Flaming chalice basic lesson

A DROP OF HONEY

Indigo Promise

Materials

• 
  Purple Underlay
  
• 
  Castle
  
• 
  Queen
  
• 
  Advisor,
  
• 
  Honey colored glass stone
  
• 
  Fly
  
• 
  Lizard
  
• 
  Cat
  
• 
  Dog
  
• 
  Baker
  
• 
  Butcher
  
• 
  Shopkeepers
  
• 
  Soldiers
  
• 
  Red flame cloth
  

Presentation
Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type.
Take out underlay and spread on the floor.
Once upon a time, a queen sat on her balcony eating rice cakes and honey with her chief advisor. As they ate, they gazed down at the busy street below
Put castle on underlay place queen and chief advisor next to it
The Queen pointed to something in the distance, and as she did a drop of honey from her rice cake landed on the balcony railing.
“My Queen, you have spilled a drop of honey,” observed the advisor. “Shall I call a servant to come and clean it up?”
But the queen laughed, “A little drop of honey is… (Leader – Pause for a moment so the children know to join you.) … NOT MY PROBLEM. Someone will clean it later.”
Place honey on underlay
As you mention the animals place them all around the drop of honey
Soon FLIES gathered at the honey. Then a LIZARD darted out from underneath the palace wall and began to catch the flies on her tongue. Then a CAT sprang from the baker’s shop and began to bat the lizard back and forth like a toy. Just then a DOG charged out from the butcher’s shop and began to bite the cat on the neck.
“Your Highness, ” the advisor implored, “now the flies have attracted a lizard, which attracted a cat, which is now being attacked by a dog. Shouldn’t we call someone to stop the fight?”
But the Queen only stretched, and shook her head at her advisor, “Won’t you relax. A silly animal fight is…
(Leader – Pause, so the children will join in.)
…NOT MY PROBLEM. Someone will surely see to it.”
Bring out villagers as they are mentioned and place around the animals or on top of them. This can look very chaotic!
In fact the BAKER did see to it. She saw the dog attacking her cat and ran out with her rolling pin and began to hit the dog. And then the BUTCHER heard his dog howling and ran out with his broom and began to hit the cat. Soon the butcher and baker were hitting each other. Then the neighboring SHOPKEEPERS began to take sides, joining in the fight. Then some SOLDIERS came along, but some knew the butcher and some knew the baker. So the soldiers, too, took sides and the battle grew. It grew and grew until a great battle waged in the streets. People were throwing rocks through windows and tipping over the vendor carts. Someone picked up a torch from the wall and hurled it through a window. Fire raged, and eventually it spread to the palace.
Place cloth representing fire over all
Later that day when the fire had died out, the queen and her advisor surveyed the ruins of their land.
Pull fire cloth off of mess
Pause and then have queen touch honey
Suddenly the queen stopped in the street underneath where her balcony had been. She reached down and touched something in a small puddle on the ground. “It’s honey,” she said, remembering. “I guess I should have cleaned up that drop of honey in the first place. Now, my whole kingdom has been lost because of it.”
That was the last day that the queen ever said…
(Leader – Pause, so the children will join in.)
…IT’S NOT MY PROBLEM!
Ask some of these Wondering Questions (as time and interest allow):
I wonder if you have ever seen or heard any of this before?
I wonder which part of this story is the most important?
I wonder which part you like the best?
I wonder where you might be in this story?
I wonder if there is a part of the story that we could leave out and still have a story?
I wonder if you have ever tasted honey?
I wonder if you have ever not wanted to do anything like the queen?
I wonder if this lesson reminds you of any of our other Unitarian Universalist Promises?
I wonder where the Spirit of Love and Mystery might be in this story?

Choices
Say something like:
In this classroom you are able to choose what you would like to do with your time here after the story and before class is over.
Today’s choices are:

• 
  Retelling the story to yourself
  

• 
  Draw scenes from the story
  

• 
  Play Hot Potato
  

• 
  Learn about ways in which we as UUs INSIST on a peaceful, fair, and free world
  

Or other activities you have chosen as the teacher. It is up to you whether to give totally free choice to each child individually (this will work best when you have enough adults to assist any child who needs help with a chosen activity without too much waiting) or whether to help the class as a whole decide on one or two activities to do together.

