Goals:
To learn about the meaning and history of the flaming chalice as a symbol of UUism.
Materials:
For family chalice:
Poster paint
Unglazed Flowerpot 4" in diameter
Unglazed flowerpot saucer 7 in diameter
Glue
Votive Candle
For chalice banner
Cloth (felt, burlap, or muslin) for banner, 40 x 50 and of a light color
Wooden dowel, 48 long and 1/2 in diameter
Fancy cord or heavy yarn for hanging banner
Colored felt or cotton cloth pre-cut into 1 squares. You will need various shades of green for the outer circle; blues, purples, & graysor earth tonesfor the chalice base; reds and oranges, yellows, and golds for the flame.
Fabric glue
Activities:
1. Read The Flaming Chalice, Symbol of Unitarian Universalism
2. Make a family chalice
Paint the unglazed flowerpot and saucer. You can make them all one color, or put designs on them.
Use the unglazed flowerpot, upside down, to form the base.
Glue the saucer right side up to the pot, following the directions for gluing porous materials. It will need a long drying period.
Place a votive candle in the saucer. It will look like the illustration here.
3. Make a chalice banner
Print the chalice design here. Enlarge it to trace on the banner cloth, or draw it freehand on the cloth.
Place the background cloth on a flat surface. Trace or draw design on the cloth.
Brush glue onto each section of the design and fill in with overlapping pieces of colored cloth.
When the glue is dry, insert the dowel and fasten the cord or yarn for hanging.
4. Light a Chalice using Words and Motions
5. Do the Flaming Chalice HandShake
The essence of the Christmas story is the birth of the baby Jesus. No one knows at what time of the year Jesus was born. Long after his death, stories of Jesus’ birth were collected and written down. The growing Christian Church wanted to celebrate his birth, and the church fathers decided that it should be during the most beloved and universal festivals celebrated by people around the world. The time of mid-winter celebrations– festivals of light–was decreed as the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ–Christmas.
Old festivals and customs were added to the new celebrations of the Christmas story, of the child born in a manger, of shepherds and wise men who visited the manger, and of angels and heavenly hosts who sang and proclaimed the birth. Stories were gathered from many places and times and woven into story and song and poetry that is the magic of Christmas.
Unitarian Universalists are often concerned about interpreting the Christmas festival and all the legends and symbols that have grown up around the story of the birth of Jesus. You may wish to read the story from the Bible. There are two versions in the Gospels: Matthew 1:18-2:12 and Luke 2:1-20.
Or you may wish to tell the Christmas story with natural simplicity emphasizing the wonders of birth and the power of love. Christmas In the Stable or Christmas in the Barn are excellent books with this interpretation for young children. Another possible way of telling the Christmas story is to place it next to the birth stories of Buddha and Confucius as they appear in From Long Ago and Many Lands, edited by Sophia Lyon Fahs.
In this session there is a simple version of the Christmas story. You can select another story or stories you feel is most appropriate to the families in your religious education program and Unitarian Universalist congregation. Remember that it is very difficult for a child of this age to distinguish between fact and symbolic meanings. The messages of hope in times of darkness, hope in a violent world for peace on earth and good will to all people, and the importance and promise of every child born into this world are the central meanings of the Christmas story.
Goal:
To know the traditional Christmas story of the birth of Jesus as a source of joy and wonder. Also, to gain a UU understanding of Christmas that each night a child is born is a holy night.
Preparation: Read Background
Activities:
1. Read: The Story of the Birth of Jesus or
The Birth of Jesus
2. Family albums: Get out family albums that show pictures of when your children were born, and when you were born, if you have them. Talk about your feelings on the night your child was born.
Goal:
To discover the origins of Shabbat/Sabbath as told in the biblical story and to learn the importance to both Judaism and Christianity of a day of rest and worship.
Materials:
A copy of the book The Creation by Stephen Mitchell (or another childrens book that tells the Biblical creation story)
Large piece of mural paper divided into 6 sections, or 6 separate pieces of paper labeled:
First day (light and darkness/day and night)
Second day (sky and earth and seas)
Third day (all kinds of plants
Fourth day (sun, moon, and stars)
Fifth day (living creatures of sky and sea)
Sixth day (living creatures of earth)
Preparation:
Read Background
Activities:
Conversation and Story
Make a mural of the story. Explain that a mural is a big picture with many parts that tells a story from beginning to end. You could divide the sections among family members and put your mural together at the end, or have each family member draw every section and create more than one mural.
