Closing
Part of 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.
- Display the Wonder Box poster in the meeting space.
- Write the closing words on newsprint and post.
- Customize, print out, and photocopy the Taking It Home section for all participants.
Description of Activity
Now we will see the Golden Ruler every time we are together here. It will remind us that treating others the way we want to be treated is the most important rule to remember.
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 it is important to be kind to one another. 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 - Kindness!
Extinguish the chalice. Distribute Taking It Home handouts. Thank and dismiss participants.