Unit 1.1: Looking at me, looking at you

Explore what makes the children special - features, abilities

Think about who they are special to - family, friends...

Introduce the children to a child of faith (use a Persona Doll, e-book or other resource)

What makes a name special?

What do some Christians do to welcome a new baby into the Christian family of the Church?

What symbols and artefacts are used in an infant baptism (Christening) and why are they used?

What does another religion do to mark the birth of a new child?

What symbols, artefacts and actions are used in this ceremony?

How do stories from the Bible show Jesus caring for different people?

How do stories from anther religious tradition show how people are cared for?

Find out about infant baptism by watching a video clip or by taking part in a roleplay ceremony led by a local member of the clergy

Look at pictures of participants in an infant baptism and explore the artefacts used in the ceremony

Find out about the meaning of the artefacts for members of the faith

Listen to stories from the Bible about Jesus caring for people, and give children opportunity to creatively retell these stories to each other through drama, artwork and writing:

• • Jesus blesses the children (Matthew Chapter 18 verses 13-15)
• • Jesus heals a paralysed man (Matthew Chapter 9 verses 1-7)
• • The feeding of the five thousand (Luke Chapter 9 verses 10-17)

Find out about a naming ceremony or a ceremony associated with early childhood in another faith; find out about any artefacts used as part of this ceremony

Listen to stories from another sacred text about caring for others

Investigate early childhood ceremonies from two different faiths- identify similarities and differences

Roleplay infant baptism; explore the roles of the different participants and the meaning of the artefacts used and given

Talk about what matters in these ceremonies, why do members of faith use them?

Think about what two different faiths say about the importance of caring for others, explore why this might be important

Freeze-frame sections of sacred stories to show ‘caring’

Plan a naming/thanksgiving celebration for a doll:

• •    roles
• •    food
• •    activities
• •    cards

Create a display/book about the ceremonies studied, showing the elements of the ceremony, the artefacts used and their meaning for a believer

Create a display/book about caring for others and what sacred texts have to say about this

Recall features and recognise symbols of a religious naming ceremony

Read books such as God’s Dream by Archbishop Tutu

Recall what believers of a particular faith think about what their sacred text has to say about who we should care for