We are Memorizing The Prayer: O Lord! Plant this tender seedling in the garden
O Lord! Plant this tender seedling in the garden of Thy manifold bounties, water it from the fountains of Thy loving-kindness and grant that it may grow into a goodly plant through the outpourings of Thy favor and grace. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful.
God created all of humanity to live together as one family. If we are to do this, we cannot let differences come between us. Instead, we should mingle with people of every religion, nation, and background with love and kindness in our hearts. To help us remember this, let us memorize the following quotation of Bahá’u’lláh:
Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love.
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Meaning Of Words
Mingle
Egrets and cowbirds are two kinds of birds that live in the meadows. They are often seen together. These two kinds of birds mingle.
In the devotional meeting, after the prayers were read, people stayed and mingled.
You know from some of our earlier stories that, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá first arrived in ‘Akká, many of the people treated Him badly. They were cruel to the Bahá’ís and did not want to speak to them. Soon, however, they came to see that the Bahá’ís were loving and kind, and slowly most of the townspeople began to show them kindness in return. But there were a few who clung to their anger and hatred.
Now, one day, a man who still carried much hatred in his heart towards ‘Abdu’l- Bahá heard others praising His greatness and goodness. The man became outraged. He would show them, he said with anger, that this Person they all revered was not so wonderful after all. And off he went, his heart burning with anger. He knew that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá could be found praying in the mosque at that hour, and he rushed there, ready to lay violent hands upon the beloved Master. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at the man with serenity and dignity. Lovingly, He reminded him of the teachings of God that we are to be generous to all guests, even those that are different from us. At this, the man realized that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Bahá’ís were, indeed, like guests in ‘Akká, his home. And, like a generous host, he should welcome them with love and treat them with kindness.
Lesson 16 Grade 1 Ruhi Book 3 Kindness
The Hidden Quality
Tell the children to form a circle, with their two hands cupped together in front of them. Stand in the middle of the circle, holding a small object like a pebble. The object will represent a quality, for instance, “kindness”. As you walk along the circle, pass your hand over the hands of each child and say, for example, “John is kind,” “Isabella is kind,” “Dervi is kind,” and so on. Each child should close his or her hands, acting as though you have given him or her the object. You should actually leave the item in the hands of one of the children. When you have gone around the entire circle, one child should try to guess who has the object by saying, for example, “Kenji is very kind.” Then Kenji should open his hands and show whether or not he has it. The child should be given three tries to guess who has the object, after which the game can be repeated using another quality. You should make sure that each child is given the object in at least one round.
Lesson 16 Grade 1 Ruhi Book 3 Kindness
Kindness Jar
Make a jar and fill it with ideas to be kind, or every time someone is kind to you, or you display the virtue of kindness, put a note in the jar.
What does forgiveness mean to you? Forgiveness means letting go of hard feelings like anger, sadness, or frustration that happen when you or someone else makes a mistake. It’s saying “Thank you” or “That’s okay” when someone apologizes and does not stay upset about what they did. It’s having patience with yourself and others, and recognizing that no one is perfect—everyone makes mistakes. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that all of a sudden what someone did doesn’t hurt or isn’t wrong. It means that you find it in your heart to give the person another chance.
Did you know that forgiveness is one of the attributes of God? We all make mistakes, and God forgives us when we ask for forgiveness and try our best to do better. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá modeled forgiveness and always told us to be forgiving with one another. He said we should see with eyes of forgiveness and overlook one another’s faults. If we follow ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s example, we will show forgiveness not only to our friends when they make mistakes but also to those who are unkind to us.
“. . . let your adorning be forgiveness and mercy and that which cheereth the hearts of the well-favored of God.”
Meaning Of Words
Cheer
Ursula was not feeling well. Her friend Elsie brought her flowers and sat with her for a long time, telling stories and talking. Elsie’s visit made Ursula feel much better. Ursula was cheered by her visit.
Mrs. Sanchez received a long letter from her husband who had gone away to a nearby town for work. The letter brought the good news that he would soon be coming home. The news greatly cheered her.
Favored
The teacher loved all of her students and paid special attention to each one. She favored them all.
James liked all of the subjects at school, but he did best in science. Science was the subject he favored most.
