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Baha'i Children class Ruhi Book 3

IMPORTANCE OF UNITY G2 L10

WELCOME

LESSON 10: IMPORTANCE OF UNITY

This lesson is all about living in Harmony, and about the importance of unity to help us achieve the ideal living space not just in our homes, but worldwide.

EACH SET HAS PRAYERS TO MEMORIZE

For lessons 10 to 12 we will memorize the prayer below

O Lord God! Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love. O Lord! Dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá
SEND THE PRAYER TO A FRIEND here
Quote for class to memorize
You can use the following explanation to help you present today’s quotation to the children:

All the people of the world were created by one God, and all are His servants. We all breathe the same air, live on the same earth, and receive light and warmth from the same sun. We are all part of one human family. And just like a garden bursting with flowers of every shape and color, humanity is made up of peoples of different colors and races, different talents and capacities, which are harmonized in a beautiful whole. The great diversity of the human family can be likened to the many notes that come together in a delightful melody. A melody with only one note repeated over and over is not pleasing to the ear; it is dull and monotonous. So it is with the diversity of the human race; when the diverse people of the world come together in unity, the true strength and potential of humanity can be seen.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá showed us through His words and actions how we can build unity. His home was often full of people from different parts of the world living happily in one household, and wherever He went, He insisted that gatherings include everyone who wished to join, bringing all together in harmony and never allowing differences to separate people. He always reminded the friends that we are waves of one sea, grass in the same meadow, leaves on the same tree, united by the love of God. We see everyone as our brothers and sisters, and we treat every soul with kindness. If misunderstandings arise among us, we resolve them with friendliness, remembering our love for God and for each other. We avoid arguments and fights. Think of the human body; all the different parts work together to make it healthy and strong. In the same way, as we all work together, each doing our part, we see the power of unified action, and great things can be accomplished. To help us remember the importance of unity, let us memorize the following words of Bahá’u’lláh:

So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.

Bahá’u’lláh
MEANING OF WORDS
Powerful

The sun’s rays warm the earth and give life to all beings.  The sun’s rays are powerful.

As Kendra read the poem, its sweet words touched her heart and brought tears to her eyes.  The poem was very powerful.

Illumine

The room was dark until we turned on the light.  The light illumined the room.

In the morning, the sun rises and shines its light on the land and sea.  The sun illumines the land and sea.

MEMORIZATION AID FOR QUOTE

PICTURES TO REMEMBER THE QUOTE HERE

ruhi book 3 grade 3 song
STORY RELATED TO LESSON
A Story OF ‘Abdu’l-Baha and unity

Throughout His life, ‘Abdu’l Baha brought all different kinds of people together- old and young, rich and poor, of all religions and backgrounds- and helped them to learn the ways of unity. Here is a story that shows how ‘Abdu’l-Baha brought two hearts together. 

Every day many people came to visit Abdu’l-Baha in His home, and He welcomed them all with open arms.  One day, a gentleman arrived at the house and was greeted warmly.  Sometime later, while this gentleman was still visiting with Abdu’l-Baha, a second man came to call, and he, too, was warmly welcomed.  Now, it so happened that these two gentlemen had had a disagreement, and they were not at all happy to see each other.  In fact, they did not even want to be in the same room together.  What would happen?  Both wanted to be with Abdu’l-Baha.  Would one of them decide to leave?

Abdu’l-Baha resolved the matter immediately.  He started by telling some funny stories, and before long, both men were laughing.  Then He said that His home was a home of peace and joy, a home of laughter and exultation.  He did not want them to leave with feelings of hatred in their hearts.  The gentlemen listened carefully, thinking about Abdu’l-Baha’s words.  After a while, Abdul-Baha gave them each some sweets and a silk handkerchief (HAVE SWEETS AND A SILK HANKY OUT AS PROPS).  These were to be, He indicated, a token of their pledge of friendship.  The two men smiled.  They recognized that it was God Who had directed their steps to Abdu’l-Baha’s home that day.  And they went away from Abdu’l-Baha’s presence joyful and full of laughter.

What do you take away from this story?

In following the ways of Abdu’l-Baha, we never allow differences to come between us, and, if misunderstandings ever arise, we think of our love for God and look for those things that unite us. 

Drawing aids
GAMES FOR GRADE 2 TO PLAY
DRAMA / GAMES
The activities that follow will help the children continue developing the skills and abilities of creative drama.