When the mural is done and put together, invite everyone to sit and rest to affirm the creative efforts of all.
Easter is the time when Christians celebrate and remember the life and death of Jesus. Most of what we know about Jesus’ life comes from four books in the Bible called the Gospels: Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. The story of Jesus’ life as told in Mark is the oldest story. The other Gospels take the basic story in Mark and add on to it in a way that makes each story of Jesus’ life a little bit different.
1. Color the flame in the drawing at right for the mystery that is Jesus, and for all the things we do not know.
One idea found in most of the stories about Jesus is that he was a very loving and caring person. The stories say Jesus stood up for people who were left out, or being picked on, and he listened to people whom others ignored. He taught others he knew to do the same.
2. Color the chalice in the window for the love and caring Jesus showed toward all people.
Another thing people remember about Jesus is his courage. He spoke out against laws and people whom he did not think were fair and kind. He disobeyed some of the laws and tried to change them. He made both friends and enemies by his teachings and actions.
3. Color the rest of the stained glass window for the strength and courage it takes to stand up for what you what you think is right.
People who agreed with Jesus became his followers. Others, who disagreed with him, potted against him. One of his followers, Judas, disagreed with him and turned him over to his enemies. Jesus was arrested and sentenced to be crucified. He was nailed to a cross and he died. Jesus’ followers were confused, sad, and scared. They didn’t know what to do.
4. Take a black crayon and color over the whole chalice window with black, for the fear and hate which causes people to do cruel things, and for the sad and painful things in life which can leave us feeling so confused and frightened that we don’t know what to do.
On the third day after Jesus died (known today as Easter Sunday), Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb and found his body was gone. Then she saw a man, who said he was Jesus, and he told her not to be afraid, that he was going to be with God. Later, other followers believed they saw Jesus, too, and Jesus told them to carry on his message by doing what he had done in his life. This is the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection, that is now celebrated on Easter Sunday. The early Christians carried on his work so it stayed alive and did not die with him.
5. Open a paper clip. Using on end, lightly scratch off the black crayon covering each section of the window, to let the colors show through again. When we really believe in something it gives us hope, and this hoe makes us strong and courageous. When we are sad and confused, sharing our memories and doing things which show our love and care for each other makes us feel better and lets our light shine through.
Covenant is a fancy word for a promise. In religion, a covenant often has to do with a promise between people and God. For example, in Judaism the Ten Commandments are a covenant God made with the Jews when they escaped slavery in Egypt. God promised to give them a land of their own and the Jews promised, in return, to obey Gods laws. In Unitarian Universalism our Principles and Purposes (statements of what we believe and how we try to act in the worldsee them on page 1) start out, We covenant to affirm and promote…. Our covenant has to do with lots of different relationships: between people and nature, people and God or the Spirit of Life, people and people! For UUs, being religious means paying attention to all these relationships and promising to make them as good as you can.
Make your summer a special one by making a covenant to do three things:
1. do something nice for someone special (or for people you dont
even know!)
2. do something to help the earth
3. do something which will help you get to know yourself better.
Here are some ideas to get you started and a pledge card for you to decorate and fill in with your personal covenant.
Make a Covenant with Other People
Collect cans along the roadside or at the park. Turn them in and give the refund money to a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or a local charity.
Help someone who lives in a nursing home celebrate his or her birthday. Call a local nursing home to find out someone who would appreciate this, then make cookies or cupcakes and bring balloons, party hats, etc., to your celebration.
Ask a grandparent or an older person to tell stories about their childhood on a tape recorder. Then give them a copy to share with their family and friends.
Be a special pal. Leave little notes, flowers, or fresh-picked fruit, or do favors for someone without being seen. At the end of the summer, tell your special pal it was you so they will be able to thank you.
Make a Covenant with the Earth
Make a backyard wildlife habitat. Plant flowers that bees and butterflies like, build a birdhouse or set out a birdbath.
Keep a plastic bag in your pocket and pick up at least one piece of trash every time you go somewhere.
Hug a tree everyday.
Plant a tree and join the Tree Musketeers (a national network of kids who plant trees everywhere). Call 1-800-473-0263 to get their newsletter. Or write: Tree Musketeers, 406 Virginia St., El Segundo, CA 90245.
Be your familys turner outer and shutter offer. Be an energy copturn off lights that are left on, check for dripping faucets, and make sure everything that can be recylced, is!
