IN TUNE – Within Our Common Home consists of seven exercises for children who are in classes from year three till year eight.
These exercises invite the participants to reflect and pray in a creative and joyful way about the various realities related to creation. Among them, are the beauty of creation in its diversity, the degradation of the environment, and the various needs of different people around the world. In this creative and age-appropriate way, participants together with the help of educators will grow in knowledge and appreciation towards the life of every human person and towards all the creation that our planet hosts.
The topics to be covered are:
Appreciating Nature/ Napprezzaw in-Natura
Sister Sun/ Oħti x-Xemx
Empty Plate/ Platt Vojt
Brother Moon/ Ħija l-Qamar
Brother Wind/ Ħija r-Riħ
Our Common Home/ Id-Dar Komuni Tagħna
Flags Prayers/ Bnadar ta’ Talb
Resources
For educators
Resources are being provided so that educators will be able to help the participants during this learning process. The material consists of 7 lessons/planned sessions, related to each theme mentioned further down in this document under the main ecological theme ‘In Tune-Within Our Common Home’. In each lesson plan, one can find different and simple steps of how to lead every session, a link corresponding to a short video clip related to the respective theme and other resources that might help in the process of this educational experience of a spiritual nature. Every session is approximately 30 – 40 minutes.
For children
These seven exercises consisting of seven different themes will be presented to children in the form of a booklet in English and Maltese. The children are free to choose the language which they prefer to follow in the booklet. In the booklet, one finds the instructions with simple sentences, and templates of the material which are to be drawn, cut, and then reflect upon.
In this prayer space one is invited to think how s/he can make good use of his/her energy in the same way that ‘brother wind’ can produce pollution free energy by making good use of its power.
In this prayer space while thanking God for the gift of the sun, one will have the time to think of how like the ‘brother sun’ s/he can happily start the days for oneself and for those around him/her.
This prayer space one is reminded that different flags represent different countries, and hence is given time to choose a country and pray for its needs.
Apart from praying for world leaders to be given wisdom and courage to lead fairly, this prayer space also helps one to reflect on living without food due to injustice and economic-greed.
Through the tainted pebble with soil, this prayer space invites oneself to think about his/her bad habits and to ask for God’s help to get rid of them.
In this prayer space one is invited to reflect on the greedyness not only globally by mostly personally, and to ask for forgiveness for such greedy actions.