Aim to learn about Father’s determination not to give up
Aim
* to learn about Father’s determination not to give up.
Materials
*Story – The Boy Who Never Gave Up, by Ken Weber
*A large photo of a weasel
*Memory cards of weasels
*worksheet
Lesson Outline
1. State the aim of the lesson
2. Story
3. Discussion
4. Activities – challenge, worksheet, memory game
5. Conclusion
6. Prayer
1) Introduction
*State the aim of the lesson
To learn about Father’s determination not to give up.
What is determination? – a strong positive attitude to achieve a certain goal.
2) Story
* Tell the children the story. – One winter night Father saw tracks of a weasel in the snow. Because he was very interested in nature, he wanted to find it. He tracked the weasel all night long and finally caught it the morning in the next village. It had taken seven hours. He picked it up, stroked it gently and let it go.
3) Discussion
1) Was it easy or hard for Father to follow the weasel?
2) What was hard?
* the trail twisted and turned many times
* the tracks often disappeared
– in bushes, near a stream,
* or over rocks
* it was hard
* to see in the dark
* he must have very tired
* after walking for hours
* he was far from home
– his parents would worry about him
2) How do you think Father felt when he finally caught the weasel?
3) What gave Father the power to keep going?
* He has a very strong will.
* Once he sets his mind to do something, he never gives up until he succeeds.`
* He determined to find the weasel at the beginning of his search,
* not half way through.
* He was very curious about the nature around him and really wanted find the weasel.
4) Are you a determined person?
* Have you ever tried to follow an animal or the tracks of one? If you saw an animal’s footprints in the snow would you follow them?
* Have you ever searched for something for a long time? a missing glove? a toy? money? Did you get frustrated and give up or keep going until you found it?
* In video or computer games do you have to keep going until you reach the goal? Do you get frustrated? Are you determined not to give up until you succeed?
* In sport, have you been losing a game, but kept going and them scored at the very end? How did it feel?
* Have you had difficult homework and felt like giving up, but persevered and then achieved a very good result? Or did the opposite happen?
* Discuss about other areas that require determination – art, music, cooking, etc..
5) What can we learn from Father’s experience?
– We need a strong will. Once Father set his mind on finding the weasel, he didn’t change
– Make a strong determination before we start, not afterwards
– Keep our mind focused on the goal, then obstacles won’t seem so big
*His curiosity kept him going. He really wanted find the the weasel. A strong desire will help us
*When he finally caught the weasel he felt great satisfaction. It is worth making the effort, because the reward is great
6) Other examples from Father’s life
* Father’s determination not to give up has continued throughout his life. When Father left Hung Nam Prison Camp and travelled south he carried a man with a broken leg across a shallow river.
How could he do it? He felt this man represented all mankind. He thought about bigger things. This gave him the strength to keep going.
* Even today, as an old man, Father has the determination to follow God’s call, no matter how hard. He completed a 120 city world tour in 2006 at the age of 86.. He must have been physically very tired, but he kept going until he fulfilled the condition. He made a promise to God. He kept his word
4) Activites
* Challenges
1. Stand up with arms outstretched horizontally. How long can you keep them there? 30 seconds. 1 minute, 2 minutes?
2. Stand on one leg and keep your balance. How long can you do it for?
3. Clench and unclench fists. How many times?
4. In pairs, how long can you stare into each other’s eyes without blinking? without smiling?
5. Dead Soldiers – Lie on your back on the floor. How long can you keep completely still without moving any part of your body. Teacher tries to get you to react. The last dead soldier is the winner
* Worksheet
Colour the picture and write a summary of the story
One winter night Father saw tracks of a weasel in the snow. Because he was very interested in nature, he wanted to find it. He tracked the weasel all night long and finally caught it the next morning in the next village. It had taken seven hours. He picked it up, stroked it gently and let it go.
* Memory Game
In the game, cards of different weasels are placed face downwards. Each player turns two cards to reveal the pictures. If they match, the player keeps them and continues with a second turn. The
person with the most pairs is the winner.
5) Conclusion
*To conclude ask each person what they could learn from today’s lesson. Refer to the lesson aim about Father’s determination not to give up.
6) End with a prayer
