The Wonder Of Me Rationale Many children suffer from low self-esteem and focus on their shortcomings and not their strengths. Title “The Wonder Of Me” Aim SENSING ‘OTHERNESS’ Children will increase their understanding of their uniqueness and worth. Objectives By the end of the assembly pupils will: * Be reminded of their unique beginning * Develop an appreciation of the fact that they are ‘wonderfully made’ * Sense the wonder of being human * Realise that their lives are of value and worth Link with 5–14 PSD Circle Time Link with ACfE Confident Individuals Is this part of a series The Wonder Of Me; Bread Introduction This assembly outline is suitable as a whole school assembly or for a departmental group. Pupils should: * Bring a picture of themselves as a baby into school earlier in the week. This can be taken with them to the Assembly. * Enter the Assembly Hall to music and a Powerpoint presentation of babies: faces, hands, feet, smiles taken from Amazing Baby Books Stimulus * Baby powder sprinkled on the hand * A piece of velour or ribbon to hold and stroke during the Assembly * A display of baby clothes/toys/nappies etc * Powerpoint presentation entitled ‘Amazing Me’ including unique facts: fingerprints (a foetus gets fingerprints at 3 months), every person has a unique tongue print, DNA, teeth, irises and so on * Powerpoint presentation including trivial, fun facts, for example: * A human being loses an average of 40 to 100 strands of hair a day * A sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph * The average human body contains enough: iron to make a three inch nail, sulphur to kill all fleas on an average dog, carbon to make 900 pencils, potassium to fire a toy cannon, fat to make seven bars of soap, phosphorous to make 2,200 match heads, and water to fill a ten-gallon tank * There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body * On average women say 7,000 words per day. Men manage just over 2,000. * It takes 17 muscles to smile — 43 to frown etc * Mayfly Day by Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross. (The illustrations could be scanned and shown on a big screen.) Synopsis: mayfly might have only one day to live, but she enjoys every moment, observing all the life around her, and rejoicing in her own. As she soars over the sky at dawn, she bathes in the golden light, and dances to the music of the universe Guided Reflection We are unique individuals with our own unique story. No one will has ever lived our story before or ever will in the future. No matter how long or short our life, it is of worth and value. The guided reflection will accompany the video presentation ‘Amazing Me!’ This will end with the camera panning across the children so each unique child appears on the screen. Response In own class: Fun with mirrors: ordinary and, if available, distorting * Pupils are given a mirror to reflect on themselves in the light of the presentation * Pupils contribute one or more positive attribute of each child in the class * Pupils can make a display of their baby photos and label them with one of the positive comments given by their classmates Pupils recap on the story Mayfly Day Reflection: * What are the things in their lives that they take for granted? * What are the things in life that are precious to them? * What one special thing would they like to do in their life? Evaluation (a) Observation of pupils during assembly; discussion with pupils post assembly. Evaluation (b) Discussion with Staff Consultative Committee and with whole staff group at appropriate points in school quality assurance process. The Wonder Of Me Running Order Running Time Mins Activity Personnel Resources Action 0-6 6 Entry and sprinkling of Baby Powder Collecting of ribbon/velour Viewing of baby display Seating Adult to sprinkle powder Someone to hand out material and direct to the display and seats DVD Player DVD Projector Screen Baby Powder Velour or ribbons; one for each pupil 6-10 4 Powerpoint: pupils settle and view Amazing Baby Book presentation DVD Player DVD Projector Screen Written Script 10-18 8 Video: ‘Amazing Me’ Facilitator to introduce DVD Player DVD 18-22 4 Guided reflection while camera pans children Adult to work video camera Video camera Projector Screen Written Script 22-27 5 Reading of ‘Mayfly Day’ or showing of scanned pictures on the screen Facilitator Book: Mayfly Day 1 Screen Projector DVD 27-30 3 Final thoughts as children leave: ‘Be thankful for your wonderful life.’ Facilitator Written Script 30 Children return to class for ‘Response Activity’ Class Teachers Mirrors Paper /Pens 1 Willis, J and Ross T, Mayfly Day, Andersen Press Ltd, 2006 Learning and Teaching Scotland — Religious Observance Template Submitted by The Church of Scotland 2007