Flaming chalice basic lesson
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I Live in the Universe by Aline D. Wolf Science Source adapted by Nita Penfold Materials: Pages from the book I Live in the Universe cut apart to make story cards A strip of black felt 7” by as long as needed to lay cards out, rolled and tied with gold cord and glued on glow-in-dark stars for underlay Presentation: Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type. Take out underlay and unroll. Hmmm. This is very long. And you can’t see through it. Look at these stars. It’s a story of science and nature. That’s all there is to get ready so we’ll begin. Take out card with title and place at beginning (far right) of underlay. I Live in the Universe. Take out house card and place left of title card. When someone asks me, Where do you live? I say, I live in this house. Take out street card and place left of house card. My house is on a street, so I can also say, I live on this street. Take out city card and place left of street card. My street is in a city and my city is in a state. So I can say, I live in this city and in this state. Take out USA card and place left of city card. My state is one of the 50 states in the United States, so I tell people, I live in the United States. Take out North America card and place left of USA card. The United States is one of the countries in North America, so I also say, I live in North America. Take out 7 continents card and place left of North America card. North America is one of the seven continents on Planet Earth. I like to say, I live on Planet Earth. Take out solar system card and place left of continents card. Planet Earth is one of the nine planets that go around the sun in our Solar System. I can say, I live in the solar system. Take out galaxy card and place left of the solar system card. Our sun is one of over one hundred billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. It is fun for me to say, I live in the Milky Way. Take out Universe card and place left of galaxy card. The Milky Way is one of over one hundred billion galaxies in the Universe. I am proud to say, I live in the Universe. Is there any place I could live that is bigger than the Universe? I wonder. Place I wonder card left of Universe card. 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 of these places is the most important? I wonder which part you like the best? I wonder where you might be in this lesson? I wonder if we can leave out any of these places and still have the lesson? Begin to exchange places of pairs of cards (example: switch the North America with the Galaxy card) and ask: I wonder if it could be like this? Or like this? I wonder which place you like the best? I wonder how the Universe came to be? I wonder if there could be more than one universe? I wonder where you are 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 Place Cards How Big Are the Planets? Zoom by Istvan Banyai 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 Place Cards: Provide art material for each child to copy/recreate one or more of the cards from the story, reflecting his or her own locational experience: house, street, city, USA, North America, continents, solar system, galaxy, Universe. For example, one child might draw a card with his or her house and one showing the solar system; another child might be interested in making his or her own version of all the cards; yet another might spend the whole time making a Universe card and wondering about how you can draw everything. How Big are the Planets?: Collect food or other items the correct sizes to demonstrate the relative sizes of the planets in our solar system! Here’s a resource or two: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/solar_system/activities/planetSizes.shtml http://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html Alternatively, you might want to share this short video with the children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE2w_JBGEwk (Bill Nye the Science Guy showing the relative sizes and distances of the planets.) Zoom by Istvan Banyai Read or otherwise display this picture book which shows an ever expanding series of images zooming out from an original image to larger and larger scales: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRXYKQEJeqk (the picture book set to music!) THE GIFT (6TH SOURCE) Opening Circle Light the chalice using the hand-motions: We light this chalice to celebrate Unitarian Universalism This is the church of open minds This is the church of loving hearts This is the church of helping hands
The Gift: a Sioux Myth Earth-centered Story Adapted by Patti Withers Materials: Light blue underlay Creator Eagle Moon Salmon dark blue felt ocean buffalo felt grasslands mole Presentation: Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type. Take out blue underlay, unroll then flatten. It’s blue. It could be water. It could be sky. Place creator in center of underlay. The creator brought all of his creation around him Place all other animals in a circle around the creator. and told them: "I have a very special gift for humankind which I must hide from them until they are ready." Place your hand on the eagle. The Eagle said: "give it to me. I will take it to the moon; they will never reach it there". Place moon on underlay behind the eagle and show eagle flying to the moon and back. The Creator said "no, they will go there". (and they did) Place your hand on the salmon. The Salmon said: "give it to me, I will take it to the bottom of the sea". Place ocean piece on underlay behind the salmon. Show salmon diving down to the bottom and back up. "No", said the creator, "they will find it there too." Place your hand on the buffalo. Then the Buffalo said "Give it to me. I will bury it in the middle of the great planes." Place the grasslands behind the buffalo and show him digging. "No", said the creator, "one day they will cut into the very skin of Mother Earth and find it." Place your hand on the mole. Then the mole, who lives in the heart of Great Earth, who sees nothing with its eyes but sees things with its spirit, said "Put it inside of them". "It is done", said the Creator. 