Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (UK) Newsletter February 2006

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Readers Welcome to the February 2006 issue of our monthly e-zine. Items this

month: Spreading the word about human values in Wales Sathya Sai Saturday

School launches in Wembley Lesson plan for 6-8 year olds Training Update If

you have any feedback about this newsletter, or would like to share your

experiences of SSEHV, please write to us. Kind Regards,The EditorUn

information Spreading the word about human values in West Wales 21 teachers,

heads, educationalists, students and professionals attended a one day

introduction to SSEHV in Carmarthenshire, West Wales on 6th February organised

by Zita Starkie. The teachers came from six local schools and a member of the

local county council responsible for co-ordinating Personal, Social and Health

Education (PSHE) in schools across the region also attended. The response of

the participants to SSEHV was extremely positive. Carole Alderman, who was one

of the assistant trainers on the course,

writes, "By morning break it was apparent that the participants were relating

very positively to the presentation. There was pin drop silence as the teachers

gave their full attention." In the feedback questionnaires completed by the

attendees, all aspects of the day were rated as "good" or "excellent" with the

sample lesson plan receiving a 100% "excellent" score. Comments included the

following: "Invaluable - it should be the very core of all schools' work"; "I

wish I'd learnt about this when my children were young" and "Excellent

programme - I need to go away and consider how I can incorporate this into my

life and my work." As a result of this training day and the work that Zita

has been doing in the area teaching SSEHV in local schools, a number of future

activities are planned. Zita will conduct further two day sessions for 30

teachers at a

time, to introduce SSEHV to teachers throughout the county of Carmarthenshire,

the largest county in Wales. There will also be a five-day intensive SSEHV

Foundation Course in Carmarthenshire in late August. A lecturer in education at

Trinity College Carmarthen who attended the day plans to introduce all her

students to SSEHV and encourage them to take an SSEHV training course

themselves and use the lesson plans available at www.ssehv.org.uk in their

teaching practice. Several of the teachers that attended the course plan to

introduce SSEHV into their own schools. Thank you to all who participated, to

Zita for organising the event, and to the other four trainers who travelled from

different parts of the country to facilitate the course. Top Sathya Sai

Saturday School launches in Wembley Around 25 children aged 6-7 are regularly

attending a new SSEHV weekend school in Wembley from 9.30-11.30 on Saturday

mornings. The children come from four local primary schools, three of which

have previously hosted five-day SSEHV holiday schools. The Saturday School,

which opened on 27th January, is staffed

weekly by eight volunteers, including five professional teachers, and two

visiting teachers who come on alternate weeks. The school is divided into two

classes and activities include an SSEHV lesson, followed by either the martial

art Choi Kwang Do or a session playing human values based board games. The plan

is to introduce a regular drama lesson into the timetable shortly. The school

is currently full, but it is hoped that it will be able to expand in time as

more volunteers come on board and more resources become available. It will also

be used as a training school for students studying for an SSEHV qualification

from the Open College Network, to provide them with practical classroom

experience with the support of

trained and experienced teachers. If you would like more information about

the school please contact Joyce Power. Top Lesson plan for 6-8 year olds

This lesson plan is from the newly published book 'Sathya

Sai Education in Human Values - More Lesson Plans for 6-8 Year Olds'. For more

information about this and other SSEHV teaching resources, visit the resources

pages of our website. Objective: To explain the five values

Quotation/theme for the week: 1. Friends that you help when times are bad

give back that help when you are sad

sans-serif" color="#000033" size="2">2. Five Values PoemThere are five values

that I cannot seeFive values that are you and me.The first is Truth, which

rings a bell inside,The second Love, to give, not hide.The third is Peace, we

feel when mind is still.The fourth is always Doing Right, When out of view, as

well as within sight.Fifth, totalling the other four,Is called Non-violence,

which means being kindIn what we do, and say, and think in mind. Silent

Sitting: Pre-silent sitting exerciseWe are going to do a relaxation exercise.

We are going to start by relaxing the body. We have to release any tension we

have in the body so that we may feel at ease and relaxed. I will be standing in

front of you and show you how it is done. Please stand up. We are going to

start with the arms and legs. First we are going to tighten them, then relax

them. OK? Tighten the muscles of your arms and legs. Go! Tight! Really tight!

Feel the muscles getting really hard! Now relax. Now we are going to release

any tension in the stomach. Breath in ..., hold …, and tighten the stomach

muscles. Tight, really tight. Feel the muscles getting hard. And relax. Now

we are going to do the shoulders. Put the tips of your fingers on the shoulders.

