baha'i children's class ideas...

coucou

2007-11-08T10:17:00.000-05:00

wondering why this blog has fallen silent? never fear! big things are in the plan and will be unveiled soon, including a new, improved look and feel and various interactive features. don't worry, I'm not dead!

service

2007-08-18T22:05:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsThe best way to attain nearness to God is to serve Him; we can do this by serving humanity. We should serve everyone, without considering their race, nationality, religion, status, or sex.activitiesprojects: The children can be encouraged to take on a service project to learn about the importance of serving humanity. Examples could include putting together care packages for

truthfulness

2007-08-17T19:30:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsTruthfulness is a law that Bahá'u'lláh has established that the world may be united. We should tell the truth at all times, even if it is difficult. This way, we will be worthy of the trust of others.activitiesstory: The Boy Who Cried Wolf. There is an excellent retelling in Book 2 of Bahá'í Education for Children, aka the Furútan curriculum. Our children could relate to it a

love

2007-08-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsOur love should be like the rays of the sun: we should love everyone, even those who mistreat us.activitiesstory: 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the unkind man, Ruhi Book 3, pp.45-46. 'Abdu'l-Bahá shows love to a man who reviles and curses him for twenty-four years.handprint flowers: trace your hand and turn it into a flower! a lily, to be precise.rose tag: played much like freeze tag, except

quick note on outreach classes

2007-08-13T18:10:00.000-04:00

the past week, I've been involved with a neighbourhood teaching/outreach project that's endeavouring to offer all of the core activities in tandem to the local community. some of us are looking after junior youth activities, home visits with local residents, and study circles; I'm helping to look after a children's class. After teaching a couple of classes to an enormous ring of kids the first

justice

2007-08-09T15:54:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsGod loves justice.Justice means that we must respect the rights of every human being and make sure we do not take away from anyone what they deserve.activitiesstory: pp. 43-44, Ruhi Book 3: 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the stagecoach.games: we often play games as examples of justice... is it just to break the rules? how can we ensure that we can be just while we play games?referenceTread ye

the universal house of justice

2007-06-23T23:16:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsJust as 'Abdu'l-Bahá protected the Bahá'ís after Bahá'u'lláh's Ascension, and as Shoghi Effendi did the same after 'Abdu'l-Bahá passed away, The Universal House of Justice was formed after the passing of Shoghi Effendi to protect and to serve as the head of the Bahá'í Faith. The Universal House of Justice, consists of nine people who look after the affairs of the Bahá'í Faith.

the guardian, shoghi effendi

2007-06-09T16:26:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsShoghi Effendi was the grandson of 'Abdu'l-Baha, who appointed him as the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith in His Will and Testament. Shoghi Effendi worked very hard throughout his life, translating many of the Baha'i Writings into English, designing and building the gardens around the Baha'i Holy Places in Haifa and Akka, and administering the affairs of the Faith until his death

'abdu'l-baha

2007-05-26T17:19:00.000-04:00

learning concepts'Abdu'l-Bahá is a very special person: He is the Centre of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant, the unerring Interpreter of His Writings, and the Perfect Exemplar of His Teachings. He was given many titles during His lifetime, including "The Master"; the one He preferred and took for Himself, however, was 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which means "Servant of Bahá"—Servant of Bahá'u'lláh.activitiesstory:

preferring others before oneself

2007-05-11T23:59:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsGod wants each and every one of us to be happy. We must always look for ways to serve others and to bring them happiness and joy. To make this happen, we should not only wish for others what we wish for ourselves, we should wish even better things for them.activitiesstory: 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the expensive coat. Ruhi Book 3, p.57. Illustrates how 'Abdu'l-Bahá was always thinking

notes from counsellor scott's talk

2007-03-30T00:49:00.000-04:00

these are informal notes from Counsellor Scott's talk and should not be construed as being 100% accurate by anybody—especially given the way I take notes! take 'em with a few grains of salt.so Counsellor Scott graciously took time out of his busy schedule to visit with us in Ottawa tonight, and share with us progress happening in the Baha'i community. He started out by reminding us that "being"

humility / work in the spirit of service is worship

2007-03-30T00:21:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsA person who is humble before God realizes the greatness of God and his own smallness. He gives himself up entirely to God's Will. When we give our will over to His, God fills our hearts with joy.One way we can show humility is to serve others. When we do things for others in a spirit of service, this is like worshipping God.activitiesstory: 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the "crystal water

naw-rúz - baha'i new year, spring

2007-03-24T16:08:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsNaw-rúz is a celebration of the Bahá'í New Year.Naw-rúz is the end of the month of fasting and the first day of the month of Bahá (Splendour). Note: Bahá'í children and junior youth (i.e. below the age of 15) do not fast.Naw-rúz happens on the day of the spring equinox, which is usually March 21.activitiesnaw-rúz cookie workshop: everybody loves cookies!naw-rúz bags: to hold