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 what gift the creator had to give humankind? I wonder how (if?) humans have found it? I wonder how it felt to be the mole? I wonder if the animals were jealous that humankind was receiving a special gift? I wonder if you ever received a special gift? I wonder if you ever had an idea and someone said, “No.” I wonder if you ever had an idea and someone said, “Yes.” 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 Hidden Gift Boxes/Hearts Hide and Go Seek Guided Meditation: Heart Wash (with yoga if desired) 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. Hidden Gift Boxes/Hearts: Depending on the ages of the children you are working with, there are several different ways to do this activity. You may want to discuss the wondering question about what the gift of the creator was, and help each child come up with his or her own answer. Help each child write his or her idea on a slip of paper, maybe with ‘fancy’ pens or markers. With younger children you may want to simply give out slips of paper which say “Love”. Provide each child with two felt hearts, a needle, and thread. Show them how to thread the needle, tie a knot at the end, sandwich the slip of paper with the creator’s gift on it between the two hearts, and sew the two hearts together around the edges. For younger children, you could use hot glue guns or regular glue (it will take a while to dry, though.) Or, you could use small gift boxes/jewelry boxes. Any or all of these could be decorated with glitter, beads, feathers, or other collage materials. Hide and Seek: Clearly delimit the area in which children are allowed to hide; one child (or one adult – make sure another adult is watching so you don’t lose anybody!) closes his or her eyes and counts out loud until everyone has hidden. Then the hunting begins! For variations see: http://grandparents.about.com/od/projectsactivities/qt/HideSeek.htm Guided Meditation: Heart Wash (with yoga if desired): Use this guided meditation: http://kidsrelaxation.com/family-relaxation/heart-wash/. There are links for a couple of related yoga poses, if you are so moved. UNITARIAN BEGINNINGS IN TRANSYLVANIA Opening Circle Light the chalice using the hand-motions: We light this chalice to celebrate Unitarian Universalism This is the church of open minds This is the church of loving hearts This is the church of helping hands
Unitarian Beginnings in Transylvania by Connie Dunn Lesson Edited by Kirsten Robertson Materials Underlay: Red Queen Isabella King John Sigismund Francis David Map of Transylvania Edict of Torda Presentation Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type. Take the red underlay and spread it out in front of you, smoothing it out. In a land beyond the forest about 500 years ago, our Unitarian religion was born. Transylvania is the land, which means land beyond the forest. Place map of Transylvania on the underlay. Kings and Queens regularly decided what the common people would believe and take their lands whenever they wanted, because everything in the land belonged to the King or Queen. In this land beyond the forest, Old King Zapolya was trying to keep neighboring lands from invading. In the east was Turkey, whose ruler was Muslim. In the west was Austria, whose ruler was Christian. And though King Zapolya was Christian, he did not want the soldiers from these other lands to invade and fight it out in Transylvania, so he paid each of the countries not to invade. Place Queen Isabella on the underlay. But King Zapalya died shortly after Queen Isabella gave birth to a boy child, whom she named John Sigismund. There was fighting, because King Ferdinand of Austria thought he could take over Transylvania. Fortunately, the Sultan from Turkey sent soldiers to help Queen Isabella. The Queen wanted peace in her land, so she made an amazing proclamation: Faith is a gift from God, no one should be punished on account of it. No King or Queen had ever said such wise words. Place King John Sigismund on the underlay. When John Sigismund was 21, he became the ruler of Transylvania. At that time there were four major religions in Transylvania: Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist and Unitarian. Place Francis David on the underlay. Francis David (Ferenc David pronounced as Dah-veed) was born in Koloszvar. He originally trained as a Catholic priest before becoming a Lutheran and then a Calvinist, and then finally a Unitarian. He is attributed to starting the first Unitarian Church in the world in the 16th century. He was appointed Prince Sigismund’s religious advisor, so when Sigismund became king, everyone expected that he would force everyone in the kingdom to be Unitarian. Place Edict of Torda on the underlay. Instead, King Sigismund held a debate. He invited a representative from each of the four religions. He declared Francis David and Unitarian the winner of this debate. But instead of declaring that everyone would be Unitarian, King Sigismund remembered his mother’s wise move and Francis David’s wise words and issued an edict or law called the Edict of Torda, which basically said that everyone should believe their own way and that no one should be punished on account of it. This was an historic time for Unitarians, because Francis David said, “We need not think alike to love alike.” This is one of our truths that have continued for about 500 years. 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 are 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 what if felt like to live in the 16th century and have Kings and Queens decide what religion you should be? I wonder what you think Francis David meant when he said: `We need not think alike to love alike’ is to the Unitarian faith? I wonder how King Sigismund came to be so wise? 