Make a Covenant with Yourself
Make a personal altar in your room with special things in your life, like pictures of family and friends, and souvenirs from trips or holidays. Spend time every week sitting quietly by your altar and thinking about what is most important in your life.
Choose a spot outdoors to make your own. Mark the boundaries with natural markers like rocks and branches. Go to your special place from time to time to sit quietly. Notice the smells and sounds as well as the sights each time you visit.
Memorize one or two short poems. Then recite the poems every day on a walk, or just sitting and enjoying the sunshine.
Start a journal, a notebook to write in every day. Dont just write about special events. Remember, each day is filled with thoughts and feelings that are important no matter how ordinary the day!
Goal: 1) To consider the idea that the spirit of God is with people throughout their lives, including when they die; and 2) To hear an ancient story that explains life and death and to talk about the reality of death.
Activities:
1) Make collage:
Preparation:
1. Read Background for The Spirit of God Is There When Someone Dies
2. Cut out a large circle (24 in diameter) from posterboard or heavy craft paper.
3. Draw an inner circle about 8 in diameter.
4. Cut out several circles 3 in diameter from light-colored construction paper.
5. Gather magazines with pictures of people of all ages, scissors, and glue.
Begin by going through the magazines you collected and cut out pictures of people of all ages from babies to elderly. Make piles by approximate ages: babies, children, teenagers, adults, elders.
Place pictures on the outer edge of the large circle you cut out: start with babies, then progress around the circle with people getting progressively older, ending with the eldest beside the babies. Glue the pictures in place.
Read: The Spirit of God Is There When Someone Dies.
Discuss: The story said that the spirit of God was with the woman in her dying. What do you think happens when a person or an animal dies?
Service of Remembering:
Ask everyone to think of names of people or pets who they would like to remember and to write each names on one of the colored construction paper circles. Attach them to the inner ring of the large paper circle. As each small circle is placed on the larger one, ask everyone to join you in saying the following:
We remember_______________. The spirit of God is with him (or her).
End the service by saying The spirit of God is there when we remember loved ones who have died.
2) Tell a Story
Introduce the story by telling the children that this story was told nearly two thousand years ago. It is a story from India (show on a map). Back then there were people who wondered and puzzled over the same questions the children were thinking about, and a certain man named Kassapa (Kas-sa-pa) tried to put his ideas into a story.
Read: A Musician and His Trumpet.
Discuss:
If you have had a pet die, ask your children how they felt when the pet died? What was different about you pet after it had died?
How would you say, in your own words, what Kassapa meant to say about what happens when a persons body dies?
Pre-schoolers (ages 3-5) often believe the following:
*Death is temporary and reversible.
*When someone dies, he or she is merely living under different circumstances (e.g., underground, up in heaven); the person still eats, sleeps, thinks, and feels.
*It is possible to visit with, talk to, and maintain a physical relationship with the deceased.
*Others will eventually die, but they will not.
Children of this age have no sense of the permanence of death, so you may find yourself repeating the same information over and over. ("Aunt Janey died of a heart attack, and no, she won’t be at the family reunion this year.") They also display magical thinking, in which they believe they have a lot of control over life events. As a result, they often need reassurance that they did not cause or contribute to a loved one’s death.
When a pre-schooler suffers a significant loss, he or she may respond with aggression or combativeness. It also is common for grieving pre-schoolers to regress to a younger stage of development. Furthermore, children of this age often ask many questions about the physical aspects of death, because they are trying to figure out what it means to be dead.
In general, before a significant loss occurs in a pre-schooler’s life, it is helpful to find teachable moments to introduce the concept of change and death. For example, as you walk around the church yard, point out signs of changing seasons (falling leaves) or the cycles of life. Ask the child what happened when you see a dead animal by the side of the road. Be gentle, but correct any misinformation, emphasizing that death happens to us all, and that once we die, our physical bodies never come back to life.
And don’t shy away from saying the words "die" or "death." Children are literal thinkers, and often conjure up complex images of such euphemisms as "kicked the bucket," or "been called away." "Grandma died" is much less confusing to a young child, who then can enter into a discussion of what this means physically and emotionally.
While many adults are tempted to take it easy on a grieving child, structure and clarity are comforting. If you have a child in your classroom who has experienced a significant loss, don’t excuse inexcusable behavior. Be clear about what you expect, and don’t back off from your standards for appropdate behavior. At the same time, don’t hesitate to express your sympathy and concern, even well after the time of the loss; Many people never mention a death or other significant loss after the first few weeks, which adds to the bereaved person’s sense of abandonment and isolation.
