Concrete ideas for community or family celebrations for Baha’i Holy days and Ayyam-i-Ha and tips for parents and children’s class teachers.

 

Over 150 fun, creative, cooperative, and educational games for all ages which teach virtues, Baha’i concepts and principles, general spiritual truths, unity in diversity, and so much more. Many include related Baha'i quotes.

You will notice 5 reoccurring themes in many of the games:  1) Acquisition of virtues, 2) seeking/hunting, 3) rescuing/freeing/helping, 4) avoidance of or triumphing over the lower nature, and of course 5) cooperation and interdependence.  

Acquisition of power, things, fame, etc. is overemphasized in most cultures. Many of the games reinforce that the most important acquisitions of our lives are spiritual qualities, the virtues--and that it takes willful effort to do so. The desire to seek and search is implanted in every soul and this trait is so very valuable in spiritual growth and in our journey towards the Divine.  One will find reference to seekers throughout religious scripture, especially in the Baha’i writings. Thus, I feel it is important to encourage this inborn tendency in children. Many games also have rules that encourage players to rescue or help prevent others from being frozen by the lower nature, from the "prison of self", etc.  I believe we should instill in our kids that even if they are safe, possess the sought after objects, etc., they should not  rest until all are safe, all have what is needed. I think this not only relates to economic & social justice, but also to sharing God's sacred teachings with others. Many games also involve shunning, avoiding, or triumphing over a person(s) wearing an ugly mask that represents the lower nature or aspects of the lower nature such as greed, dishonesty, selfishness, disunity, ignorance, etc. This is a metaphor for what we should teach our kids--to recognize how ugly, unpleasant, and destructive the lower nature is to all of our well being and to shun those lower nature impulses. And finally, the dire need for humanity to cooperate and recognize our interdependence is undeniable. This theme is explored more thoroughly in the introduction of the manual.
 
Most of the games can be used to teach multiple concepts and/or virtues.  For example, if you read the quotes under "Recipe for True Happiness" you will find that many of them go with numerous games.  When we did our unit on "Sources of True Happiness", I found over 20 games that related to happiness through those quotes.
 
The most effective way to use these games is to study & deconstruct them, write the rules in your own words, and list the virtues and themes you think can be taught through the game. Then you will be able to effectively share the rules & concepts with others. As you will see through the variations described for some of the games, it is usually fairly easy to alter a game to fit a specific lesson plan.

An imaginative documentt filled with puppet shows, skits, role plays, musical drama, audience interactive drama and more. Based on 30+ years worth of experience in many settings.  It has ideas for all ages and talents, for the classroom, living room, or public stage. All entries teach Baha'i concepts and/or virtues, and most contain supporting quotations from the Baha'i Writings.  (Because its such a huge document, it may take several minutes for your computer to show it on your screen.)
 

A summary of how I teach virtues to my students

A compilation of Baha’i quotes which use the metaphors so abundantly referred to in the Building a Strong Baha’i Identity document, and selected writings for holy days.

Suggestions and to-do lists for hosting a public celebration with a lot of child involvement

A 3 page document about priorities and attendance in children’s classes and age range issues
 

Guidance and inspiration for parents using the Baha'i Writings and my own experience

Baha’i quotes for inspiration and encouragement for teachers and parents. I have sent this to many a struggling, disillusioned, or frustrated parent or teacher. Great source of quotes to put on a thank you card or to give to someone for mother’s or father’s day, to honor a teacher, etc.

This is the transcript of a public talk delivered by Linden Qualls at the Yellow Springs Baha'i Center on August 29, 2009.  It includes the handout given at the end of of the presentation. The document is 29 pages, 13 of which are the talk, the rest constitute the handout. Only about half of the quotes found in the body of the talk were actually used during the talk, but all of them served as inspiration and all are found in the handout

Baha’i quotes relating to moral education