This week was full of wonder. The K-2nd and 3rd-6th graders wondered about Joseph, his ability to predict dreams, and his relationship with his brothers. The preschoolers wondered about stars. And, the infants and toddlers wondered where all the girls were! It was pure boy bonding this week.
In the 3rd-6th grade classroom, we started with a values exercise. I read 10 statements aloud, like “Is it ok to become jealous when your sibling gets a special present and you don’t?” and “Everybody deserves a second chance.” The kids had to choose whether they agreed or disagreed with the statements. Some of the kids had a hard time picking a side and others knew their answers right away. Then, Maeve shared what she knew about Joseph from the musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. After learning about his life and his relationship with his family, we returned to the 10 statements from the exercise. Our discussion led to more questions: Which actions deserve forgiveness and which ones are beyond forgiving? Do we always forgive family? To help us explore these questions, we sold Indigo to the K-2nd grade class. She did forgive us, fortunately! The kids are getting really good at grappling with difficult questions. This is a great time in their lives for them to be thinking about what they believe and what they value. I feel honored to be a part of the process.
This week in the K-2nd grade class, they also learned about Joseph. Molly and the kids talked about dreams, jealousy, and forgiveness. They listened to a couple of numbers from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and played with some decorations for their own dreamcoat. When the older kids sold Indigo to their class as a slave, Lauren and Leah were not OK with it, but Molly said “great!” and tried to put her to work. 
In the Pre-K room, the preschoolers wondered about stars. Then Sandy traced their bodies onto big paper and they colored and glued stars onto them. They’re now their own constellation bodies!
In the nursery, Katherine was out of town and Courtney came down with a stomach bug, but we were lucky to have her husband, Nathan, fill in. He led the boys, Rylee, Arthur, and Logan, on fun barnyard adventures through the book, Barnyard Dance. The boys stomped their feet and clapped their hands. Then they played with toys and did fun boy-stuff!
If you would like to extend these lessons at home, here are some suggestions: for 3rd-6th graders, talk with them about forgiveness of friends and family. How do we forgive and trust again, especially those people we love the most? For K-2nd graders, talk about sibling rivalry and jealousy. Have they ever been jealous of their siblings? If so, how did they resolve those feelings? For preschoolers, decorate stars to put around their room so they can wonder about stars even when they’re inside. For infants and toddlers, sing and dance! Let those little ones explore their bodies, movement, and rhythm while having fun.
This week the older children continued their Bible lessons while the younger children learned about Valentine’s Day. Love was contemplated and/or celebrated by all.
In the 3rd-6th grade classroom, we discussed the story of Abraham and Isaac. I began the lesson by asking the students to write about love. What does it feel like? How do you know when someone loves you? Then we shared our lists and noted the similarities: genuine concern, respect, displays of affection, trust, and sacrifice. This last concept launched us into the Bible story. I read it aloud and then we discussed it. It’s hard to wrap your head around a father being willing to sacrifice his son for his faith. So, we did a trust exercise to understand the story a bit better. We stood in a circle with one person in the middle. That person locked their knees and allowed herself to be pushed around the circle. The goal was to see how long that person trusted us before catching herself. We did really well. Afterwards we came to realize that Abraham had trust in God, which allowed him to contemplate sacrifice and, ultimately, Isaac was saved.
This week the K-2nd graders discussed the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. After reading it aloud, the class was left wondering why Lot’s wife turned to salt. Hmmm…They talked through it the best they could. Then they made costumes and props to reenact the story. Unfortunately their artistry did not leave much time for reenactment so they’ll have to use the costumes and props for a different story. Molly promises the next story will be more peppy. As Nick announced when he got home, the Bible is really sad…
In the Pre-K classroom, the preschoolers talked about different ways they show they love and care for someone. Then they read a story about the unconditional love of a parent. As the story elucidated, because of the unconditional love of our parents, sometimes we are smelly, messy, clumsy, and naughty. J After the story, they made valentines. The lesson ended with lighting the chalice and eating valentine cookies as their snack.
In the nursery, the infants and toddlers had fun celebrating Valentine’s Day. Some of the kids chose to make valentines for their parents, while others liked reading the valentine stories. One was about a baby finding a Valentine hidden in her house and the other was an Elmo Valentine book! The infants and toddlers also had fun playing Ring-Around-the-Rosy and London Bridge is Falling Down.