Now circle the arms backwards a few times ... And forwards ... And relax.

Now we are going to deal with the neck. Do this really slowly. Allow your head

to

drop gently forward. Turn it to the right in a circular motion. Slowly, slowly

round; and back to the front.Now turn it to the left, in a circular motion.

Slowly, slowly round; and back to the front. Now we are going to release the

tension from the hands and feet. Lean forward a little and allow your arms and

hands to drop loosely. Now shake the hands . Good. Now let's do the same with

our feet; one foot at the time. One …, two … And relax. Have we dealt with

the whole body? No, we have not done the face. Now stretch all the muscles of

your face. Screw up your face muscles and make a really h o r r i b l e face.

Ready, go! Please do not put your fingers in your mouth. And relax. Now we

are ready to relax our head and our thoughts. Please sit down. I will be

asking you to close your eyes; I will play some

music and then ask you to imagine something, to see something with your

imagination. When your eyes are open, you are distracted by all the things

that you see around you. When the eyes are closed, it is easier to concentrate

on the music and on the visualization. Now please close your eyes and remain

relaxed listening to the music. Play Track 1 from silent sitting

CD______________________

Story: The meerkat and the lion based on a traditional storyThere was a great

lion sleeping under a tree. When disturbed by a meerkat, he roared cruellyAnd

trapping the meerkat beneath his great pawsGrowled, "Now I will eat you." And

sharpened his claws. "Please let me go free for I'm not very fatAnd one day

I'll help you, I promise you that." The poor little meerkat said, trembling

with fear. The lion

laughed loudly such brave words to hear. Once upon a time, on a hot afternoon

in the forest, a lion was dozing in the shade of a tree. He was not fast

asleep, for lions are always on their guard. His lioness had just caught him a

good dinner and he was feeling well fed so, for the moment, he meant no harm to

anyone. Then, from behind a rock crept a little meerkat. He was just an

ordinary meerkat and he wasn't going anywhere in particular. He felt rather hot

and was busy searching for some shade. First one way and then another he

darted, but wherever he went, the ground was hot beneath his paws, and he

hopped to and

fro unhappily. Then suddenly he found himself in a cool spot. "Ah," he thought

happily. "This is just the place I've been looking for." He was so happy to be

out of the sun that he never noticed the big, tawny figure that was already

stretched out nearby. "You should pay more attention to where you are going!"

said a deep voice. And before the meerkat quite knew what had happened, a huge

shaggy paw came down on top of him. The poor little meerkat found that he could

only peer out between a row of cruel claws, and when he plucked up enough

courage to look between them, he nearly fainted

with fright. "A lion!" he cried. "It's a lion!" "It is indeed," said the

lion. And he raised his great paw just enough to allow the meerkat to move away

a few inches before he dropped it down on him again. For cats all like to play.

"Please lion," the meerkat cried. "Please let me go." The lion sniffed at him

thoughtfully, as though trying to make up his mind whether to eat him or not. "I

don't see why I should free you," he said at last. "Give me one good reason,

little meerkat, and I'll think about

it." "I can give two reasons," the meerkat said, thinking quickly. "One is

that I am so small that I cannot possibly make you a good dinner, and the other

is that if you free me I shall be very happy to help you in return some day."

The lion laughed. "And how can a little meerkat like you be of any help to the

King of the Forest?" he asked. "I'm not sure," the meerkat admitted. "But if

you kill me, neither of us will ever find out.Well I must admit you're a

brave little fellow," the lion said. "Run

along then." And he lifted his paw from the meerkat's back. "Thank you very

much," the meerkat said gratefully. "And do not think I shall forget, for we

meerkats always keep our word." With that he ran off as fast as he could.

In the days that followed the lion forgot about his meeting with the meerkat.

Then, one day he fell into a trap. The hunters from the nearby town had dug a

deep hole and put a net over it. The net was then covered over with grasses and

reeds, and the men waited nearby, hoping that the lion would walk on it. Much to

their delight the lion did. With a roar of fear

and anger he fell through the reeds. Eagerly the men hauled him up in the net

and left him near their camp while they decided what to do next. "We should

sell him to a circus," said one. "I'm sure we should get a good price for him."

