We will hear the story Whoever You Are by Mem Fox.  Then we will make Everybody Pictures to remember all of our wonderful friends in our Chalice Children group!

This Sunday we will have a Magic Penny Party. Please send fewer than 50 pennies in a small bag with your child. We will combine the pennies to make a donation to the American Red Cross in the name of Clara Barton, its founder and a Universalist. We will also play games with the pennies. Help your child count the pennies. Maybe you could agree on some extra chores your child can do to earn the pennies.

TAKING IT HOME

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

IN TODAY'S SESSION... we are celebrating learning all seven Unitarian Universalist Principles and will hear about a Universalist woman, Clara Barton, who lived the UU Principles.We're making mobiles that demonstrate the gift all the individual Principles are to the whole community.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Do some family role-playing. Talk about situations that happened in your lives this week. Then apply one of the UU Principles to discover how it can relate to the situation. In child-friendly language, the seven Principles are:

We believe each and every person is important.

We believe all people should be treated fairly.

In our congregations, all people are accepted and we learn together.

We believe each person is free to search for what is true and right in life.

Everyone deserves a vote about the things that concern them.

We believe in working for a peaceful, fair, and free world.

We believe in caring for our planet Earth and every living thing that shares it with us.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try... making UU Principle Posters for different rooms in the house. How would you make a poster to display on the refrigerator? How would you make a poster to stick on the bathroom mirror? How would you make a poster to hang by your bed?

A Family Adventure. Visit a zoo. Watch each kind of animal. Is there a UU Principle that guides us about caring for animals? How do we care for animals in the world? What ways can one or two families help?

Family Discovery. Check out this website to hear a clip of the Magic Penny Song (at www.mog.com/music/Malvina_Reynolds/Ear_to_the_Ground/Magic_Penny), written by Malvina Reynolds; the lyrics encompass all the UU Principles. Read the words, learn the song, and discover the connections.

A Family Ritual. Place a penny next to each plate at your meals to remind you of the basics of the Unitarian Universalist Principles. Give the penny away outside your family.

FIND OUT MORE

Clara Barton

Read biographies on the Civil War Home website (at www.civilwarhome.com/) and in Clara Barton: Spirit of the American Red Cross by Patrician Lakin (Aladdin, 2004) or The Echoes of War (Penny Book) by J.M. Barrie.

The Red Cross, Past and Present

TAKING IT HOME

The best way to keep good acts in memory is to refresh them with new.— Cato

IN TODAY'S SESSION... We concluded our Faithful Journeys program. Our Move It! game challenged the children to voice ways they will "step up" to act on Unitarian Universalist Principles we studied in earlier sessions.  Our final signpost to help guide us in faithful action was "Get Moving."

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about... a decision you had to make — large or small — and how you chose a course of action based on your values. Identify which Unitarian Universalist Principle(s) encompass the particular values involved in this decision. Engage your child to look for how the Principles appear in the ways your family spends money and time. Invite your child to share a recent choice that was influenced by their trying to do the right thing, and see if you can attach one of the Principles to their choice.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try... Make an "I Can. " In Faithful Journeys, children reflected on ways they expressed the Unitarian Universalist Principles. They wrote about their actions on Faithful Footprints that we posted on our Faithful Journeys Path. Continue the practice of affirming your child's agency and ability to act for good by creating an "I Can." Write "I can... " on a piece of construction paper and wrap it around an empty, clean tin can. Any time you observe your child acting in a way that reflects our Principles or values, such as kindness, honesty, compassion and fairness, drop a coin in the "I Can." When the can is full, as a family, select a charitable use for the money.

FAMILY ADVENTURE

The image of a journey along a path structured the Faithful Journeys program. Explore an actual path your family has never taken in your neighborhood or a local park. As you go, consider what it means to find and follow a new path. What might make a new path scary? What might make it fun? How can you be sure you leave the path in a condition at least as good as you found it?

A FAMILY GAME

The children played "Step Up," progressing toward a finish line by offering ways they could "step up" to act out a given Unitarian Universalist Principle. If you'd like to try this game at home, here's (at www.uuhaverhill.org/religed/uukids.html)a copy of the Principles with language for both adults and children.

FAMILY DISCOVERY

While not a specifically Unitarian Universalist program, the Giraffe Heroes Project (at www.giraffe.org/) collects wonderful stories of people who have chosen to "stick their necks out for the common good," demonstrating the kind of agency the Faithful Journeys curriculum has promoted.

2012/2013 CYRE Registration and Volunteer Form is Here!

Please take the time to Volunteer in our CYRE Program

and

Registration children for next year's CYRE Programs!

