People overestimate the pleasure they'll get from having more stuff. This does not apply to new rose bushes, crayons, or yarn stashes. — Dr. Sun Wolf

This session helps children identify the difference between need and want and introduces relevant actions that make a difference in caring for the web of life. While some participants may be familiar with the 3 Rs (Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle), this session introduces another R, Refuse, which is demonstrated in the central story about a very fun "no presents" birthday party. The 5th R is Rot (decomposition), explored in Session 7.

Goals

This session will:

• Foster an environmentalist ethic for refusing, in addition to reducing, reusing, and recycling
• Explore the difference between needs and wants
• Empower participants as leaders
• Reinforce the seventh Unitarian Universalist Principle, "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Consider a "no presents" birthday party, by responding to a real-life story
• Understand the 5 Rs: refuse, reduce, re-use, recycle, and rot
• Make use of recycled materials in a creative project
• Perform leadership roles.