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 Make a “We Need Not Think Alike to Love Alike” banner for the classroom Crazy Eights Act out the Story OR Letters to Lawmakers 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. Make a “We Need Not Think Alike to Love Alike” banner for the classroom: Take a long strip of paper (or tape several pieces of paper together) and either before class or with the children, write “WE NEED NOT THINK ALIKE TO LOVE ALIKE” across the span. Invite the children to decorate the banner with pictures of the characters from the story, brains (for thinking), hearts (real or symbolic), etc. Hang the banner in your classroom! Crazy Eights: You will need a standard deck of 52 cards for each 2 – 4 players. How to play: In a two-player game, each player is dealt seven cards. In a game with three or four players, each player is dealt five cards. The rest of the deck goes facedown in a pile, with the top card turned up beside it. This is the discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer discards a card from his hand that matches either the number or suit of the top card in the discard pile. For example, if the card is a five of hearts, he could play any heart or any five. If he does not have a matching card, he continues picking up cards from the deck until he gets one that is playable. Eights are wild and can be put down on any suit. For example, an eight could be played to match a heart. The next player must match their card to the number or suit that the eight was meant to cover. Play continues with players matching the card at the top of the discard pile. The first player to use up all his cards wins. If the deck runs out before the game is over, the discard pile can be used. Ask the children how it feels to be the “dictator” who gets to decide which card to play (and therefore which cards the next player can choose – i.e., if I play a heart, the next player can’t play a spade or club, unless it’s an 8). Ask how it feels to be subjected to a dictator. Act Out the Story OR Letters to Lawmakers: Assign roles (Queen Isabella, King John, Francis David and three unnamed religious leaders). Act out the story! Or, with older children, share a bit about religious freedom issues currently in the news (maybe gay marriage, RFRA laws, etc.) and invite the children to write brief notes to relevant elected officials sharing their own values about the issue. JOHN MURRAY COMING TO AMERICA Opening Circle Light the chalice using the hand-motions: We light this chalice to celebrate Unitarian Universalism This is the church of open minds This is the church of loving hearts This is the church of helping hands
John Murray Coming to America Written by Ralph Roberts Materials: Blue circle underlay Two green underlay strips John Murray piece Mr. Potter piece Chapel Boat Felt dream bubble 5 felt hearts Presentation: Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type. Unfold the underlay. As you smooth out the wrinkles say . . . What could this be? It could be a big blue book. Maybe it’s a big blue box? Sky is often blue. Maybe it’s the sky? The ocean can be blue. I think it’s the ocean? Let’s see what else we have to work with. Unfold the two strips of green felt and lay them horizontally on the blue underlay manipulating these strips as you say things like . . . Maybe these two pieces can help us. They could go on top of each other like this? Let’s see if they might work better end to end? Maybe they could work like this? I think that will help. Lay one green to the left of the underlay so it buts up against it like an extension to the underlay. Do the same thing on the right with the other piece of green felt. Point to the two pieces of green fabric. That does help. These could be land. A shore. One here. And one here. Point to the blue in between the two shores. And in between these two shores there is water. So much water. I wonder how much water there was between those two shores? Find the John Murray piece and place him on the left hand shore. There is a story told about a boy who was born on one of these shores who when he became a man took the long journey to the other shore. Run your finger between the two shores. This boy’s name was John Murray. John became a minister when he grew up. He rode around from city to city teaching people how to love each other and love God. Many of the people where John lived believed that God punished people, sometimes in horrible ways. They also believed that God only cared about a very few people Place a heart near the John Murray piece. But John couldn’t believe that God was angry and punished people. In fact he was certain that God was loving. He also had a hard time believing that God only loved a few people. God was so big and so loving, John was certain that God loved all people. Begin moving the John Murray piece around the green strip on the left, letting him stop three different times. Each time he stops place a felt heart near that spot. As you do this say . . . John traveled around letting people know that God loved them, and that God loved all people, and that God wasn’t angry and wasn’t going to punish them. But people couldn’t always believe John. They would get so angry at him that they would tell him to leave their towns. Place your hand on the John Murray piece. John finally decided that he was finished with preaching. He had many sad things happen to him and on top of that people didn’t like hearing that God loved them. Place the boat piece near the children on the left side of the underlay so that it is just touching the green shore felt. Then place the John Murray piece beside the boat on the green felt. John decided that he wasn’t going to preach anymore. He also decided that he was going to leave his country, which was England, and take the long journey to America. Place John in the boat and begin moving it slowly across the blue underlay from the left-hand green felt toward the right hand green felt, stooping