Alternate Activity 4: Gems Of Goodness Party
Part of Moral Tales
Activity time: 20 minutes
Materials for Activity
- A special snack and drink
- Paper plates, paper cups and plastic utensils as needed
- Gems of Goodness jar
- Bowl of extra gems of goodness, several for each child
- Sound instrument
- Optional: Moral Compass poster
Preparation for Activity
- Set out all of the materials for the celebration at the table(s) where the children will be sitting.
- Set the Gems of Goodness Jar on a table where everyone can see it, with the bowl of extra gems.
- Take some time with your co-leader to remember the different Gems of Goodness stories and acts that each child shared. Remember also acts of goodness and justice that happened during Moral Tales sessions or Faith in Action projects. Make a list if this is helpful to you, and so that you will have a memory for each child.
Description of Activity
In this culminating activity you are celebrating the many acts of goodness that have taken place in and out of the Moral Tales sessions, with a special feast.
This is an alternative culminating activity to Alternate Activity 2: What Would UU Do? Moral Compass Game. Both activities offer children a chance to revisit, apply, and reflect on the concepts learned over the term.
If you have been doing the Gems of Goodness project for a few sessions, then the group may have already filled the jar and had a celebration. Or this may be the first time you are celebrating. Either way, the goal of this activity is to honor the learning from the Moral Compass curriculum and recognize ways the children have acted from goodness and fairness in their everyday lives and during these sessions.
Invite the children to be seated at the table(s). Allow everyone to begin their snacks. Then, use the sound instrument to bring them to quiet.
Tell them that you are going to honor each one of them for the acts of goodness and fairness that they shared during the Moral Tales program. Begin with one child and tell the story of an act of goodness or fairness that they either shared in the Gems of Goodness activity or did or mentioned in some other aspect of the program. Then, give the child a gem to take home for this remembrance and invite the others to give a group cheer: "Yaaaay, _________ (child's name)!"
Go around the circle until you have shared a story for each child. If you wish, you may ask the children after each child's story to identify which virtues on the Moral Compass that child used in their act of goodness. Or, return to the Moral Compass poster after you have awarded gems to every child. Ask them to think of one more act of goodness that they, or someone else in the group did that involved using each specific virtue. For example, you might point to "Golden Rule" and ask them to think about an act of fairness or goodness that they or someone else did that involved using the Golden Rule. Try to see how many of the virtues on the Moral Compass you can cover with their own stories.
Including All Participants
With leader preparation, everyone can be included in this activity.