Volunteering and Registering NOW helps us plan 

and prepare for the best programs possible!

CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER AND REGISTER!

*******************************************

2012/2013 CYRE Registration and Volunteer Form is Here!

Please take the time to Volunteer in our CYRE Program

and

Registration children for next year's CYRE Programs!

Volunteering and Registering NOW helps us plan and prepare for the best programs possible!

CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER AND REGISTER!

Budget Reconciliation Meeting

We will hear the story Henry Works by D.B. Johnson. The protagonist is Henry Bear, an individualist (with a strong community spirit) who emulates the teachings of his famous namesake—Unitarian Henry David Thoreau. Henry likes to take his time and soak up the nature he sees everywhere around him. He does favors as he walks to Mr. Emerson's, Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne, and Mrs. Alcott's. Youngsters will appreciate Henry's endeavors, and understand him, having had the opportunity to combine work and play in creative ways.

We will do favors for the church!  We’ll test markers and glue sticks, clean tables and chairs, and find other ways to help out the church.

Goal: To encourage children to value creative work, helping others and simplicity.

This Sunday we will be thinking about the wonders of nature. Do you have something special, like a beautiful rock or a feather or a shell you would like to bring to show your church friends?

We will also be taking a walk outdoors and trying different types of meditation.

Budget Reconciliation Meeting

The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope. — Wendell Berry, 20th-century American poet and essayist

IN TODAY'S SESSION... we are learning about the Unitarian Universalist Principle about caring for our planet. While all life shares this earth, human beings are the only ones who do things to destroy it and are also the only ones who can save it. We will hear a story about Rachel Carson, one of the first environmental activists in America's history, and how she had to fight very hard for people to listen to her about how humans were hurting the environment.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. We are learning about pollution. Discuss what you know about your own area. Are there major pollution problems where you live? How do you feel about it? Is there something you can do to make it better?

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Ask your child about their own habits around the house. What have they learned about the environment that will make them adjust some of their habits such as turning out lights or recycling paper and cans? How can they make sure the whole family has good environmentally friendly habits? Discuss with the entire family.

A Family Adventure. Many communities hold annual stream or river clean-ups. The American Rivers website (at www.americanrivers.org/) will tell you where and when local efforts are planned. Arrange to have your entire family participate. After the clean-up day, discuss what the experience was like. How did everyone feel about the work? Were they surprised by the trash they found? Does it make them think about their own waste?

Family Discovery. Participants learned about a time in history when companies did not fully comprehend the negative impact they made on the earth. Even individuals do not always realize how their day-to-day lives can have a negative impact on the environment. Go to the Nature website together and calculate your family's carbon footprint (at www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/). Think about ways you can all make less of a negative impact.

A Family Game. On the Environmental Protection Agency's website, find a number of kids' games including crossword puzzles and online games that help children learn about protecting the environment. What's Wrong with This Picture? (at www.epa.gov/owow/nps/kids/whatwrng.html) invites the whole family to spot ways our everyday actions can harm the earth and suggests actions to take.

A Family Ritual. Make your walks count. Whether you are walking the dog or taking a family stroll after dinner, carry a waste bag with you and pick up garbage that you see along the way. Make sure you wear gloves when you pick up waste. Be sure to recycle and properly dispose of the items you find. Just for fun, keep a list of the things you find. After several months, you might be surprised by the unusual items people toss out their doors!

The great hope of society is individual character.

— William Ellery Channing

IN TODAY’S SESSION… We will hear a Cherokee story and think about the good and bad wolves inside us all. We'll give some up-and-down answers to ten questions, and make some puzzles showing bad and good personal characteristics. 

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about…

·         The Cherokee legend. Does your family agree with the idea that everybody has two inner wolves, one bad and one good? How do you feed the good wolves in your family?  Click here to read the story.

·         Emotions. Families show their emotions in different ways. Some families seem to “wear their emotions on their sleeves.” Everybody in the family knows what everybody else is feeling just about all the time. When such families are having fun, they may laugh a lot. When they disagree, they may be loud about it. Other families are more “reserved.” People keep their feelings to themselves. What about your family? Is it one of these types or is it somewhere in between?

·         Bad guys and good guys. Are people basically good or bad? Are they sinners at birth? Do they try to be the best people they can be? What do the members of your family think?

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try…

·         Naming your own inner animals. Maybe you do not think you have two wolves inside you. What other names could you use for your bad and good parts?

·         Feeding your good environmental wolf. Talk about what you did for Faith in Action. Did you find ways you think your family should feed your good environmental wolf? Share them with your family. What do other family members think?