in the middle of the blue underlay. As you do this say . . . John got a job on a boat which was sailing for America. It was a long trip. Place the Mr. Potter on the right-hand green felt. Meanwhile there was a man in America named Potter. Potter was a farmer who owned a lot of land. Lay down the Mr. Potter piece as if he is sleeping. Then set the white felt dream cloud above Mr. Potter’s head. Potter had been having the strangest dreams. He began to think that God was talking to him in his dreams. Place a heart inside the dream bubble. Mr. Potter had a dream in which God told him that he needed to build a church building on his land, near the ocean and that God would send a preacher who would come and preach from that pulpit. God also told Mr. Potter that the preacher would preach a wonderful message of love that would change people’s hearts. Return the Potter piece to a standing position. Set the Chapel on the right-hand green felt near Potter. Mr. Potter did as he was told in the dream. He built a church building. And then he waited. I wonder if the minister will ever come? I wonder who that minister is? Continue moving the boat with John Murray in it. Bring the boat to shore a few inches above where the chapel stands. The Boat on which John Murray was sailing finally made it to America but the water got shallow and the boat got stuck just off shore. They had been traveling for a long time and had begun to run out of food. So the captain of the ship asked John to go ashore and buy some food to bring back to the boat. Take John off of the boat. John came to shore. And where was he? He was on Mr. Potter’s land and he ran into Mr. Potter. Place Potter beside John. And Potter met John saying the strangest thing. He said, “You are the preacher who will speak the good news from the pulpit I have built.” John didn’t know about Mr. Potter’s dream that he was to build a chapel and that a preacher would come and preach God’s love. But as strange as it all was John liked Mr. Potter and spoke with the man for a long time. He finally admitted that he was a minister and though at first he didn’t want to John finally agreed to preach that Sunday. Place John and Mr. Potter in front of the chapel. Place a heart on the chapel. That Sunday he climbed into the pulpit and told the people there to go out and give people a glimpse of God’s love. “Give them not hell but hope….” John didn’t stay with Mr. Potter but he did stay in America and he did start preaching again. He founded many churches devoted to spreading the message of love. Ask some of these Wondering Questions (as time and interest allow): I wonder if you have seen or heard any of this before? I wonder what was your favorite part of the story? I wonder what was the most important part of the story? I wonder where you might be in the story? I wonder if John was ever scared that people wouldn’t like what he was telling them? I wonder if Mr. Potter ever worried that the preacher would never come? I wonder if you have ever had a dream like Mr. Potter’s? I wonder what other ways God speaks to people? I wonder if Mr. Potter was happy or disappointed when the preacher finally came? 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 Windsocks Wind Games Rube Goldberg Machines and Mystery 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. Windsocks: You will need cardboard cylinders or empty containers, construction paper, crayons or markers, glue or tape, strong string, and crepe paper ribbon Remind the children that John Murray came to America on a sailing ship and could not have come here without the wind. Tell children they will each make a windsock to help them remember the story and to honor the wind. Give each child: A cardboard cylinder Construction paper to cover the cylinder Crayons and markers to decorate the paper Crepe paper ribbon A piece of strong string Tell children they may begin decorating their paper with a picture of their favorite part from the John Murray story. Visit each child individually. You may need to help children cut the paper to fit around their cylinders. It will be easier for them to decorate the paper before gluing. However, try to cut each child's construction paper to the correct size quickly, to prevent children investing time in a drawing that won't fully show when wrapped around the cardboard cylinder. Glue the paper to the container. Then glue some strips of crepe paper to the bottom. Punch four holes in the top of the container, lace a string knotted at one end through each hole and tie the four ends together. Children can take them home and place them outside and watch the wind blowing their windsock all around. Wind Games: There are a number of good games to play that reference wind. Here are some ideas: Here Comes the Wind! This activity works well with a full class or a large group of children. It should be played in a carpeted, narrow area, such as a small classroom. While it begins like a normal game of tag, as soon as one child gets tagged, the two children hold hands together as they call out "Here comes the wind!" Each child who gets tagged gets "swept up" into the wind and joins the chain. The game ends when only one individual player is left, with the rest of the group having already joined "the wind chain." Parachute Play! We love to use different sized balls with the parachute! Remind the children that using the parachute is fun but also a listening game. When we yell FREEZE!, the children all need to freeze and stop shaking the parachute before we begin again. Let the children get their shaking out of their systems before you start! Ready, set, SHAKE THE PARACHUTE! GREAT! Now, FREEZE! Place a few balls on the parachute. Tell the children to listen to your story: Begin a wind story: "One day, we went outside for a walk and there was a very light, calm breeze (begin moving parachute slowly up and down). Keep adding to the story making the wind get stronger and stronger until it blows the balls off of the parachute.
