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[Page i]

CHILD'S WAY

May - June

dedicated to children everywhere

BAHÁ’Í YEAR 127 [Page ii]dedicated to children everywhere BAHÁ’Í YEAR 127

Table of Contents

1. He is The King from The Child’s Way

2. The Science Corner: Experiments with Air by Carl Hoagland

3. Memory Prayer & What's Missing

4. The Egg that Grew Bigger from the Vista Volunteer

5. The Road by Barry Kaufman

7. The Whole World was Waiting from The Child’s Way

8. Houses of Worship: Panama

9. Blotter Painting

10. Plaster and Vermiculite

12. Calendar

14. Poster Paint Lift

15. The Stingy Old Woman from the Vista Volunteer

16. Chuckles

17. The Adventures of Willie Wiggleworm: Ragaman Hagaman and His Concertina. by Alice Bacon

20. Poem: Declaration of the Báb by Kay Patton

21. The Garden or Roses Green by Marzieh Gail by Tracy Smith

24. Music: Be of Good Cheer by Marion Wilcox

Staff and Publication Information

Advisory Board: Carole Allen, Ray Johnson, La-Nelma Johnson, Maxine Rossman, Mark Rossman, Helen Sousa, Donald Streets

Contributing Editors: Barbara Cook, Robert Hart, Molly King, David Lepard, James Nelson

Art Illustrator and Consultant: Diane Paquet

Subscription Service: LaNelma Johnson

Managing Editors: David Lepard, Mildred Lepard

CHILD’S WAY is published bi-monthly in January, March, May, July, September and November in Amherst, Massachusetts. Manuscripts, editorial correspondence and subscriptions should be addressed to: CHILD’S WAY Magazine, Box 551, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002.

Subscriptions: Second Class mail USA, $4.50; Foreign, $5.00. Single copy, $ .75.

Application to mail at Second-Class postage rate is pending at Amherst, Massachusetts 01002.

CHILD’S WAY Vol. 2, No. 3

Editor's Note

Dear Friends of CHILD’S WAY,

The feeling of Summer is really in the air! We hope that you will enjoy this issue even though it is a little late in getting out.

Are you attending to attend a Bahá’í summer school this year? We sure hope so. Why don't you plan to take along some of the past issues to share with others--you might even have time to complete some of the craft projects.

Our Subscription Editor is happy to announce that we have recently begun to receive a steady flow of new subscriptions. You all really must be getting out there to help. We appreciate the many ideas that have been sent to us for increasing participation too. With your continued help and support this may, become a banner year for CHILD’S WAY.

You may start looking forward to an exciting new feature in the next issue---surprise!

Sincerely,

THE EDITORS OF CHILD’S WAY MAGAZINE [Page 1]He is the King, the all Knowing, the Wise!

Lo, the Nightingale of paradise singeth upon the twigs of the Tree of Eternity... [Page 2]

Experiments with Air

by Carl Hoagland

MATERIALS

Glass of water

Note card or stiff paper

PROCEDURE

Fill a glass full of water. Be sure that the water comes right to the top.

Hold the piece of stiff paper or note card over the glass and carefully turn the glass upside down.

Take your hand away from the cardboard.

How can you explain why the water does not run out. Does the air push upward? What keeps the cardboard from falling?

MATERIALS

Drinking glass

Mixing bowl or large jar of water

Sheet of paper

PROCEDURE

‎Crumble Crumple‎ a sheet of paper and push it into the bottom of a drinking glass.

Turn the glass over and push it straight down into a large jar or bowl of water.

Does the paper get wet? Why? Do you think that air takes up space?

If the experiment has been done properly, the air surrounding the paper cannot change places with the water. [Page 3]

MEMORY PRAYER

How are your memory prayers coming? The one which follows was given by ‎'Abdu'l-Baha ‘Abdu’l-Bahá‎. One important way to worship God is by helping others.

Have mercy, O Lord, on the feeble, make whole the sick.

Some words of Bahá’u’lláh you may wish to remember are these:

O Son of Spirit!

My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.

WHAT’S MISSING?????

A letter of the alphabet is missing between some of the letters shown below. If you’ll write the proper letters in the correct spaces, the puzzle will reveal something important you should know.