Whichever you decide, be sure to let the children know clearly what choices they have (and do not have).
Activity Directions
Retelling the story independently:
Coach children to take turns, and to treat the materials with respect so that they will be available for other children and teachers to use in the future. For older/reading children, provide a copy of the script (above). For younger/non-reading children, provide a photo of the finished storyboard.
Draw scenes from the story:
This is a great activity for a mixed age and interest group. Some children may want to draw the beautiful queen in her castle; others may like to show the ants eating the honey; still others will enjoy the chaos of the villagers running around and whacking each other; or even the destruction of the city. Encourage acceptance and appreciation of each other’s interests.
Play Hot Potato:
A classic game: you will need a small object (like a potato, tennis ball, or similar) which can be easily passed from hand to hand. And maybe some music to play in the background.
Play the music, stand in a circle and pass the object around the circle. Have a helper ready to stop the music at a random moment.
In honor of the story, you may want to have kids say, “Not My Problem” as they pass the object!
The goal is not to be left with the object at when the music stops. Play enough rounds so that everyone has been ‘caught’ holding the ‘hot’ potato.
Learn about ways in which we as UUs INSIST on a peaceful, fair, and free world:
There are a number of different ways to do this:

• 
  Invite a social justice leader to come and share about something important to the congregation with the children. This is potentially tricky if you don’t know how many or what age kids you will have, but if you can find a leader who is comfortable with kids of all ages and is working on a cause which will be easy to explain to the children, it could be a great opportunity.
  

• 
  Make a list of all the social justice projects your congregation supports and share them with the children, briefly explaining how each one makes the world more peaceful, fair and/or free
  

• 
  Pick a social justice topic you yourself are passionate about and share what you do to support it with the children, whether it is related to the congregation or not.
  

• 
  Learn about the Guest at Your Table project of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee: http://www.uusc.org/welcome-to-guest-at-your-table They used to provide boxes for families to take home and put change in over the winter holidays, but are now simply asking for donations. However, many congregations have continued to make their own boxes, and this is something you could do connected with this class, given enough advanced planning.
  

THE MAP (VIOLET PROMISE)
From 100 Wisdom Stories From Around the World, Margaret Silf, ed.

Adapted by Patti Withers

Materials:

• 
  Violet felt underlay – 28” diameter
  
• 
  Father, two children, magazine with photo of world inserted, scissors
  
• 
  Competed puzzle with earth on one side, man on the other
  

Presentation:
Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type.
Take out underlay and spread on the floor.
I remember that Violet is the color of the Seventh Promise: to Value our home, Earth, and all things that live here.
Once there was a father
Place father on underlay.
who was looking after his children
Place children on underlay near father.
and trying to keep them entertained, but he wasn’t having too much success. It was a wet Saturday, and the children were getting bored. They ,were starting to get on his nerves, with their restlessness and their constant chattering.
Move children around some.
But the man was inventive, and suddenly he had an idea. He took down a magazine from the shelf and opened it up, looking through it until he found a map of the world printed on one page.
Open magazine and “find” map of world.
He tore this page out of the magazine, and proceeded to cut it up with the scissors into small pieces. Then he jumbled up all the pieces and placed them in a pile on the floor, like the pieces of a jigsaw.
Use scissors to cut up picture into relatively large pieces.
Then he set his two young children the task of putting the map together again, thinking this would keep them quiet for a good long time. He left them with it and went off to make himself a cup of coffee.
Move father away from children.
Imagine his amazement, therefore, when five minutes later he came back to find the map neatly and accurately put back together again.
Remove cut up pieces of paper. Place completed puzzle earth-side up on underlay and bring father to it.
“How did you manage to put it back together again so quickly?” he asked them, taken aback by their skill.
“Oh, it was easy,” the younger boy replied. “You told us it was a map of the world, and when we looked at the pieces, at first we didn’t know where to begin to sort it out. It seemed impossible. But then we realized that there was a picture of a person on the other side, so we just put the person back together again.
Turn puzzle over to show picture of man.
When we turned it over, the world had come back together again as well!”
Turn puzzle over to show the earth.
“Yes, Dad,” chimed in the other brother. “It’s ever so easy. If you put the person right, the world is OK.”
Ask some of these Wondering Questions (as time and interest allow):
I wonder if you have ever seen or heard any of this before?
I wonder which part of this story is the most important?
I wonder which part you like the best?
I wonder where you might be in this story?
I wonder what are some ways that a person can be “put right” in order for the world to be OK?
I wonder who is responsible for putting a person “right.”
I wonder what YOU do to make the world OK?
I wonder what the children’s names are?
I wonder if this story reminds you of any of our other Unitarian Universalist Promises?
I wonder where the Spirit of Love and Mystery might be in this story?
Choices:
Say something like:
In this classroom you are able to choose what you would like to do with your time here after the story and before class is over.
Today’s choices are:

