Nur’s Nook: Two Wings
“For man two wings are necessary. One wing is physical power and material civilization; the other is spiritual power and divine civilization.”
—‘Abdu’l-Bahá
How do you keep your body active and healthy? What about your spirit? Like two wings of a bird, when you keep your body and spirit in balance, it’s easier to soar through life.
Riding your bike, playing sports, and doing other physical activities make your body strong. Eating healthy food and getting enough sleep are also important. Your spirit stays strong when you practice virtues like prayerfulness, and kindness. Helping others tones your spiritual “muscles.”
With so many things to do, it’s easy to take on too much. When you feel stressed or upset, check in with yourself so you don’t crash. Maybe your body could use a relaxing walk. It might help your spirit to pray, meditate, or talk to your parents. When you care for both “wings” in your life, you can be your best self and enjoy your flight. Follow the steps below to make your own well-balanced bird.
You’ll Need: Two craft sticks, tacky glue, clear tape, one 10" (25.4 cm) piece of string, beads: two, ¾" (1.9 cm) and thirty-four, ¼" (.6 cm), thread pieces: one, 15" (38.1 cm) and two, 10” (25.4 cm), about 1" (2.5 cm) bottle cap, pencil, construction paper, scissors, feathers and wiggle eyes (optional)
Step 1: Glue sticks together.
Step 2: Tape end of longer thread to “head” of crossbar. Add 1 large bead, 10 small beads, then 1 large bead. Tape end to crossbar’s “tail.”
Step 3: For legs, knot string’s center between last tail beads.
Step 4: Trace bottle cap for feet. Punch holes with pencil tip.
Step 5: Fit 12 beads and foot snugly on each leg. Tape string to bottoms of feet.
Step 6: Knot a shorter thread between 6th and 7th bead of each leg. Tape threads to open ends of crossbar, tight enough so knees are bent.
Step 7: Adjust string so head is higher than tail. Glue on beak, feathers, and eyes.
Nur says: "Move the crossbar to make your bird walk and soar!"
For a printable version, download a PDF.
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