What is your personal wish for peace? Assignment 1: Write down your wish inside the frame below and then colour and decorate the frame.
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What can you do with your wish for peace? - -
Use the internet and send your wish as an e-mail to your friends or put your wish on Facebook. Use your phone and send your peace message as a text to all your friends. When you light your own candle at home, speak out loud your personal wish for peace.
Making a light Assignment 2: Decorate a glass jar (a small jam jar, or a jar that contained baby food) by gluing small stickers, bits of coloured paper, twigs or leaves or beads onto the outside. You could also paint the jar with (glass) paint. When it is ready, place a small candle in the jar. The candle can now burn safely and it will look wonderful. Attention! Whenever you burn your peace flame either at school or in your home, make sure that you put it in a safe place and NEVER leave a burning candle alone. Make sure you tell an adult what you are doing.
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Gandhi said: ‘There is enough for everybody’s need but not enough for everybody’s greed.’ Assignment 3:
Write down 3 things that you have too much of: 1 ........................................................................................................... 2 ........................................................................................................... 3 ........................................................................................................... Write down 3 things that you have enough of: 1 ........................................................................................................... 2 ........................................................................................................... 3 ........................................................................................................... Write down 1 thing that you do not have enough of: 1 ........................................................................................................... What would you like to give away? 1 ........................................................................................................... 2 ........................................................................................................... 3 ........................................................................................................... What would you like to keep forever? 1 ........................................................................................................... On the next page, draw what you would like to keep forever.
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Martin Luther King said: ‘I have a dream...’ Assignment 4: What is your dream for the world? My dream is ................................................................................................... .............................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................. Imagine that your dream has already come true. Write a story or make a drawing showing the world looking as if your dream has already come true.
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Make a greeting card Assignment 5: Do you know people in your local area who work in some way for peace? Do you know people who help others selflessly? Make a special card or a beautiful drawing to give to them as a surprise and to show them that you appreciate what they do. Make a beautiful card with paints, crayons, glue etc. and write your wishes for peace on it. Think about who you would like to give this card to or who you would like to send it to; it could be anybody - family or friends or maybe an elderly or sick person.
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Assignment 6a: First Nation Earth Greeting In the morning, before the class starts, do the First Nation Earth Greeting or the Sun Salutation.
Say aloud:
In the morning
as the sun comes up
(with your hand on your heart)
I greet from my heart
all beings in the circle of life
(with your hand on your heart)
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aft
after the time of dreaming
and the whole universe
as the day begins
with all its possibilities
and stand here (stamp gently with both feet) which is my place on this earth.
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Assignment 6b: Sun Salutation
1. Stand up straight with the palms of your hands touching in front of your chest. Imagine the sun shining upon you.
2. Stretch your arms up and bend back slightly . Feel the warmth of the sun in your hands.
4. Take your right leg back and place your right knee on the ground (like a sprinter). In this position, raise your arms and upper part of your body.
5. Then move your hands back down and place them on either side of your left foot. Take your left leg back and place your left foot next to your right foot. Push your hips up, straighten your knees, move your heels towards the ground and relax your head between your arms into an upside-down ‘V’ position.
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3. Bend forward from the hips and move both hands towards the ground.
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6. Move both knees to the ground and lie down on your front. Place your hands underneath your shoulders and push your shoulders and head up. Your navel stays on the ground and you look up‌ or you can place your forearms and palms on the ground, and look up. 7. Gently come back down onto your front again, and place your hands on either side of your chest. Push your hips up, heels towards the ground, head between your arms in the press up position!
9. Place your hands on either side of your right foot and coming up step forward with your left foot, placing it next to your right foot. 10. Bend your knees slightly and uncurl and come up. Open your arms, feel the sun shining upon you.
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8. Place your right foot between your hands and your left knee on the floor (like a sprinter) and lift your arms up towards the sun.
11. Place the palms of your hands back together in front of your chest. This is the Sun Salutation. Enjoy it!
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Assignment 7: A story to read
Love definitely makes a difference One day a teacher in America gave all the children in her class three pins, each with a ribbon on it. On the ribbons it said: ‘Who I am definitely DOES make a difference’. She asked the children to pin one ribbon on themselves. The other two ribbons they were to give to someone that they admired, asking that person to pin one ribbon on themselves and to give the third one to someone that they in turn admired and respected. One of the boys gave his two ribbons to a man who had helped him with a school project. He was an important businessman who would normally not have had the time to occupy his mind with things like this. However, he was deeply touched by the boy’s gesture. When he drove home that evening, he started to think who he could give the other ribbon to. When he walked into the living room, he saw his son sitting on the sofa. He spontaneously walked up to him and said: ‘Son, I know that I hardly ever see you and that I never tell you how much you mean to me. But now I want to give you this ribbon because I want you to know that it makes a huge difference to me that you are part of my life.’ To his great surprise the boy started to cry uncontrollably. His father put his arms around him and held him close. When the boy could speak again, he said: ‘Dad, you have no idea how I’ve been feeling. I had planned to run away tomorrow because I was convinced that nobody cared about me.’ Do not hesitate today to tell someone close to you that you love them.