• 
  Retelling the story to yourself
  

• 
  Doing Puzzles
  

• 
  Making Greeting Cards
  

• 
  Human Machine
  

Or other activities you have chosen as the teacher. It is up to you whether to give totally free choice to each child individually (this will work best when you have enough adults to assist any child who needs help with a chosen activity without too much waiting) or whether to help the class as a whole decide on one or two activities to do together.

Whichever you decide, be sure to let the children know clearly what choices they have (and do not have).
Activity Directions
Retelling the story independently:
Coach children to take turns, and to treat the materials with respect so that they will be available for other children and teachers to use in the future. For older/reading children, provide a copy of the script (above). For younger/non-reading children, provide a photo of the finished storyboard.
Doing Puzzles:
Gather a variety of jigsaw puzzles appropriate for the ages of children you anticipate having in your class. Young pre-schoolers may do best with a number of very simple puzzles with only a few pieces; younger school-aged children will likely enjoy 50 – 150 piece puzzles; and old children may enjoy 250 – 500 piece puzzles (although the higher the number of pieces, the harder it will be to finish the puzzle during the class time.)
Making Greeting Cards:
Use the template (included below) to make cards for children to give to family members or friends to show their appreciation for how those loved ones make the world a better place.
Copy the template onto card stock, cut out, and fold in half. The text is supposed to be the front of the card; encourage the children to decorate the card and write (or dictate) a message inside to let a loved one know what the child feels s/he does to make the world more peaceful.
Human Machine:
From Deep Fun (http://www.uua.org/re/youth/start/deepfun/45595.shtml)
Parameters: 5 to 15 people
The object is to build a moving, churning, humming human machine. Have one person start with a motion, and noise to go with it, in the center of the room. When someone feels moved to do so, he can go to her and become a part in the machine, with a motion that interacts with the first and a sound that fits rhythmically. Let the machine grow until every person is in place. Then pick one person and whisper in her ear to begin malfunctioning, to get off the beat or start blocking another person’s motion. Let the machine slowly break down until everything is utter cacophony. Then quiet the group down and talk about what happened.

Greeting Card Template:

THE GREATEST POWER

by Demi

Source Story: Wonder and Awe

Adapted by Nita Penfold

Materials:

• 
  Telescope
  
• 
  Emperor Ping
  
• 
  rolled up piece of paper for proclamation
  
• 
  children
  
• 
  Several small shields
  
• 
  Small kimono & mirror
  
• 
  Clock, compass, silk, and a book.
  
• 
  Chinese coin
  
• 
  Sing
  
• 
  blue felt for pond,
  
• 
  lotus blossom,
  
• 
  dragon,
  
• 
  phoenix,
  
• 
  glow in dark stars, moon, sun
  
• 
  Green felt underlay
  

Presentation:
Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type.
Take out underlay and spread on the floor.
Our story today is from China and is one of our stories about Wonder and Awe, one of the sources of Unitarian Universalism.
I wonder what this could be in our story. It is very green. It could be grass, it could be a table, it could be……….

Place picture of telescope then Ping piece next to it in the center of the underlay.

A long time ago in China there was a boy emperor named Ping who was known throughout the kingdom for his honesty and his love of harmony. The boy emperor enjoyed climbing to the top of the palace and looking through his big telescope at the heavens. All the millions of stars and the sun and moon and the space in between were in perfect harmony. “My kingdom should be as harmonious as the heavens,” he thought.
Emperor Ping needed the wisest prime minister in all the land to bring the harmony of the heavens to the kingdom. How would the emperor choose such a prime minister? Because he loved the heavens so much, he decided to let the heavens choose.
The next day a proclamation was issued:
Unroll piece of paper for proclamation.
All the children in the kingdom were to come to the palace. There they would be given a quest that would prove which child was the wisest in the land. That wise child would become the new prime minister.
All the children in the kingdom came from far and wide to learn about Emperor Ping’s quest.
Place children near Emperor Ping and telescope
“In one year’s time,” the emperor announced, “we shall have a great parade, and in that parade each of you will show me what you think is the greatest power in the world. To know the greatest power in the world is to know the greatest peace. Whoever knows this harmony will become the new prime minister.” The emperor concluded, “A wise person must be able to see the unseen and know the unknown.”
The excited children left the palace to begin their quest.
Move Ping off underlay.

