Marie Curie's example of honest labor to perform "good works" to make the world a better place will teach your children the joy that comes from honest labor. A fun activity for your family to conduct their own experiment to discover how to make your home a better place and a recipe where everyone helps make a delicious treat reinforces the importance of work.
Can being an example by working hard bring joy? (Yes.)
When we work with “a heart full of song” (good attitude), the job goes faster and when it’s done you will feel great joy from doing something good.
(Praise each family member for a job that they have worked hard at to be an example of good works and then ask how they felt afterward.)
POINTS TO PONDER
Why do you think it is important to work hard, like Marie Curie?
“I’m sorry, Julie, but you can’t play until your work is done,” Mother said.
“I don’t like working. Work, work, work. That’s all I do!” Julie pouted.
“Well, work can bring you joy, or it can make you miserable. “It’s up to you!” Mother stated. “But it has to be done!”
Julie stomped into the family room where Becca was busy picking up the toys that were strewn across the floor. Becca frowned when she saw the scowl on Julie’s face. Trying to change her sister’s sour mood, Becca began singing, “When we’re helping, we’re happy, and we sing as we go; And we like to help mother, for we all love her so.”
Julie glared at her sister. “Maybe, you’re happy, but I'm not!”
It won’t take long Julie if we work together and then we can go outside and play with Megan!”
“It’s not fair. Megan never has to work and I’m just a slave!” Julie whined.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Julie. You’re not a slave. Everyone in our family does their fair share of work,” Becca declared. “Besides, Mom said that when we’re grown up, we’ll be glad that we know how to keep house.”
“Not me. When I grow up, I’m having a maid, just like Megan’s mom!” Julie stated.
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Mother came into the room just in time to overhear the girls’ conversation. “You’re not getting much done in here, except talking!” she announced. “And I’m sorry you feel like I expect too much from you, Julie. But if you think Sister Nance doesn’t work hard, you’re wrong.”
“Well if she does, she needs a new maid,” Julie snickered.
Her, so-called, maid is her sister,” Mother explained. “When Brother Nance passed away, Sister Nance had to go back to work to support the family. “Her sister has been helping out in order to make a hard situation a little easier.”
“But Megan said...”
“Megan’s having a really hard time adjusting to having her father gone and also having her mother gone back to work.” Mother continued, “I think she might be fantasizing a little in order to cope with all the changes.”
Julie hung her head. “I’m sorry, Mommy! I’ll try harder to be happy when I do my work.”
“Thank you, Julie,” Mother said, after giving her a big hug, “Now, let’s get this room done, so you can go play with Megan and make her day a little happier.”
“I love you, Mommy!” Julie said.
“I love you too!”
Julie and Becca sang as they cleaned the room. When they were done, Julie looked around the room and smiled. Helping Mother did make her happy.
Treat Time: Tell your children that you have a wonderful gift for them: the gift of learning honest
labor. Then have children perform honest labor, based on their abilities, to help make the cake by grating carrots, greasing the pan, opening the pineapple, measuring ingredients, etc. Even a very young child, with assistance, can help by pouring ingredients into the bowl. When the cake is done
and you are enjoying the fruits of your labor, discuss the joy that comes from the gift of honest labor.
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Stir in carrots, vanilla, and pineapple. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix on medium for two minutes. Stir in raisins. Pour batter into a prepared 9x13 pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
While cake bakes, combine margarine, cream cheese, vanilla, food coloring and powdered sugar. Blend until creamy. Frost cake while still in the pan. Cut into square size pieces. Top each square
with a Pull-N-Peel Twizzler bow.
Cake Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated carrots
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup raisins
Decorating Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
Cherry Pull-N-Peel Twizzlers™
9 drops green food coloring (green
is to remind us of Marie Curie’s gift in sacrificing her own health to
benefit others by her studies with radioactivity.)
ACTIVITY
What you need:
A copy of the “Work Experiment” activity (artwork included with this lesson), scissors, card stock, glue and tape.
Preparation:
1. Print out the artwork and glue to card stock.
2. Fold red lines inward.
3. Cut along dotted lines.
4. Gently roll pieces and match up letters, tape together to form cauldron and rod.
5. Glue or tape part (E) in place to form the bottom of the cauldron.
6. Stir the pieces again. Then draw out the puzzle pieces one at a time. Read the chore on the back. Ask the family member whose puzzle piece you’ve drawn, “If I give you a great gift, will you honestly labor to make this task “good works?”
If the person answers “yes” let them tape the puzzle piece to its correct position on the board. If they answer “no” set the piece aside.
7. If the puzzle is not complete after all pieces have been drawn out of the cauldron, explain that our experiment (puzzle) cannot be completed if we “all” don’t do our part. Encourage them to accept their task to complete the puzzle).
8. Place the symbolic bow and gift tag on the puzzle. Read the quote. Discuss the joy that comes from this “gift” of honest labor and how your home will be a better place.
Activity: Younger children will need help from an older sibling or parent.
1. Read the scripture found on the puzzle frame. Ask, “Did Marie Curie’s parents
teach her to “Never be weary of good works”? (Yes.)
2. Explain that Marie Curie worked hard, experimenting, to perform good works and discover radium. She placed water, acid, and ore into a giant cauldron: Place green “ore” puzzle pieces into the cauldron.
3. She then stirred the concoction with a heavy steel rod: Have each family
member take a turn stirring the “ore” puzzle pieces.
4. Marie Curie’s discovery has made the world a better place. Like Marie Curie, each of us need to work hard to make the world a better place. We can start by making our home a better place: Have each family member, draw out the
puzzle pieces until gone.
5. Ask, “What “good works” (chores/service) have you been taught to do to help make our home/world a better place?” Write the answer on the back off their puzzle pieces. Being taught to work is like the “ore” unless you work to complete the task it isn’t worth much. Place the puzzle pieces back into the cauldron.
1. Watch chapter 9 from The Complete Learning System, Marie Curie DVD. (Video clip is also provided for viewing online.)
2. Read Moroni 7: 5
“For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also.”
3. Do you think Marie Curie was an example of good works? (Yes.)
Marie Curie’s parents taught her the importance of hard work. Working hard to do good made Marie Curie an example that all of us can follow. Although most of us will never make a discovery that will change the world like Marie did, we can all still work hard to bring forth good works.
6. Is it important to continue working even when the job gets tough? "An outtanding example of perseverance is Madame Marie Curie, who worked together with her French physicist husband, Pierre Curie, in an old abandoned leaky shed without funds and without outside encouragement or help, trying to isolate radium from a low-grade uranium ore called pitchblende. And after their487th experiment had failed, Pierre threw up his hands in despair and said, ‘It will never be done. Maybe in a hundred years, but never in my day.’
8. Why do you think honest labor brings us joy? (Discuss ideas.)
9. Can being an example by working hard bring joy?
When we work with “a heart full of song” (good attitude), the job goes faster and when it’s done you will feel great joy from doing something good.
10. Praise each family member for a job that they have worked hard at to be an example of good works and then ask how they felt afterward.
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