Rube Goldberg Machines and Mystery: Explain to the children that nobody really knows why a preacher who had a message of love arrived at exactly the place where someone had built a chapel waiting for him. It’s a mystery! Sometimes things that seem like a mystery can be explained. Show one or more of these short videos to the children and discuss cause and effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aaxw4zbULMs (synchronizing metronomes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w (music video featuring a very complex rube Goldberg machine) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hdx5LCfu5Q (fairly long, made of Legos) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAqGcLaE5II&feature=iv&src_vid=1QtdPfz_faM&annotation_id=annotation_582217345 (also longer, dominoes) FLAMING CHALICE SESSION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD EXTENSION Opening Circle Light the chalice using the hand-motions: We light this chalice to celebrate Unitarian Universalism This is the church of open minds This is the church of loving hearts This is the church of helping hands
Flaming Chalice Lesson with People Around World Extension (written by Nita Penfold, additional wondering questions by Beverly Leute Bruce) Materials: Underlay Flaming Chalice with gold circle and battery candle or regular candle if older children Basket of Promises Basket with People around world Earth flag Presentation: Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type. This is the circle of our community. Point around circle of children. This is the circle of our Unitarian Universalist community. Take yellow underlay from tray and spread out on floor in front of you, smoothing it down. You have heard this lesson before. But there is something different today. Take Earth flag and spread across yellow underlay. This is the circle of our Earth community. Earth is the planet on which we all live. Pick up chalice and hold. This is our Flaming Chalice. It looks like a cup. Run finger around circle of chalice. Put chalice in middle of underlay in center of Earth flag. It’s a very big cup. I wonder what it could hold. Pick up gold circle. Some people feel that it holds the spirit of love and justice and truth or maybe the spirit of mystery which some people call God. Put gold circle in chalice. Pick up candle. We put a candle in it because the flame is mysterious and beautiful and reminds us of the spirit. Place candle in chalice. It’s a very big cup. I wonder how many beings could drink out of a cup this big. Place basket of community people in front of you. These are some of the people who could be in our Unitarian Universalist community. Place a few of the community people around the circle of the earth. But our Earth community is so much bigger than just our Unitarian Universalist community. Place basket of multicultural children in front of you. These are some of the children of our Earth community. This person could be in our community. Hold up person and then place around chalice a few inches from Earth outline. Continue to add people as you talk. You may want to pass basket around to the children to place people. Place people as close together as possible. As you place these, you will have to widen the circle and make space for the other beings. There are lots of people in our Earth community. We share the Earth and its resources with all people. Now it’s getting really crowded around our circle. You know, sometimes, it’s hard to be in our Earth community. One being might do something that another one doesn’t like. Sometimes there’s not enough room and you feel squashed. Other times there’s a lot of room that you feel belongs only to you and you don’t want to share it. Take basket with triangles and put in front of you. But in our Earth community we make the same promises to each other that we do in our Unitarian Universalist community about how we are going to treat each other, so that we all get along, and do what’s right. We call these our principles. These are our promises to our whole Earth community. Take one triangle at a time, starting with red, then orange, then yellow, then green, then light blue, then dark blue, then purple, and place at base of chalice with one point into the chalice and two points to the people. Start to your right in the three o’clock position to you. You may name the colors as you put them down. With older children you may want to name each promise (see Promises lesson) but children will have a later lesson naming them. You may also want to touch the three points of the triangle before you put down. Red—We promise to Respect All People Orange-- We promise to Offer Fair and Kind Treatment to All Yellow-- We promise to Yearn to accept and Learn about ourselves, others, and the Mystery Green-- We promise to Grow by Exploring what is true and right in life Blue-- We promise to Believe in our ideas and Act on them Indigo-- We promise to Insist on a Peaceful, Fair and Free world for all Violet-- We promise to Value our home, Earth, that we share with all living things When you finish putting down the triangles, count them out loud all round the circle. When