Opening prayer
First: distribute small paper card with an activity written on each piece of paper, such as: ‘say hi’, ‘step on someone’s foot’, ‘make a grimace’, ‘giving someone a hug’, ‘smile’, ‘make someone laugh’,...). Whatever is written on paper shall be done to the person standing at the right hand side of the child. After this activity is done, each child should put his/her name on the back of the paper they received and return it to a box. The Spiritist volunteer should come and collect the cards from the children, placing them inside the box.
Second: tell the children the story called Life’s Echoes from ‘Pequenas Lições’, edited by ‘Soler’.
Note: there are images on the da internet e a video on YouTube that could be used.
Third: talk about the story.
What happened with Paul when he walked next to his dad? Paul fell, got hurt and screamed “Aiiii!”.
What did Paul shout to the mountain? And what was the response? Paul shouted to the mountain "Coward" and got the same answer back.
What did Paul’s father shout to the mountain? And what was the mountain’s answer? Paul's father shouted "I admire you" and "You are a champion". He got the same answer back.
What did Paul's father say to him? Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. Everything we do returns to us; good and bad things too.
Fourth: use a bop bag for this part of the lesson. Explain that the bop bag comes back with the same intensity with which it was played. It is a divine law; the law of cause and effect. Thus, all our attitudes; our choices have consequences and everything we do returns back to us.
The consequences of the actions may be positive if the acts are positive. Or they can be negative, if the actions are negative. Make comments on some attitudes and their consequences:
Eat too many sweets = feel sick; have a stomach ache; problems with teeth.
Study a lot for a school exam = know the answers to the exam questions.
Do not bathe = smell badly; the person can even get sick.
Take too much sun = sun burns.
Spend too much time in front of the computer: the person can obtain illness by repetitive stress, eyestrain, lose the fellowship within the family; have a poor academic performance. He/she can connect to unhappy spirits/obsessions, depending on the program the person is connected to, that may deviate him/her from the path of goodness, his/her spiritual progress.
Take part at Spiritist education classes = we bring Jesus closer to us; the knowledge that helps us to make good choices.
Use magic words = we are treated with kindness and respect. The doors open for us, that is, good things happen that make it easier for us to face the challenges of this existence.
Faith = the certainty of God’s righteousness, that everything that happens to us has a fair cause and is for our good.
God governs the Universe based on the Law of Cause and Effect. Everything that happens has a cause and a consequence. Each person is responsible for his/her actions and reaps the consequences of what he/she does. Thus, God doesn’t punish us. Pain and suffering are not God's punishment, but merely the consequence of our actions.
The laws of human beings sometimes are not met. But God's laws are always met. They do not change and are perfect.
Ex.: theft. The thief perhaps won’t be arrested or convicted, but he doesn’t flee the Divine justice. That’s why we say that God sees everything. Revenge is not required.
Fifth: Go back to the first activity from this lesson. Each child draws a card from the box, reads the name of the colleague that’s written on it and finds him/her. Do to him what he had done to the other child. This activity aims to get the children to conclude that whatever we do to others comes back to ourselves.
Sixth: activities.
1 – Click here to find a suggested drawing to be painted by the children.
2 - You can find other suggested activities here.
Closing prayer
Class suggested being suitable for: 2nd cycle (9 to 10 years old).
Spiritist volunteer: Larissa – Spiritist Centre Caminho da Prece.
Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.
