Tapestry of Faith: Sing to the Power: A Social Justice Program for Children Grades 4-5

Activity 2: Story - The Four Creations, Part Two and Honoring Fire Power

Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Story, "The Four Creations"
  • Metal bowl with sand in the bottom
  • Slips of paper
  • Pencils or pens
  • Long matches or a long lighter
  • Optional: Flash paper

Preparation for Activity

  • Plan where you will conduct this ritual. You may wish to have children write on slips of paper indoors, then move outside to burn the paper. You might decide to save the paper-burning until after the session is concluded.
  • Put the metal bowl on a heat-absorbing surface, such as wood, as the bowl will get hot.
  • Optional: Obtain flash paper for participants to write on. Flash paper will burn with a very satisfying bright light, and leave no ash behind. Other sources are the online Mad Hatter Magic Shop, or a local magic supply store.

Description of Activity

Read or tell Part Two of the story "The Four Creations." Invite a moment of silence then say something like:

In this part of the story, the world is cleansed by fire. How is that possible? Fire can destroy, but it can also transform. Each of us has obstacles that hold us back from being as brave and strong and caring and connected to our best selves as we can be. As a way of honoring the transforming and cleansing power of fire, we are going to write down any obstacles that stand in the way of our being the strongest leaders for positive change that we can be. Then we will burn those slips of paper, opening to the fire power within each of us.

Ask: What prevents you from creating positive change?

Then, distribute paper or flash paper and writing utensils. Invite participants to write down any obstacles that block them from using their own power. Then burn these slips of paper in a metal bowl.

Including All Participants

If any participants are uncomfortable near the open flame, or you think will be insufficiently careful, have participants place their own slips of paper in the bowl, and then burn the paper for all the participants yourself.