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1 ISLAND 6 Etmo FAMILY NAVIGATIONAL GUIDEBOOK
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ISLAND 6
Etmo FAMILY NAVIGATIONAL GUIDEBOOK
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Etmo (ET-moh)
Embrace the Moment
ENLIGH SUGGESTIONS:
• What does the statement above mean to you?
• 1828 definition of embrace2: To seize eagerly; to lay hold on; to receive or take with
willingness that which is offered.
• Listen to Etmo the Hummingbird . Record your thoughts and impressions.
• Read the hummingbird facts . After reading the animal facts and listening to the
song, how can you liken the hummingbird to embracing the moment?
• Are there stories in your core books that exemplify Etmo? Find stories about individuals
who had an unexpected event come up. How did they embrace the moment? In Etmo’s
song, it says: So EMBRACE this moment and you will discover the power of creation in
loving each golden moment of time. What was created in that moment when they
embraced it? How did their ability to embrace the moment affect those around them?
READ THE TALE OF HOPE: Read together the Etmo section in The Tale of Hope: Island of
Resilience.
Etmo (The Hummingbird)
Embrace the moment! Each moment is a gift to be cherished, not discarded by regrets from
the past or worries about the future.
HOW TO USE ETMO RESULTS FROM APPLYING ETMO
• Respect and cherish each moment, for
it is the only reality that we have.
• The past has gone; learn from it.
The future is yet to come; prepare for it.
The present is now; act upon it.
• The best way to prepare for the future is
to learn from the past (free of regrets)
and act on the now.
• Prevents past negative experiences and
future concerns to waste or procrastinate
time away
• Greatly assists in seizing new
opportunities
• Reduces stress and increases energy
• Increases gratitude
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LISTEN TO THE SONG: Listen to Etmo the Hummingbird.
EXPLORE THE HUMMINGBIRD:
1. Hummingbirds are the tiniest birds in the world. Their eggs are smaller than a jellybean.
They are native to the Americas only.
2. Many hummingbirds have brightly colored feathers, especially around the neck. They can
flash these colors, but also hide them when needed.
3. Hummingbirds drink the nectar from blooming flowers. They can remember every flower
they visit and know how long it takes a blossom to refill.
4. A hummingbird’s tongue is very long, sometimes as long as its body. When a
hummingbird feeds, it gets close to the flower and appears to embrace the flower as it
laps up the nectar with its tongue.
5. A hummingbird is the only bird that can hover and fly backward as well as forward.
Flowers are very delicate and, instead of landing on the flower, a hummingbird stays in
one spot in the air to feed.
6. The male hummingbird is extremely territorial; it will chase other hummingbirds out of
the area if it feels encroached upon.
7. What else can you learn about hummingbirds?
PONDER:
1. What does it mean to embrace the moment? (Etmo) How can you liken the hummingbird
to embracing the moment?
2. When a hummingbird feeds, it appears to embrace the flower as it laps up the nectar with
its tongue. What are things you can do to embrace the moment? Should you embrace
difficult moments?
3. Hummingbirds can remember every flower they visit. What important moments/events in
your life have you embraced and what have you done to remember them? Why is it
important to remember?
4. The male hummingbird is extremely territorial; and it will chase other hummingbirds out
of the area if it feels encroached upon. It is important to embrace moments with loved
ones. What are some things that get in the way of embracing moments with your family;
and what can you do to ‘chase’ these things away?
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Teaching Tip
“If you want someone to know the truth, tell them the truth. If you want someone to love the
truth, tell them a story.”
Story is how human beings make sense of the world. Throughout history, all peoples in the
world have used stories to pass on wisdom and culture to their children. Personal and family
stories sink deeply into the hearts of children and help them know who they are and how they fit
into the world.
• Look to your everyday life for powerful stories to which your children will relate.
• Find personal or family stories that might be relevant to the issues your family is
currently experiencing. “Ancestral stories teach us it's in our DNA to do difficult
things.” Clive Romney
• Search your core books for stories that will stir your children's hearts. Tell them in your
own words with as much detail as possible to bring them alive.
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Etmo Stories
A Mission in Dark Places
During WWII, two Christian sisters, Betsie and Corrie ten Boom, were sent to a concentration
camp for hiding Jews in their home. Through miraculous means, they were able to smuggle a
Bible into their camp. In her book, The Hiding Place, Corrie tells their story.
The barracks appeared almost identical with the one we had left this morning, except that
this one was furnished with bunks as well as tables and benches. And still we were not allowed
to sit: there was a last wait while the matron with maddening deliberateness checked off our
documents against a list.
“Betsie!” I wailed, “how long will it take?”
“Perhaps a long, long time. Perhaps many years. But what better way could there be to
spend our lives?”
I turned to stare at her. “Whatever are you talking about?”
“These young women. That girl back at the bunkers. Corrie, if people can be taught to
hate, they can be taught to love! We must find a way, you and I, no matter how long it takes….”