TH MONH O MAY HAS FOR IMORAT BA

HA’I HOLY DYS: THE ANIVRSRY OF TH

DECLRTIN O TE BÁB, TH BIRTH OF ‘A

BDU’L-BAHA, TE ASCENSION OF BAHÁ’

U’LLÁH, AD TE TWELFTH DY O RIDVAN

Moslems will observe the birthday of Muhammad on May 18. [Page 4]

The Egg that Grew Bigger while the Man was Singing

from the Vista Volunteer

A certain man had eleven sons and the youngest one was the son of his second wife. Before the man died he gave to each of the ten elder sons three head of cattle, but to the youngest he gave a small egg and told him to keep it outside, far from the corral (a pen for farm animals) and to sing to it.

The father died and the youngest son used to go and sing to the egg and the egg swelled and went on swelling until it was very big, bigger than a house.

After a time, the youngest son was afraid of it and climbed up a tree when he was singing to it.

At last, one day when he was singing, the egg burst and animals of every kind came out---oxen, sheep, goats in numbers. He then built his own corral and lived happily. That is all. [Page 5]

THE ROAD

by Barry A. Kaufman

A man had been traveling for many days looking for the town of Happyville. He had walked many miles in search of the wonderful town. Late one afternoon he came to a fork in the road. At the exact point where the road divided there was a rock, a very large rock. On top of the rock a young boy was seated playing a musical instrument.

The man went over to the boy and asked, "Can you please tell me which road I should take to get to Happyville?" [Page 6]

The Road

The boy stopped playing and said, "You can take the road to the left which is the long but short way; or you can take the road to the right which is the short but long way."

The man became angry, "You speak in riddles, all I asked was how to get to Happyville. What do you mean long but short, or short but long?"

The boy went back to his guitar and explained once again, "You can take the road to the left which is the long but short way, or you can take the road to the right which is the short but long way."

By now the man was even angrier than before. "I cannot stand your foolishness, I am going to take the road to the right which is short but long."

The man started down the road to the right. When he went a very short distance he came upon a river with the town of Happyville clearly on the other side. The man looked all around but he could not find a way to cross over the river.

His face turned red with anger. He then went back to the fork in the road where the boy was still playing his guitar. The man yelled, "You speak of long but short and short but long, but this road leads to a river and there is no bridge!"

The boy stopped playing and said softly, "You took the short but long road. If you would have taken the long but short road you would have had to walk a little further but you would have come to a bridge which crosses the river and leads right into Happyville."

Morale: We are all looking for Happyville and sometimes the path seems so clear and easy. But watch out. . . the short road may really be the long one and the road that looks a little more difficult may actually lead you to happiness sooner. [Page 7]

THE WHOLE WORLD WAS WAITING

adapted from an article appearing in The Child's Way

It was around sunset---that beautiful red-gold time of day when there is a quiet feeling in the air---when a young man, Mulla Husayn (Mola-Hosayn) passed through the gates to enter a strange city. The city was Shiraz, in the land of Persia. Persia is now called, Iran. Can you think how it feels to go to a new place? There's a feeling of adventure, for a new place away from home is always exciting to visit. Mulla Husayn was excited too---but in a very special way because he was looking for someone---someone he had never met. He was not sure where or when he would find him. In fact, most people around the whole world were looking for this same Person, yet only a few, like Mulla Husayn, left their homes to seek Him.

It was near the entrance of the city of Shiraz that a kind Man invited Mulla Husayn to his home. There he gave him fresh water to wash off the dust from his travels and made him some tea. Though Mulla Husayn did not know why the Man was being so kind to him, he felt happy in His presence and stayed for evening prayers with the young Prophet of God whose importance he felt so strongly.

After they had prayed and talked together the Báb told Hulla Husayn who He was. It was a startling moment for Mulla Husayn. His search was over! His prayers had been answered and he sat in the same room with the Báb (Bob).

Darkeness settled down over the city and all the people slept while Mulla Husayn sat up the whole night listening to the wondrous voice of the Báb chanting prayers and explaining many things which Mulla Husayn had not understood before. Thought soon others would find Him and believe in the new Prophet of God, the Báb told Mulla Husayn that he was greatly blessed because he was the first to find and believe in Him.

When the call to morning prayer sounded and the city awoke, Mulla Husayn left the home of the Báb with his great secret. Because Mulla Husayn wished and prayed and chose to look for Him, you and I know about the Báb today.

Bahá’ís all over the world celebrate this important event on May 23. It is called, the Declaration of the Báb. To "declare" means to make known, or make clear and as the Báb made known to Mulla Husayn His Presence and His purpose on earth, we call it the Declaration of the Báb.