Ask your students to stand in their imaginary squares.  As you did in the previous lesson, have the children stand about 5 feet apart and imagine that they are in their own squares.  Ask them to walk along the border of his/her imaginary square.

Ask children to: raise up your arms and stretching from the tips of your toes to the tips of your fingers, reach towards the sky.  Now you are going to relax and let your arms and head hang freely.  Repeat this several times.

Now tell the children to stretch their arms out at shoulder length and rotate them slowly, making small circles.  Gradually the circles should become bigger and bigger.  As they do this exercise, their arms will feel heavier and heavier. Tell the children than when their arms feel very heavy, they should let them drop and shake them out.

For the next exercise, the children will remain in their imaginary squares.  Tell them to pretend they are doing the following: washing dishes, washing a dog, feeding chickens, carrying wood, planting seeds, picking a crop, pouring and drinking a glass of water.  (Call the actions out one at a time, giving the children a minute or so to improvise each)

Now have the children form a circle, sitting down, yourself among them.  Create a face- a happy face, a sad face, a frightened face.  Turn to one of the youngsters sitting next to you and pass the face on to that child.  He or she should assume the expression and pass it on to the next child, and so on.  You may do this several times, allowing a different children to create a face each time.

Now we are going to move on to the activities related to the theme of this lesson- the importance of living in unity.  Do you remember the analogy that was used earlier to describe the oneness of humanity?  It has to do with the human body.  What would happen if some of our fingers refused to grab on to something we needed to pick up?  What if each leg tried to walk in a different direction?  The next few activities will help us see what it means to be united.

 I am going to tell you a story about a hand whose fingers and thumb stopped working together, and I am going to ask you to ACT IT OUT SILENTLY WITH YOUR OWN HANDS as I tell it.  (HAVE PENCIL, PAPER, SPOON and SMALL BALL PROPS FOR EACH CHILD)

One day the fingers on Ramiro’s hand fought with the thumb. They decided that they didn’t like it, they didn’t need it, and they could manage fine without it.  That seemed a great idea to the thumb, who took advantage of the time to rest.  Meanwhile, the fingers began a new life.  But…when they tried to pick up a pencil, they had difficulty.  When they finally managed, it was even harder to write.  Neither could they hold the spoon easily when it was time to eat.  And buttoning up a shirt was impossible.  So they decided to play instead.  But, to their surprise, they couldn’t grab the ball.  Feeling sorry, they turned to their brother, the thumb, and asked him to join them again.  The thumb, who was bored being alone, did not have to think twice and gladly went back to his duties.

For this next activity, we will need to divide up into pairs.  One child from each pair will need to stand behind the other.  The child behind should be facing the back of his or her partner.  Each pair is going to act as one person.  The child in back will be the arms and the child in front will be the rest of the body.  The hands of the child in front should be placed behind his/her back, allowing the arms of the child behind to be extended, as though they were the arms of the front child (have a pair come up and demonstrate so everyone sees how to do it).

Now, each pair will first act out a situation in which the arms are not united in the rest of the body.  The child in front should describe what is happening to the body.  For example, he or she may say, “There is sun in my eyes, I need to protect them with my hand” or “My nose is itchy, I need to scratch it.”  The child behind should do something DIFFERENT from what the body has said, for example, wave his/her hand, fold his or her arms, or wiggle his/her fingers. 

Next, each pair is going to act IN HARMONY, with the arms doing the jobs the body needs them to do. 

Then allow children to SWAP ROLES, so each has a chance to pretend to be the arms.

Pass the face

Everyone sits in a large circle, one person makes a funny face and each person in turn, passes it along the circle. We had some great laughs!

THE OLD LAPBOOK VERSION HAS THE FOLLOWING FILES

1. UNITED HEARTS ( 2 versions)

2. PRAYER FLIPBOOK TO DECORATE

3. QUOTE MEMORIZING (choose one of 3 lanterns and quote)

DOWNLOAD COMPONENTS HERE

CRAFT IDEAS
CRAFTS OF HEART SLIDING AND “UNITING”

NOTE YOU CAN USE TWO HEARTS OR THE ONE BROKEN INTO TWO AS THE VIDEO SHOWS.

