decide on the route of your Teddy Bear Parade, making sure that it's accessible to everyone in your group. If you expect to have time to have the children visit other RE classes, secure permission from the leaders and your religious educator ahead of time.
• Find a spot, outdoors or indoors, to spread the blanket for the picnic. If outdoors, make sure the area is accessible to everyone in your group, and choose a blanket that's appropriate for spreading on the ground (optional: bring a liner to put underneath).
• Have all the supplies ready for your picnic. If you're eating outdoors, you might want to pack them in a picnic basket for easy transport.
• Optional: Choose some bear-related music for your Teddy Bear Parade, such as Anne Murray singing "The Teddy Bears' Picnic," or "Bare Necessities" from the movie The Jungle Book, and find equipment to play the music as you walk the route of your parade.

Children make chalice pendants, one as a gift for their bears and one for themselves. They go on a Teddy Bear Parade and then celebrate the end of Teddy Bear Month with a picnic!

Invite children to the activity table to make a chalice pendant for their teddy bears and one for themselves. Point out the supplies that are available. Encourage them to sort through the clip art chalices and find two that the bear might like and two that they like. To make the pendants, have the children:

Glue a piece of chalice clip art to each side of the construction paper circle

Thread some cereal beads on a piece of yarn (using the "needle" end), then the clip art disc, then some more cereal beads

Tie a knot

Have the children place one pendant on their bear and one on themselves.

Optional: Take a picture of the children and bears wearing their chalice pendants.

Encourage the children to dress up-themselves and their teddy bears-for a parade. Lead them on a Teddy Bear Parade via the route you've chosen, around the building and through the halls, visiting other classrooms if possible. Optional: Play music as you parade around the congregation.

Lead the children to the area you've chosen for the picnic. Spread the blanket on the ground, weather permitting, or on the floor of the meeting space. Distribute snack. As the children enjoy their snack, ask them to share one thing they hope their teddy bear remembers about the times it has come to Chalice Children during Teddy Bear Month.

Invite the children to help clean up. They can put away supplies and dress-up clothes, throw away or recycle trash, or wipe glue from the table.

If any children have a wheat or gluten allergy, serve an alternative to Teddy Grahams.