Send a Postcard
Send a postcard to a friend
G1L11 PostcardLesson 11 Grade 1 Ruhi Book 3 Forgivenesslet your adorning be forgivenessLooking For GoodLesson 11 Grade 1 Ruhi Book 3 Forgiveness
Story Of Forgiveness
Note, while telling the story, have a few props available to show the children: WORDS IN BOLD: A sign saying CLOSED, KEYS, TELEGRAM, PRESENT, LETTER. a ticket for the trip is additional if you like.
During the days the Master lived in ‘Akká, there was a governor who, time and time again, tried to harm the Bahá’ís. On one occasion he came up with a plan to destroy their means of livelihood: he ordered his guards to close down the shops of all the Bahá’ís and to bring him the keys. But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá learned of the governor’s plan and advised the friends not to open their shops the next day. He told them to wait and see what God would ordain.
Imagine the governor’s surprise when he heard that his guards could not bring him the keys because the shops had not been opened. But before he could think of what to do next, something unexpected happened. A telegram arrived from his superiors dismissing him from his post as governor of the city. And so the shops of the Bahá’ís were saved. The ex-governor was ordered to leave ‘Akká and go to another city called Damascus. He did not know what to do. He had to leave quickly and alone. What would happen to his family? Who would help someone who had lost the favor of the government? The Master heard the news and went to see him. He showered the unhappy man with great kindness, as if he had never been an enemy of the Faith. Not once did He mention his past wrongdoings. Instead, He offered to help him in whatever way possible. The ex-governor was worried about leaving his wife and children behind. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá assured him that He would take care of the matter. Later He arranged for a comfortable trip, provided someone reliable to accompany the wife and children, paid for all the expenses, and sent the family on its way to Damascus.
When the ex-governor was reunited with his family, he rejoiced. With a heart filled with gratitude, he turned to the man who had traveled with his family and asked him about the cost of the journey. The man explained that it had been paid by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Then the ex-governor offered him a present for his kindness and diligence during the journey. But he would not accept the present; he said that he was merely obeying ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and did not wish to receive anything for his services. The ex-governor then asked the man to stay the night as a guest in his home. He said, however, that he was eager to follow the instructions of the Master, Who had told him to return to ‘Akká without delay. The ex-governor asked the man to wait at least long enough for him to write a letter to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This he accepted and upon his return to ‘Akká delivered the letter to the Master. The letter read: “O ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I pray you to pardon me. I did not understand. I did not know you. I have wrought great evil on you. You have rewarded me with great good.”
Each person has a balloon. First, we are going to see what happens when we build anger up and don’t forgive.
Someone calls out names of emotions (sadness, anger, hurt, resentment, impatience, pain…) and with each name you hear, you blow into your balloon until it becomes pretty big. Hold onto it. When gets big, then have everyone let go and release it.
Okay, now let’s practice with forgiveness. Blow anger into the balloon. Now forgive- let it out, blow sadness into your balloon, now let it out. Blow frustration into your balloon, now let it out! GREAT JOB!
HOT POTATO
Children form a circle. Then ask:
What are some of the things your body feels when you feel angry or frustrated? One thing is that you might get really hot. I call those feelings “hot feelings” because sometimes your face can get red, you might feel a burning feeling in your stomach, and you might even feel like a volcano full of hot lava! When you touch something hot, do you want to hold onto it? No! You want to let it go as quickly as you can.
In this game, the ball/[potato is a “hot feeling.” Pass it around the circle while the music plays, letting it go as quickly as you can.
When the music stops, everyone looks at the person holding the hot potato and says: “We’re sorry!”
The person holding the ball puts it down and says, “That’s okay. I forgive you.” Then the game continues…
People to People
Tell the children to walk around randomly, while clapping and saying, “people to people”. When you call out “back to back”, they should stop, and each back up to a partner. On your signal, they start to move around again, clapping and saying “people to people”. When you call out “face to face”, they stop and each face a partner, bowing heads. The game continues in this way, with these two commands being repeated several times. Other commands can include “knee to knee” and “elbow to elbow”.
Role Plays: What Forgiveness Looks Like
Invite kids to give responses and act them out. Ask, “What does forgiveness look like when . . .” (HAVE ON SLIPS THAT THEY PULL OUT)
Your friend accidentally broke your favorite toy
You did something you feel is very bad (forgiving yourself)
Your brother takes something of yours without asking
Your friend got angry and said something unkind to you and then apologized.
Someone keeps doing something hurtful to you over and over without being sorry*
*There are sometimes when forgiveness won’t help someone change their behavior, and it isn’t the only virtue you need to call on. While you can let go of the hurt feelings, sometimes, you need to stay away from that person (if you can) and stop giving tem the chance to hurt you. In these cases, respect for yourself and justice (making sure everyone is being treated fairly, including yourself) are just as important as forgiveness.