Based on the story:
  1. Decorate sweet wrappers. 
  2. Write your favorite joke
DESIGN A PRAYER

YOUR OWN VERSION OF THE PRAYER WE ARE MEMORIZING 

Review the quotation from today’s lesson with the children and then say a few words about kindness and compassion, before asking them to recite the quotations they memorized in Grade 1 related to these qualities:

Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love

 Baha’u’llah

The Kingdom of God is founded upon equity and justice, and also upon mercy, compassion, and kindness to every living soul

‘Abdu’l-Bahá
ruhi book 3 grade 2 resources
POWERPOINT HERE
BRILLIANT STAR MAGAZINE

ONE FAMILY TREE

THE HUMAN RACE

OUR GLOBAL FAMILY

LAUGHTER IS GOOD MEDICINE

Categories
Baha'i Children class Free Ruhi Book 3

 IMPORTANCE OF JUSTICE G2 L11

WELCOME

LESSON 11:  IMPORTANCE OF JUSTICE

We know that all the peoples of the world are meant to live in unity as one family. In a family, everyone is treated with fairness. We learn to find ways to work together for everyone’s benefit. The well-being of every member is connected to the well-being of the family as a whole. Should harm come to one member, all are affected. Similarly, we should be fair in our dealings with all those who cross our path, never taking advantage of anyone. We strive to show forth such fairness and justice in our daily lives that we become worthy of the trust and confidence of our fellow human beings.

EACH SET HAS PRAYERS TO MEMORIZE

For lessons 10,11 and 12 we will memorize the prayer below

O Lord God! Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love. O Lord! Dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator

‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Send the Prayer to a friend
Quote for class to memorize
You can use the following explanation to help you present today’s quotation to the children:

Knowledge is essential for human progress. In order to build a better world, we must gain knowledge of the sciences and the arts. By applying what we learn, we are able to improve the quality of the food we grow, make advances in medicine that help us live healthier lives, discover ways to communicate with people in far-off places, and create
things that beautify the world. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encourages learning about the sciences and arts, as well as acquiring spiritual knowledge that comes from the teachings of God.
These teachings give us a deeper understanding of the world around us and inspire us to use our knowledge for the benefit of others, to remove conflict and to promote cooperation and harmony.
Once, while speaking with a teacher from England, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked what subjects he taught in school. The gentleman told Him that he taught Latin, English, Algebra, and Geometry. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá then asked him if he also addressed spiritual matters in his classes. The gentleman replied that there was no time for spiritual education in school.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá made no comment, but He did not need to! From His question and His silence, the gentleman understood that both material and spiritual education are necessary for human advancement. Aware that most schools did not provide spiritual instruction, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encouraged Bahá’í communities to establish regular classes for this
purpose. To help us remember how acquiring knowledge can help us contribute to the betterment of the world, let us memorize the following quotation:

We ask God to endow human souls with justice so that they may be fair, and may strive to provide for the comfort of all . . .

‘Abdu’l-Bahá
MEANING OF WORDS
Endow

Meng is very intelligent.  She is endowed with intelligence.

Conrad was easily frightened and lived in fear, but then a friend told him that God has endowed every human being with courage.  Conrad thought about this and decided that he would no longer be so afraid.

Strive

Edward decided that he wants to do better in school.  He studies diligently every day so that he will reach his goal.  Edward is striving to be a better student.

Gabriela tries to do her best at any task that she is asked to do.  She strives for excellence in every task.

MEMORIZATION AID FOR QUOTE

PICTURES TO REMEMBER THE QUOTE HERE

Songs for grade 2
STORY RELATED TO LESSON
A Story of Abdu’l-Baha when He encountered injustice

To live in harmony with others, we strive to treat all people fairly, without thought of their religion or background, their age or circumstances.  Of course, there are times in our lives when we encounter injustice.  I am going to share a true story of Abdu’l-Baha when He encountered injustice, and we will learn from His example what to do about it.

In the days of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha, the people of Akka had been misled about the Bahais and did not think they deserved to be treated fairly.  But Abdu’l-Baha, with His great wisdom and love, changed the hearts of many of these people.  He showed kindness to people of all religions and helped them become united.

There was a Christian merchant in Akka who, like his fellow citizens, did not respect the Bahais.  One day, outside the gates of the city, the merchant saw a camel load of charcoal that belonged to the Bahais. (HAVE CAMEL statue and pretend coal out as prop- can explain what charcoal was used for burning it for heat, etc.; If you want a prop, pretend coal can be bought at AMAZON. OR just use a piece of paper that is squished up!

