Sharing

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Sharing Can Be Fun!
(Grades 3-5)

Leader Hints: Think of how compassion and giving has helped you in your career and your life. Were there times you were not compassionate that hurt you? Think of how others' compassion helped you. Think of how others' lack of compassion hurt you. Your students need to know that compassion is important to you. By jotting down these formative life experiences before the lesson, you'll have them to share during the discussion time.

Story Time

Hint! This story might be more effective if you actually bought a coconut, cut a hole in it, and placed some large nuts in it. Make the hole just big enough for students to get their hand into it, but not big enough for them to pull it out with the candy in their hand. After the story, let them put their hand in, grab the nuts, and try to get their hand back out with the nuts.

How to Catch a Monkey

Imagine that you live in a country where monkeys live out in the jungle behind your house. Now imagine that you wanted to catch one alive, to keep as a pet. But monkeys are quick and can quickly climb out of our reach. How would you catch a monkey? (Get their responses.)

Here’s how one person learned to catch monkeys:

First, he’d find a coconut, cut a hole in it, and put in it some delicious nuts that monkeys love. Next, he’d attach a rope to the coconut and tie it to a tree, near where the monkeys liked to hang out.

When a monkey smelled the food, the monkey would put his hand into the coconut to grab the nuts. (Demonstrate it with a student if you have a coconut.) But the hole was too small for him to pull his hand out while holding the food. (Pass it around and let the students try it.)

The man could then walk right up to the monkey and capture it.

Discussion: How could the monkey have escaped when he saw the man coming? Why do you think the monkey couldn’t get away? Why wouldn’t the monkey just let go of the nuts so that he could slip his hand out and escape?

The monkey got caught because he was too greedy. Do you know what “greedy” means? (I want to keep what I have, without giving it away or sharing it.) He wanted to get away; but he didn’t want to get away without his food. Without letting go of his food, he couldn’t have his freedom.

What can we learn from this monkey about being greedy? (Sometimes holding on to what is ours can get us in trouble.) Sometimes it’s hard to open up our hands and share what we have with someone else. Why is it so hard? (1 - We want to play with it ourselves. 2 – We’re afraid they might lose it or break it.)

What are some good things that might happen to those who share? (Others are more willing to share with us. We make friends.)

Brain Storm

Let's think of all the ways we can care about others and share with them. (Let students raise their hands and put the answers on the board. Examples: Help someone with schoolwork, help them get their food to the lunch table, help the teacher keep the room clean, etc.)

Action Point

Today, let’s try to be less greedy and more eager to share. Let me know today when you have a chance to share something, or if you see someone sharing.

Optional Activity

Have students draw a picture of the the monkey with his hand caught in the coconut. As they draw, walk around from student to student and talk about the impact of giving and compassion over greed. You may wish to put these pictures up in the class as a reminder to share and not be greedy.