MORAL TALES
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Children
SESSION 9: GENEROSITY: GIVE AND YE SHALL RECEIVE
BY ALICE ANACHECKA-NASEMAN AND ELISA PEARMAIN
© Copyright 2010 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 11/8/2014 5:11:58 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
SESSION OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Giving brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous, we experience joy in the actual act of giving something, and we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given. — Buddha
This session introduces generosity as an important spiritual discipline and religious act that is a central component of justice and goodness. It is based on the notion that generosity is a way of life which reaps benefit for both giver and receiver. The quote from the Buddha illustrates that this value can be found in many world religions. In Hinduism positive acts accrue good karma. In Islam it is believed that alms given in Allah's name will be rewarded ten to one hundredfold, while the Christian Bible states that alms given secretly will be rewarded by God (Matthew 6:2-4). In Judaism, to give charity is considered a blessing that shows obedience to God. Some Wiccans believe that what you do in the world, whether for good or for ill, will return to you three-fold.
As Unitarian Universalists we engage in generosity and other acts of goodness not for a promise in a future life, but in order to create and reap the rewards of a better world for ourselves and others in the here and now.
This session assumes that generosity stems from an attitude of gratitude and a feeling of abundance, both of which grow with giving. It reflects the conviction that a deepening in compassion that leads to action on behalf of others is an integral part of spiritual maturation.
In the United States , children are immersed in a culture which promotes accumulation and materialism. This session counteracts that lifestyle with an opportunity to experience the joy of giving. Generosity is added to the moral compass.
Please note that the central activity includes visiting with a group of younger children in your religious education program. Leaders will need to work with the younger children's program leader(s) to arrange this visit in advance.
GOALS
This session will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
SESSION-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Welcoming and Entering | 0 |
Opening | 2 |
Activity 1: Gems of Goodness | 5 |
Activity 2: Story Basket and Centering | 3 |
Activity 3: Story — The Better Offer | 15 |
Activity 4: Home-made Modeling Dough | 10 |
Activity 5: Modeling Dough Fun | 15 |
Activity 6: Clean-up | 5 |
Faith in Action: Toy and Book Drive — Long-term | 5 |
Closing | 5 |
Alternate Activity 1: Candles of Joys and Sorrows | 10 |
Alternate Activity 2: Material World | 10 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Read the session, especially the story. Take a few minutes to think about a time when someone was especially generous to you with no strings attached. Remember the gift you received. Was it a gift of time, of talent, or of treasure, material or intangible? What were you feeling at the time?
Now take a few moments to think about a time when you extended generosity from a free and willing heart. What were you feeling at that time? Take a moment to think about ways you have been rewarded for your own acts of generosity.
SESSION PLAN
WELCOMING AND ENTERING
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
As children enter, direct them to the table with the gemstones.
Ask the children to choose one, two, or three gemstones to represent acts of goodness that they did or witnessed since the last time they came to Moral Tales. If you wish, help focus the children on generosity. Ask if any participants were generous or experienced generosity.
If any children are participating for the first time in the Gems of Goodness project, invite them to choose a notebook, write their name on it, and decorate it as they wish. Tell them they may also pick three gemstones to bring into the circle.
OPENING (2 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the children in a circle. Light the chalice.
If some or all of the children are unfamiliar with the reading, teach it line by line. Then recite together:
Come into the circle of love and friendship.
Come into the community of justice and goodness.
Come and you shall know peace and joy.
Extinguish the chalice.
Related content:
ACTIVITY 1: GEMS OF GOODNESS (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the children around the table where you have placed the cloth, the jar or vase, and the gemstones. Ask who remembered to keep track of acts in goodness in their notebooks.
Invite volunteers to stand up, and tell the group about an act of goodness they engaged in or witnessed, and place the gem in the glass jar or vase.
Indicate the Moral Compass poster. Mention the virtues that the group has explored in previous sessions. Suggest that the children try to think of some acts of goodness related to these virtues, as they share their gems of goodness.
Encourage newcomers to join the sharing once they've had a chance to see what the other children are doing.
Use these guidelines to organize the sharing:
It is very important to avoid judging participants, either with criticism or praise. Avoid phrases like, "Great job!" or "You're fantastic!" which might encourage the children to compete to share the "best" act of goodness or to perceive that different acts of goodness have greater or lesser value.