If you would like to extend these lessons at home, here are some suggestions: for 3rd-6th graders, discuss how you conceptualize faith, trust, and sacrifice as a Unitarian Universalist. For K-2nd graders, discuss good versus evil. Are people all good or all bad? For preschoolers, discuss the concept of “unconditional love” and give them some personal examples. For infants and toddlers, continue the Valentine spirit by decorating hearts to hang in their bedroom or a family room.
Happy Valentine’s Day! We had a great time celebrating the holiday of love at Meadowlark Hills on Saturday. We started the party with yummy snacks: mini sandwiches, cookies, fruit, punch, and a little candy! Then, we put on our Valentine’s performance. We sang three songs with accompanying motions: “You are my Sunshine,” “Skidamarink,” and the Barney theme song, “I Love You.” After our songs Nick played a great piece on the piano and we handed out our Valentine’s cards that we decorated at Parents’ Night Out. The residents absolutely loved them. It must have been all of the glitter! To conclude the party, we dressed up in cool Valentine’s props (heart sunglasses, boas, scarves, etc) and visited each table to take pictures with the residents. It was so fun!
This party was a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We made new friends and helped brighten the lives of people who we don’t always get to see at the Fellowship. I loved it!
A big thank you to Kim Belanger and the Caring Committee, especially Kathleen Oldfather and Shirley Hobrock, for helping us create such a fun party!
This week was Social Action Sunday for the older kids. The K-2nd and 3rd-6th graders counted cans, make a kindness chain, and decorated cookies for our Meadowlark Hills Valentine’s Party. Meanwhile, the preschoolers learned more about babies and dedication ceremonies, and the infants and toddlers made noise while reading Mr. Cow Can Moo! Can You?
The K-2nd and 3rd-6th graders spent the day thinking of others. The lesson started with making a chain link of random acts of kindness. The kids received strips of paper on which they wrote random acts of kindness that they have done or have been done to them. Then we combined the strips for a long chain. After reflecting on acts of kindness, we participated in two acts. First, the kids counted the cans collected by the Fellowship for Souper Bowl Sunday. We exceeded our goal of 100 cans by 71. Yay for 171 cans!! Second, we decorated sugar cookies to bring to our Valentine’s Party at Meadowlark Hills next Saturday. They’re going to be beautiful in addition to being yummy! This was a great day to think about others and making their lives a little brighter.
In the pre-K room, the preschoolers continued to learn about babies. Baby Sloane visited the classroom and the preschoolers visited the nursery to see Baby Arthur and Baby Lila. They learned how babies are different from toddlers and older kids. Then they drew pictures of babies. They also talked about the dedication ceremony for babies and Sandy showed them how it is done. Finally, they had snack and talked about what it’s like to have a baby in the house.
In the nursery, the infants and toddlers hosted the preschoolers. Then they had their own activity. They read Dr. Seuss’ Mr. Cow Can Moo! Can You? and made as many noises as they could. This was a good day for making noise, as the infants in the nursery needed a distraction! They ended their lesson by playing with toys.
If you would like to extend these lessons at home, here are some suggestions: for K-6th graders, make your own “random acts of kindness” chain and hang it up in the house. You could also do a neighborhood collection of cans or boxed goods and visit the Flint Hill Breadbasket. For preschoolers, show your children pictures of them when they were babies. They will really enjoy seeing their pictures and hearing stories about when they were younger. For infants and toddlers, allow some noise-making time every day. Pull out pots, pans, musical instruments, etc and have a ball making noise. Then put them all away and take some aspirin!
We loved Parents’ Night Out on Friday. The theme for the night was Valentine’s Day. We made Valentine’s cards for UUFM Meadowlark Hills residents. Then we had mini cupcakes with pink icing. After dessert, we practiced three songs to sing at our Meadowlark Hills Valentine’s Party next Saturday. The kids even came up with motions for the words. Then we played chain tag. The person who was “it” chased the rest of us and as soon as s/he tagged someone that person linked arms with the chain. By the end of the game a lot of people were trying to run together. It was pretty funny. After the game, we watched Gnomeo and Juliet, a gnome-version of the classic Shakespeare tale, Romeo and Juliet. While we watched some of us finished the Valentine’s cards. When the movie was over, we played tag, had a dance party, and cleaned up. It was a great night for RE bonding!
