Session 4: The Gift Of Kindness Part of Wonderful Welcome In This Section Introduction From Wonderful Welcome So many gods, so many creeds, So many paths that wind and wind, While just the art of being kind Is all the sad world needs. — Ella Wheeler Wilcox, American poet (1850-1919) This session introduces kindness as an intangible gift that can be freely given every day. The Wonder Box holds a golden... Session-at-a-Glance From Wonderful Welcome ACTIVITY MINUTES Opening 5 Activity 1: Wonder Box 5 Activity 2: Story — The Very Short Rule 10 Activity 3: Making Golden Rulers 10 Activity 4: Acts of Kindness Role Play 15 Activity 5: Singing "Filled with Loving Kindness" 10 Faith in Action: Acts of Kindness Varies Closing 5 Alternate Activity 1... Spiritual Preparation From Wonderful Welcome Take a quiet moment to reflect on the Golden Rule. Try to remember the first time you heard it and what you thought about it. Did it make sense to you? Do you try to live by the Golden Rule?... Opening From Wonderful Welcome Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice and candle or LED/battery-operated candle Lighter and extinguisher, if needed Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Print the opening words on newsprint. Post the newsprint where the children can see it when they gather in... Activity 1: The Wonder Box From Wonderful Welcome Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Wonder Box (For instructions for making a Wonder Box, see Session 1.) Leader Resource 1: Golden Rulers Preparation for Activity Use Leader Resource 1, Golden Rulers, and the instructions in Activity 3: Making Golden Rulers, to make a Golden Ruler. Activity 2: Story - The Very Short Rule From Wonderful Welcome Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story, The Very Short Rule Optional: "The Very Short Rule" coloring sheet, and crayons Preparation for Activity Read the story. If you can, prepare to tell it, rather than read it from the page. Optional: Print the coloring sheet and... Activity 3: Making Golden Rulers From Wonderful Welcome Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 1, Golden Rulers Yellow or gold card stock Scissors or paper cutter Thin markers or pencils in dark colors to show up well on the bright paper Glitter glue or shiny stickers to decorate Newsprint, markers and tape Preparation for... Activity 4: Acts Of Kindness Role Play From Wonderful Welcome Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity The Golden Rulers participants made in Activity 3 Newsprint, markers and tape Description of Activity Gather the children in a circle. Tell them they will have a chance to act out situations where they might use the Golden Rule.... Activity 5: Singing "Filled With Loving Kindness" From Wonderful Welcome Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Copy of "Filled with Loving Kindness," Hymn 1031 in Singing the Journey Newsprint, markers, and tape Optional: Recording of "Filled with Loving Kindness" and appropriate music player Optional: A guitar, piano or other instrument Preparation for... Closing From Wonderful Welcome Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Wonder Box poster The Golden Ruler that was in the Wonder Box Tape or glue stick Copies of Taking It Home for all participants Newsprint, markers and tape Preparation for Activity If you have not made a Wonder Box poster, see instructions in Session 1. Leader Reflection and Planning From Wonderful Welcome Reflect on these questions and discuss them with your co-leaders: How do we feel about today's session? What parts of the session worked well? What can we learn from the experience of this session? What preparations do we need to make for the next session? Faith In Action: Acts Of Kindness From Wonderful Welcome Preparation for Activity Use your own ideas, the ideas provided in Description of Activity below, or ideas from the following websites to help the children's planning. Some sites include: The website of the organization, Random Acts of Kindness.... Alternate Activity 1: "Be Kind" Cards For The Congregation From Wonderful Welcome Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Blank index cards and colored markers for all participants Newsprint, markers and tape Preparation for Activity Write the words "Be Kind" on newsprint, and post.... Taking It Home: The Gift Of Kindness From Wonderful Welcome So many gods, so many creeds, So many paths that wind and wind, While just the art of being kind Is all the sad world needs. — Ella Wheeler Wilcox, American poet (1850-1919) IN TODAY'S SESSION... When children opened the Wonder Box today, they found a Golden Ruler.... The Very Short Rule Sophia Lyon Fahs From Wonderful Welcome From From Long Ago and Many Lands by Sophia Lyon Fahs, second edition (Boston: Skinner House, 1995). Read or tell the story. When Jesus came into town, someone who knew him was sure to pass the word around.... Leader Resource 1: Golden Rulers From Wonderful Welcome Printing This Handout Download a high-resolution copy of this Handout (PDF) for printing. Find Out More From Wonderful Welcome Find ideas for kind acts on these websites: The website of the organization, Random Acts of Kindness Learning to Give, a website which presents lessons and education about altruism in different faiths and in the secular community The www.helpothers.org">Kind Spring website, a portal dedicated to... PREVIOUS: Find Out More About Session 3 UP: Wonderful Welcome NEXT: Introduction Download all of Wonderful Welcome (Word) (PDF) to edit or print.