·         Naming some terrific people you know. Most families know some really wonderful people who almost always do and say the right things and who are great to have around. Make a family list of those people. Do not start talking about the reasons some other people do not get on the list. Concentrate on the ones who do, and be glad they are in your lives.

MYSTERY AND ME

Think about your character. What parts do you like best? What parts would you like to build? Is part of your character a mystery, even to you? (If you ever say, “I don’t know why I did something,” that may be a clue about something you do not understand.) If you are journaling, write your ideas about that part. Say how you can figure out the mystery. 

A FAMILY RITUAL

Talk each day about the right and wrong you have experienced. Did you each do something good you want to share? Is there somebody in the family you want to thank for a virtuous act? Is there something you wish you had not done that you need to talk about? How can you make tomorrow a better day?

A FAMILY GAME

Play emotional freeze. Someday, when you are having a really good time with your family, freeze a picture of it in your mind. Do not spoil the time by interrupting it and talking about it. But do talk about it later. Remember how the enjoyment started so you can repeat it at another time. 

FAMILY DISCOVERY

Find out how to feed each other’s good emotional wolves. How can you help one another to be the best people you can be? Find some ways to help one another do their best.

First U of Wilmington Earth Day Celebration

Sunday, April 22nd from 12:30pm – 3:00pm

Bring your picnic lunch and meet us at the big tree in the middle of the parking lot at 12:30pm.  After lunch we’ll start the marsh clean up at 1pm. 

Bring yard gloves.  Wear comfortable shoes and your UU t-shirt or clothes you don’t mind getting muddy.

UU t-shirts will be on sale at the picnic for $10 each.

Please RSVP by clicking here:Earth Day Clean Up or with Alice Leonard at 302-981-9021

Meet our new Assistant Minister Michelle Collins! 

Here are some events that are family friendly!

Check the All Church E Blast for more opportunities to meet Michelle!

Sunday April 15: Worship and Coffee hour

Friday April 20: ALL CHURCH POTLUCK Parish Hall (7 p.m.) 

Saturday April 21: "Playdate" for parents and kids in Youth Center (10 a.m. - 12 p.m.)

Sunday April 22: Worship and Coffee hour

It is good to realize that if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature's gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever. — Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States

IN TODAY'S SESSION... We will learn about the Unitarian Universalist principle about caring for our planet Earth and every living thing that shares it with us. We will hear a story about how the animals in a rainforest convinced someone how important even one tree can be their existence. This session demonstrates how we are all interconnected and as human beings, we have the responsibility to care for the earth and everything on it.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Participants learned about some specific rainforest animals. Ask your child about the unusual and exotic animals that live in the rainforest and what they can remember about them. Have them share with the entire family.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Ask family members what places or animals on earth they are concerned about. How can your family find out more? Explore the Internet or the local library together.

Family Adventure. What kinds of animal rescue agencies are located near you? Are there animal shelters or perhaps a raptor center nearby? Are there any wildlife rehabilitation centers nearby? Visit one to see how your family can help these animals, such as donating food or towels. After your visit, discuss the experience. How did everyone feel about the visit? Was it difficult to see the animals? Is there something that you could do to minimize the need for such organizations? What did you learn?

Family Discovery. Go to the World Wildlife Fund (at www.wwf.org/) website and find out what animals are endangered. Choose an animal that the entire family is interested in. Find out more about that animal and identify things to do every day to help save that animal. Consider "adopting" this animal or check out a local zoo to see if they have adopt-an-animal opportunities to help the wild cousins of their endangered residents.

A Family Game. Charades: Ask every family member to write the name of an unusual animal on a piece of paper and fold it up and put in a bowl. Each person picks a paper and acts out the animal and until other family members guess what it is. The person who wrote the animal may not guess, but if they get their own animal they can act it out. You cannot talk or give letter clues (e.g., using your fingers to shape an "L" for "lion"). Pair adults or older children with younger children, if appropriate.

A Family Ritual. For a specified period of time, choose books about animals to read before bed. Have different family members take turns reading aloud.

IN TODAY'S SESSION...Today we will learn about Beatrix Potter, author of Peter Rabbit and many other children's classics, who was a naturalist and farmer, an author and illustrator, and a Unitarian. We'll talk about our seventh Principle, respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part, imagin oeurselves as various parts of an ecosystem, and create a mural depicting the connected nature of an ecosystem. Our signpost to help guide us in faithful action is "Honor Life."