intense week

2007-02-01T01:21:00.000-05:00

This post was also blogged at doberman pizza.well it's been an intense week for sure. the Ottawa Baha'i community held another reflection meeting last Saturday, launching the eighth cycle of its intensive program of growth.JARGON WATCH: basically what this means is that a bunch of people got together to reflect on and discuss the growth, vitality and vision of the Baha'i community, to share

age gaps

2007-01-27T18:37:00.000-05:00

just a few words about the difficulties inherent in teaching a class with a wide age spread. we've always advertised our class as open to kids from around five to ten years of age. for the first little while, that wasn't a big problem; most of our kids ended up being around the same age—five to seven—with only a few outliers. Lately, however, we've been seeing a more diverse range of ages. At

oneness of religion

2007-01-24T22:20:00.000-05:00

learning conceptsAll the major religions come from the same divine source.Bahá'u'lláh urges us to consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.activitiessong: "The Song of the Prophets" by Jack Lenz, on the album We Are Baha'is.drama/skits: A play about the Oneness of Religion, from Baha'i Education for Children, Book 2, Chapter 9 (pp. 19-24)stencil craft

kindness to the poor

2006-11-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

learning conceptsBahá'u'lláh tells us to care for the poor. To do this, we can look to the example of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, who served and took care of the poor all His life.We must also remember not to encourage mendicancy—that is, people whose profession is begging.activitiesstory: Stories of 'Abdu'l-Bahá are very effective in conveying His kindness to the poor.game: "Giving"—described below.reading/

kindness to animals

2006-11-11T17:41:00.000-05:00

learning conceptsWe must be fair and just at all times, even to animals.activitiesstory: The Lion and the Mouse - Aesop's fable. "Even the weak and small may be of help to those much mightier than themselves."song: "God's Creatures" from Ruhi Book 3.drama/skits: Divide the children into teams of two. One team at a time, have the

cleanliness

2006-11-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

learning conceptsCleanliness is an important part of baha'i life.One thing we must do to keep clean is to wash our hands, face and feet every day.When we grow up (reach the age of 15), Baha'u'llah asks us to wash our hands and our face before saying our obligatory prayers every day.readings/prayers for studyBe ye the very essence of cleanliness amongst mankind.(Baha'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas)...[

obedience

2006-10-21T17:17:00.000-04:00

learning conceptsWe follow God's commandments out of our love for Him.When we love someone - a parent, a guardian, a teacher - we do what they ask so that they may be happy.Even when we're asked to do unpleasant things, we must be patient in our obedience.activitiesstory of Lua Getsinger: 'Abdu'l-Bahá asks Lua to take care of a sick man. Ruhi Book 3, Lesson 5.story of Bahá'u'lláh and the hunter:

allah'u'abha: greetings

2006-10-14T18:18:00.000-04:00

learning concepts"Allah'u'abhá" means "God is most glorious". Bahá'ís use it as a way of greeting each other.Greeting each other helps each of us feel welcome.activitiesFruit Salad: Each child picks the name of a fruit, for example apple, orange, banana, etc. Call out two fruits; the children who picked those two fruits switch places. When you call "fruit salad", everybody switches places.All

where we now stand

2006-10-06T00:25:00.000-04:00

so after an evening of consultation about the children's class, we've come up with a plan of action to help the class mature and grow. it's simple, and, if we pray for confirmation and put the effort into it, it'll be effective. in short:Oct. 14: first class. welcome to new students, etc. parents are given written and verbal invitations to Open House on Oct. 21, taking place after the class (

update on our children's class

2006-10-01T23:37:00.000-04:00

Étoiles Brillantes, our francophone children's class, is shaping up well for the year ahead - although there's still a whole lot left to do. I talked with Julie (co-teacher and co-organizer) and she says that all of the families from last year now know that we will be starting again on October 14th; that's one hurdle crossed. Now our goal will be outreach. How are we going to grow our class

"...of paramount importance to the further progress of the community"

2006-09-25T00:11:00.000-04:00

Even though children's activities have been a part of past Plans, these have fallen short of the need. Spiritual education of children and junior youth are of paramount importance to the further progress of the community. It is therefore imperative that this deficiency be remedied. Institutes must be certain to include in their programmes the training of teachers of children's classes, who can

the news so far

2006-09-22T00:20:00.000-04:00

So our children's class is now scheduled to start the weekend after (Canadian) Thanksgiving - October 14th. I've got a list of themes ready for the year, and I need to brainstorm some activities - if you can recommend some fun activities based around the first few books of the Furutan curriculum, that'd be really helpful - leave a comment on this post. There's an information session at Ottawa's