Today's elementary group, under the guidance of Laura Mitchell, walked to the Crestview Pond to conduct their seasonal water monitoring. They collected water samples and tested pH and dissolved oxygen levels as well as determining the relative turbidity. They will graph their results and compare it with the testing they did in September, and will keep a running tally so they can determine what, if any, changes occur in our neighborhood pond throughout the seasons. They also examined water samples under a microscope and viewed simple celled organisms.
What does a scientific study have to do with children's religious education? For Unitarian Universalists, the answer is: A LOT! Our 5th Source of Beliefs draws upon "the guidance of reason and the results of science." Our 7th Principle affirms and promotes "the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." UUCR is a certified Green Sanctuary, and the children's religious education program upholds the importance of affirming both our 5th Source and our 7th Principle. A full 25% of our elementary age program is devoted to developing an intimate connection with our local environment so that we can foster a love for the natural world in our children. We know as adults that what we cherish, we preserve and protect - and what better way to raise our youth to become stewards of the earth than to immerse them in the wonders of their immediate natural surroundings as part of a faith-based program!
While the elementary group was examining the wonders of our watery ecosystem, the middle school group was eagerly diving into "A Time of Thanks" as part of their Questing Year program. Under the guidance of Rachel Perry, our youth explored the meaning of ritual as both a personal and an institutional tool that can lead to greater growth and depth of their religious beliefs. The upcoming holidays were discussed, and the variety of expression of the holidays within a UU congregation was affirmed as well as our mandate as a people of faith to help improve the lives of others.
To this end, our middle school group will be taking a special collection on Sunday, Dec 4th and Dec 11th to purchase foods for the local Food Pantry. At a time when the local Kent County food pantries are perilously short on food items, our youth are eager and excited to provide this badly-needed service to our community. Our congregation can directly empower our youth to improve the lives of others through the simple act of being generous financial supporters of this endeavor.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Love Will Guide Us - We Are Loved, Flaws and All
Today's elementary session focused on the first Unitarian Universalist Source, "Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and openness to the forces that create and uphold life." Expressed in children's language, we learned about "the sense of wonder we all share."
Participants considered human nature, with a focus on the wonder and awe of finding beauty in unexpected places. To experience this directly, we broke open geodes - very ordinary looking round rocks that contain unexpectedly beautiful crystals within. We also examined a bracelet belonging to Ms. Pat, made of beautiful fragments of the 17th century stained glass windows that melted and were destroyed when her childhood church caught fire and burned down.
Today's session also affirmed that, although humans are imperfect creatures, with work and time and love we can turn our flaws into strength and beauty. The story "The Scratched Diamond" told of a gem carver who transforms a deeply scratched diamond by incorporating the scratch into an etching of a beautiful flower. We talked about how turning a flaw or mistake into something beautiful can create a moment of "wow" and wonder in our hearts.
Children also considered ways they can transform uncomfortable situations, poor choices, or bad behaviors into something better. By focusing on the constellation AWE AND WONDER in our Night Sky display, we affirmed that by keeping Love as our guiding star, each of us has the ability to make those wonder-filled tranformations every day.
Participants considered human nature, with a focus on the wonder and awe of finding beauty in unexpected places. To experience this directly, we broke open geodes - very ordinary looking round rocks that contain unexpectedly beautiful crystals within. We also examined a bracelet belonging to Ms. Pat, made of beautiful fragments of the 17th century stained glass windows that melted and were destroyed when her childhood church caught fire and burned down.
Today's session also affirmed that, although humans are imperfect creatures, with work and time and love we can turn our flaws into strength and beauty. The story "The Scratched Diamond" told of a gem carver who transforms a deeply scratched diamond by incorporating the scratch into an etching of a beautiful flower. We talked about how turning a flaw or mistake into something beautiful can create a moment of "wow" and wonder in our hearts.