Instead, listen carefully to what the children tell you. Help them identify the virtues that their actions represent. Whenever appropriate, indicate a word or phrase on the Moral Compass poster that fits the act of goodness. This will help the children learn to recognize a variety of virtues in a variety of forms.
After each sharing, you may say something like, "Thank you for sharing," followed by a summarizing sentence such as:
Your specific responses to the acts of goodness children share will help them feel pride, a sense of accomplishment, and their own empowerment as agents of justice and goodness.
If children are not volunteering, call out various types of acts of goodness, and invite children to come up if they experienced that particular kind of goodness. You may call out:
When the sharing is finished, remind the children to take home their notebooks and continue to keep track of their acts of goodness.
If you are planning to do so, remind the children that they may mark their achievement with a special celebration when the group has filled the glass jar or otherwise reached an established goal. If the group is approaching the goal, you may wish to brainstorm with them about the celebration. Suggestions might include having a special treat for a snack, or ending early to do physical games outside.
Whatever way you choose to mark the jar being filled, once it has been filled you may empty it and start over again.
Including All Participants
If participants are not mobile or verbal, you or another child can accommodate by passing the jar. You may wish to invite a participant to choose another child, or a co-leader, to read his/her acts of goodness from his/her notebook and place a gemstone in the jar.
ACTIVITY 2: STORY BASKET AND CENTERING (3 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the children in a circle in your storytelling area. Show them the story basket and say in your own words:
Let's see what's in our story basket today.
The story basket is introduced in Session 1, We Are All One. As this ritual is repeated in each session, children will come to expect it and be curious; they will tune in to find out what objects are in the basket and what the story will be.
Take the story-related items from the basket, one at a time, and pass them around. Briefly name the various objects. If you have brought a globe or map, locate Medina for the participants.
Children may ask questions about some of the items, begin to tell stories about similar things they have seen, or wonder aloud why an object is included. Tell them the group can talk more about the items after the story. Make sure you invite them to do so once you have finished the story and follow-up discussion.
As items come back to you, place them on the altar. Objects that are fragile, or which should not be passed around for any reason, can be held up for all to see and then placed directly on the altar. Display the items for children to look at as they listen to the story.
Now show the children the chime, rain stick, or other sound instrument you have brought. Invite them to sit comfortably and close their eyes (if they are comfortable doing so). Suggest that closing their eyes can help them focus just on listening.
In a calm voice say, in your own words:
As you breathe in, feel your body opening up with air. As you breathe out, feel yourself relaxing.
Repeat this once or twice and then say:
Now you are ready to listen. When I hit the chime (turn the rain stick over), listen as carefully as you can. See how long you can hear its sound. When you can no longer hear it, open your eyes and you will know it is time for the story to begin.
The goal of this activity is to help the children settle in and deepen their ability to listen. The sound made by the instrument helps to activate children's concentration.
Including All Participants
Some people do not feel safe closing their eyes when they are in a group. If a child is resistant, respect that resistance. Suggest he/she instead choose a single point of focus, such as the altar display of story-related objects.
ACTIVITY 3: STORY — THE BETTER OFFER (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Tell the children that this is a true story from the Arab lands that happened nearly 1,400 years ago. It illustrates that generosity reaps benefits for both giver and receiver. To help the children better understand this concept, you will engage them in a brief, guided discussion after you tell the story.
Make eye contact with each listener before you begin. Then, tell or read the story.
Use the chime, rain stick, or other instrument to signify the story is ended.
Engage the children in a brief discussion. Aim to help them repeat and integrate the message from the story, as they make links between the story and their own, real life experiences of being generous. You may like to use these questions:
Now, tell the children you will go around in a circle, giving each child a chance to share about a time he/she was generous, especially times when they might have been rewarded for their generosity. Remind the children that there are different kinds of rewards. You may say:
Sometimes a reward is something you can see, taste, or hold, such as a toy, a treat, or a gift of money. Sometimes a reward is a nice feeling, as when someone thanks you or tells you something good about yourself that makes you feel good.
If children have difficulty thinking of possible rewards, either for Uthman or for their own examples of generosity, it may be helpful for you to share about a time you felt "rewarded" by being generous. Or, you may wish to offer these examples:
Thank each child who contributes.
