The lesson this week is about Love
What is Love?
- Who shows Love?
- How do we know we are showing LOVE?
- How do we know when someone/ God LOVES us?
- Why should we practice the virtue of Love?
- Why does God Show us, Love?
- When do we practice the virtue of Love?
- When does God show us, love?
- When you are loving, how does it make others feel?
- How does it feel without love?
WOW! THAT IS A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT LOVE!
As we learn about love and memorize the quote this week, listen to the songs and stories, and let us try to think about how love can help build world peace!
We will continue to memorize the prayer “O God Guide Me..”
The quote this week is “O friend in the garden of thy heart….”
Science Experiment 1
Materials:
- Clear drinking glass filled with 1 cup of water
- 1 fresh egg
- 1/4 cup salt
- Tablespoon
- Permanent felt-tip marker
Instructions:
- Draw a face on one side of the egg with the permanent felt-tip marker.
- Carefully place the egg in the glass of water and observe that it sinks to the bottom.
- Explain that the egg represents someone who is not receiving love or acceptance from those around them. Sinking to the bottom represents how someone who is not loved.
- Remove the egg from the water with the spoon, and set it aside.
- One tablespoon at a time, add salt to the water. As you stir in each spoonful, explain that the salt represents different ways to make someone feel loved and accepted.
- Name an act of love with each spoonful of salt with examples that are relevant to the child’s life, such as offering to each lunch with a new child at school, bringing cookies to a new family in the neighborhood, helping someone who has fallen off her bike, sharing a special toy with a friend.
- Have the children come up with ideas that are acts of loving kindness.
- After you have added all the salt, replace the egg to show how it is now supported with “love” and “held up” by the encouragement and acceptance of others.
Science Experiment 2
“Science” activity that illustrates the virtue of Love
A Spoonful of Sugar from 10-Minute Life Lesson for Kids by Miiller, p101
Group size: 2 or more
Ages: 4 and older
Materials Needed:
- A bowl of water, a white soup bowl works well
- Pepper
- Bar or small sliver of soap or liquid dish soap
- Sugar
- Small teaspoon for pouring in the sugar
The discussion in the paragraphs below is very important. The children want to get right to the “experiment” but they need to relate it to the lesson. Don’t skimp on the explanation! Before giving each child their materials, the teacher can explain and demonstrate, as described below. Then allow each child, one by one with their own bowl, to see the pepper scattered, touch the soap to the center of the bowl (and remind the child what the soap represents unkind words or actions), let the child take a taste of the sugar, then pour the sugar slowly in a thin stream in the center of the bowl, again reminding them what the sugar represents.
Sprinkle pepper liberally on the water. Tell the children that the pepper represents the people around her — her friends, brothers and sisters, parents and teachers. You can name names, and talk about how she interacts with those people in real live. Discuss the fact that how we get along with those people is largely determined by how we treat them and speak to them. Words can be very powerful tools, either for good or for bad, and it is important to learn positive and kind ways of speaking to our friends. If the children are old enough, talk with them about the meaning of the saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will break my heart.”
Now talk about an example of someone who does not use kind words when speaking to others. Tell the children that the bar of soap represents negative, harsh language. Have the child touch the soap to the center of the water. The soap will repel the pepper and will cause it to be dispersed to the sides of the bowl. Make the comparison that when we speak unkindly to others, they will not want to be around us, and will want to scatter.
Take a teaspoon of sugar, and pour the sugar in a thin stream from the spoon into the center of the water, comparing the sugar to the sweetness of kind and thoughtful words. The pepper will be drawn into the sugar. Talk about how being loving toward other people usually causes them to be drawn to us, and makes them want to be our friends.
Science Experiment 3
Materials
- Balloon
- Bits of foil
- Bits of glitter
- Bits of sand
Method
- Blow up the balloon
- Rub on your sleeve to create static electricity
- Demonstrate how the balloon attracts glitter, pieces of foil, sand etc.
Discussion:
What happens?
What is attracted?
What do we learn from this?
ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO SAY A PRAYER?
Suggested Prayer:
O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action, and remembrance of Thee my companion, and the power of Thy sovereignty my succorer, and Thy habitation my home, and my dwelling-place the seat Thou hast sanctified from the limitations imposed upon them who are shut out as by a veil from Thee. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful. – Bahá’u’lláh
REMEMBER, WE ARE MEMORIZING THE PRAYER “O GOD GUIDE ME”
Listen and view on YOUTUBE
Los Nice Guys:
Memorization aid: IMAGES HERE
O, FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly.
