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This Week in Religious Education

 

 All activities subject to adaptation by the the leaders and participants on Sunday morning!
 
General Information for Religious Education programming for Labor Day Weekend
 
Sunday, SEPT. 5th, 2010 - 10:00 am -  
  

CONCLUSION OF SUMMER PROGRAMMING (4th of July through Labor Day Weekends)

Designed by Laura Orban for Preschool - 3rd graders, although older children, youth and parents are welcome to participate. (The actual activities are subject to creative change by those leading and attending)

Our Summer programming has been be all about animals! These sessions have offer us an opportunity to explore the seventh Unitarian Universalist Principle, "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."  We have discovered many ways we can respect all creatures while learning about many kinds of animals. 

We're also working directly to  help local animals by building a cat tree that we'll donate to the Danbury Animal Welfare Society. 

 

Children start in the HOUSE DIRECTLY at 10:00 AM

(Labor Day Weekend) September 5: Animals and Their Feelings
 We'll close the summer by looking at the emotional lives of animals. Which animals choose mates for life? Which animals show pain through facial expressions? Join us this week to find out. We'll do some exercises and write and illustrate our own scenarios with animals to explore how animals feel.
 
A look to the future...
  • SEPT. 12th - Multigenerational Service -Picnic follows - Informal Parent Orientation about the program

 

  • SEPT. 19th - RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Groups start (as well as two services at 9 and 11 am)

 

  • Current families please fill out a green 2010-2011 REGISTRATION FORM  progamming ASAP  - Available on-line and in the foyer of the Fellowship Hall this weekend

 

  • 6th to 8th Graders - Invite from Jr.High Youth Group Advisors:
We're excited to start another year with the UUCD Junior High Youth group (for 6th, 7th and 8th graders), and wanted to invite all Junior High youth to an opening meeting next Friday, September 10 from 7PM until about 8PM. 
 
 

We'll gather in the youth room upstairs in the RE House, where there will be some munchies and beverages to help keep our discussion going.  Normally we meet on the second Sundays of each month, during 11AM RE, but with so much going on in September our normal time isn't available and we wanted to find an alternate time to start making plans for the coming year!

 

 

Here are some things we want to discuss:

 

  • a possible JHY-led Halloween event for the younger UUCD children
  • Your thoughts about  planning future activities for the fall
     

We're hoping that as many youth as possible are able to join us next Friday evening, so that we can hear as many voices as possible and make the plans that YOU will be looking forward to!  If you're able to make it, please contact Greg and Sam or call the office to let us know so that we have an accurate count.

We hope everyone has had a smooth transition back to school and that we'll be seeing you on Friday evening!


Greg Pings & Sam McCoy

 
 
 
 
 
 

Schedule of topics from our Summer Programming:

 
July 4th: Amazing Animals - We'll learn a little about each other, our favorite animals and develop an appreciation for the unique skills and talents of all kinds of animals. We'll make name tags that incorporate a photo of an animal we live with or like, so bring a photo or picture of your special animal!
 
July 11th: Why Animals Need Our Protection - We will talk about the world's animals and the earth that we share, and how we are the keepers of both. We'll make a mural of the world and it's animals as an art project.
 
July 18: Companion Animals - We'll talk about the animals with whom we share our home and how we care for them. We'll make cat and dog masks and then act out some typical scenarios in a home to imagine what it's like to be a cat or dog. We'll also begin working on the DAWS cat tree this week.
 
July 25: Whose Animal Is This? - We'll discuss what it means to "own" an animal versus being responsible for an animal, and what happens when we don't take care of animals who are depending on us. We'll be working on the cat tree this week and possibly make some dog and cat toys to donate to DAWS.
 
August 1: Wild Animals - We'll discuss wild versus domesticated animals, ways in which they're similar, how we interact with them and how we can respect each other's boundaries. We'll make pine cone bird feeders and work will continue on our cat tree.
 
August 8: Animal Helpers - We'll talk about all the ways animals make our lives better, both in daily living and as true heroes. A possible activity will be making our own books showing times animals have helped us and vice-versa.
 
August 15: Farm Animals - We'll talk about the traits and qualities of farm animals to develop an appreciation for them as unique, intelligent beings. We'll make our own farm scene using toilet paper rolls and other craft materials, and we'll continue working on our cat tree.
 
August 22: Not-so-cozy Animals - Should we treat all animals with kindness and respect, or only those that are fuzzy and cute? We'll learn about animals typically considered pests, or "not cute", challenge our stereotypes and see how we can respect these animals just as we do others. We'll test our knowledge of not-so-cozy animals with a creepy, crawly quiz, choose from one of several creepy crawly crafts, and work on cat tree.
 
August 29: Animals and the Environment - Taking care of the environment and respecting animals are often one and the same. We'll talk about how our actions from an environmental standpoint impact animals, and what we can do to help them. We may work on cutting rags to donate to the animal cleaning effort as part of the gulf oil spill (the project will depend on what is appropriate and necessary at the time). We will finish our cat tree as well.
 
(Labor Day Weekend) September 5: Animals and Their Feelings - We'll close the summer by looking at the emotional lives of animals. Which animals choose mates for life? Which animals show pain through facial expressions? Join us this week to find out. We'll do some exercises and write and illustrate our own scenarios with animals to explore how animals feel.