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about... Talk with your child about encounters with nature that stand out vividly in your own life. When have you felt especially connected with nonhuman life? What have you learned from animals or plants? How can observing or listening to other beings in our interdependent web of life teach us how to care best for the Earth we share? Encourage your child to share their own responses to these questions.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try... Our session centered on the interdependent web and introduced the concept of ecosystems. How would you describe the ecosystem your family belongs to? Where does your food come from? Where do you get shelter? Who beyond your family shares food or shelter with you? You may wish to expand your family's role in your ecosystem by building a bird house or bird feeder, composting, planting a butterfly garden or planting vegetables you can harvest and share.

FAMILY ADVENTURE

A family camping trip or hike can be a great way to connect both with nature and with one another. Even a picnic in the park or backyard can bring your family in closer contact with the natural world. While you are outdoors, talk about the various life forms you find around you.

A FAMILY RITUAL

Mitakuye oyasin is a Lakota Sioux phrase that is generally translated as "all my relations." It is a prayer of oneness with all forms of life: other people, animals, birds, insects, trees and plants, and even rocks, and expresses much the same concept as the interdependent web of all existence. You may wish to use mitakuye oyasin or its English translation, "all my relations," as a prayer of gratitude and appreciation, particularly when you notice beauty in nature or evidence of nature's interconnections. The words can also serve as a closing phrase for other prayers, such as table grace or prayers at bedtime.

A FAMILY GAME

Play a game based on the connections of an ecosystem. Have one family member self-identify as a plant or animal. The next person self-identifies as another plant or animal and tells how it relates to the first. For instance, if the first person said, "I am a bear," the second person might say, "I am a salmon that was eaten by the bear." The game continues as each person self-identifies in connection to the previous beings: "I am a bug that was eaten by the salmon that was eaten by the bear." / "I am a shrub that sheltered the bug that was eaten by the salmon that was eaten by the bear." A player who cannot add to the list of beings in relationship may start the game over by introducing a new animal or plant.

FAMILY DISCOVERY

An extensive Beatrix Potter website (at www.peterrabbit.com/)has information about Potter's life and world, as well as games for children, and you can find many of her books (at wiredforbooks.org/kids.htm), complete with pictures, online. Your family may enjoy watching the 2006 movie, Miss Potter (at www.misspotter-themovie.com/), or the 1971 movie, Tales of Beatrix Potter, featuring the Royal Ballet.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has an excellent Environmental Kids Club (at www.epa.gov/kids/)with environmental information and games for children. Fans of Dr. Seuss's environmental children's book, The Lorax, will enjoy this Lorax Save the Trees game (at www.seussville.com/games/lorax/). On the BBC website (at www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/science_6_7.shtml), find interactive games for elementary-school-age children that explore interconnections in the natural environment and other science, health and ecology topics.

First U of Wilmington Earth Day Celebration

Sunday, April 22nd from 12:30pm – 3:00pm

Bring your picnic lunch and meet us at the big tree in the middle of the parking lot at 12:30pm.  After lunch we’ll start the marsh clean up at 1pm. 

Bring yard gloves.  Wear comfortable shoes and your UU t-shirt or clothes you don’t mind getting muddy.

UU t-shirts will be on sale at the picnic for $10 each.

Please RSVP by clicking here:Earth Day Clean Up or with Alice Leonard at 302-981-9021

We have spring fever! That doesn't mean we will stay home sick on Sunday. It just means we are glad to see signs of spring, and we'll be taking our class outside.

This week as we talk about Easter, we'll wonder about the mysteries of life. We'll go on a scavenger hunt outside and play a guessing game with eggs and seeds. So bring your sense of wonder with you on Sunday and dress to go outdoors.

For their social action project, the Seekers chose to hold a walk-a-thon to raise money for Faithful Friends, a no kill animal shelter in Wilmington, DE.  They will walk around the church on Sunday, April 1.  

Please ask family and friends to contribute to the walk-a-thon.  A donation form is attached.

Make sure your children come dressed to walk around the church on April 1!

Pancake Breakfast Sunday!  We are cooking breakfast from 8:00 am - 10:15 am.  Then we will spend the remainder of the morning cleaning up from the breakfast.

 Click here to sign your child up to help at the breakfast!

Please arrive by 8:00 am on Sunday, April 1 if possible.  Also, let us know if you have a griddle we can use!

First U of Wilmington Earth Day Celebration

Sunday, April 22nd from 12:30pm – 3:00pm

Bring your picnic lunch and meet us at the big tree in the middle of the parking lot at 12:30pm.  After lunch we’ll start the marsh clean up at 1pm. 

Bring yard gloves.  Wear comfortable shoes and your UU t-shirt or clothes you don’t mind getting muddy.

UU t-shirts will be on sale at the picnic for $10 each.

