From the 20th of April to the 2nd of May, the followers of the Baha’i faith celebrate a special festival called Ridvan. It is named after the garden where Baha’u’llah, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, proclaimed His Mission.
The main principle of the Baha’i Faith is Unity. As Baha’i, we believe in the ‘Oneness of humanity, oneness of religion and oneness of God’.
Believing in the unity of humankind helps me explain to my children the principles of universal love and equality.
One of my favourite quotes that we often recite, chant and discuss is about unity:
So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth ~ Baha’u’llah
Today, I would like to share with you a Unity Craft that my children and I created. It was inspired by the quote above and in spirit of the recent events in the world it can be a good addition to a lesson on unity and equality.
Unity Craft
Materials needed:
- Sheets of A4 paper
- A pencil
- Scissors
- Colors
- Play dough in different colors
Instructions:
1. Fold a sheet of paper into half and trace your child’s hand such that the wrist lies just on the folded area with fingers spread out.
2. Cut out the shape of the hands. Two hands should be connected to each other now.
3. Color them as you like.
4. Cut out a shape of a candle and color it, too.
5. Take few pieces of different colored play dough and roll it together slightly such that the various colors still show. This is your globe.
6. Now, assemble your craft: place the globe in the middle of the open hands and a candle behind it. Elevate the hands’ sides so it looks like two hands are holding the globe and the candle.
Now, you can learn together the quotes on Unity. The quote I posted above is simple and neutral. There is a wonderful video with cords that helps children learn this quote.
Or, you can come up with your own compilation of quotes from other sources.
For example, I compiled earlier quotes on Equality and Peace, which could be useful when teaching Unity in Diversity and Equality of Genders– they are free to view and download.
If you have any craft or ideas on other ways to teach Unity, welcome to share them with us in the comments below!
Varya
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