If you want to know more about this beautiful meeting between Mulla Husayn and the Bab, and if you want to know what the Báb told Mulla Husayn that night of May 23, 1844, read the "The Story of the Bab," in God and His Messengers, and the stories about Him in Children's Stories from The Dawn Breakers. [Page 8]

HOUSE OF WORSHIP Panama

Thus far we have discussed three Bahá’í Houses of Worship which have been built in various locations around the world. They are located in Wilmette, Illinois; in Sidney Australia; and in Frankfurt, Germany. You may recall that the Houses of Worship will always have nine doors and a dome, but otherwise may be of almost any design. The doors are open to people of all religions and races for prayer and meditation. Another "dawning-place of praises" is now being built in the Republic of Panama near Panama City. You can read more about it in Bahá’í News, Nos. 441 and 469.

Panama is located between the countries of Costa Rica in Central America and Columbia in South America. The Canal which joins the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea crosses through Panama. Can you find it on a map? Panama has an area slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina. The long mountain chain that begins in Alaska and reaches down to the southern tip of Chile passes through Panama. The country is about 480 miles long from east to west and varies from 30 to 120 miles in width. Enclosed by the mountains are many well-drained valleys and plains which have not been developed due to lack of roads and other forms of transportation. Eastern Panama has large expanses of tropical jungle.

The climate is tropical and quite humid. Temperatures average about 80 degrees in the lowlands and around 55 degrees in the mountains, with little seasonal variation.

Because of its geographical position, Panama has attracted people from all parts of the world. Most of its 1.3 million population are of racially mixed ancestry. Spanish is the official language. Over 95 percent of the population are Roman Catholic. There is freedom of religious worship and separation of church and state.

The significance of the location of this new House of Worship can be found in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who said that Panama would "unite the East and the West, the North and the South."

Do you remember the proper term for a Bahá’í House of Worship? Turn this page upside down to check your answer. [Page 9]

MATERIALS

Watercolors India ink White blotters Sponge Wax paper

PROCEDURE

Place blotter on wax paper to avoid wetting your table.

Wet blotter with sponge.

Paint with watercolors any subject you like---perhaps a vase of flowers or a lovely landscape---the garden of Ridvan---or a portrait, even!

Now paint with your ink over the watercolors. You may have to re-wet the paper to get the fuzzy effect of the ink on the wet blotter paper. Try drawing lines with a pen and the ink. [Page 10]

PASTER and VERMICULITE TOTEM POLES

PLASTER MILK MILK VERMICULITE

MATERIALS

butter knife 1 qt milk carton plastic bucket plaster vermiculite (the type you get at the florist's) [Page 11]put ½ qt water in the plastic bucket. Sprinkle plaster into bucket. It will sink to the bottom of the bucket. Do not stir it. When the plaster no longer sinks to the bottom of the bucket-you are ready to stir. Quickly stir in a half qt of vermiculite.

Quickly press mixture into carton. Carefully ‎peal peel‎ the carton away when the ‎mixlure mixture‎ is hard. Draw all the sides of your pole on the block. Carefully carve the shapes with the butter knife. Be sure not to get any plaster in the sink! [Page 12]

Calendar of the Nineteen Day Feast

17	18	19	20	21	22	23 Declaration of the Báb
24	25	26	27	28	29 Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh	30
31	1JUNE	2	3	4
			‎nụr Núr‎	LIGHT	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20

[Page 13]

			17	18	19	20
			21	22	23
	Rahmat	MERCY	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	1 JULY	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9 martyrdom of the Báb	10	11
12

‘Azamat

GRANDEUR

cut out calendar. fold on line between the Arabic name of the month and the Translation — Tape and all the months will fit! [Page 14]

MATERIALS

Construction paper or heavy paper Thick poster paint India ink

PROCEDURE

Paint a design with thick poster paint. A scene, portrait or figure might be fun. Make sure the colors have spaces of unpainted paper between them.

Be sure to paint some kind of background. Don’t fill it all in with color. Leave spaces of unpainted paper.

Let dry thoroughly.

When dry, cover completely with india ink.

Let dry overnight.

Wash under cold water.

The water and paint will push the ink away leaving only the blank spaces black. [Page 15]In Appalachia they tell a tale about the origin of the woodpecker.

The Stingy Old Woman

from the Vista Volunteer

Once a marvelous wizard, who was walking through the woods, saw smoke curling from the chimney of a little cottage and smelled cakes baking.

