Values Of Love - I Am Thankful

Unit Seven I am Thankful

Objectives Thankfulness is the foundation for contentment. Learning to accept the results of your work is a very important life skill and also the foundation for keeping compassion alive in the heart. Training children in this value includes explaining how to accept losing or when you don’t get the toys you want and waiting for your turn. Contentment is also described as unconditional happiness. It means you have peace, whatever happens and are thankful all the time. Habits:     

I can be happy for others. I am lucky. Everything looks so good. I feel calm. I am thankful

Pictures to talk about

Thankfulness to the teacher – for the food

The Old Lion 1. Superbunny found a lion behind the bench in the park. He asked the Lion, ‘What are you doing here? Why are you not in the zoo.’ The Old Lion smiled and said, ‘They say I am too old. They don’t want me anymore. They don’t like me.’ Superbunny felt bad about it, but the Old Lion was not sad, ‘Others may not always like me, but I am always thankful. 2.

-

to grandparents.

Superbunny wanted to help him and got him a job. The Old Lion became a bus driver. He was happy and the children were happy too. But some parents were not so happy. They didn’t trust the Old Lion. And said he should stay away from their children. The Old Lion bowed his head, the teachers felt sorry too, but he said, ‘Don’t worry. “People may not always like me, but I am always thankful.” 3. Superbunny asked. ‘Can you cook?’ The Lion nodded and the next day he started to work in a restaurant. It was not easy for the Old Lion. But he was cheerful and everybody liked him. 4. But in the restaurant there were a lot of rats, which stole a lot of food. One day a wedding cake was half eaten. The owner thought the Old Lion had done it. ‘You are fired! Get out!’ Again the Old Lion bowed his head. His colleagues cried for him, but he said ‘Don’t worry, ‘Even they don’t like me, but I am always thankful.” 5. Superbunny felt sorry for the Old Lion. He always had bad luck it seemed, yet he was never angry. So he tried again ‘Come with me, maybe you can work as a sailor on a fishing boat.’ 6. So the next day he put on his sailor’s uniform and started his work. He did very well, and helped a lot. But the fishermen didn’t like him and sacked him again. 7. Superbunny felt very sad. He knew it wasn’t the lion’s fault. But the Old Lion didn’t feel sad at all. “I am always thankful.” he said, “I really am.” and walked away. Superbunny didn’t give up though. 8. ‘I know where you can live in peace.’ He said. ‘I am going to take you home.’ He got an old car and said, ‘Get in. I’ll take you back to the jungle! There you can see your family.’ Not far on the way, they got a puncture. A little later the car broke down. They called a mechanic, who said, ‘This car can’t be fixed anymore.’ Superbunny couldn’t take the Old Lion to the jungle either and felt sorry for the Old Lion, but he smiled, ‘Don’t worry, I am always thankful.”

9. Luckily there passed by a circus, and they needed a lion to travel with them for their shows. They seemed like a nice family of friends and animals. The Old Lion got on the truck with them and felt at home at once. They called Superbunny to come with them. But Superbunny said he had others to take care of. And he didn’t worry about Lion anymore, because whatever happened to him, he would always be thankful. =================================

Questions 



  

In this story Lion faces many difficulties. Most of the time, others don’t like him. Does it happen to you? How do you react if faced with similar problems? Do you give up easily? In this story Lion always has bad luck. People say: ‘problems come in threes’ In this story the Lion has many more problems. How about you. Do you see that if something bad happens once, it usually connects to more problems? Do you think he will settle in the circus? Do you think his fate will change? Do you know any children who always face problems in their life? How do they overcome these problems? Do you think there is a purpose in facing problems? ====================================

Movement ideas for the story Show the children the movements for the key aspects of the story.      

Lion: Lion pose Bus driver: Driver pose Rat: mouse pose Sailor: boat pose Car: wheel barrow (two people do it together) Circus: down ward dog pose

Start music and have the children move around freely. Then stop the music and call one of the poses names. Touch the children who are too slow to act out the pose, They can join you in catching the others.

Thank you song People have a saying: ‘The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence’ Do you know what it means and where the saying comes from? Do you feel like this too? Thankfulness is something we have to learn. There are some enemies of thankfulness: greed, selfishness, anger, fear, hatred, … Just like the witches, they don’t like to say thank you and feel peace.