In the month of February the children in the RE program are going to show their love for each other, the Fellowship, and their community. On February 3rd, at Parents’ Night Out, they are going to make valentines and cookies, on February 5th, they are going to count cans to donate to the Flint Hills Breadbasket, and on February 11th they are going to have a Valentine’s party at Meadowlark Hills with the UUFM residents there. They are also going to continue to love learning in their Sunday classes, studying the Bible, the Fellowship, weekly themes, and the Our Whole Lives curriculum. It is going to be a lovely month!
This Sunday the kids explored the concepts of wickedness, punishment, covenants, and caregiving. The 3rd-6th and K-2nd grade classes discussed the Bible stories of Sodom and Gomorrah and Noah’s Ark. The pre-K class learned about babies, and the infants and toddlers talked about being good siblings.
In the 3rd-6th grade class, we read and discussed the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We began our discussion by reflecting on the recent tragedies in New Orleans and Japan. Did those communities deserve the hurricane and tsunami they experienced? Did God punish them? Then we reflected on the concept of “wicked.” Is someone all bad or all good? Can people change? In the story, God and his attendants determine the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah are all wicked except for Lot’s family. How did he make that determination? What is fair punishment for bad deeds? In the course of this discussion we examined our own legal system. Is the death penalty just? How should you punish a murderer? Do criminals deserve a second chance? As you can tell from this post, we asked more questions than we answered, but we had a really interesting discussion.
In the K-2nd grade class, they learned about Noah’s Ark. They made an ark diorama with animals and a rainbow and talked about what it would be like to be stuck on a boat while it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. Then the kids worked out why the animals would be collected 2 by 2 – one male and one female. OWL classes pay off! Ronan shared that some people say unicorns missed the boat and that’s why they don’t exist now. Molly also noticed this week that the class doesn’t think God is as mean as he seemed in the Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel stories. They understand the concept of making a covenant with someone – perhaps because they made one themselves this year? It will be interesting to track their impression of God as they continue through the Bible stories. What kind of figure is God ultimately?
In the Pre-K class, the preschoolers discussed how our church celebrates babies. The older kids remembered that they had previously discussed how our church celebrates love (weddings) and “dead people” (memorial service). Then they talked about baby animals, especially birds (since they read a story about baby owls) and made bird nests out of dried grasses, soft yarn, and dryer lint. After making their nests, they pretended to be babies and caregivers. The class ended with snacks and songs. Owen still insists on singing Rudolph every week even though the season is long over
In the nursery, the infants and toddlers talked about siblings this week. They read I’m a Big Sister Now and New Baby. Then they played house with the dollhouse and kitchenette. Colton is ready for his little sister now!
If you would like to extend these lessons at home, here are some suggestions: For 3rd-6th graders, follow up on any of the questions we started to discuss in class. The kids really began to explore our justice system and its fairness, so it would be interesting to see what they think of it now. For K-2nd graders, make a covenant for family relations. What promises do you make to each other? For preschoolers, involve them in taking care of the family pet or help them make a bed or toy for a stuffed animal. For infants and toddlers, talk about what makes a good sibling. Then praise good sibling behavior!
This Sunday we enjoyed another beautiful, sunny, warm winter day and wonderful lessons. The K-2nd and 3rd-6th graders continued to study Bible stories, the preschoolers learned all about weddings, and the infants and toddlers talked about cause and effect.
In the 3rd-6th grade classroom, Larry was back for the day. Hooray! The kids were so happy to see him. They spent the day talking about the Flood and Noah’s Ark. Larry even had them act it out. Some of the doves came back and some of them didn’t! Then they discussed the message of the story and modern-day versions with which the kids are familiar. Somewhere along the line Bill Cosby’s version was mentioned. The kids don’t really know who he is (such a shame!), but appreciated Larry’s retelling of his stand-up routine.
In the K-2nd grade classroom, they learned about Cain and Abel. The kids shared what they do when they feel angry and upset. Then they made happy/angry faces and acted out the story. Some of the kids struggled with being Cain – a good thing – but through their scenes they gained a deeper appreciation for the story and its message.