you say “connected” point to the two points of one side of the triangle pointing to the people on either side, then to the point that points to the chalice in the center. There are seven promises we make to each other to help us be in community. They remind us that we are connected to each other and to the spirit of Love or Mystery which some people call God. Now, let’s enjoy the light of the Mystery. Turn on battery candle or light regular candle for older children. Ask some of these Wondering Questions (as time and interest allow): I wonder if you have seen this anywhere else? I wonder how big this Earth community could really be? I wonder how it feels to be in this Earth community? I wonder where you are in this community? I wonder what makes you the same as these other people? I wonder what makes you different? I wonder if you have ever made a promise? I wonder what happens when you break a promise? I wonder what promises you make to the people of the Earth? I wonder what would happen if the promises weren’t here? I wonder which promise is the most important? I wonder what would what happen if we took away this Promise? I wonder if there is one promise we could remove and still live together peacefully? I wonder if you have ever felt close the Mystery? 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 Make a World Religions Poster Duck, Duck, Goose What Kids Eat for Breakfast 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. Make a World Religions Poster: Take a piece of posterboard and print out the pictures below of the symbols of multiple world religions and the earth. Help children cut out the pictures of the earth and the world religion symbols. The symbols can be decorated with drawings or glitter, etc. Arrange them on the posterboard with the earth in the middle and the symbols circling the earth. Duck, Duck, Goose: This game is played by children around the world with slightly different words and/or rules. A group of players sit in a circle, facing inward, while another player, the "picker" (a.k.a. the "fox"; some young children call the "picker" the "ducker"), walks around tapping or pointing to each player in turn, calling each a "duck" until finally picking one to be a "goose". The "goose" then rises and chases and tries to tag the "picker", while the "picker" tries to return to and sit where the "goose" had been sitting. If the picker succeeds, the "goose" is now the new picker and the process begins again. If the "goose" succeeds in tagging the picker, the "goose" may return to sit in the previous spot and the "picker" resumes the process. Here are some of the international variants: In Israel, the game is called "Black Rabbit", when instead of 'duck' the player says "(color) rabbit", and 'goose' is "black rabbit" In Turkey, the game is called "Yağ Satarım". Instead of saying 'duck' the player sings a rhyme and carries a handkerchief. Instead of saying 'goose' the player drops the handkerchief. In Portugal, the game is called "Lençinho da Botica". Instead of saying 'duck' the player sings a rhyme and carries a handkerchief. Instead of saying 'goose' the player drops the handkerchief. In India, the game is called "Ghoda Chamaar Khai". Instead of saying 'duck' the player sings a Hindi rhyme and carries a handkerchief. Instead of saying 'goose' the player drops the handkerchief and player keeps on circling until the "goose" player discovers that they have a handkerchief behind their back. Players are not allowed to look back. In Chile, the game is called "Corre Corre La Guaraca". Instead of saying 'duck' the player sings a rhyme: "Corre corre la guaraca / al que mira para atras / se le pega en la pela'" and carries a handkerchief. Instead of saying 'goose' the player drops the handkerchief and the player keeps on circling until the "goose" player discovers that they have a handkerchief behind their back. The "goose" then picks up the handkerchief and chases the "duck" player around the circle till one reaches the empty spot. Players are not allowed to look back while the rhyme is being chanted. What Kids Eat for Breakfast: Ask the children in the class what they like to eat for breakfast. Make a list! Then view the breakfasts from around the world shown here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/08/magazine/eaters-all-over.html?_r=0 
FLAMING CHALICE SESSION UNIVERSE EXTENSION Opening Circle Light the chalice using the hand-motions: We light this chalice to celebrate Unitarian Universalism This is the church of open minds This is the church of loving hearts This is the church of helping hands
