THE EARTH: HELP EVER HURT NEVER - CHILDREN'S LESSON (1995)

The ideal of BalVikas is to raise a generation of boys and girls who have a clean and clear conscience. The actual material studied is not as important as the creation of an atmosphere where noble habits and ideals can grow and bear fruit. The Bal Vikas pu pils follow the Bal Vikas discipline and curriculum for only one day a week and at tend their usual schools on the other days, so the impact of the guru has to be extra strong if it is to act as a catalyst in the process of modification of the behavior patterns of these pupils.

Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Speaks X, Chapter 33

Serving the Earth and treating it with reverence is certainly a noble ideal. Instilling respect for the Earth in young children and showing them how they can serve the Earth can help raise such a generation with a clean and clear conscience. To this end, we offer an outline of a Bal Vikas lesson on one aspect of serving the Earth: saving energy.

Bal Vikas teachers, please look this lesson plan over. If you like the idea, then modify this les son plan as you see fit --add to it or change it-- and then teach it in your Center's Bal Vikas class.

Objective

Children will learn how to examine a newspaper article, accompanied by a photograph, that deals with conservation of energy. They will come to recognize the importance of this theme in todayÕs world.

Prayer

The five elements --ether, air, fire, water, and earth-- are the vesture of God, as well as of man. Use them moderately and with wisdom, with fear and humility. Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Baba. Sathya Sai Speaks VI, 27, 125.

Story

Select a newspaper or magazine article accompanied by a photograph that deals with the need for conserving energy.

1. Read and discuss the story.
2. Photographs often accompany an article. Discuss how a photograph may carry an im portant message without words.
3. Many photographs have captions. Does this one have a caption? What does it say? If it does not have a caption, what would be a good one for it?

Quotation

"A stitch in time saves nine." How does this quotation relate to your story?

Activity (choices)

• Communication arts:
  You're a reporter for an assignment called "Saving Energy". Your job is to take pictures of people wasting energy and to write a caption for each photograph. (If you cannot use a camera, then cut out pictures and write your own captions.)

  Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper telling what your observed while on the as signment and how the public could better serve Mother Earth.

• Art:
  Draw pictures to match the captions "Saving Electricity" and "Stop the Drop".

  Design posters that show how you can conserve energy, e.g. "Turn off the Lights" and "Save Water". What can you do with these posters?

• Music:
  Write a song to a familiar tune, with lyrics about saving energy.
• Science:
  Research tips on conserving energy in the home. You might write your local electric-and-gas company for information. Share your research with the class, including scientific data that makes this conservation essential to the planet Earth.

Group singing

Sing a song about the environment. Perhaps a song written during the activity, Perhaps "Ceiling on Desires".

Silent sitting

Conserving energy is part of our everyday life. Resting our mind is also part of this conservation. Sit quietly and try to rest your body as well as your mind for the next few minutes.

Om, Santhi, Santhi, Santhi

Santhi means peace.

Sai Story --what does it say about changing ourselves?

Swami held up the silver ring for all to see. As we watched, He blew on the ring and it changed to gold, right before our eyes. Then Swami said, "See, change doesn't take years or months, only seconds."

This lesson plan was written by a devotee of the Ithaca, NY, Sai Center.