Children from about 6 to 8 intellectually understand that death is permanent and irreversible, but still believe that they are immortal. In fact, they often blame people who die for being too clumsy, too old, or physically unable to escape the monster-like figure of death. This may allow children to think about death in a more distant, and therefore more comfortable, way.
You may be surprised by the questions that children of this age ask about death. The following are typical: "If our minister was killed in a car crash, who will light the chalice? " "Since Janey died, who will sit next to me in Sunday School?" You also might notice that children’s fears and questions about death come out in their actions, not their words.
Try to avoid judgment while remaining honest, calm, and true to yourself. Remind the children that we all die, as do all living things, but that most of us will live to be quite old. Explain that sometimes the world feels out of control, but in fact we are in charge of many aspects of our health and well-being. Remind them that we have the choice to eat healthy foods and avoid obvious dangers (smoking, driving too fast, biking without a helmet, running across the street before looking both ways, etc.).
If students in your class know of a specific death and want to hear more details, don’t panic. Listen to their questions to find out what they really want to know. Also consider asking a few questions of your own: "What have you heard? What do you think happened? Why? How do you feel about this?" This can help you determine the real source of worry represented by their apparent morbid curiosity.
The curriculum for the primary grades introduces the concept of loss through an examination of nature and the cycle oflife. It offers clarification around the meaning of death, and provides ample opportunity for children to voice their concerns, fears, and questions about loss and death.
Materials:
Copies of the People Puzzle. (best if copied on heavy paper or light paper glued on to cardboard) Cut the pieces apart and put all 4 pieces in an envelope.
Crayons, colored pencils, markers, and other art supplies like stickers, glitter, bits of ribbon, sequins, feathers etc.
Adhesive tape
Procedure:
Begin by making sure everyone understands that a puzzle is made up of many pieces of different sizes and shapes, and that when the pieces are put together, they make an interesting whole. Point out that a puzzle isnt complete until all the pieces have been joined together.
Randomly give each person in the family a puzzle piece. (If you have more than 4 people, do more than one puzzle.) Have each person decorate the puzzle piece(s) however he or she chooses.
When all pieces are decorated, sit in a circle and hold up your piece. Say, Im looking for a piece that will join with this one. Go around the circle until you find a piece that fits.
Before putting the pieces together, you and the person with the fitting piece must name 2 ways in which you are different (ie: hair, age, height, clothing etc.) and 2 ways you are the same (both have 10 fingers, both wearing shoes, etc.)
Next, the person with the fitting piece looks for a third piece to join with the first two. Again, the two players must name 2 ways in which they are different and 2 ways in which they are the same before they fit the pieces together. The person with the third piece then looks for the fourth and so on until all the pieces of the puzzle(s) have been completed.
Fasten the puzzle pieces together with adhesive tape. Arrange the pieces along a wall or window ledge so everyone can see them all. Talk about how each piece is different. Each is uniquelike the people themselves. Yet, together they make interesting and beautiful puzzles. And together your family (or group) makes an interesting and beautiful group!
Conclude by saying something like:
"Each one of us is special and one-of-a-kind. No one is exactly like anyone else. Our differences make us interesting and unique. When we learn about our differences, and when we appreciate and value our differences, this helps us get along.
The Fall of Freddy the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia
How does Freddie know that summer is coming to an end?
How do the leaves feel as the wind begins to tug at their stems?
Why do you think Freddie doesn’t get scared when spring passes into summer, or summer into
fall?
How do you feel when Daniel lets go?
When you look at the pictures in this book, what signs indicate that the seasons are changing?
What happens to the leaves once they fall to the ground?
What is the meaning of the last two words of the story?
How does this story relate to the UU principle that says "We need to take care of the earth, the
home we share with all living things"?
Lifetimes by Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen
People have at least one thing in common with any living object. What is it?
What do we call the period between birth and death?
Why is the lifetime of a bird different from the lifetime of a tree?
What else affects how long something or somebody will live?
What happens when an insect dies? A field mouse? A family pet?
How does this story relate to the UU principle that says "We need to take care of the earth, the
home we share with all living things"?
Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles
What does the Grandmother mean by "I will go to Mother Earth."
How does she know this?
How does Annie feel about her grandmother’s death?
Why doesn’t she talk to her grandmother or mother about this?
What does she do to prevent her grandmother’s death?
What eventually happens?
How does this conversation help Annie to accept her grandmother’s death?
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