VirtUUal RE: April 5, 2020
Dear Parents,
I hope you are hanging in there this week and that you and your family are finding a new “norm”. If you’re not already connected to our Children and Youth Facebook page, please do! You’ll find suggestions on things to do at home and other ideas shared there. Of course, if you have something your family is doing that you’d like to share, I’d love to see it!
This week’s VirtUUal RE session is about Palm Sunday. UU Parents have told me over the years that they feel it is important for their kids to learn about the Bible and Christianity, since it is ingrained in our society so much. Many UU parents are also hesitant to have their youngsters learn about Christianity for many reasons, such as their negative experiences growing up. One suggestion I give to parents who shy away from Biblical stories and teachings, is to frame it around your personal beliefs in a positive manner. For example, be honest when your kids ask questions about what you believe without putting down other faiths and beliefs. After all, we have those two principles that say (in kid-friendly words), “That we should accept each other and keep on learning together”, and that “each person must be free to search for what is true and right”.
Click here to watch the video. During this video, feel free to pause when suggested, or whenever you need to, and come back to it. If you would rather read through the session, you can see it and the activities at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GjikJtBfrQSHFzZrqI3bj206MH495bshZb546YRtvRo/edit?usp=sharing
For the activities I mention, here are the links:
Calendar Connection:
- Lent (Christian) – Feb. 26 – April 9
- Star Trek Day – April 5 (Learn more here)
- Vesak – Buddha’s Birthday (& Enlightenment and Death) (Buddhist) – April 8, and others (more here)
- Palm Sunday (Christian) – April 5
Further Reading:
Jesus by Brian Wildsmith https://www.brianwildsmith.com/jesus
The Easter Story by Brian Wildsmith https://www.brianwildsmith.com/the-easter-story-paperback
Forgiveness Activity and Craft: A way for kids to practice forgiveness as mentioned in Christian scripture. You can easily take out the Christian references, if desired. http://www.truthforkids.com/forgiving-others#.XoUEe4hKhPY
Neighborhood Love Notes Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1111215548947191/
Send pictures of any of the things you did to me too at kunderwood@ucevanston.org!
For middle school youth, you can take a virtual tour of the BAPS Mandir in Bartlett, IL. If you ever have a chance to see it in person, I highly recommend it! https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=virtual+tour+baps+temple+chicago#id=1&vid=b238e2c495cf2254feafc5ec53c4e0df&action=click
For high school youth, join the Zoom gathering Sunday night at 7 pm. Look for an email from the advisors soon. If you do not have the link by Sunday, please reach out to Kathy Underwood at kunderwood@ucevanston.org or Mike Takada at mdtakada@gmail.com.
Another resource for families from Soul Matters, Soulful Home: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jbGY3c6r_nGVkY5lu7yhIItX5TmOXHLvgvl1e-mAxsg/edit?usp=sharing
And something new! Creating Sabbath: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gTS7UYSZcU9_A-W-UvBf_2gkfPgmKdA1-LTyAMAAzU8/edit?usp=sharing
In Faith,
Kathy Underwood