She went on, almost forgetting in her excitement to keep her voice to a whisper, while I
slowly took in the fact that she was talking about the guards. I glanced at the matron seated at the
desk ahead of us. I saw a gray uniform and a visored hat; Betsie saw a wounded human being. …
[Life in camp] grew harder and harder. Even within these four walls [of our barracks]
there was too much misery, too much seemingly pointless suffering. Every day something else
failed to make sense, something else grew too heavy. “Will you carry this too, Lord Jesus?”
But as the rest of the world grew stranger, one thing became increasingly clear. And that
was the reason the two of us were here. Why others should suffer we were not shown. As for us,
from morning until lights-out, whenever we were not in ranks for roll call, our Bible was the
center of an ever-widening circle of help and hope. Like waifs clustered around a blazing fire, we
gathered about it, holding out our hearts to its warmth and light. The blacker the night around us
grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the world of God. “Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
peril, or sword? …Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved
us.”
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I would look about us as Betsie read, watching the light leap from face to face. More than
conquerors. …It was not a wish. It was a fact. We knew it, we experienced it minute by
minute—poor, hated, hungry. We are more than conquerors. Not “we shall be.” We are! Life in
Ravensbruck took place on two separate levels, mutually impossible. One, the observable,
external life, grew every day more horrible. The other, the life we lived with God, grew daily
better, truth upon truth, glory upon glory.
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To the First Robin
by Orison Swett Marden
The air was keen and biting, and traces of snow still lingered on the ground and sparkled
on the tree tops in the morning sun. But the happy, rosy-cheeked children, lately freed from the
restraints of city life, who played in the old garden in Concord, Massachusetts, that bright spring
morning many years ago, heeded not the biting wind or the lingering snow. As they raced up and
down the paths, in and out among the trees, their cheeks took on a deeper glow, their eyes a
brighter sparkle, while their shouts of merry laughter made the morning glad.
But stay, what is this? What has happened to check the laughter on their lips, and dim
their bright eyes with tears? The little group, headed by Louisa, has suddenly come to a pause
under a tree, where a wee robin, half dead with hunger and cold, has fallen from its perch.
“Poor, poor birdie!” exclaimed a chorus of pitying voices.
“It is dead, poor little thing,” said Anna.
“No,” said Louisa, the leader of the children in fun and works of mercy alike; “it is warm,
and I can feel its heart beat.”
As she spoke, she gathered the tiny bundle of feathers to her bosom, and, heading the
little procession, turned toward the house.
A warm nest was made for the foundling, and, with motherly care, the little Louisa May
Alcott, then only eight years old, fed and nursed back to life the half-famished bird.
Before the feathered claimant on her mercy flew away to freedom, the future authoress,
the “children’s friend,” who loved and pitied all helpless things, wrote her first poem, and called
it “To the First Robin.” It contained only these two stanzas:--
“Welcome, welcome, little stranger,
Fear no harm, and fear no danger;
We are glad to see you here,
For you sing, ‘Sweet spring is near.’
“Now the white snow melts away,
Now the flowers blossom gay;
Come, dear bird, and build your nest,
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For we love our robin best.”
Source: Stories from Life, Orison Swett Marden, pp. 119-121 (1904). librariesofhope.com
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Etmo Movies Foster (Angel in the House) Screen Media 2011. Looking to adopt a child, and unable to
conceive a child of their own, the Morrison's lives are turned upside down when a 7-year-old boy
unexpectedly shows up on their doorstep.
The Little Prince Netflix original film 2015. A little girl is being pushed to grow up too fast
when she meets a kind, old man, the Aviator. He teaches her, through the story of the Little
Prince, how to grow up without forgetting how to embrace the important things in life.
Saved for A Reason Crista Media and Thespis Motion Pictures 2016. This 60-minute
documentary depicts the journey of the 2014-2015 Kings Knight's Basketball Team. A mid-
season accident threatens to ruin their dreams of the State Championship; but players,
coaches, and the community gain much more when they are inspired by the lessons learned along
the way.
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Etmo Lesson Ideas
Discussion Questions
1. Name one fact about the hummingbird and how it reminds you to embrace the moment.
2. Evaluate your day to day living. What are some ways that you can embrace the moment
more fully?
Song Extensions
• COLOR: Invite your family to color the Etmo coloring page as they listen to the song.
• DISCUSSION: How can you EMBRACE THE NOW? Listen to Etmo the
Hummingbird.
• ACTIVITY: RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT. In this game, one person plays the "stop
light" and the rest try to touch him/her.
- All children form a line about 15 feet away from the stop light.
- The stop light faces away from the line of kids and says, “Green light.” The kids
are allowed to move towards the stoplight.
- At any point, the stop light may say, "Red light!" and turn around. If any of the
kids are caught moving after this has occurred, they have to go back to the start
and begin again.
- Play resumes when the stop light turns back around and says, “Green light.”
- The first player to touch the stop light wins the game and earns the right to be
"stop light" for the next round. After a few rounds of play, ask them how
embracing the “green light” moment helped them progress toward reaching their
goal of touching the “stop light”.
• WORD PUZZLES: Do the word search or crossword while you listen to songs you have
already learned.
Additional Activities
• OPTIONAL ATTENTION ACTIVITY: Have everyone place their electronic devices
in a basket and share with family members about three things they did today. Listen as
each member shares his/her experiences. Afterwards, discuss how it felt to be “present”
with each other in the moment.