In the pre-K room, the preschoolers learned all about weddings and other services of love and union. They looked at photos albums of weddings and talked about what those services are like. Then they put on their own weddings. First they made rings and decorations. Then Kaia married a toy and Kieran and Luke married each other. It was a day of love and celebration.
In the nursery, the infants and toddlers read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Then they discussed cause and effect. If you push a block, what happens? It falls over. If you pull on the string, the dog toy comes toward you. If you open the cookie box, you get to eat cookies!
If you would like to extend these lessons at home, here are some suggestions: for 3rd-6th graders, discuss the idea of faith. We know our families love us, but what is that feeling of knowing? How do we really know? For K-2nd graders, brainstorm ways of dealing with anger in healthy, positive ways. For preschoolers, share your wedding albums with them or plan a wedding for their toys. For infants and toddlers, continue to discuss cause and effect. You may even set up a mini Rube Goldberg machine. So fun!
This week in RE the K-2nd and 3rd-6th graders continued their lessons of the Bible while the preschoolers learned how to cope with feeling sad and the infants and toddlers celebrated snow…or lack thereof!
In the 3rd-6th grade classroom, we discussed the story of Cain and Abel. After God favors Abel’s offering over Cain’s, Cain becomes jealous and ends up killing his brother. We talked about the story, what we do when we feel jealous, and what lesson we should take away from this Biblical tale. Then we practiced gratitude even when we don’t like the gift given to us or, as we called it, “present face.” We concluded the lesson by writing “get well” cards to Larry who is still recuperating. We miss you Larry!
In the K-2nd grade room they discussed the story of Adam and Eve. Molly asked the students what they would make when creating the world…grass, dirt, dog poop! Then the kids created their first “humans.” However, Molly reports that most of the first brings actually ended up being serpents, butterflies, and dogs instead. The world is much more interesting that way…
In the pre-K room, the preschoolers discussed the feeling of sadness. They shared what makes them feel sad and what they do when they feel that way. Then they sang some blues songs and brainstormed ways to make themselves feel better when they’re sad. They concluded their lesson by eating blue cupcakes – those will make anyone feel better!
In the nursery, the infants and toddlers talked about snow. Katherine and Courtney were both out, so Sam Zeller filled in. He read Snowy Day and then made snow with the kids. They each got to decorate snowflakes and then they threw them into the air and let them fall all around them. A pretty good substitute for real snow! They concluded their lesson by building buildings and knocking them down, a Sam favorite!
If you would like to continue these lessons at home, here are some suggestions: for 3rd-6th graders, discuss sibling rivalry and healthy ways of coping with anger and jealousy. Biting, scratching, and hitting don’t count! For K-2nd graders, create gardens of Eden out of play dough, twigs, leaves, etc. What do your first beings look like? For preschoolers, write down a list of things that make your child feel sad and then a list of things that make him/her feel happy. Post it somewhere in your house to remind them of happy and sad feelings. Then sing “Favorite Things” together – a classic Sound of Music song about feelings. For infants and toddlers, take advantage of the beautiful, non-snowy weather we’ve been having and play outside. No cocoa needed these days!
Yee-haw! The Chili Tasting Fellowship event on Saturday night was so much fun!
The night started out with a delicious dinner. There were 15 different chilies to try, along with salad, cornbread, muffins, and dessert. It was tough competition for whose chili was the best, but in the end the poblano pepper pork chili made by the Hobrocks won.
After we ate, the kids and some adults gathered in the Jupiter room for the Cake Walk. Brownies, cookies, cakes, and more were given out to winners. What a yummy activity!
Then it was time for music and dancing. Michael Oldfather played and lead us in singing two classic country songs. After that the square dancers took the stage. Their outfits were amazing – as was their dancing. It was so fun to watch…and do! When they were finished demonstrating, they went with us to the Inez Alsop room for our turn! We did some dances we already knew, like the “chicken dance” and “the seven jumps” dance. Then we got to try some new ones. It was a great time. After all the dancing, we went home to get some much needed rest.
Thank you to the social committee for planning and executing such an awesome night. Happy trails!
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