You may want to try this activity near to the 1st of December, which is Prisoners for Peace Day.
What to do
Begin with a discussion about famous people who have been in prison for actions they have taken for peace such as:
- Rosa Parks,
- Mohandas Gandhi,
- Emmeline Pankhurst
- and conscientious objectors who are not so well known.
Discuss with the group what the children think life is like in prison
The children can then each make a card to send to a prisoner on the Prisoners for Peace list. Prepare some of the ready-addressed envelopes and encourage your group to write a message in their card, something like ‘Thinking of you on Prisoners for Peace Day’ or ‘We are working for peace in Woodcraft Folk’.
Remind the children that these are not Christmas cards and that some people do not celebrate Christmas. Have the children sign the card, put them in the envelope and write names and an address, either that of the child or of the group leader on the back. (the cards won’t be delivered without this, but check you have the permission of the parents before adding the children’s address). One of the adults should then undertake to post the cards and reclaim the expenses. You could even walk to the post box together as a group
Circletime Discussion Points:
As you have started with a discussion, you may just want to end by playing some music or a peace song, and having the children sit quietly and think about their prisoner for peace.