Tapestry of Faith: Love Connects Us: A Program on Living in Unitarian Universalist Covenant for Grades 4-5

Alternate Activity 4: Covenant Key Words

Activity time: 15 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • Print out Handout 1. Cut apart the words so each is on a separate slip of paper.
  • Place the slips of paper in the basket or bag.

Description of Activity

Tell the group they will take turns trying to get the others to guess a word, from the Blake covenant, which they will select from the basket. Explain that they may use word clues, but must avoid all forms of the word and all words that include the word. For example, if the word is "peace," they cannot use "peaceful" or "peacemaker" in their clues.

Ask a volunteer to go first and draw a slip of paper from the basket, read the word on it silently, fold the paper up, and try to help the others guess the word. After the group guesses the word, select another child to choose a slip of paper and try to have the group guess their word.

Continue until all the words have been guessed or you have only a few minutes left. Lead reflection with these questions:

  • Which words were hard to give clues about? Why?
  • Did this activity cause you to think differently about any of the words? Which have other meanings besides their meaning in the Blake covenant?
  • How might the covenant be different if the words were switched around? For example, if "love" was substituted for "law?"
  • Would the participants prefer any of the key words in the covenant be changed to reflect the reality at your congregation? Which ones and why?

Including All Participants

To accommodate participants who may have difficulty reading, establish a pattern with the very first word that the individual about to give the clues should approach you and show you the word written on the slip of paper. Confirm the word by whispering it in the child's ear and take the slip of paper; then they may begin giving clues to the group.