In "Creating Home," a Tapestry of Faith program
This activity nicely follows Activity 2: Story — Hare's Gifts. If the children are not in a circle, gather them together to sit with you at the labyrinth. Say in your own words:
In bringing friends together to form a community, it helped that Hare knew something about what the animals liked. This helped Hare bring everyone together. Hare knew they would like to live near where they worked. He knew they would like to have their families nearby. He knew some liked to build, some liked to paint, and some liked to hear music. What else did the community of animals like?
Look for responses about eating, having parties, cooking their favorite dishes, making music, and dancing.
Ask if this Creating Home group is a community. Yes, they are! Remind the children that they spend time together regularly. They share a purpose of coming together for religious education time, they care about one another, and when they are here together, they are ready to have fun together, to learn together, and to ask for or give help when help is needed.
Indicate how this community is represented today by the stones children placed on the labyrinth. You may note that the same participants do not necessarily come to each meeting, yet all belong to our community when they are here, even if they are here for the first time.
Tell the children that communities share many things together, but each person in a community is unique. That means every person is different and special, and each might like different things. Ask children to share some of the things they like to do; allow some responses.
Now invite the children, one at a time, to pick up their name stones from the labyrinth and say one thing they like to do as a community with this group, and then replace his/her name stone. You may wish to ask each child, as he/she picks up a name stone:
To prompt, you may tell children they can name something they always do when the group meets (such as lighting the chalice), something they did once with this group, or something they would like to do with this group sometime.
After all have contributed, affirm that all the activities and ideas they named help create the Creating Home community.
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Last updated on Friday, May 17, 2013.
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