Including All Participants
Some children have difficulty sitting still, even when they are paying attention to what is happening around them. This can be frustrating for teachers, as well as for the children who find themselves in situations where they are expected to maintain stillness for prolonged periods of time. If you have children in the group for whom this is the case, consider adopting the use of "fidget objects" as described in the Resources section. These fidget objects can provide an outlet for a child's need to move that need not disrupt the storytelling or discussion.
ACTIVITY 4: HOME-MADE MODELING DOUGH (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity gives children an opportunity to make and give something that will be valued by a younger child and, hopefully, to feel a measure of accomplishment and joy in doing so.
Gather the children at work tables where they will make modeling dough. Say, in your own words:
Today we are going to have the chance to be generous, like Uthman ibn Affan. We are going to make modeling dough and give it to our younger friends, brothers, and sisters here at our congregation. If they want us to, we can help them make something with the modeling dough after we give it to them.
Ask the children to imagine how the younger children might feel when they receive this gift. Encourage them to think about the younger children and imagine their happiness while they make the modeling dough.
Distribute smocks and tee shirts; ask children to put them on. Form groups around each mixing bowl, and assist each group to measure ingredients (except the food coloring) into their bowl. Invite the children to take turns mixing and kneading their batch of white modeling dough in the mixing bowl.
If the modeling dough is too sticky, add flour. As groups finish, help them divide their batches of modeling dough into smaller portions, one for each child in the younger group you will visit. Place each small portion on top of a piece of waxed paper.
Invite each child to choose a color he/she thinks a younger child might especially enjoy. Let the children add food coloring to a portion of the modeling dough and knead it on the waxed paper. To minimize the food coloring mess, make an indentation in the modeling dough for the food coloring and cover it over before kneading.
If there are more younger children than older ones, have a few volunteers add food coloring to extra portions of modeling dough. If the younger group is smaller, invite the children to suggest recipients for the extra modeling dough, such as other young children in the congregation. Or, the children may like to donate the modeling dough to the congregation for use by any group. If so, you may like to invite the Director of Religious Education to this or another session to receive this gift.
Place finished modeling dough in the plastic bags or plastic containers, and seal the bags or containers.
ACTIVITY 5: MODELING DOUGH FUN (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Before you visit the younger children, ask the older children to predict how the younger children will feel. You may say:
One way to be generous is to give someone your time and attention. Now that we've made modeling dough for the younger children, we're going to visit them and you each will be a special helper for a younger buddy.
If the modeling dough will be a surprise to the younger children, talk about how much fun it can be to get a nice surprise.
Walk together to the younger children's meeting space. When you arrive, introduce the children to one another as needed.
Give the modeling dough to the younger children. You may like to do this by asking each younger child to close his/her eyes and each older child to anonymously hand a younger child a parcel of modeling dough. If you have modeling dough left over, see if any of the children have a younger sibling or a neighbor for whom they would like to bring some home.
Pair or group the older children with younger children, and invite them to enjoy it together. Guide the Moral Tales children to let the younger children decide what to make together. You may suggest that the older children help the younger ones form the first initials of their names, or spell their names, in modeling dough letters.
Including All Participants
If either group of children includes one or more who cannot physically manipulate modeling dough, assist as needed in helping children interact with the modeling dough in alternate ways, such as by smell or sight or by contributing a color suggestion or an idea for what shape to form with the modeling dough.
ACTIVITY 6: CLEAN-UP (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
In this activity, the children practice generosity by returning the meeting space to the neatness and cleanliness in which they found it. Tell them that putting all of their materials away and cleaning up is a generous thing to do. Remind them that other people may use the room before they meet here again.
Tell the group that cleaning up gives them an opportunity to be generous to the Earth and those who share it, as well as to others who share this meeting space. Ask them to look around the room and think about what materials can be recycled.
The goal of this activity is to help children take responsibility for their actions, think about how their actions affect others, and participate in a group effort. If your congregation has a recycling system, ask one or two children to take the recyclable materials to the appropriate bins. If your congregation does not have a recycling system, this may be a good project to think about for the Moral Tales group! In the meantime, you might ask the children to find out whether their families would take home the recyclables today or after a future session. It would be best to ask parents if they wish to participate in this project first.
Including All Participants
Make sure all of the children have a way to assist, as able.
CLOSING (3 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Repeating the same Closing each time you meet helps accustom the children to a practice as an affirmation of belonging in the faith community.