He stopped the driver and said, “This is better charcoal than I can get!”  Without paying any money, he took the charcoal for himself.

When Abdu’l-Baha heard of this incident He went to the merchant’s shop to ask for the return of the charcoal.  There were many people in the office, and the merchant did not pay Him any attention.  Abdu’l-Baha sat there and waited patiently.  Finally, after three hours, the merchant turned to Him and asked coldly, “Are you one of the prisoners?  What have you done that you were imprisoned?”  Abdu’l-Baha replied that His crime was the same one for which Christ was persecuted. The merchant was surprised.  “What do you know about Christ?” he asked.  Then Abdu’l-Baha calmly and kindly began to talk to him about Christ and His teachings.  As Abdu’l-Baha spoke, the merchant’s heart began to melt, and his pride and arrogance disappeared.  At last, he explained to Abdu’l-Baha that unfortunately the charcoal was gone, but he would gladly pay for it.  Then Abdu’l-Baha rose and walked with Him to the street, treating Him with great respect and honor. 

What did you learn from the way that Abdu’l-Baha dealt with injustice?

Courage to confront it, but He also had patience, spirituality, calmness, kindness and love.  It says something very special in the Bahai Writings about love.  It says that love is “a most potent elixir that can transform the vilest and meanest of people into heavenly souls.”   

We can learn from Abdu’l-Baha’s example and strive to be like Him!

Draw any part of the story
GAMES FOR GRADE 2 TO PLAY
DRAMA / GAMES
The following activities will contribute to the students’ ability to participate in the creative drama:

Ask your students to stand in their imaginary squares.  As you did in the previous lesson, have the children stand about 5 feet apart and imagine that they are in their own squares.  Ask them to walk along the border of his/her imaginary square.

Ask children to: raise up their arms and stretch from the tips of their toes to the tips of their fingers, reaching towards the sky.  Now relax and let your arms and head hang freely.  Repeat this several times.

For this next exercise, the children will remain in their imaginary squares.  Ask them to create a shape with their bodies, using their heads, arms, and legs.  This is shape number 1.  Tell them to hold that shape for a few seconds.  Next, have them move into a second shape.  This is shape number 2.  Again have them hold the shape for a few seconds.  Now count- 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2 as the children move from shape to shape.  Call freeze when children are in shape number 2.  Now ask the students to find a completely new shape.  This is shape number 3.  Have them hold it for a few seconds, and then go back to shape number 1.  Now count 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1, 3- as the children move from shape to shape.  Call freeze when children are in the shape number

Finally, have the children create a fourth shape and ask them to hold it for a few seconds.  Then ask them to go back to shape number 1 and count, 1, 2, 3, 4 (mix it up) having children move from shape to shape.  Try to establish as rhythm as you count.

Now explain to the children that the same word can be said in different ways.  Depending on how we say it, the meaning changes.  Ask them to say the word “oh” as if… (you can have the following on slips of paper that the kids take turns pulling out of a bag and reading and then they tell them to the whole group for them to act out)

  • someone had stepped on their foot
  • they are sleepy
  • their mother is calling them to get up in the morning
  • someone is giving them a present
  • their father says he is going to take them fishing
  • he says they cannot go after all
  • they are invited to take a trip to the moon
  • they are petting a dog
  • they took a bit of something they did not like
  • they are running hard and are out of breath
  • their grandfather has just come to visit

Now you are going to invite the students to improvise the following story, related to today’s lesson, which is unity and fairness.  They will improvise the same situation twice.  The first time, the situation will end unfairly.  The second time, it will be resolved fairly.  As always, the children should be allowed to fill in the details of the story with their own imaginations. First, listen to the story and then act it out.  They can use fruit props, plastic hammer/building tools props etc.

It is harvest time.  The fruits are ready to be picked from the trees.  The sun is rising, and everyone is preparing to make their way to the orchards.  As they slowly gather in the village square, they talk about the harvest, which promises to be abundant.  Since a storm is predicted for tomorrow, they decide that they will have to pick all the fruit today.  Just then you enter the scene, pretending to be the village teacher.  You, too, have heard about the coming storm.  You explain to them that there is a leak in the roof of the school that has to be fixed.  “Last time it rained,” you tell them, “the children’s books got soaking wet.”  Everyone agrees that the roof should be fixed immediately, so two or three of the villagers volunteer to go and do it.  The others go off to the fields. 

