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 Unit Activities & Answer Key With Your Group Unit Resources  
Entries relate to BLEST ARE WE FAITH & Word Edition © 2008 and BENDECIDOS © 2008. Titles that refer only to BLEST ARE WE © 2002 and ©2004 are indicated in parentheses.    Catholic Social Teaching - Care for Creation As Catholics we have a sacramental vision of the universe. We see the work of God in all of creation. To fulfill God's command in Genesis to be stewards of the earth, we reverence life in our words and actions, both personal and as a community. Each year millions of old toys and games are thrown away. This wastes materials that could be reused or recycled. It also enlarges landfills and adds to pollution. At a fourth-grade religious education session in St. Louis, Missouri, the children decided to do be good earth stewards. They asked people to bring their old toys and games to the parish. With help from parents and other parish members, they fixed many of these toys. A few just needed to be cleaned or glued. Some just needed batteries. Many were new and didn't need any fixing. When the children found games with missing pieces, they combined parts from matching games to make a complete one. The toys and games that they couldn't repair were recycled. They gave the repaired toys and games to children in their area who had fewer. 
 Assign each child to make an "inventory" of all the things he or she has at home that are not necessities. Clarify that food, clothing, and shelter are necessities of life for everyone. Have them list all the games, toys, electronic equipment, and gadgets they have. Instruct them to be thorough in their search throughout the apartment or house, and garage.  Talk about ways that reusing items helps protect the earth. Then, see who can come up with the most ways to reuse a plastic bag (e.g., holding small toy pieces, cleaning up table scraps, lining wastebaskets, cleaning up behind pets), a brown paper bag (wrapping paper, mailing packages, covering books), cans (cleaning and using to hold pencils or small items), magazines (making collages or greeting cards, using pages as pictures to frame, sharing with others). Links Caring for God's Creation Environmental Justice Program of USCCB Books The Earth Is the Lord's: The Bible, Ecology, and Worship by Dianne Bergant Available through Liturgical Press, 1998 Lectionary for Masses with Children Available through Liturgical Training Publications Weekday Liturgies with Children by Mary Kathleen Klavich Available through twenty-Third Publications Music "All You Works of God," "The Lord's Prayer" Blest Are We Music CD 4 Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36655-7 Blest Are We Song Book Words and melodies for songs on the BLEST ARE WE music CDS, Levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36617-4 Blest Are We Accompaniment Book Accompaniment music for songs on the BLEST ARE WE music CDs, Levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36618-2 "The Goodness of the Lord," "Pueblo de Dios" Gifts for a Lifetime - Music CD ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36113-X Gifts for a Lifetime Song Book ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36103-2 Gifts for a Lifetime Accompaniment Book ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36104-0 |