Gather the group in a circle. Thank the children for participating and sharing their stories and ideas in this session. Tell them something you liked about the way they worked together as a community.
Point out the Moral Compass. Say, in your own words:
Our compass shows us ways to make good decisions and how to be fair. As Unitarian Universalists, we believe in justice and goodness in human relations. Generosity is one way to make things fair and to show that we care about other people. We're going to add "generosity" as a direction on our compass.
Write the word "generosity" on the compass.
Remind the children that the next time they meet, they will have a chance to add more gems to the Gems of Goodness jar. If appropriate, remind them that when the jar is full of gemstones, you will have a special celebration. You may wish to encourage them to focus on "generosity" as they look for ways they can act for goodness or justice.
Lead the children in singing Hymn 414 in Singing the Living Tradition, "As We Leave This Friendly Place." If the hymn is unfamiliar to some of the children, teach it line by line and then sing it once through together.
The song's lyrics are:
As we leave this friendly place,
Love give light to every face;
May the kindness which we learn
Light our hearts till we return.
Distribute the Taking It Home handout you have prepared. If new participants need to take home a Gems of Goodness notebook and parent handout, make sure they have these. Thank the children, tell them you look forward to seeing them next time, and dismiss the group.
Related content:
FAITH IN ACTION: LONG-TERM — TOY AND BOOK DRIVE (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This Faith in Action activity translates belief in the value of generosity into the act of being generous. It is based on the notion that mature spirituality includes compassion and generosity. All major world religions include charity as an important aspect of religious life. Participants will have the opportunity to develop empathy and compassion as they think about and work to meet the needs of children who do not have access to many toys or books.
In addition to generosity and compassion, the children also experience the spiritual practices of gratitude and humility. Encourage them to notice their own blessings, as they give to others.
Children in second and third grade are often very compassionate and concerned when they recognize injustice. Participation in a concrete service project provides them with an outlet for their concern and empowers them as agents of justice. Guide them to see how their actions express our Unitarian Universalist Principles, which promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, as well as justice, equity and compassion in human relations. Through participation in this or similar projects, children will learn that one aspect of a religious life is serving others and being responsive to their human needs.
To introduce this project, say, in your own words:
In the story you heard about Uthman ibn Affan, he gave away a caravan's worth of food, for free, to people who did not have enough to eat. In our community, there are children who do not have enough toys and books. We are going to learn more about what these children need, and gather toys and books to give them for free, just like Uthman ibn Affan.
Tell the children about the toy and book drive and the people and organization who will receive the donations. Encourage the children to go through their own toys and books and choose a few gently used or never-used things to give away to a child who does not have so much.
Future Planning: Decorating Signs and Collection Boxes
Set up a table during coffee hour for the children and adult volunteers to make and decorate signs for the toy drive. Make signs to publicize the drive as well as signs to identify the boxes where you will collect items.
Be sure the signs identify the agency or organization that will receive the donations as well as your congregation, and particularly the children in Moral Tales, as the organizers of the drive. You can also include a list of items the charitable agency or organization has requested.
Future Planning: Children's Announcements
Recruit a few children as volunteers to stand up during worship and announce the toy and book drive. Coordinate with parents to be sure the children will be in attendance and can arrive a few minutes early. Show the volunteers where the microphone is, if your congregation uses one. Give the children speaking pointers, such as facing the congregation when talking. One possibility would be to have each child volunteer name a favorite toy or book and encourage the congregation to contribute to the drive so that all children can enjoy playing and reading.
Future Planning: Field Trip
At the conclusion of the toy and book drive, you may like to arrange a time for the children to visit the agency or organization to deliver the donations. Obtain any needed permission forms from your director of religious education and recruit adult volunteers to help with transportation and supervision. Arrange for an adult worker or volunteer to receive the gifts at the agency or organization site, lead a brief tour (if appropriate), and thank the children.
Including All Participants
It is important to remember as you plan and lead this activity that some children in the group might be living below the poverty line. There may be members of your congregation who seek assistance from the charitable agency you have selected. Be careful to use language that includes this possibility and that does not assume all of the children come from financially wealthy homes or have an excess of toys and books. Avoid language that refers to the recipients as "different" from the children in Moral Tales or categorizes them as "other." Emphasize that all donations are welcome, big and small, because each item will make someone else happy.
