baha’i children’s class ideas.

learning concepts
respect for the earth, God’s creation.

activities
scavenger hunt: themes of spring, nature, the natural world…

• round, interestingly-shaped, or brightly-coloured rock
• a flower, or a flower-petal
• a bird’s feather (not currently on a bird!)
• a maple leaf (or some other kind of leaf)

three-legged race: children pair up, left leg of one is strapped to the right leg of another
ruhi book 3: the song “God’s Creatures” from Ruhi Book 3 would be perfect for this lesson… (see lyrics)

reference
Conservation of the Earth’s Resources – compilation.

“Look not upon the creatures of God except with the eye of kindliness and of mercy, for Our loving providence hath pervaded all created things, and Our grace encompassed the earth and the heavens.”

“NATURE IN ITS essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the Creator. Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes, and in this diversity there are signs for men of discernment. Nature is God’s Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world. It is a dispensation of Providence ordained by the Ordainer, the All-Wise.” Bahá’í Writings

“Briefly, it is not only their fellow human beings that the beloved of God must treat with mercy and compassion, rather must they show forth the utmost loving-kindness to every living creature. For in all physical respects, and where the animal spirit is concerned, the selfsame feelings are shared by animal and man. Man hath not grasped this truth, however, and he believeth that physical sensations are confined to human beings, wherefore is he unjust to the animals, and cruel.”

experience
April 1, 2006: 2 hours, 6 children, average age 6-7. The class went fairly well, but I could tell that there was a lack of preparation – I spent most of the time focusing on the “walk in nature” part – finding outdoor activities to do with the kids – but didn’t focus as much on what to do before then, and how the walk would fit into the schedule of the class. we usually conduct the class entirely indoors, and it flows a lot better. when you add the element of going outside, you have to take into account the time spent putting on boots and coats, keeping everyone in the same group, making sure the children are always holding someone’s hand before crossing the street, and so on…

the weather played against us somewhat; it was windy and cold, with threatening rain clouds lurking overhead. it had rained the night before so there were puddles around, and one child got soaking wet (his mother didn’t mind, thankfully). the three-legged race didn’t go over too well, but I suspect that may have been because the rules weren’t properly established before starting up. there may have been confusion. the result was that few of the kids wanted to play. most of the boys loved it, of course. the scavenger hunt was given a lukewarm reception, but I think the children enjoyed it once we got going. we had to cut it short because it was becoming cold and windy.

this lesson needs to be reworked and re-tried. Earth day is coming up in three weeks, so that might be a good opportunity to revisit the topic. Perhaps we could put more emphasis on the Baha’i take on the subject, and perhaps we could tie in kindness to animals (which is another topic entirely, one we’ve already done, but which is sort of related)…