Introduction
Did you know that there’s a “Look for Circles Day”? Look around the room. How many can you spot? Did you ever stop to realize how many circles we encounter every day? When we are asked to look for something specific, we do it with intention and begin to notice those around us. We see what’s been there but has gone unnoticed.
Circles
Ask the women to identify circles that we encounter everyday. Some of them could be incorporated into the decorations.
Buttons
Balloons
Wheels
Camera lens
Doorknobs
Period (grammar)
Contact lens
Dots
Full moon
Beads
Earth
Globe
Bowl
Program Ideas
Using a dry erase board, play a game of Pictionary® featuring circles. You could utilize some of the suggested objects above. The instructions for this game can be found on the Internet.
Ferris Wheel Trivia Game (answers are in bold)
- The Ferris Wheel was originally called: a. the giant circle, b. big wheel, c. merry go round
- The Ferris Wheel was introduced at the World’s Fair in what city? a. Chicago, b. New York City, c. Paris, France
- George Ferris, developer of what came to be called the Ferris Wheel wanted it to rival what iconic landmark: a. Eiffel Tower, b. London Bridge, c. The Great Pyramids
- In six months, the 1893 Ferris Wheel attracted how many visitors? a. 48,000, b.27 million, c. 5 million
- What were the compartments where people rode called? a.gondolas, b. cars, c. baskets
- The first Ferris Wheel was 264 feet tall, equal to: a. a 15-story building, b. the empire state building, c. a 26-story building
- This Ferris Wheel was built to withstand winds up to: a. 100 mph, b. 200 mph, c. 150 mph
- Each ride took how long to complete two circuits? a. 8 minutes, b. 15 minutes, c. 10 minutes
- The original Ferris Wheel was dismantled and then rebuilt in what city? a. New York, b. Chicago, c. San Francisco
Refreshments
Serve cookies and sandwiches cut into round shapes, tea and coffee.
Books
Check the Internet for children’s books on circles. Some also contain a message about differences, friendship and hope. A couple of these are: The Story of Circle and Square and Circles of Hope. Another option is Author Shel Silverstein’s book The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, a provocative exploration of the physical, emotional, spiritual and mental processes involved in becoming whole.
Facts About the Wheel
The invention of the wheel was a relative latecomer.These significant inventions predated the wheel by thousands of years: Sewing needles, woven cloth, rope, basket weaving, boats.
The first wheels were not used for transportation. Evidence indicates they were created to serve as potters’ wheels around 3500 B.C. in Mesopotamia—300 years before someone figured out to use them for chariots.
There are no wheels found in nature. They are exclusively man–made. Before their invention, people had to pull or push things around. The wheel made the way for faster travel and many tasks simpler. (Use photos in a PowerPoint presentation to show examples of primitive wheels and their use.)
No one really knows who invented the wheel but we’ve all heard the expression cautioning against reinventing the wheel. The earliest wheels in North America were used for toys.
A Time for Everything
Read Ecclesiastes 3:1–11.
Have you ever watched a dog trying to catch its tail? It goes around and around but is never able to catch it. Sometimes life feels that way. As our days pass, we try to catch a moment, a break, a nap but they’re always just out of our grasp.
We are nearing the end of another year and maybe you feel like you’ve been going in circles this year or maybe you’ve had a year where the path has been straight and smooth. One thing is certain: We’ve experienced both in our lives.
We’ve been through the cycle of seasons as Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes: “For everything there is a season.” He lists birth and death, crying and laughter, grieving and dancing. He couples things we would call bad or sad with the good. In this portion of scripture we come to know they are inseparable. We cannot have death without birth. Like a circle that has no end, our days continue through every season. Ecclesiastes 3:10 and 11 say: “I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.” Perhaps Solomon considers these turnings the burden of life. He goes on to remind us that God has made everything beautiful for its own time.
There will be a time when you are heard and a time when your voice is still. A time we welcome new beginnings and a time we grieve earthly deaths. In each one, we can find God’s beauty of grace and comfort, His beauty of strength and mercy. He will turn our mourning into dancing in His time.