Avoid situations where the donations can become competitive, for example, a public sharing that could highlight different levels of giving and embarrass some children. As long as you are sensitive to the varied economic situations that may be reflected in the group, every child should be able to participate in and learn from this activity. No matter what our circumstances, we are all capable of the spiritual discipline of generosity.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Take a few minutes to evaluate the session with your co-leader immediately afterward, while it is fresh. Be ready to share your thoughts with other team teachers and your director of religious education.
You might find it helpful to consider these questions:
TAKING IT HOME
Giving brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous, we experience joy in the actual act of giving something, and we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given. — Buddha
IN TODAY'S SESSION...
Today the children heard a true story about Uthman ibn Affan, who gave away all of the goods on his caravan to the starving villagers of Medina during a drought. We talked about the rewards of being generous. We made modeling dough and gave it to some younger friends in our congregation. The children experienced being generous with their time and enjoyed some modeling-dough fun time with the younger children.
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. TALK ABOUT...
Make it a point to notice acts of generosity together — on the part of family members, friends, or strangers. Discuss together how it feels to receive a gift, as well as to give a gift.
EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. TRY...
Consider adopting the following practice. If your child receives an allowance, for every dollar that you give your child, set aside a dollar that he/she can donate to charity. Allow the money to build over a period of time. Then talk with your child about what sort of needs he/she would like to support with this money.
Go online together to explore organizations that address the needs your child is most interested in. To name just a few, these might include:
Alternative Gifts (at www.altgifts.org/)
Habitat for Humanity (at www.habitat.org/), which creates affordable housing
The Heifer Project (at www.heifer.org/) for world-wide poverty relief through sustainable agriculture assistance
The National Audobon Society (at www.audobon.org), which supports conservation and restoration of ecosystems
Save the Whales (at www.savethewhales.org/)
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (at www.uusc.org/)
Locally, your family might like to focus on donation to your Unitarian Universalist congregation, a no-kill animal shelter, a hunger relief project, or a local museum. The goal is to empower your child to make a donation to a cause that he or she cares about. You can also set aside an equivalent amount of money as "savings," teaching your child a valuable lesson in financial management.
A FAMILY RITUAL
There is a link between gratitude and generosity. To cultivate generosity, set aside a daily time when family members focus on and name the things for which they are grateful. When all have shared, light a candle of gratitude. As you experience the fullness of your blessings, take a moment to think about the people who do not share in those blessings. Light a candle of compassion. Next, take a moment to consider and name ways you can extend your bounty to them. Light a candle of commitment.
A FAMILY GAME
Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. As a family, come up with a list of things you can do to bring cheer to a neighbor, friend, or even strangers. Set aside a regular time to act together, using your list. Or, use the list many times. Possibilities include: writing anonymous thank you cards to workers in local establishments, leaving flowers at someone's doorstep, scattering coins in a neighborhood park for others to find, compiling a basket of toys or books and giving it anonymously to a child, or creating artwork and leaving it in someone's mailbox.
FAMILY DISCOVERY
Read books together about people who have made a difference in the lives of others through generosity with time, talents and treasure. Learn about the lives of people such as Mother Teresa, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill and Melinda Gates.
Recommended family reading: Thanks & Giving All Year Long by Marlo Thomas and Friends and I Can Make A Difference: A Treasure to Inspire Our Children, by Marian Wright Edelman.
To learn more about the spiritual benefits of generosity read The Giving Heart: Unlocking the Transformative Power of Generosity in Your Life by M. J. Ryan and The Courage to Give: Inspiring Stories of People Who Triumphed over Tragedy to Make a Difference in the World by Jackie Waldman.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: CANDLES OF JOYS AND SORROWS (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Determine if your room and building policy allows for open flames. If not, consider doing the ritual as described below with a felt board and felt candles or with beads in a jar.
Begin by lighting a "starter" candle. Invite the children to come forward one at a time and light a candle of joy and sorrow from the starter candle and push it into the sand. The child should then face the group and tell them what the candle is for. Translate the language so they understand that we are talking about things that have made them very happy or sad.
Candles of joy and sorrow offer the opportunity for children to experience what is a weekly ritual in many Unitarian Universalist congregations. This activity can deepen sense of community in the Moral Tales group. It gives participants a chance to name those things which they carry in their hearts, encourages listening to others, and, in many cases, makes a link with the adult worship experience.
