Roots (K – 2nd grade) w/Marie:
Today we thought together about the idea of listening to nature as a spiritual part of being Unitarian Universalists. We found an owl feather in the wonder box, and I shared how wonderous it feels to me hearing the sound of the Great Horned Owls that have returned to my neighborhood. Here is what we hear in the evening and early morning:
https://youtu.be/FsIygCtoqYg
And here is another sound from my yard- the children guessed about this one. No picture in the video, just listen to the sound-
https://youtu.be/ZvC8BW1rWEE
Did you guess? I captured that video earlier this spring in our pond and we think the tadpoles we’re bowing checking on each week are Rio Grande Leopard Frogs.
Sometimes people talk about “listening with your heart” to nature, noticing that feeling of connection and wonder. One student says that she feels that way when she plays in a rainstorm. Another feels that way when he plays with his brother outside. This week try getting outside if you can and seeing what you “hear” with your heart.
Seedlings (3rd – 5th) w/Piaf:
This week we began exploring this month’s theme of deep listening. First, we heard and discussed a story about how a white Unitarian church desegregated in 1948. Who was listened to? Who wasn’t even invited to the conversation? While the ultimate result (integrating that congregation) was positive, we all agreed that this congregation was missing the important step of listening deeply to the people of color they hoped to invite in. We brainstormed other situations that this reminded us of, including how many white people did not listen to the Black community who were speaking up about police violence until quite recently.
Finally, we played a listening/drawing game that resulted in some silly images.
Wildflower Youth (Middle & High School) w/Solveij:
This week the Wildflower Youth look back over a year of learning about restorative justice, service vs. activism, youth leadership in organizing for climate justice, anti-black racism in policing and schools, historical solidarity to fight racism and local efforts to defund the police for community safety alternatives. Then, they brainstormed for the message they wanted to include in the mural and talked about current events — the election, whether the president is capable of change, and what qualities they’d want to see in leaders.