• Newsprint, markers and tape

• Post blank newsprint. Draw a line down the middle to make two columns.

Gather the group and tell them:

We are going to talk today about perfection. Have you ever tried to be perfect? What does it mean to be "perfect"? Let's collect our ideas.

Head the left-hand column on the newsprint: "Perfect... " Ask the group to name things that can be perfect. In the left-hand column, write their ideas as nouns-e.g., (perfect) teeth, a (perfect) day, (perfectly) clean room, or (being perfect at) school, gymnastics, math, or behavior. Leave space between items on your list; use more newsprint if you need to.

Once you have a variety of ideas, invite the group to explain how they identify perfection in the different instances they suggested; use the right-hand column for notes. You might ask, "What are the traits of a perfect math student?" or "What makes a clean-up job 'perfect'?" Your notes should be descriptive phrases-e.g., gets all "A"s (perfect student), never loses a game (perfect athlete), never gets sick (perfectly healthy).

Explore three "perfects" together (or more, if you have time and children are engaged). To conclude, offer that a definition of "perfect" might be "meeting a specific checklist of exact standards." Suggest that while someone might be a "perfect" student, earning all "A"s all the time, or have "perfect" teeth that are straight and gleaming white with no cavities, no person can be perfect in every way all the time.