Flaming Chalice Lesson with Universe Extension (written by Nita Penfold, additional wondering questions by Beverly Leute Bruce) Materials: Yellow underlay Flaming Chalice with gold circle and candle Basket of Promises Basket with plants and animals World people from earlier lesson Earth Flag Set of Planets and stars 1 yard glittery black cloth cut in circle about 4 feet in diameter so that it will show under yellow circle Presentation: Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type. This is the circle of our community. Point around circle of children. Take out glittery black underlay and smooth out on floor. This is the circle of our Universe. Take yellow underlay from tray and spread out on floor in front of you, smoothing it down. This is the circle of our Unitarian Universalist community. Take Earth flag and spread across yellow underlay. This is the circle of our Earth community. Pick up chalice and hold. This is our Flaming Chalice. It looks like a cup. Run finger around circle of chalice. Put chalice in middle of underlay. It’s a very big cup. I wonder what it could hold. Pick up gold circle. Some people feel that it holds the spirit of love and justice and truth or maybe the spirit of mystery which some people call God. Put gold circle in chalice. Pick up candle. We put a candle in it because the flame is mysterious and beautiful and reminds us of the spirit. Light candle. It’s a very big cup. I wonder how many beings could drink out of a cup this big. Place basket of world people in front of you. These are some of the people of our Earth community. This person could be in our community. Hold up person and then place around chalice a few inches from Earth outline. Continue to add people as you talk. You may want to pass basket around to the children to place people. Place people as close together as possible. There are lots of people in our Earth community. Take basket of plants and animals. Take one out at a time and place around circle of children. You may want to pass basket around to the children to place plants and animals. As you place these, you will have to widen the circle and make space for the other beings. These are the plants and animals of our Earth community. We share the Earth with all these beings. This giraffe could be in our community. This tree could be in our community. Take basket with stars and planets and put in front of you. Begin putting them out far from the people and animals but still within circle. These are the stars and planets of our Earth community. Our neighbors in the Milky Way Galaxy. This star could be in our community. Here is Neptune. Here is, etc.) Now it’s getting really crowded around our circle. You know, sometimes, it’s hard to be in community. One being might do something that another one doesn’t like. Sometimes there’s not enough room and you feel squashed. Other times there’s a lot of room that you feel belongs only to you. Take basket with triangles and put in front of you. So in our Unitarian Universalist community we make promises to each other about how we are going to treat each other, so that we all get along, and do what’s right. We call these our principles. These are our promises to our whole Earth community. Take one triangle at a time, starting with red, then orange, then yellow, then green, then light blue, then dark blue, then purple, and place at base of chalice with one point into the chalice and two points to the people. Start to your right in the three o’clock position to you. You may name the colors as you put them down. With older children you may want to name each promise (see Promises lesson) but children will have a later lesson naming them. You may also want to touch the three points of the triangle before you put down. Red—We promise to Respect All People Orange-- We promise to Offer Fair and Kind Treatment to All Yellow-- We promise to Yearn to accept and Learn about ourselves, others, and the Mystery Green-- We promise to Grow by Exploring what is true and right in life Blue-- We promise to Believe in our ideas and Act on them Indigo-- We promise to Insist on a Peaceful, Fair and Free world for all Violet-- We promise to Value our home, Earth, that we share with all living things When you finish putting down the triangles, count them out loud all round the circle. When you say “connected” point to the two points of one side of the triangle pointing to the people on either side, then to the point that points to the chalice in the center. There are seven promises we make to each other to help us be in community. They remind us that we are connected to each other and to the spirit of Love or Mystery which some people call God. Light candle. Ask some of these Wondering Questions (as time and interest allow): I wonder if you have seen this anywhere else? (Point to chalice, circles) I wonder which of the circles of community is most important? I wonder how big this community could really be? I wonder where you are in this community? I wonder if you have ever made a promise? I wonder what happens when you break a promise? I wonder what would happen if the promises weren’t here? I wonder which promise is the most important? I wonder what would what happen if we took away this Promise? I wonder if there is one promise we could remove and still live together peacefully? I wonder if you have ever felt close the Mystery? 