"No, no," said another. "We would get more money from a zoo." While they

argued, the lion lay helpless within the strong net, feeling very unhappy

indeed. Suddenly a tiny voice said in his ear, "Do not worry, friend Lion. I

have come to help you." The lion looked down in surprise and saw it was a

meerkat. "How can a tiny meerkat help me?" the lion asked sadly. "With all my

strength I cannot break this strong net." Standing up tall on his backlegs the

meerkat looked round. Seeing that no-one was looking, he very quietly began to

gnaw through the rope that held the net closed. Faster and faster he chewed,

and at last his little teeth had severed the tough strands of the rope.

"There," panted the meerkat, as the rope fell to pieces. "Now quietly creep out

of the net while the hunters are busy talking." With great care, the

lion crept from the net and followed the meerkat out of the hunters' camp back

into the depths of the forest. "I do not know how to thank you, little

meerkat," the lion said gratefully. "Ask whatever you like and I'll do my best

to give it to you as thanks for your help." "Oh, you don't owe me anything at

all," the meerkat told him. "Don't you remember me? I am the meerkat you once

released and I am doing you a good turn now, just as I promised. We meerkats

may be small, but even so, we do our best to keep our word." There was a great

lion sleeping under a tree. When disturbed by a meerkat, he roared cruellyAnd

trapping the meerkat beneath his great pawsGrowled, "Now I will eat you." And

sharpened his claws. "Please let me go free for I'm not very fatAnd one day

I'll help you, I promise you that."The poor little meerkat said, trembling with

fear.The lion laughed loudly such brave words to hear. Then one day, the lion

himself in a trapWas helped by the meerkat who knawed the rope. Snap!So when we

feel cross 'cause someone's trod on our toesLet's be kind to each other. Be

friends, never foes. Questions: 1. How did the lion catch the meerkat?2. What

was he going to do to him?3. How did the meerkat escape from the lion?4. How did

the meerkat show his gratitude to the lion?5. Why was the lion grateful to the

meerkat?6. What can we learn from this story? 7. How did you feel when you

heard this story?8. Did it remind you of anything in your own life?

______________________

Group Activity 1. Game: One

thing we have in common … Clear an open space. Give the class three minutes for

each pupil to find a partner whom they don't know well, or don't usually play

with, and write down one thing they have in common. The common factor might be,

for example, something they like doing or something they have which is the same:

colour of eyes, a birthday in the same month, keeping the same kind of pet, or

that they like swimming. At the end of three minutes, ask a few volunteers to

name whom they chose and to say what they found that they have in common. 2.

Together we can … Keeping their same partner, give each pair one speech to read

out in turn in the drama, thus together creating the whole drama and involving a

team effort by all the class. (Ensure everyone is included and has a chance to

act). Drama: The scene is set in the South African veldt. A lion is asleep

under a Baobab tree. Cast: NarratorLionMeerkatFirst HunterSecond HunterThird

Hunter Narrator: (Reads the first two verses of the poem, as in the story).Once

upon a time, on a swelteringly hot afternoon in the African veldt, a lion was

dozing in the shade of a giant, sprawling Baobab tree. Lion: [opening one eye]

I am not fast asleep, because I'm always on my guard. But my

lioness has just caught me a good dinner of Thompson's gazelle. It was very

tasty and so now I'm feeling stuffed and drowsy. So, at least for the moment, I

mean no harm to anyone.Narrator: Then, from behind a rock, crept a little

meerkat. [Enter little meerkat] He was just an ordinary meerkat and he wasn't

going anywhere in particular. Meerkat: I'm feeling rather hot and I'm busy

searching for some shade. Narrator: First one way and then another he darted,

but wherever he went, the ground was hot beneath his paws, and he hopped to and

fro unhappily. Then suddenly he found himself in a cool spot.Meerkat: [happily]

Ah! This is just the place I've been looking for.Narrator: He was so happy to

be out of the sun that he never noticed that he was, in fact, in the shadow of

a big, tawny figure that was already stretched out beside him.Lion: [in a deep,

booming voice] You should pay more attention to where you are going!Narrator:

And

before the meerkat quite knew what had happened, a huge, shaggy paw came down on

top of him. The poor little meerkat found that he could only peer out between a

row of cruel claws, and when he plucked up enough courage to look between them,

he nearly fainted with fright!Meerkat: A lion! A lion! It's a lion!Lion: It is

indeed. Narrator: And the lion raised his great paw just enough to allow the

meerkat to move away a few inches before he dropped it down on him again.

Meerkat: Please, Mr Lion. Please let me go!Narrator: The lion sniffed at him

thoughtfully, as though trying to make up his mind whether to eat him or not.