IMPORTANT: Do not leave burning candles unattended. When all who wish to participate have done so, blow the candles out and put the matches away in a safe place.
Including All Participants
If a child is physically unable to light a candle and stand to face the group, ask the child to invite another child to light a candle for him/her or offer to do it yourself. Allow the child to speak joys and sorrows from where he/she is sitting.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 2: MATERIAL WORLD (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
The goal of this activity is to show visually patterns of ownership and wealth across the globe. Both books photographically depict families around the world. In Material World, families place all of their worldly belongings in their yard for a picture. In Hungry Planet, photographs reveal the eating habits of 30 families from 24 different countries. Photographs are both respectful and honest, revealing the large discrepancy in what people in different parts of the world own and eat.
Show the children the pictures that you have selected and share information from the books. Ask questions like:
Including All Participants
It is important to remember as you plan and lead this activity that some children in the group might be homeless or living below the poverty line. Be careful to use language that includes this possibility and that does not assume all of the children come from financially wealthy homes. Avoid language that refers to people with less money or people living in other countries as if they are "different" from these children, or in a category of "other."
MORAL TALES: SESSION 9:
STORY 1: THE BETTER OFFER
Adapted from a historical Islamic tale.
Uthman ibn Affan was one of the very first followers of the prophet Muhammad, who started the Muslim religion. He was a very wealthy man who was known far and wide for his generosity. In fact, he was so generous with his money and possessions that people still tell stories about him today, more than a thousand years later!
Uthman lived in Medinah, which is in modern day Saudi Arabia. This is a very dry part of the world where there isn't a lot of rainfall. One year, in the year 640, to be precise, the rains did not come and there was a drought.
Without any rain, food crops withered. There were no figs on the fig trees, no olives on the olive branches. The people of Medinah and all of their animals were running out of food. In fact, things got so bad that the people had to eat the leaves from the trees in order to survive. Without food, the people knew they could starve.
You can imagine how happy the people were the day they learned that a caravan of 1,000 camels was approaching Medinah. Each camel was laden down with food. The people began to imagine the smells that would fill their kitchens when they were cooking their favorite meals. Their mouths watered as they imagined the tastes of their favorite foods. Best of all, they imagined going to bed with full bellies for the first time in weeks.
Knowing that the caravan belonged to Uthman ibn Affan made the people rejoice even more, for they knew of his reputation for generosity. Surely he would give them a good price on the food he had for sale.
The merchants also rejoiced to hear that the caravan was approaching. For months business had been slow because they had no food to sell. The people of Medinah had stopped spending money in their shops. The merchants began to imagine their shops filled with hungry people, willing to spend any amount of money in order to eat and feed their families.
Knowing that the caravan belonged to Uthman ibn Affan was not welcome news for the merchants, however, for he had a reputation for being a very sharp businessman. Although he was fair, Uthman ibn Affan drove a very hard bargain.
Nonetheless, the merchants immediately went to Uthman ibn Affan. They wanted to buy the food from his caravan from him so they could sell it in their shops. They knew that in this time of famine, they could re-sell the food in their shops for two or even three times its usual price. So they were ready to pay any price Uthman ibn Affan asked.
Uthman ibn Affan received all of the merchants graciously. No one was surprised, however, when he rejected their first offers.
"I am afraid I cannot do business with you," he said, "for I have already received a better offer."
The merchants had expected they would have to offer him more money for the food, and they did. They raised their offers, again and again, but each time Uthman declined, repeating, "I am afraid I cannot do business with you, for I have already received a better offer."
The merchants began to grumble among themselves. At this rate, they would barely make any money when they sold the food. Besides, they would have to charge so much money for the food the people of Medinah would barely be able to afford it. Perhaps Uthman's reputation for generosity was exaggerated. By refusing the prices they offered, he was driving the price for the food higher and
higher. Some folks in Medinah might not even be able to afford it at all.
Finally the merchants made their best offer: five times the value of the cargo. Surely Uthman would accept. Who could possibly have offered more?
"I am sorry," Uthman responded. "I cannot do business with you. You see I have received a better offer from Allah, from God, for Allah has said that anyone who gives away wealth in Allah's name will get back far more than he gave away."
So it was that Uthman ibn Affan refused all of the money the merchants offered him. Instead, he gave away all of the food carried by the 1,000 camels in his caravan. He gave it away in Allah’s name for free to the starving people of Medinah.