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Assignment 8:
Experiment: Strong as a bear Get together in twos, preferably with someone about the same height, and decide who is A and who is B. 1. A stands firmly with both feet on the ground, feet slightly apart. Then B starts to lightly push against A’s shoulders. How firmly does A stand? 2. Again, A stands firmly with both feet on the ground, feet slightly apart, thinking of something very funny or cheerful. Again, B pushes against A’s shoulders. How firmly does A stand now? 3. Repeat, with A now thinking of something unpleasant or sad. Give A a few moments for this. B pushes A’s shoulders. 4. Finish with a final positive happy thought and ask A to stand as firmly as possible, while B again pushes against A’s shoulders. 5. Then swap roles. Write below what you discovered. ................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................ ......................................................... ........................................................ ......................................................... ....................................................... ......................................................... ........................................................ ......................................................... ........................................................ ......................................................... ....................................................... ......................................................... ........................................................ ......................................................... ........................................................ ......................................................... .......................................................
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Good News
Newspaper
name of the school: date:
Good
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Assignment 9: Walking with awareness
Imagine that you are in the forest exploring. You are searching for tracks. Place your feet on the earth carefully and with attention. Make sure that one foot is always firmly on the ground. Make no sounds and listen very carefully. What can you hear? What do you see? What do you sense? Afterwards share with one another what you have seen, heard, smelt and felt.
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Assignment 10: Nice and quiet I’m going to take you on a journey to a very beautiful garden. First it is important that you sit up straight. If you are sitting on a chair make sure that your bottom touches the back of the chair (and that you are not leaning against the chair back). Put your feet flat on the floor, slightly apart from one another. If the chair is too high for you, then place a cushion or a few books under your feet. If you are sitting on the floor, make sure that you are sitting up straight. Now close your eyes. If you prefer to keep them open, look at a fixed spot in front of you. Breathe in and out deeply and gently a few times. Feel yourself relaxing completely. I am going to take you to this beautiful large garden. It is a bright summer day and all the flowers are in bloom. It’s very quiet in the garden and all that you can hear is the soft buzz of insects and the gentle rustle of the wind in the tree tops. You walk around the garden. Every now and then you stop to look at the flowers and smell the scent of one of them. Then you decide to pick a flower for someone that you love very much. Think of somebody who is very dear to you and pick one for him or her. It is the most beautiful flower that you can find. Imagine giving this flower to that person. Then think of somebody that you don’t like very much, somebody that you often argue with, or someone who may have been unkind to you. Think of him or her while you choose a very beautiful flower and then imagine giving it to them. Finally, you decide to pick a flower for yourself. You feel relaxed and at ease as you walk past all those beautiful flowers. When you find the most beautiful flower of all, pick it for yourself. With this flower in your hands walk out of the garden. Once again become aware of where you are, your feet on the ground or sitting on the chair or the floor. Breathe in and out a few times deeply and gently, then slowly open your eyes. How do you feel now?
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Assignment 11: The Armband Experiment Make a bracelet by stringing one or more beads onto a strong piece of elastic. Tie the two ends of the elastic together into a knot and put the bracelet onto your wrist. Whenever you think or talk about yourself or somebody else in an unfriendly way, move the bracelet and wear it on the other wrist. Keep moving the bracelet in this way whenever you have negative thoughts. How long can you wear the bracelet on the same wrist? Try this experiment for 7 days. Write down your best score – the longest period that you kept the armband on one wrist in a day. Day 1 …………… minutes Day 2 …………… minutes Day 3 …………… minutes Day 4 …………… minutes Day 5 …………… minutes Day 6 …………… minutes Day 7 …………… minutes
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Assignment 12: A special little place
Create a special little place at home where you can place your wish for peace and where your peace flame can burn. (Remember to tell an adult you are going to light your candle.)
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Assignment 13 : Peace diary
Make a peace diary. Every day for at least a week, write down your experiences of sitting with your candle.
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Assignment 14: Not feeling so peaceful and quiet just now?
Do the Crocodile! Have you ever seen a crocodile sunbathe? He is completely still and stretched out on the ground. He does not bat an eyelid. He is awake, alert and still. We are now going to copy him. Lie flat on the ground on your stomach, preferably somewhere outside, but if that is not possible, indoors. Open your legs as widely as you can and let your heels turn in towards each other. Place your hands on top of each other and place your forehead down on top of them. If this feels uncomfortable, put your forearms on top of each other with your forehead resting on them. Close your eyes and breathe in and out deeply three times. Feel your stomach expand against the floor when you breathe in and relax again when you breathe out. Carry on breathing and following your breath. Feel the contact your stomach makes with the ground underneath you. Imagine that with every out breath, a bit of your tension or anger flows out of you towards the earth. Feel yourself become quieter each time you breathe out. After a while, move your feet back together, place your hands underneath your shoulders and push yourself up. Just sit quietly for a few moments.
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Assignment 15: Making decorated lights You need: - 3 night lights - felt tips, paint, crayons/coloured chalk - also things like sequins, beads or other materials for decorating - glue Decorate the strips below and write a wish for peace on each one. Glue the strips around a night light. One light is for yourself; the other two are to give away.
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Assignment 16: Draw what your street or your village or town would look
like with a light burning in every house.
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