Lesson 11 Grade 1 Ruhi Book 3 Forgiveness
An Experiment
Here is an experiment to try to help illustrate forgiveness
Make a Paper Plane
Make 2 planes hiding a penny in one. They will look the same but not fly the same. Ask the children to look them over and figure out why. Explain “the airplanes are like us and the penny is when we hold a grudge. A grudge is when we hold bad feelings inside of us because of something someone did or said to us. These feelings can weigh us down and keep us from flying high.
How can we tell if someone is using Justice when dealing with us?
As we learn the quote this week, listen to the songs and story let us see if we can answer some of these questions.
We will continue to memorize the prayer “O God Guide Me..”
The quote this week is “Tread Ye the path of Justice”
Say prayers and memorize
ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO SAY A PRAYER?
Suggested Prayer:
O God! Rear this little babe in the bosom of Thy love and give it milk from the breast of Thy Providence. Cultivate this fresh plant in the rose garden of Thy love and aid it to grow through the showers of Thy bounty. Make it a child of the kingdom, and lead it to Thy heavenly realm. Thou art powerful and kind, and Thou art the Bestower, the Generous, the Lord of surpassing bounty.
O God Rear this little babe
REMEMBER, WE ARE MEMORIZING THE PRAYER “O GOD GUIDE ME”
Radiant Heart Sung By Earl Gaston MasterA Nobel Way
Tread ye the path of justice, for this, verily, is the straight path.
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Listen and View on Youtube
Meaning of Words in This Quote:
Tread
Many leaves have fallen from the trees in the forest, covering the path. Fumiko walks through the forest. She treads the leaf-covered path.
Pedro likes to help all his friends play happily together. Pedro and his friends are very unified. Pedro treads the path of unity.
Path
1. Luis has a donkey. He took it to graze in a meadow and left it alone. The donkey found the path home by itself.
2. There are two ways to go to school. Millie always likes to take the path that goes by her grandmother’s house.
Justice
Carlos was given crayons to hand out during class. There were ten crayons and five children. Carlos gave two crayons to each child. Carlos acted with justice in handing out the crayons.
Anna has lots of water in the well in her yard, but sometimes her neighbor’s well runs dry. Anna never allows this neighbor to suffer and always makes her feel welcome to take water. Anna loves justice.
The following story about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá illustrates how just He was. In recounting the story, you can emphasize the actions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that show His concern for justice and help the children see how they could follow His example. As always, if you keep the different parts of the story clearly in mind and tell it with joy and sincerity, the children will understand it better.
One day, ‘Abdu’l-Baha wanted to go from ‘Akka to Haifa. He went to take an inexpensive seat in a regular coach. The driver was surprised and must have asked himself why ‘Abdu’l-Baha was so frugal as to ride in this cheap coach. “Surely, Your Excellency would prefer to travel in a private carriage,” he exclaimed. “No,” replied the Master and He traveled in the crowded coach all the way to Haifa. As He stepped down from the coach in Haifa, a distressed fisherwoman came to Him and asked for His help. All day she had caught nothing and now had to return home to her hungry family. ‘Abdu’l-Baha gave her a good sum of money, turned to the driver, and said, “Why should I ride in luxury while so many are starving?
Video this story
OBSTACLE COURSE
The goal is to show that the straight path is the better path to take.
Create an obstacle course but as a path going in circles all over the place. The aim is for the children to get from point A to point B. Make it as convoluted as your space allows.
Make a second path with no obstacles, make it straight from point A to point B
Let the children see who can get to the end of their path first.
Below is an example of an obstacle course.
GAME SUGGESTIONS:
Just or Not Just
Making little signs that say “just” and “not just” on either side. You can tell the children a story, or just give them scenarios – and they have to hold up their sign and tell if it’s “just!” or “not just”. The children can give their own examples. E.g.: – (J) Sharing crayons with others – (J) Following the rules when playing a game. – Taking away someone’s toy without asking to use it. – (J) Making sure everyone gets a slice of cake. – Cutting in front of others in line without permission. – (J) Taking equal turns on the swing. – (J) Finding a game everyone can enjoy. – Taking someone’s candy if they were mean to you.