MORAL TALES: SESSION 9:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: MODELING DOUGH RECIPE
This recipe will make enough modeling dough for two or three children to use in Session 9: Generosity.
This can be messy. Use smocks or old tee shirts.
For each batch, you will need:
a very large mixing bowl
waxed paper
a measuring cup
a tablespoon
mixing spoons
You will also need:
food coloring in a variety of colors
pint-sized sealable sandwich bag or plastic container, one for each child in the younger group who will receive some modeling dough
Mix these ingredients:
3 cups of water
3 TBSP vegetable oil
3 cups of salt
6 cups of flour
Calculate how many batches you need to make, so that each child in the younger group you will visit receives a portion of the modeling dough.
Divide the ingredients (except food coloring) into equal parts and have small groups of children each mix up and knead a batch of white modeling dough in a large mixing bowl. Add extra flour if the modeling dough is sticky.
When the ingredients are mixed, divide the modeling dough into smaller portions for the children to give to the younger children. Invite each child to choose a color he or she thinks a younger child might especially enjoy and add food coloring to a portion of the modeling dough, kneading it on top of waxed paper. Note: food coloring mess can be reduced by making an indentation in the modeling dough for the food coloring and covering it over with white dough before kneading to mix it in.
Have volunteers add color to extra portions for a group of younger children that is larger than this group. Or, if the younger group is smaller, some of the children in this group can mix batches to give to other youngsters in the congregation or to leave in the congregation for use by anyone.
Place finished modeling dough in the Ziploc baggies or Tupperware containers.
MORAL TALES: SESSION 9:
LEADER RESOURCE 2: TOY AND BOOK DRIVE LETTER TO PARENTS
Dear Parents,
The children in Moral Tales will be collecting new and gently used toys and books for (name of agency or organization), from (start date) until (end date).
This Faith in Action project will begin with a visit from (agency or organization) on (day, date). He/she will talk about the organization's mission and the population it serves with the children in their Moral Tales session and will speak with congregants at coffee hour following worship.
Please support your child's participation in this Faith in Action project by learning about the work of (agency or organization) and helping your child collect toys and books. Encourage your child to go through his/her own toys and books and choose a few gently used things to give away to a child who has fewer things. If you wish, go to a toy or book store with your child and buy items to donate.
If you want to do more, we will be glad for you to take a role in publicizing the toy and book drive, gathering the items we collect, and/or volunteering for supervision or transportation when the children deliver the items they have collected to (agency or organization) on (day, date).
In faith,
(Co-leaders)
FIND OUT MORE
Visit a website of "alternative gifts" (at www.altgifts.org/)to target a donation of any amount toward one of many specific programs that improve the lives of people around in the world.
Learn more about the spiritual benefits of generosity in these books:
The Giving Heart: Unlocking the Transformative Power of Generosity in Your Life by M.J. Ryan (Conari Press, 2000)
The Courage to Give: Inspiring Stories of People Who Triumphed over Tragedy to Make a Difference in the World by Jackie Waldman, Janis Leibs Dworkis, and Joan Lunden n (MJF Books, 2000)
These books offer examples of generosity:
Thanks & Giving All Year Long by Marlo Thomas and Friends (New York: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, 2004)
I Can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children by Mark W. McVeigh, Marian Wright Edelman, and Barry Moser (Harper/Collins, 2005)
Fidget Objects
The idea of having a basket of "fidget objects" available during session activities comes from Sally Patton, author, workshop leader and advocate for children with special needs. It is a simple, inexpensive way to include and welcome children who find it difficult to sit still or who learn better while moving.
Provide a basket for fidget objects. Fill it with pipe cleaners, koosh balls, and other soft, quiet, manipulable objects.
When you introduce the fidget object basket to the group, begin by saying that some people learn best when their hands are busy. Give an example such as someone who knits while listening to a radio program or doodles during a meeting or class. Point out the fidget object basket. Tell the children they may quietly help themselves to items they may wish to use to keep their hands busy if this helps them to listen. However, also tell the children that the fidget object basket will be put away if the items become a distraction from the story or any other group activity.
You can make the basket available for the duration of the session, or bring the basket out only during activities, such as hearing a story told, that require children to sit still and listen for a significant period of time.
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