Grade 1 Lesson 1 Extra Ideas

Craft Ideas

Heart Magnets  Here are the Instructions in PDF
           



We changed the craft slightly too – painting beautiful hearts – pure, kind and radiant ones – but then stringing them up, instead of using them as magnets. We loved the way they look, when we wrote the words first with oil crayons, and then painted over with a water based paint – the brightly colourful results are gorgeous!



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Here are some magnets we made with the children one year - cutting heart shapes out before hand, and then creating our own "kindly", "pure" and "radiant" hearts to take home and put on our fridges. #bedazzled.  
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Here was an activity we did with the class that was slightly older - writing out the words for the quotes before hand, and then having to reassemble the prayer as a memorization activity; repeating this several times with a timer :)
Examples to show a Pure Heart

1. use 2 clear drink bottles and fill with water.  Tell the children that they represent two hearts.  Fill one bottle with black food colouring, sand, saw-dust etc.  and explain that each substance represents a lie, hurting others, being disobedient, etc.  Fill the other with red food colouring, glitter, beads, flowers etc and explain that each one of these things represents being honest, caring, helpful, friendly, prayerful etc.  The children can then make their own bottles - with colourful food colouring, glitter, beads, flowers etc.

2. Cut out a heart in the middle of some card.  Stick clear or red cellophane over the hole and then get the children to add radiant stickers.  Write the quotation from the lesson onto it also.  It can be taped to the window as a stained glass of sorts.  

3. Movement: Storm of Kindness
  • Explain that kids will make a “rainstorm” of kindness. Being kind is contagious (ask them what contagious means). It may start off with one small act of kindness, but soon that one act with spread to someone else and so on and so on. It will lead to other acts of kindness, and when those all get added together, they create an amazing “storm” of kindness.
  • Have kids stand in a circle. Tell them to each do what the teacher does when he/she looks at them and nods. Don’t do it until the teacher looks and nods. Starting at one spot in the circle, the teachers will have them.
  • Rub hands together (sounds like rain starting to drizzle) 
  • Snap (or slap backs of hands, alternating) (bigger drops) 
  • Clap out of rhythm (even bigger)
  •  Slap thighs (heavy rain)
  •  Stomp feet (very heavy rain/thunder)
  • Then reverse steps, slapping thighs, then clapping, then snapping, then rubbing hands. 

4. Hands-On: Play-Doh Activity
  • Hand out a very small piece of play-doh to each kid. 
  • Explain that there’s someone who needs a bowl that will hold _____ (something that would fit in a bowl made out of the whole amount of play-doh). That’s a pretty big problem for a group of people who only each have a small amount to give. 
  • See if the kids can come up with a solution of putting all of their small pieces together to help this person in need. 
  • Explain that you don’t have to have a lot in order to be generous, and that when we work together to be generous or add our small act of generosity to other people’s, we can help solve problems.



Stories

 ‘Daily Reflections and Stories for Children‘. It is compiled by Munirih Hodge and Margo Styan – and the short stories are beautiful – 19 different ones, all arranged by virtues and spiritual qualities. 
The one we read today, was about two visitors who came to see 
‘Abdu’l-Bahá. They didn’t like each other at all, but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá showed them how to be friends and told them ‘My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter … Whoever enters through the portals of this home must go out with a gladsome heart.”They left the house the best of friends. 


 A Kind Heart  Here is another story that can be used for younger children
Colouring sheets
There is a set of 3 for different ages.