Taking It Home
Part of Sing to the Power, Grades 4-5
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. — Harriet Tubman
IN TODAY'S SESSION... the children heard the true story of the Salwen family who, at the urging of their teenage daughter, sold their mansion, bought a smaller house with half the proceeds, and donated the other half to an organization the family chose together with great care and deliberation. The children focused on finding and choosing an organization that our group feels passionate about supporting, and preparing to ask our congregation to support that organization by donating half of a Sunday offering.
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Are there causes your family is passionate about supporting? How involved are children in decisions about how your family contributes to charity? How involved are children in direct action in service to others? Is anyone in your family truly passionate about a cause to make the world a better place? How do they express their passion? How does the rest of your family support them?
FAMILY GAME. Perhaps your family has played the dreidel game as part of a Chanukah celebration. You can play an alternate version of this game as a way of exploring the "power of half." Follow the usual instructions for playing dreidel, but when the letter hay comes up, rather than taking half of the tokens in the pot, the player contributes half of the tokens they have accumulated to another player of their choice. When the game is done, talk about how it felt to be giving items away, rather than taking them. How did the players choose the recipient who would get half their tokens?
FAMILY ADVENTURE. Choose something your family can contribute half of. It might be your time and effort for half a Saturday, half the non-perishable items in your pantry, half of a weekly allowance, or half the amount you would spend on a family outing or movie. Decide together how and where to donate your "half." Afterward, talk together about what the experience was like for each member of your family.