Lion: I don't see why I should free you [yawning, stretching and scratching his

stomach]. Give me one good reason, little meerkat, and I'll think about

it.Meerkat: [quickly] ) I can give two reasons. One is that I am so small that

I cannot

possibly make you a good dinner! And the other is that, if you free me, I shall

be very happy to help you in return some day.Lion: [laughing] And how can a

little meerkat like you be of any help to the King of the Jungle?Meerkat: I'm

not sure. But if you kill me, neither of us will ever find out.Lion: Well, I

must admit you're a brave little fellow [pauses to think, then sighs] Go on,

then. Run along … before I change my mind. Narrator: And he lifted his paw from

the meerkat's back.Meerkat: Thank you very much. I'm very grateful. And I shan't

forget, for we meerkats always keep our word.Narrator: With that, the meerkat

ran off as fast as he could. In the days that followed the lion forgot about

his meeting with the meerkat. Then, one day he fell into a trap. The hunters

from the nearby town had dug a deep hole and put a net over it. The net was

then covered over with grasses and reeds. The men waited nearby, hoping that a

lion would

walk on it. And much to their delight, they didn't have to wait many days before

the lion did. With a great roar of fear and anger, our lion fell through the

reeds.First Hunter: Come on, men. Let's haul him up in the net.Second Hunter:

Yes, we can leave him near the camp while we decide what to do next.Third

Hunter: We could sell him to a circus. I'm sure we will get a good price for

him.First Hunter: No, no. We will get more money from a zoo! Narrator: While

they argued, the lion lay helpless within the strong net, feeling very unhappy

indeed. Suddenly a tiny voice said in his ear.Meerkat: Don't worry, friend

Lion. I have come to help you. Lion: [Looking down surprised] Why! It's the

meerkat.[sadly] But how can a tiny meerkat help me? With all my strength, I

can't break this strong

net. Narrator: Standing up tall on his backlegs the meerkat looked round.

Seeing that no-one was looking, he very quietly, began to gnaw through the rope

that held the net closed. Faster and faster he chewed, and at last his little

teeth severed the tough strands of the rope.Meerkat: [panting] There! The rope

has fallen to pieces. Now quietly creep out of the net while the hunters are

busy talking.Narrator: With great care, the lion crept from the net and

followed the meerkat out of the hunters' camp and back into the depths of the

veldt.Lion: [gratefully] I don't know how to thank you, little meerkat. Ask

whatever you like and I'll do my best to give it to you as thanks for your

help.Meerkat: Oh, you don't owe me anything at all. Don't you remember me? I am

the meerkat you once released and I am doing you a good turn now, just as I

promised. We meerkats may be small,

but even so, we do our best to keep our word. Narrator: (Reads the poem, as in

the story). Question: How did you feel when you saw, heard or acted in this

drama?______________________

Song: Peace, Joy, Love on Earth

Peace, peace, peace. Peace on earth. Peace, peace, peace in all the universe.

Joy, joy, joy. Joy on earth. Joy, joy, joy in all the universe. Love, love

love. Love on earth. Love, love, love in all the universe. (This song can be

sung as a round and also with

actions) Top Training Update: 2006 All SSEHV courses are free to attend,

although a refundable photocopying deposit of £10 may be required at

registration. Details of all our training courses, together with contact

information and dates can be found on our website at www.ssehv.org.uk, in the

Training section. Forthcoming SSEHV courses are: SSEHV Foundation -

Stratford, East London: 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th March. Contact: Pamela Nash

Intensive SSEHV Foundation - Broadstairs, Kent: 1st - 6th April. Contact:

Pamela Nash Values in

Parenting - Leicester: 5th & 19th March, 2nd & 23rd April, 7th & 21st May.

Contact: Michele White Intensive SSEHV Foundation - Pinner, Middx: 30th July

- 5th August. Contact: Pamela Nash If there is no course scheduled in your

area but you would like there to be one, we can arrange one as long as there

are a minimum of ten people who would like to attend. Please contact Pamela

Nash for more information.

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, Top 2006 British Institute of Sathya Sai

Education (BISSE). BISSE is a non-profit organisation committed to promoting

human values in education. Registered address: The Glen, Cuckoo Hill, Pinner,

Middlesex HA5 2BE United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 8429 2677 Email:

feedback (AT) ssehv (DOT) org.uk British Institute of Sathya Sai Education

www.ssehv.org.uk