Aim to learn about Father’s interest in nature

Aim
* to learn about Father’s interest in nature

Materials
* “Of Being a Peace-Loving Global Citizen,” by Sun Myung Moon
* “Sun Myung Moon-the Early Years,” by Michael Breen
* Pictures of mountains, a chestnut tree, magpies, cicada insects and eels
* a flower to touch and smell
* children’s worksheet

Lesson Outline
1. Introduction
2. Father’s words about nature
3. Discussion
4. Activity – worksheet
5. Conclusion
6. Prayer

1) Introduction
*Today’s story will look more closely at Father’s interest in and love for nature. Do you like being in nature? Do you like walking in a forest, climbing a mountain or swimming in a lake? Have you seen a wild animal or found an injured bird? What is your favourite flower? Are you interested in insects? Which season do you like best?
* Where Father lived was surrounded by nature and he loved to explore. Today we read Father’s own words about his interest in nature.
* Show pictures of the things in nature that Father talked about

2) Story
* Summary – Father loved to be in nature and was curious about everything. He climbed mountains and knew every plant. He climbed trees and stayed there all day. He watched birds lay eggs. He
knew what the sounds of insects meant. He also liked to do exciting things. He learned how catch eels with his teeth. In fact, he became friends with everything in nature and found it do be a place of peace.

3) Discussion
* Why did Father climb mountains?
– He was very curious

* Which tree did Father climb up?
– a 200-year old chestnut tree

* What did Father do when he saw a flower?
– He wasn’t satisfied just to look at things; he had to touch the flowers, smell them, and even put them in his mouth and chew on them.

* What did Father learn about magpies nests?
– He knew which way the wind was blowing that year. If the magpie’s nest faced east, then the wind was blowing from the west

Why were the cicada insects singing?
– they were making sounds in order to attract their mates.

How many eels could Father catch in a day? – 40

* Why are eels difficult to catch?
-they dig tunnels in the sand and rarely come out
-they are very slippery

*How many ways did he learn to catch them?
1. in a net
2. with his hands – squeeze them until their mouths open and stick your fingers in their mouths
3. with his hands – block all the holes, except one and grab them as they come out
4. with his mouth – stick your head under water near a hole and grab their tale with your teeth as they come out backwards

4) Activity
* Explore a flower
touch and smell a flower the way Father did to experience it more fully

* Complete the worksheet
Fill in the missing words, answer the questions
Father liked to do exciting things. Sometimes he went with his cousin to catch eels. First they caught them in a net, but that was too simple. Then he learnt how to catch them with his hands. They look something like snakes. Since they live in the water, they are very slippery and almost impossible to hold. They just slither through your fingers. To catch them you have to try to get hold of them tightly in the muddy water. He liked to grab the small eels, squeeze them till their mouths opened, stick his thumb in their mouths, and them fling them out onto the bank.

Another method was to block all the holes they went into, except one, and grab them as they came out. But the most exciting way was catching them in his teeth. He would put his head underwater with his mouth near the eel hole. The eel would come out tail first and he grabbed it in his teeth. In this way they could catch up to forty eels in a day.

Draw a picture of things you like in nature or your favourite place to be

5) Conclusion
*To conclude ask each person what they could learn from today’s lesson. Refer to the lesson aim
– to learn about Father’s interest in nature

6) End with a prayer