It is now the end of the day.  Dark clouds are starting to roll in, but, thankfully, the roof has been fixed.  Those who repaired it are tired as they return to the village square.  The others, too, are returning from a hard day’s work, their baskets filled with fruit.  But do they want to share their fruit with they sent to fix the roof?  No.  They keep all of the fruit for themselves.  They are unfair to their friends.

Now we are going to improvise the situation again.  This time, however, those with the fruit show FAIRNESS towards their friends.  They decide that, since everyone agreed it was urgent to fix the roof, it is only fair that the day’s harvest should be shared with those who repaired it.  Everyone joyfully gathers together, and they divide the fruits among themselves.

SIMPLE LAPBOOK LESSONS 10 TO 12

For lesson 11 we will add the camel to our lapbook

Download it here

CRAFT IDEAS
Craft with the image of the Camel from the story

The first is a simple card to cut and fold. HERE

The second is a 3D version of a camel. HERE

Cut out both camel pieces per child. Use cardstock or use the cutout image as a template to cut the cardboard.

I used foam tape that is sticky on both sides, available in dollar stores. You need the two parts of the camel to be layered with space between the pieces so that it is sturdy and can stand up. If you do not have access to foam tape, use small square bits of cardboard and glue between the pieces.

Australian Peace Pack to supplement today’s lesson. Using the quote by Bahá’u’lláh:

“Be vigilant, that ye may not do injustice to anyone, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard seed.”

…we created a beautiful little piece of art – with a nest made of tissue paper, and a tiny mustard seed stuck in the middle of it. We have to be fair at all times, and can’t let injustice happen – even though it might only be to the extent of a grain of mustard!

Light of Unity
This is a two-day activity.

Materials:

First day:

  1. White water-color paper, one page for each child
  2. Water colors
  3. Paint brushes.
  4. Pots of water so children can rinse brushes
  5. Paper towels so children can dry brushes between colors

Second day

  1. White card-stock, one for each child, for background
  2. ScissorsGlue
  3. Pre-printed verse about unity, or pen or felt-tipped markers to write the verse.

On the first day, the children fill their paper with painted abstract and colorful swirls and swishes.   Make sure there is plenty of yellow for the sun. Let his dry completely.  See example on www.supportingthecoreactivities.org .

On the second day, cut the painted paper and create a collage that resembles a sunrise over water, or maybe over land, gluing the pieces to the background card-stock.  The children can write in a verse about Unity, or create a pre-printed verse they can glue onto their art work.  See example on www.supportingthecoreactivities.org .

Craft using images in the prayer

The prayer we are leaning has so many beautiful images. we can do a few crafts using these images

O Lord God! Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love. O Lord! Dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator.

1. paint or draw the images in the prayer:

  • Waves of the sea
  • flowers of the garden
  • united (holding hands?)
  • agreed (saying Yes)
  • dilate the breast (heart)
  • Stars
  • fruit

comic book template

Review the quotation from today’s lesson, and then remind the children of the qualities of trustworthiness and radiance and the quotations they memorized in Grade 1:

Tread ye the path of justice, for this, verily, is the straight path

 Baha’u’llah

Trustworthiness is the greatest portal leading to the tranquillity and security of the people

 Baha’u’llah
ruhi book 3 grade 2 resources
POWERPOINT

HERE , HERE AND HERE

BRILLIANT STAR MAGAZINE

MUSIC

QUIZ

MONSTER MIND

CHALLENGING CHOICES

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

QUIZ ON EQUALITY

Categories
Baha'i Children class Free Ruhi Book 3

Living In Harmony With Others Grade 2 Set 4

 Living In Harmony With Others Grade 2 Set 4

WELCOME TO SET 4: Living In Harmony With Others

THE THREE LESSONS IN THIS SET ARE AS FOLLOWS:

  1. Importance of Unity
  2. Importance of Justice
  3. Cooperation with Others

THE PRAYER WE WILL BE MEMORIZING IS:

O Lord God! Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love. O Lord! Dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, 
the Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator.

EACH LESSON WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT QUOTE TO MEMORIZE

Lesson 10:

So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.

– Bahá’u’lláh

Lesson 11:

We ask God to endow human souls with justice so that they may be fair, and may  strive to provide for the comfort of all . . .


 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Lesson 12:

The supreme need of humanity is cooperation and reciprocity

Abdu’l-Baha,