• VIDEO: Find a video clip about the hummingbird.
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• CHALLENGE: What role does recreation play in your life? Set a goal to embrace the
moment with your family and enjoy a fun activity this week.
• ART: Get some sidewalk chalk and create an impromptu mural on your driveway
or sidewalk.
• ART: Spend time out in nature and sketch a few things that you see.
• QUOTE ACTIVITY AND ART PROJECT: Choose a quote and invite your family to
create a poster to illustrate it. Display your poster. Spend time memorizing the
quote. Make the quote into a little song or chant!
• OBJECT LESSON: Wrap three presents, labeled past, present, and future. Discuss
what gift can be opened and received right now. How does hanging on to the past prevent
us from opening our present one? What gift matters the most in opening and receiving?
Island of Resilience Etmo
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Etmo the Hummingbird Embrace the Moment
ANIMAL FACTS
1. Hummingbirds are the tiniest birds in the world. Their eggs are smaller
than a jellybean. They are native to the Americas only.
2. Many hummingbirds have brightly colored feathers, especially around the
neck. They can flash these colors, but also hide them when needed.
3. Hummingbirds drink the nectar from blooming flowers. They can
remember every flower they visit and know how long it takes a blossom to
refill.
4. A hummingbird’s tongue is very long, sometimes as long as its body. When a hummingbird
feeds, it gets close to the flower and appears to embrace the flower as it laps up the nectar with its
tongue.
5. A hummingbird is the only bird that can hover and fly backward as well as forward. Flowers are
very delicate and, instead of landing on the flower, a hummingbird stays in one spot in the air to
feed.
6. The male hummingbird is extremely territorial; it will chase other
hummingbirds out of the area if it feels encroached upon.
7. What else can you learn about hummingbirds?
PONDER
1. What does it mean to embrace the moment? (Etmo) How can you liken the
hummingbird to embracing the moment?
2. When a hummingbird feeds, it appears to embrace the flower as it laps up the nectar with its
tongue. What are things you can do to embrace the moment? How can you embrace difficult
moments?
3. Hummingbirds can remember every flower they visit. What important moments/events in your
life have you embraced and what have you done to remember them? Why is it important to
remember?
4. The male hummingbird is extremely territorial; and it will chase other hummingbirds out of the
area if it feels encroached upon. It is important to embrace moments with loved ones. What are
some things that get in the way of embracing moments with your family; and what can you do to
‘chase’ these things away?
HOW TO USE ETMO RESULTS FROM APPLYING ETMO
• Respect and cherish each moment, for it is the only
reality that we have.
• The past has gone; learn from it.
The future is yet to come; prepare for it.
The present is now; act upon it.
• The best way to prepare for the future is to learn
from the past (free of regrets) and act on the now.
• Prevents past negative experiences and future
concerns to waste or procrastinate time away
• Greatly assists in seizing new opportunities
• Reduces stress and increases energy
• Increases gratitude
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Etmo the Hummingbird
Etmo the Hummingbird
can only be discovered by
Embracing in reverence
the presence of each golden
moment of time.
Embrace the now, this moment now.
Embrace the now, this moment now.
The principle of effectiveness is acting in the now.
The past is gone, the future yet to be, and only in the present is reality.
Recognize, respect the gift it is.
So, EMBRACE this moment
and you will discover
The power of creation
In loving each golden moment of time.
Embrace the now, this moment now.
Embrace the now, this moment now.
The principle of effectiveness is acting in the now.
The past is gone, the future yet to be, and only in the present is reality.
Recognize, respect the gift it is.
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“The past is gone; learn
from it. The future is yet to
come; prepare for it. The
present is now; act upon it.”
~ Roger Anthony
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“Embrace the moment! Each
moment is a gift to be
cherished, not discarded by
regrets from the past or
worries about the future.” ~Roger Anthony
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ETMO CROSSWORD
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Across
2. Embracing in reverence the presence
of each golden moment of ____.
4. Etmo the _______ can only be
discovered...
6. The principle of effectiveness is
acting in the ____.
7. Recognize, respect the ____ it is.
Down
1. The past is gone, the future yet to
be, and only in the ______ is reality.
3. So _______ this moment and you
will discover the power of creation.
5. Embrace the now, this _____ now.
*Hint: The answers can be found in the song. If you need additional help refer to the word bank at the end of the document.
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ETMO WORD SEARCH
G E R J U K U K I E A X K
D S D S N Y J H I S N C R
S D X E C O J T I M E F E
K E S W F B W F S F D G V
M M H T W M O M E N T F O
J B J G E R L H K H G K C
T R K C R E A T I O N H S
R A L R T U S K H O C L I
V C I S Y K E H H M G U D
F E Y G J G T R G T K T E
R H P K S F D W R E Y E R
E D R I B G N I M M U H T
W Q U C V B H D D N X C G
ETMO MOMENT HUMMINGBIRD EMBRACE NOW TIME CREATION DISCOVER
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ETMO CROSSWORD
Word Bank
present now
time moment
embrace
hummingbird
gift