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 Play Doh Planets Building a Spaceship Loving Kindness Meditation 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. Play Doh Planets: You will need 3 lbs of Play-doh (minimum quantity of Play-doh required for this activity), paper, pens, rulers 1) Earth & Moon Divide the Play-doh into 50 equal sized balls (as equal as possible). Choose an average sized ball and set it aside. Squash the other 49 back together. You now have the EARTH and MOON. Now comes the relative distance. The distance between the EARTH and the MOON should be equal to 30 EARTH diameters. Most people have a distorted idea of the relative size and distance between the EARTH and the MOON, due to perspective which comes from the photographs we have all seen of both. In order to get both the EARTH and the MOON in the same photo, one has to take a photo of them one in front of the other and slightly off to one side. 2) Earth – Moon – Mars Divide your dough in half. One half is the EARTH. Make seven balls out of the other half. One ball is MARS. Take another one of the seven balls and divide it into seven. One of those is the MOON. You can also do scales with this model ... but MARS is far! If you used 3lbs of Play-doh for this model, the distance between EARTH and MARS would be 7 city blocks! 3) Procedure: Solar System Write the name of each of the nine planets on separate pieces of paper. Spread the labeled papers out on a table. This is where you will be placing the Play-doh to make each of the planets. Make 10 equal balls. Squash 6 of them together ... this will be JUPITER. Place the ball on the paper labeled JUPITER. Take another 3 and squash them together...this is only part of SATURN (you will add to SATURN two more times before the activity is over). Place the ball on the paper labeled SATURN. Divide the ball of Play-doh that is left into 10. Squash 5 of them together and add them to SATURN. Take 2 and squash them together...this is NEPTUNE. Place the ball on the paper labeled NEPTUNE. Take another 2 and squash them together...this is URANUS. Place the ball on the paper labeled URANUS. With the ball that is left, make 10 equal sized balls. Squash 9 of them together...add them to SATURN. SATURN is now complete! Divide the remaining ball into 2. 1 is EARTH. Place the ball on the paper labeled EARTH. Now is when things get tricky! Divide the ball that is left into10. 9 of them make up VENUS. Place the ball on the paper labeled VENUS. Make 10 balls out of the 1 that is left. Use 9 to make MARS. Place the ball on the paper labeled MARS. Divide the ball of Play-doh that is left into 10. 9 of them make up MERCURY (Place them on the paper labeled MERCURY) and the one left is PLUTO! Place the ball on the paper labeled PLUTO. NOTE: Why isn't the Sun included in this activity? The Sun is so much larger than all of the planets that if you use a 3lb tub of Play-doh to make the 9 planets, it would take 980 tubs to make the Sun! (from http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/img/scales.pdf) Building a Spaceship: This activity is very flexible depending on the materials available and the ages/interests of the children. Spaceships can be built out of furniture, building toys, recyclables, craft materials, etc. Choose what you think will work with your space and time and the kids involved. Furniture can be tipped over and arranged in a rocket formation or a space station with rooms for different functions. Big blocks can be used similarly; small blocks, Legos, Duplos, etc. can be used to build smaller scale models. Recyclables (boxes, tubes, cans, etc.) can be taped together to form spacecraft. Craft materials can be used to build three dimensional spacecraft or collage two-dimensional spacecraft. Take photos of the kids with their finished spacecraft if you like! Loving Kindness Meditation: Invite the children to find a comfortable way to sit or lie down. Ask them to close their eyes and breathe deeply and evenly. Then tell them: Begin by saying and sending yourself the following Loving-Kindness meditation: May I Be Happy. May I Be Healthy. Repeat this to yourself several times until you can really feel it inside your heart. Now, think about someone you love and vividly picture this person in your mind. As you see this person in your mind, send them the Loving-Kindness meditation: May You Be Happy. May You Be Healthy. Next, think about a person you do not know too well, yet see often. Perhaps it is a bus driver, a janitor at school, or a school crossing guard. Think about this person and send them the Loving-Kindness meditation: May You Be Happy. May You Be Healthy. Now think about someone who mildly disturbs you . . . someone who can get on your nerves. Think about a time when you and this person were happy together and send this person the Loving-Kindness meditation: May You Be Happy. May You Be Healthy. Finally, take this Loving-Kindness meditation and make it even bigger by sending it out to the entire state (the state you are teaching in): May We All Be Happy. May We All Be Healthy. Send it out to the entire country! May We All Be Happy. May We All Be Healthy. Send it out to the entire world! May We All Be Happy. May We All Be Healthy. Send it out to the vast universe! May We All Be Happy. May We All Be Healthy. From http://yogadork.com/2015/02/11/loving-kindness-meditation-for-kids-and-valentines/ Layout (use world/multicultural people instead of community people) 
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