Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Wonderful Welcome: A Program for Children Grades K-1

Closing

Activity time: 5 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Wonder Box poster
  • Leader Resource 1, The Earth
  • Tape or glue stick
  • Copies of Taking It Home for all participants
  • Newsprint, markers and tape

Preparation for Activity

  • Display the Wonder Box poster.
  • Print out Leader Resource 1, The Earth, or obtain another image of the Earth that you prefer. Cut out the image to attach to the Wonder Box poster.
  • Write the closing words on newsprint, and post.
  • Customize, print out, and photocopy Taking It Home for all participants.

Description of Activity

Gather the children in a circle and show them the Wonder Box poster. Explain that it looks like the Wonder Box to remind us about our intangible gifts. Invite a child to tape or glue the picture of the Earth to the poster. You may say, in your own words:

Now we will see the Earth we live on, every time we are together. The Earth is our home, and we need to protect it.

Tell the children you are happy and thankful you all could be together this morning. You may say:

Giving thanks for being together helps us remember that we share our Earth with one another and with every living thing. Everything we do to protect our Earth is also a way to protect one another and all living things. Let's say our closing words of gratitude together.

Invite the children to hold hands. Show them where you have posted the closing words. Ask them to say each line with you, and say the lines slowly:

We are thankful.

We are thankful to be here.

We are thankful to be here, together.

We are thankful to be here, together, now.

Then ask one child to very gently squeeze the hand of the person to their left, and have that person continue to pass the squeeze until the squeeze has returned to the person who started it. Tell the person who started the squeeze to signal that it has returned to them by raising their arms, still holding hands with the people on either side. When this happens, instruct everyone to raise their clasped hands, together. If you like, suggest a word for them to say at this moment, like "Good-bye!" or "Shalom!" or the name of this session's intangible gift - "Protection!"

Extinguish the chalice. Distribute Taking It Home handouts. Thank and dismiss participants.