“This is easy,” said some of the boys. “Whoever has the greatest weapons has the greatest power in the world. For whoever has the greatest weapons can conquer the world!”

Place shields in center of underlay.
And they began mixing papier-mâché to make axes and shields, spears and swords, bows and arrows, and masks of famous warriors and evil spirits to scare away the enemy.
Move shields to top of right hand side of underlay.
“This is easy,” said some of the girls. “Whoever has the greatest beauty has the greatest power in the world. For whoever has the greatest beauty can command the most powerful commander in the world!”
Place kimono or other beauty objects in middle of underlay.
And they began creating beautiful costumes, each one more intricate and delicate than the next, with colorful silk ribbons, embroidered flowers, sparkling sequins, and golden threads.
Move kimono or other beauty objects to left hand of weapons on top of underlay.
“This is easy,” said some of the more studious children. “Whoever has the greatest technology has the greatest power in the world. For whoever has the greatest technology can rule the world!”
Place inventions in center of underlay.
And they began reconstructing brilliant Chinese ideas that had changed the world. They built clocks and balanced compasses, wove silk and forged iron, crafted porcelain and set moveable type, rolled paper and bound books.
Move inventions to left in line at top of underlay.
“This is easy,” said some of the more practical children. “Whoever has the greatest amount of money has the greatest power in the world. For whoever has the greatest amount of money can buy anything in the world!”
Place Chinese coin in center of underlay.
And they began making huge golden coins and a statue of the money god, Guan Yu.
Move coin to left in line at top of underlay.

Place dragon in middle of underlay.

By autumn, some boys who thought the emperor possessed the greatest power in the world had made great dragon costumes. The dragon was the emperor’s symbol of wealth, wisdom, and power.
Move dragon to left in line on top of underlay.
By winter, some girls who thought the empress possessed the greatest power behind the throne had made phoenix costumes.
Place phoenix costumes in middle of underlay.
The phoenix was the empress’s symbol of loyalty and power.
Move phoenix to left in line on top of underlay.
Place Sing figure in center of underlay.
Only one child, a little girl named Sing, remembered the emperor’s words, “A wise person must be able to see the unseen and know the unknown.”
Place small piece of blue felt for pond to her left. Place lotus blossom on top of pond.
She sat by a lotus pond and thought about how armies rise and fall, how beauty fades, how money comes and goes, and how ideas are forever changing. Could these be the greatest powers in the world if they didn’t even last? Sing looked at all the beautiful flowers. The lotus was the flower of purity and transformation. Born from a tiny seed sleeping in the mud, the bud rose through the water on a strong green stem. It rose above the water to bloom into a glorious flower that faced heaven. “What a big story there is in one tiny seed, “ thought Sing. “How powerful is the force of life!”
By spring, Sing still had made nothing to show the emperor. She asked herself, “How can I see the unseen and know the unknown?” She looked up at the heavens.
Place stars and moon and sun above pond.
It seemed that from empty space everything came alive. The millions of stars and sun and moon were lit, and everything was in perfect harmony. To Sing it seemed the heavens were in a great pattern of eternal life. And suddenly she had an idea.
Move Ping, pond, stars and moon and sun to behind basket.
The great parade day came! All the children of the kingdom came with their most marvelous creations, each one sure that they had figured out the greatest power in the world. Last of all was Sing, her small hands clenched in front of her.
“Sing!” cried one of the other children. “Don’t you have anything to show the emperor?”
“I do have something to show the emperor,” Sing said.
But the other children just laughed at her.
Place Emperor Ping figure at bottom of underlay. Line children up above him, with the various objects they prepared, with Sing at the end.
The children marched before Emperor Ping. With waving flags, swirling silks, and glistening gold, it was a grand parade. Emperor Ping did not say a word.
At the end of the parade was Sing.
“Stop the parade!” shouted Emperor Ping. He called Sing to come before him.
Place Sing figure next to Emperor Ping.
“Have you anything to show me? Do you know what the greatest power in the world might be?”
The other children laughed, but Sing held out her hands.
She was holding a lotus seed, which she broke in two before the emperor.
Hold up your hands in air, take imaginary seed, break in half and hold up for children.
“What is there?” asked Emperor Ping.
“Nothing,” said Sing. “And the greatest power in the world.”
“How can nothing be the greatest power in the world?” asked the emperor.
“The nothing in this seed is the space in between where life exists,” said Sing. “The nothing in this seed is what makes the seed rise from the earth. The nothing in this seed is what is fed by water, air, and the fire of the sun to bloom into a glorious flower that turns its face toward the heavens. And when the flower sleeps again, it releases new seeds into the earth, which are fed by water, air, and the fire of the sun to bloom into new flowers. The nothing in this seed is Eternal Life—it continues from seed to seed, forever and ever in perfect harmony. So, Life is the greatest power in the world.”
Emperor Ping smiled. He turned to the crowd and declared, “Here is someone who has seen the unseen and knows the unknown. By bringing us this lotus seed, Sing has helped us to see and know the greatest power in the world. She is the wisest child of all the land, and now I name her the new prime minister of all the kingdom.”