"I'll go ask for some," he said, because he was very hungry. He approached the cottage and knocked on the door. An old woman appeared.

"Good day," said the wizard. "I smelled your cakes and thought you might give me some, as I am very hungry."

Now the old lady was stingy. She said, "These are much too big to give away. I'll bake you a smaller one." And she did.

But when she took it out of the oven, she said, "I'm afraid this is too big to give away. I'll bake a smaller one." And she did.

But when she took it out, she said again, "This is too big. I'll bake a smaller one." And she did this so many times that at last she had a cake about the size of a grain of wheat.

"This is too small to give away!" she said.

The wizard was so angry that he changed her into a woodpecker and made her fly up the chimney. As she flew up, she got her white skirt covered with soot.

"Now, old woman, you'll have to bore and bore in the wood of trees to get something to eat," he told her.

He made himself a medium-size cake and went on his way. [Page 16]

CHUCKLES

Why is a dog’s tail like the center of a tree? It is farthest from his bark!

Can a leopard change his spots? Yes, when he is tired of one spot he can go to another

Why does a cat first look to one side, then to the other? Because she ‎cant can’t‎ look to both sides at once!

Why is your nose in the middle of your face? Because it would look silly elsewhere

Why are bakers wasteful? Because they keep selling what they knead (need) most!

Why should you pity turtles? Because theirs is a hard case [Page 17]

Ragaman Hagaman and His Concertina

Ragaman Hagaman was not an ordinary earthworm. He was a worm of talent. He played his concertina and charmed all of the earthworms of Amenta. The children especially loved Ragaman Hagaman. His fame had even spread to the next ‎burro burrow‎ town of Dementia where the topsy-turvy children lived. The rhythm of Ragaman Hagaman’s concertina soothed all the topsy-turvy children and soon they would laugh and dance and forget their sadness. When Ragaman Hagaman played in Dementia, all the children imagined they were silkworms living in luxury and eating mulberry leaves all day. Then they were happy indeed. But when they remembered that they were just earthworms who had to tunnel dirt to eat, they became sad and they cried and moaned.

THE ADVENTURES OF WILLIE WIGGLEWORM

by Alice Bacon [Page 18]

Willie

Ragaman Hagaman had made his mother very sad when he was a little boy too. He was different from the other worm children. He liked to settle his segments down on the cool moist soil of Amentia and hum a little tune which he had made up. Little tunes were always making themselves up in his head. He would not learn to tunnel in the earth, but just watched the other children all the time while smiling and humming, "dey-dey-le-lum."

Finally Mama Hagaman took Ragaman to see old Doctor Cy who listened to all ten of his hearts, looked at his tonsils, and pronounced him in perfect health.

"But he will not learn tunneling," sobbed his poor mother.

Old Doctor Cy patted Ragaman Hagaman. "Tell me, Ragaman, what would you LIKE to do? Come, lie down here on my couch."

So Ragaman Hagaman hummed his little tune, "dum-dum-de-lay," for old Doctor Cy and he told him that more than anything under the earth, he wanted a concertina on which to play his little songs. He'd watched the other children bumping into the soil and eating and tunneling, but he found resting and humming tunes much more pleasant. Tunneling made him tired and humming made him happy---and there you were! But he really needed a concertina in order to improve.

In despair, Ragaman Hagaman's mother had gotten him a concertina, and from that day to this, he had been happy, making up tunes and playing them in Amentia and Dementia. The older he got, the better he played and the more the people loved his wild tunes or his soft soothing tunes. And especially the children of Dementia who loved imagining themselves silkworms!

One night Willie Wiggleworm told Monster about Ragaman Hagaman. And Monster bounced around in bed so excitedly that Willie was almost blown off the bedpost. [Page 19]"Yes, he plays a concertina!" affirmed Willie Wiggleworm.

"How can a worm play a concertina?" demanded Monster.

"Most worms can't." said Willie calmly, "But Ragaman Hagaman is different---he's a worm with talent!"

"I must---I simply must hear him play!" said Monster.

"But you get so earth-quaky when you come to Amentia." complained Willie. "Last time you nearly blew down all the houses!"

"Then I will lie on the ground and you bring Ragaman Hagaman to the top of the garden."

"Maybe he won't come. He would not learn to tunnel when he was a little worm." confided Willie.

"Why does everyone in Amentia HAVE to learn to tunnel?" asked Monster.