There are some words very nice to hear Thank you and please. There are some words Very sweet to the ears Thank you and please From the mountains to the seas everybody likes these Thank you and please When you get or want you must say these Thank you and please Thank you, 3x And please. Make thank you cards for the people who care about you.

Role play Arrange role plays on the following topics: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Cutting in line. Picky eater. Broken toys. (you share your toys with somebody and he breaks them by accident) Poor grades (others can do things better than you) Copycats (others have things you don’t have and you become jealous)

Discuss how each of these problems show a lack of thankfulness.

Thankfulness Learn this song about thankfulness.

Thank you for the rain that falls. And thank you for the sun. Thank you for the grass and trees. And thank you for the food we eat. For the friends we have. And the friends we’ll meet.

The Unhappy Stonecutter The unhappy stonecutter is a story from Japan about a stonecutter who was never satisfied with his fate. So he desired for more and other things, till he finally found out that being a stonecutter, of all things, was the best. Once there was a stonecutter who was digging and cutting stones in a mountain. The sun was very strong. The woodcutter was tired and hot and thought it would be better to be the sun. The next day, he became the sun. He was very happy. He thought he was the strongest. But then clouds came and covered the sun. So he thought he would like to be the clouds. The next day he became a cloud and felt very strong. But as he was floating in the sky, he came across a mountain, taller and stronger than the cloud. So he wished to be the mountain. The next day he had become a mountain. He felt very strong. But every day there came a stone cutter and chipped away a small piece. The mountain got scared and said, ‘I am strong, but the stone cutter is stronger.’ I wish to be a stonecutter. The next day he became a stone cutter again, and was content and thankful and never thought about changing again.   

Are you happy with what you are? How can you find peace with your life? What would you want to change?

That’s good, that’s bad We are discussing the idea of recognizing your own happiness. Look at this glass. How would you describe it? Is it half empty or half full? Everything has a bad side and a good side. Which side do you want to chose? Draw as you tell this story:

John had a birthday Oh, that’s good. No, not really, because everybody forgot. Oh, that’s bad. Not really, you see, because we decided to give him a party. Oh, that’s good. Not really, because the party was in Japan, and John was in America. Oh, that’s bad. Not really, because a friend of ours agreed to fly him to Japan. Oh, that’s good. Not really you see, because the plane ran out of fuel very quickly after take off. Oh, that’s bad. Not really, because there were two parachutes on board. Oh, that’s good. Not really you see, John’s parachute didn’t open. Oh, that’s bad. Not really, because there was a huge haystack where John was going to fall. Oh that’s good. Not really, you see. Because there was also a very big pitchfork pointing upwards in the haystack. Oh, that’s bad. Not really, you see. Because he missed the pitchfork. Oh, that’s good. Not really. He also missed the haystack. Oh, that’s bad. Not really, you see. Because that’s the end of this story. Oh, that’s good.  

Can you always see the good side of things? Can you tell all the good things about your own life? (Count your blessings.) ================================

Thankfulness to our elders We are children of our parents, and they help us to grow. In fact we can never repay them for what they give us. How kind their love for us, you can learn from this story:

Grandpa Ape Once it so happened that a child got lost in the forest. Her parents had been traveling and the baby had fallen of the cart and rolled off the mountain into a river, only her basket saving her from death. As luck would have it, the basket didn’t turn over and peacefully ended up in the river bank. Birds came to look after her. So did the ants, the squirrels and snakes. But none knew how to care for the crying child. They called Grandfather Ape, who was wise and caring and at once took her under his care. He made a bed for her. He washed her when she was dirty and fed her with fruits. Though he himself was often tired he played with her, taught her how to live in the forest and make a home. He comforted her when she would be sad, and when she was big enough, he started to look for a husband for her. For an ape to get close to the people was not easy, but as fate would have it, one of the workmen he had been calling on felt inclined to follow him to his jungle house. The girl was scared of him and refused to see him. But Grandfather Ape convinced her that he was a good man. They fed him, and he stayed with them. He helped them in whatever way he could and she came to love him as he had already come to love her too. They were happy, but the young boy then longed for his family. Grandfather Ape whistled and a rainbow appeared in the sky. The young man then realized that Grandfather Ape was a wizard, and they climbed on the rainbow straight to his home! His family could not believe their eyes when they recognized heir son. After a few days they returned to Grandfather Ape. But when they came home they found that he was lying on the floor. When the girl touched his body, crying for the one she had love so much, she found his legs had turned into gold, his body into cooking pots and his head into a helmet and weapons. Then she realized that these were all the things they would ever need in life. The wife and young men remained ever thankful to their Grandpa Ape as he had given

them all they need to live a fulfilled life.

