Dear Parents,
Last Sunday, Spirit Play kids learned about Ruby Bridges and segregation in school. You may want to look for books about Ruby Bridges to learn more about her.
Here is the story, in case you’d like to reread it with your children.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. — Anne Frank, in her diary, published in 1952
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about… the gifts members of your family have to offer one another. Make sure everyone in the family has at least one gift identified by the family. How can your family work together to share your gifts with one another?
EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Participants were asked to think about what they have to offer to their community. Think about how the gifts they identified could be put to work in the congregation. Help family members to find a way they can contribute as a congregational volunteer.
Family Adventure. Find a local agency that accepts families volunteering together and arrange a time to volunteer. If members of the family have special talents, such as playing an instrument, artistic abilities, or flower arranging, find an agency where you can share these gifts, for example, by performing a concert for clients. Afterward, discuss what the experience was like. Did everyone feel they made a difference during their volunteer time? Did anyone learn they could do something they had not known they could do? Did they learn something new? Were they proud of what they had to offer? Are there other gifts they would like to share in the community?
A Family Game. Name It! All participants get a paper and writing utensil. Ask everyone in the family to think of all the things they do well and list them on their paper. Have older children or parents help younger children as needed. Allow about five minutes for everyone to think of as many things as possible. Then, every person reads their list. If other family members think of other things to add to someone else’s list, make sure they get added to the list. This game will help everyone remember they have a lot of things to offer and remind them of things that they perhaps don’t realize they can do. Encourage everyone to keep their list and read it when they are feeling particularly low or discouraged.
A Family Ritual. Start a mealtime ritual in which each family member acknowledges something nice the person to their left did that day. For instance, “John said ‘Good morning’ to the bus driver.” If possible, switch seats or go in different directions periodically so each family member isn’t always speaking about the same person.
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