"Funny, funny Monster!" said Willie. "Don't you know that gardens would not grow if we didn't tunnel and bring up dirt to the top of the world? My father said, 'As the earthworm digs, so the nation rises.' He read it in the paper!"

"I have carrots in my garden." said Monster. "Did you worms help them grow?"

"Deed we did." said Willie, getting bumptious and dangling his segments off the bedpost dangerously.

"Then I guess you must all learn to tunnel." said Monster.

"But I think Ragaman Hagaman has the best job playing a concertina. You must arrange it so I can hear him. Will ya Willie, will ya?" [Page 20]

DECLARATION OF THE BÁB

by Kay Patton

The blessed Bab, His turban green, Shone bright upon the Persian scene. Sent by God to bring His love And His laws from above. ’Twas Mulla Husayn the Báb first told About His Mission and trust to hold. Dauntless, courageous, brave and true, The Dawn-Breakers had a task to do. Of fighting enemies of His Cause; Only death could bring a pause, Gaining victory for the Báb, Imprisoned and hated by the mob. Alas, the Báb was shot and dead, But victory followed in His stead For His Faith remained alive And soon His Promised One arrived! [Page 21]

A PERSIAN STORY

This story comes from a book that is seven hundred years old---The Garden of Roses, by Persia's Sa’di (1184?-1291). Even in those days, we doubt if the story was new:

A certain caliph conquered the land of Egypt, and appointed an ignorant man to rule over it. As he sat on the throne a delegation of Egyptian farmers appeared before him with a complaint. "We had planted cotton," they said, "on the banks of the Nile. An unseasonable rain fell, and ruined the cotton."

The King answered: "You should have planted wool."

This story was sent to us by Marzieh Gail---THANK YOU!

GREEN

Green is the color of the grass so green, Green is the color of the sugar cane, Green is the color of the cool watered bay, Green is the color of a witch with warts, and Green is the color of all sorts of things.

by Tracy Smith, age 8 [Page 22]know!

"Maybe he won't play for you. After all, you ARE a monster you

"But I'm a good Monster and I wouldn't hurt a worm!" said Monster.

So Willie Wiggleworm promised to speak to Ragaman Hagaman about a special concert at the top of the garden.

"Tell him I will give him one of my nickels." said Monster generously.

"Nickels?" said Willie, humping himself in disgust. "What would Ragaman Hagaman do with nickels? He doesn't even have to buy his supper or tunnel to get it. All the other worms save their choice leaf mold so Ragaman Hagaman can play his tunes for them.

"Well, ask him what I have that he wants then!" said Monster.

Ragaman

Willie Wiggleworm returned the next night with sad news. "Ragaman Hagaman won't come to the top of the garden to play for you. He said he doesn't want anything that you could give him!"

"Not anything?" said Monster, astonished.

"Not anything." said Willie. "He said he wouldn't even be the mayor of Amentia!"

"Is HE topsy-turvy?" asked Monster.

"No," defended Willie Wiggleworm. "Ragaman Hagaman is just---different! He has all the sand stew and leaf mold that he wants without tunneling. He plays his tunes all day long and all the people love him. He waid there wasn't anything in the big monster world worth having!" [Page 23]Monster turned away from Willie to hide his tears of disappointment. Finally he said, "Would YOU rather play a concertina all day than help make our garden grow?"

Willie considered this thoughtfully. Then he said, "I haven’t got a concertina!" So he went right on all his life helping gardens to grow.

---

That very night—it was Tuesday and on Tuesdays Mom-Abbie made caramel cookies—she said to Daddy-Al who was having a late snack of the cookies in the kitchen: "David is tossing around tonight in his sleep mumbling, ‘dey-dey-le-lum’—or something!"

Beautiful Junk — trinket tree

Sometimes we have things that we don’t have places for. You can easily make a trinket tree. Take a flower container. Paint it in bright colors. Find a branch that has fallen from a tree — Paint it. Prop it up in the pot with pebbles. Hang your trinkets from it! [Page 24]

be of good cheer

1. Good morning, good morning, Good morning my dear, Good morning, good morning, and be of good cheer. Be friendly and helpful, yes, all the day long, And come ye with laughter and come with a song.

2. The flowers in the meadow, The birds in the air, The sheep in the pasture, All speak of God’s care.

Be thankful and happy, Reflecting His Love, And know that your blessings, All come from above.

Words and Music by Marion Wilcox [Page 26]--BLANK--

[Page 25]Blessed is the Spot...