This class was prepared in a way to allow both parents and children to be present. This is an opportunity for everyone to get together and thank the Spiritual Benefactors for the blessings of another year that we had at the Children Education Department. It is important to engage everyone at this class as much as possible. It could be seen as a way to encourage parents to get to know the work done at the spiritist centre and to make them conscious of the need to bring the children to next year’s classes.
Opening Prayer
First: fActivity: HUGS
Objectives: “Break the ice” and develop friendship.
Resources needed: CD and music player
Procedure: Get everyone to stand up. The spiritist teacher will say to everyone that as they listen to the music, they should try to awake as many good feelings in their hearts as possible. They should then hug their friends whenever they are ready. The spiritist teacher can tell them to try to share and transmit these feelings to everyone in the room. There is no need to evaluate this activity or make any final comments; move straight to the next activity.
Time for this activity: 5-10 min.
Second - Activity: THE IDEAL FAMILY.
Material: eight hearts made out of paper; the spiritist teacher should write in each one of them one characteristic of the ideal family: communication, respect, cooperation, union, comprehension, faith, friendship, love.
Procedure:
1- The spiritist teacher should invite everyone present to form teams of five people or more. Each team should choose a name for this family and make sure they are located at least 5meters away from the spiritist teacher.
This group dynamics is about finding out which team reflects as best as possible the characteristics of the ideal family. They will have to go through a series of tests. Some of these tests will be given some time to be completed whereas others will need to be done immediately. The family (team) that wins each test will receive a heart. The last activities should be done in pairs (two teams will pair up to work together on it).
2 - The spiritist teacher should then propose one test at a time:
a) The family that manages to reach the spiritist teacher with a list of all its members written down will receive the heart of Communication.
b) The family that best represents a family scene will receive the heart of Respect (please give four minutes for the teams to prepare for this presentation).
c) The family that manages to form a circle and hold everyone’s hands will receive the heart of Cooperation.
d) The family that manages to collect five objects first will receive the heart of Comprehension.
e) The family that best represents one of Jesus’ teachings through mimics will receive the heart of Love (please give four minutes for the teams to prepare for this presentation).
f) The spiritist teacher should now ask for each individual team to pair up with another. They will, from now on, work with this other team throughout the other tests. The pair of families that best present one of the passages from Jesus’ life in paper will receive the heart of Union (please give three minutes for the teams to prepare this material).
g) The pair of families that present the best singing/vocal group will receive the heart of Friendship Union (please give four minutes for the teams to prepare for this presentation).
h) The pair of families that present the best slogan will receive the heart of Faith (please give four minutes for the teams to prepare themselves).
Time for this activity: 30-40 min.
Third: As this activity finishes, the spiritist teacher should then invite everyone to think over what was learned during the year. Before the closing prayer, please say to parents and children present they should choose one of the virtues that are displayed at the wall to take home with them as ‘summer homework’.
The panel of virtues should have been built before the beginning of this class by the spiritist teacher. We decided to cut paper heart shapes and write down the name of one virtue inside each heart. Everyone then chose one virtue to take home with them as homework during summer break. The spiritist teacher could comment that it is not enough to have this virtue at their minds, but to implement it within our hearts.
Click here to find the list of virtues that was used for this activity
Click here to find a picture of our panel of virtues.
Closing Prayer: this is an opportunity to thank for the year that is finishing and remind the children they will be welcomed next year with love. If possible, it would be great if the spiritist teacher gives each child and parent a note with the start date of the classes as well as the phrase
We wait for you!
Spiritist Education classes will start at (date).
Suggested Material suitable for: this class could be applied to every age group, adapting in accordance with the classes’ maturity/conditions.
Spiritist Teacher: Carolina von Scharten, London, Sir William Crookes Spiritist Society linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.
