We had a lovely start to our new year of Religious Education! We are looking forward to growing, learning, and connecting with your young people 🙂 Messages from each class are below:

Roots (pre-k to 1st) & Seedlings (2nd to 5th):

We began by lighting our class chalice and going around doing our check-in where we share our names, pronouns, rose (joy), and thorn (sorrow). Then, we looked through our 8 Principles, thinking of an example of each. Next, we watched a funny Pixar short of some birds who were not following our UU principles and discussed how they would have acted differently if they had been. Finally, we headed outside for a snack and some active play.

Wildflower Youth Group:

The youth began with their weekly check-in and then discussed plans for our upcoming “Love, Justice, & Joy Fest” on Oct 22. The youth are planning to create several social justice themed elements to add onto the fun of a bounce house, face painting, etc. Afterwards, the youth connected with a game and some snacks.

This week, we had a guest speaker who shared her experiences with homelessness with the kids and youth. It was very moving to hear her story and the kids asked insightful questions as well. Then, we assembled packets of snacks, waters, and socks and gave them to the adults in the congregation to give out on their way home.

This week we had a ton of fun making collages and pronoun pins with Laura’s pin maker! Some kids also chose to make other pins using images from magazines and we collaboratively worked on a mosaic-style collage of a progress pride flag.

This Sunday we reflected on the roots of Juneteenth and the ongoing work of creating healing in our communities and ourselves. We also examined the role of celebrations in the healing process and celebrated friends of Solveij’s who have ended 3 year of experiencing homelessness and are now in housing, yay! The kids and youth created a welcome home poster and even included personalized drawings of the adorable animals that share this home with them.

Roots (pre-k to first) w/Laura:

This week, we learned about how we can express who we are in lots of different ways. One of those ways is the pronouns that we like people to use for us, such as she/her, he/him, or they/them. Then the kids colored in self-portraits and drew the kinds of clothes that they feel most comfortable in.

Seedlings (2nd-5th) and Youth (Middle & High School) w/Piaf & Solveij:

This week, we kicked off Pride month by revisiting its roots with a book called “Marsha and Sylvia Start a Revolution” about Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera and the Stonewall Uprising. Using the story and the background knowledge that the kids already had, we discussed the impact these two trans women of color had on the LGBTQ+ movement. In the discussion, many important and challenging questions came to light, such as when and where did homophobia/transphobia originate, how have different cultures viewed this community over time, and whether all progress towards greater equality and inclusion inevitably comes with a backlash. Finally, we headed outside to work on a poster about the origins of Pride and eat snacks!