Children also considered ways they can transform uncomfortable situations, poor choices, or bad behaviors into something better. By focusing on the constellation AWE AND WONDER in our Night Sky display, we affirmed that by keeping Love as our guiding star, each of us has the ability to make those wonder-filled tranformations every day.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
PEAK and QUESTING YEAR
As a UUA certified Green Sanctuary, UUCR has maintained a commitment to promoting environmental awareness as a faith issue as one component of the children's religious education program. On the second Sunday of each month from November through April, elementary level children will delight in developing their appreciation for the natural world through a variety of activities and games. In today's elementary RE program, participants were introduced to the principles of Leave No Trace through the child-friendly language and activities developed in the PEAK program (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids.) By interacting with the story characters exemplifying each of the principles of LNT, participants will become aware of their impact on the environment and learn how to lessen it while enjoying their explorations of the outdoor world.
The middle school group gained further insights into their Questing Year program through the session Reflections. One component of their activities was to create mirrorboards as a tool to help them as they consider questions about self, life, and faith.
The middle school group gained further insights into their Questing Year program through the session Reflections. One component of their activities was to create mirrorboards as a tool to help them as they consider questions about self, life, and faith.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Love Will Guide Us - Using Reason and Science
"Science and religion are two windows that people look through, trying to understand the big universe outside, trying to understand why we are here. The two windows give different views, but both look out at the same universe. Both views are one-sided, neither is complete. Both leave out essential features of the real world. And both are worthy of respect." - Freeman Dyson, physics professor emeritus at the Institue for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, in a speech accepting the 2000 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.
In today's RE session, children explored our fifth Unitarian Universalist Source: The use of reason and the discoveries of science. We shared some incredible discoveries of science, such as battery-operated flashlights, music and movies on DVDs, and the role that plant selection and genetics played in developing the potatoes we know today from the small knobby roots originally eaten by early people in South America.
Children heard a story about how a 19th century discovery of a dinosaur skeleton in New Jersey helped prove the earth is older than claimed in the Bible, and they played a game to determine the differences between facts and beliefs. The group talked about how beliefs are something we hold in our hearts and minds as true, but they cannot be proven as either true or false. We also discussed that reason is a way we listen to what others say; pay attention to what we ourselves see, hear and feel; and use our minds to figure out what is true. We also discussed the radical ideas of natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin and how it upset the religious world, and we explored the idea that Unitarian Universalism affirms the use of reason and science as one of the Sources of our faith.
We examined pictures of pterodactyls (dinosaur ancestors of birds) and pelicans, and noted the similarities. We marveled at the differences between pelicans and indigo buntings even though they are both species of birds and have common ancestors. Participants made fossil imprints in salt clay so they could experience what paleontologists find at a fossil site.
The session ended with the creation of a special UU Source constellation in our Night Sky display: the constellation of "Science and Reason", shaped like an infinity sign. We affirmed that both beliefs and science and reason can be important "guiding stars" in helping us determine the best ways to act and relate to others.
In today's RE session, children explored our fifth Unitarian Universalist Source: The use of reason and the discoveries of science. We shared some incredible discoveries of science, such as battery-operated flashlights, music and movies on DVDs, and the role that plant selection and genetics played in developing the potatoes we know today from the small knobby roots originally eaten by early people in South America.
Children heard a story about how a 19th century discovery of a dinosaur skeleton in New Jersey helped prove the earth is older than claimed in the Bible, and they played a game to determine the differences between facts and beliefs. The group talked about how beliefs are something we hold in our hearts and minds as true, but they cannot be proven as either true or false. We also discussed that reason is a way we listen to what others say; pay attention to what we ourselves see, hear and feel; and use our minds to figure out what is true. We also discussed the radical ideas of natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin and how it upset the religious world, and we explored the idea that Unitarian Universalism affirms the use of reason and science as one of the Sources of our faith.
We examined pictures of pterodactyls (dinosaur ancestors of birds) and pelicans, and noted the similarities. We marveled at the differences between pelicans and indigo buntings even though they are both species of birds and have common ancestors. Participants made fossil imprints in salt clay so they could experience what paleontologists find at a fossil site.
The session ended with the creation of a special UU Source constellation in our Night Sky display: the constellation of "Science and Reason", shaped like an infinity sign. We affirmed that both beliefs and science and reason can be important "guiding stars" in helping us determine the best ways to act and relate to others.
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