Animals help us in many ways. Guide dogs help blind people. They show them the way. Police dogs help policemen to find thieves. Elephants pull heavy logs of wood. Bullocks, horses, camels and donkeys carry things and pull carts. We can learn many good things from animals.

Song

ईश सृष्टि मे सब कुछ सुंदर जीव शिखावे सेवासर
सबमे परम प्रभू का दर्शन करलो बारबार
ये है जीवों का संसार , इनमे भी है अच्छी बात
हिलते फिरते सि खलाते हैं हमको जग का सुंदर सार

बिल्ली खुशी से गाती है जब वो मुंह को धोती है (म्यां म्यां )
जो नहीं मुंह को धोता है गंदा बच्चा होता है
बोलो बोलो बच्चों हमें दि न में कि तनी बार दांत साफ करना है ?
एक बार , दो दि न में एक बार या दि न में दो बार ?

काली कोयल पर सबको प्या र वो जाने वाणी का सार ( कू कू )
मीठी बोली उसका राज ,वश में हो जा ये संसार
बोलो बोलो बच्चों हमरी बोल कैसी होनी चाहिए
speak softly, speak sweetly and speak truth

कुत्ता रहे सजग होशियार कुत्ता घर का है रख़वाल (बौ बौ)
कोई घर में घुस न जाए लेकर मन में चोर विच ार
हमें बुरे विच ारों से बचकर रहना चाहिए
अच्छे विच ोरों और लोगों को स्वा गत करना चाहिए

मुर्गा ख़ुशी से गाता है जब वो बांग लगता है (कोकरको)
जो भी जल्दी उठता है अच्छे स्वा स्थ्य को पाता है
बोलो बोलो बच्चों हमें कि तने बजे उठना चाहिए

कौआ जब भी रोटी पाए लेता सबको पास बुलाए (कां कां )
हम भी जब कुछ पा जाए हिल मि ल बांट के खा जाए
मछली का है निर्म ल प्या र पानी उसका प्राण धार (साफ साफ)
बिना प्रभु के जीवन भी प्या रे बच्चों है बेकार

“Train your children from their earliest days to be infinitely tender and loving to animals.”

Today we are going to talk about kindness to animals. Have you a pet at home? How are you kind to your pet? How do you look after your pet? We need to make sure that our pet has food to eat, water to drink and a good place to sleep.

Some creatures are small and some are big, but we must be kind to them all. Some people do not understand that animals share the same feelings as we do. Animals get tired and need rest. They get thirsty and need water. They get hungry and need food.

They feel pain just like we do, yet some people beat animals. ‘Abdu’l-Baha said that it was worse to hurt animals than humans because the animals can’t cry out and they can’t complain. These are his words: “Show forth the utmost consideration to the animal, and . . . . be even kinder to him than to your fellow man. Train your children from their earliest days to be infinitely tender and loving to animals. If an animal is sick, let the children try to heal it, if it be hungry, let them feed it, if thirsty, let them quench its thirst, if weary, let them see that it rests.” 5

But we are warned to avoid harmful animals like wolves and snakes. This does not mean that we should harm them, but just let them go on their way. They too are God’s creation.

Activity

• GROUP A (youngest children)
• Let the children draw animals they know or animals of their own creation, for example monsters, fluffy creatures or dinosaurs.
• GROUPS B and C (older children) “Animal Consequences”

Sit the children in a circle, and give each child a strip of paper about 50X200 cm. and a pencil. Each child should draw an animal head and neck, at the top of their paper and fold the paper over so that only the neck shows. When all the children are finished tell them to pass the paper to the child on their left. Now draw a body attached to the neck and draw the tops of some legs. Fold the paper over so that only the legs show. Pass to the left. Draw some feet onto the legs and then pass to the left. Now all open the papers and see what funny animals you have drawn. If there is time, repeat, with children drawing differently from the first time.

• Give each child a piece of paper and suggest that they have been given a pet dog. Get the children to write down how would they look after it and draw pictures of their favourite animals.