The “Sharing” game
One good way to do this activity is to have a sheet that all of the children stand on. Fold the sheet in half for the second attempt. And keep folding the sheet in half, and see how small you can get it with everyone still being able to fit on it.
Each child gets a pre-cut jigsaw puzzle to draw their interpretation of the path of justice or
The picture to color and cut out
Make a Path of Justice
Materials
Get a long piece of paper
Pencil
Instructions:
Draw a straight pathway on the paper
Children then trace their feet walking on the pathway and make footprints along the ‘Class Justice Path’.
Once they have done this they can decorate the outside of the pathway with many flowers & leaves from the garden that grows abundantly when there is justice.
Note: the children can also draw in their notebooks the straight path and decorate around it. You can also print the quote and add it to the drawing.
Another activity for the Path Of Justice.
Thank you to Jaleh Sanii for sharing this craft!
The Materials Needed:
Markers
The quote “Tread Ye The Path Of Justice….”
The footsteps
The path (paper or cardstock or notebooks)
Instructions
Have the quote printed so that the children can copy it onto their sheets of paper. Option to have the quote ready for kids to stick on the paper.
Have footsteps cut out or have the children cut out the footsteps themselves and glue them to the paper.
Option to have the definition of the words written on the side.
This is one resources from the online platform. sign up for free
Children Class Virtues: lesson 1 Cleanliness
WELCOME TO LESSON 1 on the Virtue of Cleanliness
The aim of this lesson is for the children to learn that cleanliness is spiritual, physical (body and actions), and mental (their thoughts). The content is from the online platform with is free for anyone to sign up. Lots of crafts and resources to download
CLEAN BODY
How do we keep clean?
If we are camping and did not have a bath or shower?
What can we use instead of a sink?
How do we wash our hands thoroughly?
CLEAN MIND
What does this mean?
Can we use water to clean our minds?
What are “not good thoughts”?
It is normal to have these thoughts, but then WE choose how to act. We recognize the thought or feeling, we STOP and thank God for sending us this clue, and we ask God to help us change our thoughts.
Take a breath, calm down, and say a prayer. When you are…
Angry? Ask God for a stronger thought of Peace.
Impatience? Ask God for a stronger thought of Patience.
Jealousy? Ask God for a stronger thought of Sharing.
Selfish? Ask God for a stronger thought of Sharing.
Sad? Ask God for a stronger thought of Joyfulness
Mad at someone? Ask God for a stronger thought of Forgiveness
CLEAN SPIRIT (heart)
How do we keep our hearts pure?
Prayers
Practice virtues
Do kindly deeds
Be of service
Prayer: He is God! O God, my God! Bestow upon me a pure heart, like unto a pearl.–Abdu’l-Baha
The prayer and memorization aids like the flashcards below can be downloaded from the FREE course content online along with many more resources for Kindergarten and Grade 1 to Grade 4.
I’m a clean kid. I keep my life in order. I’m a clean kid. I wash my face everyday. I’m a clean kid. I do my share to keep our house in order. I’m a clean kid, from Sunday to Saturday!
(Jennifer Russell, The Virtues Songs CD)
Bath Song – Splish Splash | Kidz Area Nursery Rhymes
1. (CD: Little People: Bath Time Singalong by Fisher-Price)
Splish Splash
Rubber Ducky
Beautiful Bath
Scrubba Dubba
Rub-a-Dub-Dub
I Gotta be Clean
Brush Your Teeth
Be ye the very essence of cleanliness amongst mankind.
-Baha’u’llah
SUGGESTIONS
To help in memorizing the quote, have the children listen to the quote as much as possible.
Visuals also help in memorizing and be downloaded on the class platform for free.
Try the following: layout the following in a row, on a table have the children go along the table examining each word and picture.
Be – Picture of a bee
YE – picture to a human or a finger pointing to the child
The very essence – a small container with the vanilla essence
Of cleanliness – a picture of a very clean room or person or a picture of a soap bar
amongst mankind – picture of the crowd
Baha’u’llah – just written out
Look at the video with the meaning of the word in the quote.
There are many games to play, here you will find more:
IDEAS FOR GAMES
Let The kids wash dishes or pretend to wash dished
The ROBOT Clean-Up Game. This was taken from the site Momtastic where there are many more ideas
By creating directions based on simple computer codes (walk forward, bend down, turn left, drop toy), your child will not only have fun being a robot, but she’ll also end up cleaning her room; plus, she’ll learn some programming along the way, too. The kids LOVED this activity!