Ask some of these Wondering Questions (as time and interest allow):

I wonder if you have ever seen or heard any of this before?
I wonder which part of this story is the most important?
I wonder which part you like the best?
I wonder where you might be in this story?
I wonder what Emperor Ping meant when he said, “To know the greatest power is to know the greatest peace?”
I wonder why so many children thought this was an easy quest?
I wonder how Sing felt when the children laughed at her.
I wonder what it felt like to be chosen by the Emperor as the wisest child?
I wonder what Sing will do now that she is prime minister?
I wonder what Emperor Ping meant when he said, “A wise person must be able to see the unseen and know the unknown.”
I wonder if you have ever felt harmony?
I wonder what harmony in a place would look like?
I wonder what power could really be?
I wonder if you would have chosen a different power as the answer to the Emperor’s question?
I wonder what makes you feel powerful?
I wonder if you have ever looked at the night sky, the heavens?
I wonder what you felt looking at the stars?
I wonder if you have ever looked at a seed?
I wonder what you felt looking at the seed?
I wonder where the Spirit of Love and Mystery is in this story?
Choices:
Say something like:
In this classroom you are able to choose what you would like to do with your time here after the story and before class is over.
Today’s choices are:

• 
  Retelling the story to yourself
  

• 
  Making Origami Lotus Flowers
  

• 
  Trust Walk
  

• 
  Color lotus flower mandalas
  

Or other activities you have chosen as the teacher. It is up to you whether to give totally free choice to each child individually (this will work best when you have enough adults to assist any child who needs help with a chosen activity without too much waiting) or whether to help the class as a whole decide on one or two activities to do together.

Whichever you decide, be sure to let the children know clearly what choices they have (and do not have).
Activity Directions
Retelling the story independently:
Coach children to take turns, and to treat the materials with respect so that they will be available for other children and teachers to use in the future. For older/reading children, provide a copy of the script (above). For younger/non-reading children, provide a photo of the finished storyboard.
Making lotus flower origami:
Using origami paper, help children fold various objects related to the story. See http://www.origami-fun.com/origami-lotus.html for a lotus flower,
Trust Walk:
The trust walk challenges group members to expand their perception of the world to include information picked up by senses other than sight. These exercises work best outside, but a large indoor space will do.
Ask group members to pair up. Explain the trust walk: One partner will shut their eyes or be blindfolded. The other will be their guide, and lead him or her by touch around the space. You can decide whether to allow speaking or not. The guide is responsible for the safety of their partner. Have the guides lead their partners from the middle of the space to an object somewhere on the periphery. They can take a round-about route to this object, so as not to betray its location to their partner. When they have chosen objects, have them place their partners’ hands on the objects and encourage them to explore the texture, weight, smell, sounds of the objects. Then have everyone return to the center and open their eyes. Have the partners attempt to find their object with their eyes open. Switch so that everyone who was a guide is now being guided!
Color Lotus Flower Mandalas:
Print out several copies of each of the following lotus style mandalas for the children to color.

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