In Religious Exploration at Beacon this week,
Grades K-5 will continue to learn about Signs of Our Faith: a program about being UU everyday!
Background info:
Children explore contexts in which they can practice sharing as sign of Unitarian Universalist faith. They discuss ways they share with family, friends, neighbors, the congregation, and the world. They understand that they are better at sharing now than when they were younger, and that this is a sign of maturity.
The details about Sunday morning:
Babies – 4 year olds
- chalice lighting, children’s covenant, joys & concerns
- play inside in our very popular wooden kitchen.
Kindergarten- grade 5
- chalice lighting, children’s covenant, joys & concerns
- listen and discuss two stories this morning and compare
first story “Jesus Feeds the Multitude”
second story Jesus and the Loaves and Fishes – A UU Telling”
- Activity 4: Saying Grace
- Plant bulbs
What you can do this week at home:
If you are unable to join us, feel free to use these links and resources to create a faith formation opportunity in your own home this week.
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about… how does your UU faith calls you to share? Does it affect decisions about whom you share with? Does it affect decisions about what and how much you share?
EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Take the time to notice and name sharing when you see family members doing it. Young children especially need praise and encouragement to continue sharing.
Family Discovery. How does your family share with the wider community and the world? Perhaps the adults write checks to various organizations they support. Do the children know about this? Who in the family volunteers to do community service? Is any student a reading buddy who shares their knowledge of reading and their time with other students? Keep track of the ways all family members share and what they share. Remind yourselves that your family shares and is generous as part of your UU faith.
Family Game. We practice sharing at home when we take turns playing a game, enjoying a privilege, or doing a chore. Find ways to make everyday activities more fun by sharing. Think about chores. Is it possible to share chores and have more fun? Instead of one person doing the dishes, share the job: One person washes, one dries, and one puts away. If sweeping, one person handles the broom and another the dustpan. Sing or play music while working and take turns choosing the songs.
Family Ritual. Some families start their Thanksgiving meal by sharing what they are thankful for. Try this kind of sharing at meal times. What if, once a week, everyone shared about a new topic? One week you share your favorite food. Another week you share your favorite fairy tale. A different week you share your favorite family vacation memory.
Grades 6-8 will continue to learn about Building Bridges: a world religions program to deepen youth’s understanding of the dynamic, fascinating, and varied world in which they live. It seeks to broaden their knowledge of humanity and embolden their spiritual search.
However, we will NOT meet during service this week. We plan to visit Chabad of Flagstaff for service on October 26. Please contact Amy Huntereece re@beaconuu.com or Dru Monroe edrumonroe@gmail.com for more details about this field trip!
Grades 6-8
- Our focus in October is on Judaism. As we work with this curriculum this year we will have two opportunities for discovery.
- Classroom lessons (the lesson on Judaism was last week October 13)
- Visitations (coming up on Saturday October 26.
Check here for a schedule on what is happening for the Middle School Youth at Beacon.
I hope to see your family on Sunday! Let me know if I can be supportive to you in any other way! I am here for you.
All my best with blessings,
Amy
References: All information included in this blog post was retrieved from The Tapestry of Faith online Unitarian Universalist Religious Education curriculum. Specifically, Signs of Our Faith, https://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/children/signs, and Building Bridges, https://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/youth/bridges.