Bahá’u’lláh
Listen
Meaning of Words in this Quote:
NAUGHT = NOTHING
Memorization aid
Spiritual Cookies #3 meaning of words
Send A Postcard
Every lesson online has a quote or prayer in a postcard layout that can be printed to mail to a friend or neighbor. Here is the one for this lesson.
The Samovar
TAKEN FROM: The Australian Peace Pack Book 2 page 40. Craft is also available.
Bahíyyih and her brother Abdu’l-Bahá did everything they could to help their mother with the hard work of looking after the household. Although she was now only seven years old, Bahíyyih would stand for hours at the side of the well, pulling up heavy buckets of water with a thick rope, which hurt her fingers.
One day, a lady came to visit the family, and Bahíyyih made her welcome. Although her arms were not very strong, Bahíyyih carried a samovar upstairs to the room where the family and their guest were sitting. Then, when the water boiled, she made the tea and served it in tiny, crystal glasses.
Later, when the guest had left, Bahá’u’lláh smiled at His little daughter. He said that the lady had become Bahá’i because of Bahíyyih service at the samovar!
STORY 2
STORY 3
STORY 4
HAVE YOU FILLED A BUCKET TODAY? By Carol Mc. Cloud
STORY 5
THE KISSING HAND by Audrey Penn
GAME SUGGESTION: The Bridge
A game called “The Bridge” follows the story. Using benches, boards, bricks, or tiles, make a line on the ground called “the bridge”. Two groups of children have to cross the bridge at the same time, going in opposite directions, without letting anyone fall off the bridge. The children have to help each other change places, passing each other one by one.
The Love Game for Kids
This template and instructions came from the site making life blissful.com Enjoy.
Alternative Game
Love, List & Listen Game
Using a timer have each child tell the group as many things as they can that they love in 15-20 seconds.
After everyone has had a turn to share their love go around and ask how many things the group can remember what each one said.
Don’t tell the children ahead of time that you’ll be going back to ask them what they remember from their friends lists.
This is a great way for the kids to learn more about each other.
Based On The Story
Make a teapot card and insert a tea bag to give to a friend. Download here
or
Cut the Samovar image out and make a card to send with a tea bag
SALT DOUGH HEARTS
This website has a video and instructions to make salt dough hearts.
Make this ahead of class
Download the PDF to print the quote for the back or inside the heart.
PAPER QUILLING HEART CARD
Pop Up Card
Download the template to make a pop-up card. this template can be modified and used for any quote in the Grade 1 lesson
Paper Rose
Download template here
Make A Paper Rose
- Cut out the template for rose and leaves
- Grab the outer end of the spiral and roll it up towards the middle.(roll around your finger or pencil)
- Use some glue/hot glue to attach the two leaves to the bottom
- make a few and glue in a heart shape on a piece of paper.
Make a heart-woven basket
Template and instructions here
Make a rose from a piece of felt and a pipe cleaner or straw
The website with explanation here
Heart Garden
On a heart-shaped material: paper, felt, etc, glue on flowers. These can be flowers made from paper, purchased from a dollar store, or can be stickers.
MANKIND MOBILE
From Australian Peace Pack, Book 2, Lesson 8
- print the template, and colour
- cut out the 3 circles (red lines)
- double the length of a piece of twine, have the loop end on top
- tape each circle on to the twine
MORE IDEAS CRAFT IDEAS
In My Heart Painting or Drawing
Cut large paper hearts and have the kids paint or draw pictures of things/people they love in their hearts.
A world made of love posters
Cut out a large pile of various colored little hearts. Have the kids use all the little hearts to make collage pictures.
Flower Pots
Plant some seeds in plastic cups or little terra-cotta flower pots. You can decorate the pots first before filling with potting mix. You could plant a sunflower of other seed options.
Paper Roses Make roses out of tissue paper and pipe cleaners. Bring rosewater to scent.
Paper Roses in a Heart
A Craft Idea from Ruhi Crafts Link Here
Fun Toys to Make Anyone’s Heart Happy
Here is a link to another site for more ideas
Google Drive Downloadable Crafts
Crafts and activities to choose from here
For other lessons on this blog, check out the Ruhi Book 3 page