Activity Guide: 2B ~ Everyone needs food and a home

Welcome!

Welcome the children, invite each child to pick a carpet square to sit on, and sing the welcome songs.

Chalice Lighting:

Using the felt chalice, let each child take a turn putting a flame on the chalice.

Sharing Circle: 

Let each child pick a rock and put it in our special water-filled "sharing bowl".

UU affirmation:

"We are Unitarian Universalists ~ with minds that think, hearts that love, and hands that help." (point to head on "minds", cover your heart on "hearts", and hold out your hands together on "hands".)

Introduction of theme:

"Today we will learn that everyone needs food and a home."

Read one to three picture books related to the theme.

Here are some options to pick from …

The Mitten by Jan Brett (board book version)     Ukrainian folktale in which a boy’s mitten keeps stretching and stretching to become a home to the many animals who are happy to share it. Good feelings abound for all - interesting spin on making room for each other.

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert     Fun look at all sorts of different fruits and vegetables.

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert      Simple telling of the growing of vegetables to use to make a soup. Great for young kids.

Jamberry by Bruce Degen      An imaginative rhyming book about a boy’s joyous search for berries.

Bling Blang by Woodie Guthrie       Songs lyrics in book form for young kids about working together to build a house.

Houses and homes by Ann Morris      A simple but great photographic exploration of the different types of homes all over the world. Ending includes a bio of where each picture came from.

Bread Bread Bread by Ann Morris      A simple but great photographic exploration of different people eating bread from all over the world. Ending includes a bio of where each picture came from.

Sing one or more songs related to the theme.

Such as …

The Muffin Man (make up other verses like vege girl or ice cream boy.)

Apples and Bananas

On Top of Spaghetti

London Bridges (with verses about building the bridge)

Do a game or activity.

Play "how many animals can fit inside the mitten?" Get an adult sized mitten and let the kids take turns putting tiny animals into the mitten. How many can they fit in?

Build houses out of blocks or legos.

Do the "fruit and vegetable" freeze dance. Dance to the music and when it stops, have the children touch a chosen fruit or vege (use pictures of fruit or veges). (a good CD for this would be Yummy Yummy by the Wiggles as it has lots of fast paced songs about food.)

Share a snack.

(Maybe one like goldfish that the kids can count so everyone can have the same amount.)

Color theme related picture

(coloring pages are attached – let the kids have even more fun by giving them theme related stickers to add to their pictures.)

Closing circle.

Sing goodbye song.