This session promotes the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and the suggestion from scripture to "Love thy neighbor as thyself." The central story, "The Good Samaritan" from Christian scripture, guides exploration of what it means to "love thy neighbor" and helps raise the idea that our "neighbors" include everyone in the world.

The experience of helping and caring for others will be explored in the session through role plays and a cooperative game. The session also promotes two Unitarian Universalist Principles, the inherent worth and dignity of all people; and justice, equity and compassion. The words "Golden Rule" will be added to the Moral Compass poster.

Before planning the session, read descriptions of all of the games, including those which are presented as alternate activities. Choose the one(s) you think will work best with the particular group of children and in your meeting space.

Goals

This session will:

• Foster participants' pride in sharing acts of goodness and justice that they have done (or witnessed)
• Create a forum for children to share with one another about acts of goodness and justice
• Explore the meaning of the "Golden Rule"
• Explore the meaning of the words, "Love thy neighbor" and their application in a variety of situations
• Guide participants to experience offering help to others
• Strengthen participants' connection to and sense of responsibility to their Moral Tales group.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Participate in the "Gems of Goodness" exercise
• Hear a story illustrating an act of compassion for a stranger
• Participate in a cooperative game in which they think about how they would like to be treated, and have an opportunity to treat others with care
• Imagine how they might apply the Golden Rule to a variety of scenarios
• Visualize and portray the concept that all people are our neighbors
• Optional: Planning a faith in action projects in which they will practice reaching out with kindness to neighbors near and far.