Submitted by
S. Daly

Age Group
7-11

Aim
To appreciate that working together is better than being alone

Faith Group
Christian

Resources
Single twigs, a bundle of twigs, large letters to spell the word community

Other Details
The names can be changed for names of children in your class/school.
The occupations can be changed for ones relevant to your area, as long as the initial letter is the same.
The poem can be read by one older child, or by a few younger ones a line each.
Reading 7 can be read by one child or split up. The children can suggest ideas for this reading.

Script
1. Good morning everyone. Here is a poem about lots of different people.

2.
C is for carpenters, children and Christopher.
O is for officers, oven menders and Oliver.
M is for milkmen, mothers and Marisa.
M is for motorists, matrons and Michael.
U is for uncles, umbrella makers and Una.
N is for nurses, naughty boys and Nielem.
I is for Indians, inventors and In Sung.
T is for teachers, traffic wardens and Tim.
Y is for yachtsmen, Yvonne and YOU.

(Children hold up each letter as it is said.)

3. Lots of different people who live near each other and help each other are called a community.

4. A community is stronger than lots of people on their own.
If you have some twigs, it is easy to break them one by one, because, on their own, they are weak. (Demonstrate.)

5. It is difficult to break them in a bundle, because being together makes them stronger. (Demonstrate.)

6. It is the same with us. If we try to do everything by ourselves, we do not make a good job of things.
If we work together, we are more successful. We need each other.

7. We need people to:
grow our food
make our clothes
build our houses
drive our coaches
teach us how to swim
clean our classrooms
print our books
make us laugh
look after us when we are ill and so on.

8. Let us now pray to the Father of our community. Our Father...
We will now sing "Bind us together" by Bob Gillman. (Celebration Hymnal for Everyone number 80)