From the Story: Grandpa Ape

Accepting yourself For all the things you can be thankful, you yourself are the most wonderful one! Some of us come in to the world smarter than others. Others are less powerful. But we, of all have to be thankful for whatever we have or are.

Maureen the Red Once there were a farmer and a weaver’s wife who had three daughters. While the first two were pretty, the third one was a bit of a different child, with wild hair, speckles on her face and who could not walk graciously at all. While her sister were embarrassed by her, Maureen, because that was her name, never felt bad about herself. Every time the three of them went out, the elder two were ashamed to be seen with their younger sibling. And that would have been bearable as long as they family was together, but all of a sudden father fell sick and died. Mother, however much she tried could not feed the three children and asked them to find jobs in the city. The three of them set out together. But the elder two tried many different ways to get rid of their small ugly sister. But whether they tied her, threw her off the bridge into the river and ran away, she kept coming back, undefeatable and always full of good spirits. That night they had been walking for long, when they came to a large house and asked for a place to sleep. They found out that they were in a giant’s house. The giant had three daughters too and they could sleep in their bedroom. The two pretty sisters fell asleep as soon as they laid down. Maureen kept her eyes and ears open. She didn’t trust the place. And without her sisters knowing it, she changed the beds, pulled off the giant’s daughters knightcaps just in time to misguide the giant in killing his own three children. She awoke her sisters and ran away to the city where they met the king. He had three sons. They came to love the pretty sisters, but the third brother couldn’t really come to love Maureen, who looked ugly and different. They told the king about the giant, who had been stealing the king’s money. The king said, ‘If you can steal that giant’s invisibility coat, your first sister can marry my first son.’

From the Story: Maureen The Red

While the two pretty ones were a bit scared, Maureen set off for the giant’s house. She slipped into the bedroom, stole the coat and gave it to the king. He was very pleased. ‘Now, if you can get the giant’s lightning sword, the second one can marry second son.’ This time Maureen again set out, climbed on the roof and when the wife cooked the giant’s dinner added one whole bag of salt to the soup. When the ginat had drunk his soup, he felt so thirsty that he drank two barrels of beer, and still could not quench his thirst. He told his wife to get more water from the well and gave her the lightning sword to show the way. This is when Maureen stole the sword and ran away! The king was pleased. Even the third son had come to like the courage and spirit of Maureen. But the King had one more request: She had to get the giant’s giant boots. This time, Maureen again entered the bedroom, took the boots and wanted to run off. But this time the giant woke up, ran after her and caught Maureen. He put her in a sack and hang it from the ceiling. While he went outside to get a piece of wood to beat her up, the giant’s wife woke up and heard Maureen singing in the bag. She asked, ‘What makes you so happy?’ Maureen said, ‘I am going to heaven.’ The woman who was sick and tired of life with the giant said, ‘Can I go with you?’ Maureen answered, ‘Sorry, in this bag there is only place for one!’ The poor giant’s wife begged Maureen to let her go instead of her. When Maureen agreed, she took down the bag and let Maureen out. Maureen then helped the wife into the bag and tied her up. The giant had came back just at the time Maureen had disappeared with the boots. What happened to the giant’s wife, I don’t know, but Maureen got a grand reception at the palace. Without his coat, sword and boots, the giant could not scare the city anymore. And everybody had come to love the brave little Maureen, even her proud pretty sisters! A few days later there was a triple wedding. Maureen did many more wonderful things after that. Not only that, her name is still honored as she inspires all children who look different all over the world to be thankful for themselves!

The Musk deer - Meditation The male musk deer has a kind of perfume coming from its body that is extremely attractive. It usually puts a little of the perfume at the borders of its territory so that other deer know that it is his domain, while also attracting female deer to come and mate with him. The smell of the musk deer is so attractive that it even can intoxicate the deer itself, urging it to run around like a mad animal, searching for the source of its own perfume! This story about the musk deer’s foolishness is sometimes used to illustrate the foolishness of people who want more and more and always think that if they have more they will have peace, while the real source of peace and happiness is within themselves. Meditation on peace in the heart