Please RSVP by clicking here:Earth Day Clean Up or with Alice Leonard at 302-981-9021

Today we will hear the story “It’s Not My Problem.”  This is a tale about a queen who lets a drop of honey fall to the ground and decides it is not her problem so she is not going to clean it up.  This leads to a series of events which are not her problem, but lead to the destruction of her kingdom.  We will consider how we can be responsible and why we are responsible for some things.

We will hear the story Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco. Here's a story about Easter in a variety of different settings. African American brothers Stewart and Winston often invite their friend to join them and their Gramma Eula Mae—whose choir singing is "like slow thunder and sweet rain"—at the Baptist church and to come for Miss Eula's bountiful chicken dinner. When the children hear Miss Eula longing for the fancy Easter bonnet in Mr. Kodinsky's hat shop, they plot to raise the money to buy it for her. Sharing her own family tradition from Russian Jewish culture, the narrator teaches the boys how to decorate Russian "pysanky" eggs, that both turn a profit and touch the heart of the crotchety immigrant hat maker.

Goal: To celebrate pride in diverse heritages and the strength of friendships.

We will hear the story The Enchanted Rabbit, an Old Norse legend which explains how the Easter rabbit came to lay eggs for children.  Then we will decorate Easter Eggs!

This week the Seekers are bringing home Pledge Forms for the Faithful Friends Walk-a-thon.  For their social action project, the Seekers chose to hold a walk-a-thon to raise money for Faithful Friends, a no kill animal shelter in Wilmington, DE.  They will walk around the church on Sunday, April 1.  Please ask family and friends to contribute to the walk-a-thon.  

Make sure your children come dressed to walk around the church on April 1!

The Questers are preparing for the Pancake Breakfast they will hold on Sunday, April 1.  Click here to sign your child up to help at the breakfast!

Please arrive by 8:00 am on Sunday, April 1 if possible.  Also, let us know if you have a griddle we can use!

TAKING IT HOME

The spiritual journey is the process of learning to know oneself and becoming self-aware. We learn to love ourselves as the sacred beings that we are, and discover in that love that we are connected to all that exists; thus we develop compassion and strength.

— Elisa Davy Pearmain

IN TODAY'S SESSION... We did a play about lost kids who were soul-searching and found a guru who spoke about conscience and soul and spirituality. We listened to spiritual music, talked about how important different advisors are to us, and we heard two stories, one about God hiding in people and the other about knowing ourselves. For Faith in Action we used our soles with an "e" to think about our souls with a "u."



EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about...

· Souls. Do people in your family think about their souls? Worry about feeding them with spiritual ideas? What are some of their favorite "soul foods"?

· Your consciences. Are they strong enough? Do they feel too strong sometimes? Do you ever stop yourself from doing fun things because your conscience says not to?

· Advisors. Who outside your family do you and others think make good advisors?

· This quote is often attributed to C. S. Lewis: "You do not have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." What does this mean? Does it change the way you think about your soul? Is it useful?

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try...

· Talking about what you can do as a family to make the world a better place. Maybe you can choose a section of highway, or another piece of public land, to keep clean. What else can you do?

· Deciding which of your family decisions involve ethical choices. In other words, decide together as a family when a decision involves right and wrong. Is choosing which TV show to watch ever an ethical decision, or does that not matter? What about deciding whether to go along on a trip to buy groceries?

· Sharing what your consciences say. The next time your family needs to make an ethical decision, take a moment to sit quietly together and then let everybody say what their conscience is telling them to do.

MYSTERY AND ME

Take some personal quiet time and think about soul. What is it like? How would you describe it to a friend? If you are journaling, write your description of it and list some of the ways you feed your soul.

A FAMILY RITUAL

Talk each day about the right and wrong you have experienced. Did you each do something good you want to share? Is there somebody in the family you want to thank for a virtuous act? Is there something you wish you had not done that you need to talk about? How can you make tomorrow a better day?

A FAMILY GAME

Does your family enjoy playing board games? The next time you play, look for situations that involve decisions. Examine how family members make those decisions. For example, in playing Sorry, if you have to decide which player to bump back to Home, how do you make that decision? Do you choose the player closest to winning, the one who has been bumped the least, anyone but your younger sibling, or the one who will benefit you most?

FAMILY DISCOVERY

Spin the radio dial, or, if your radio has a scan button, let it go from one station to the next while everybody listens for spiritual sounds. Let anybody say, "stop" when they hear something that sounds spiritual to them and stop the search so you can all listen for a moment before moving on. Do you all agree on which music is spiritual?

 Today we will hear the story The Hummingbird.  Should we ask for help if we need it?  What can you do to make the world a better place?

Nor need we power or splendor, wide hall or lordly dome;
The good, the true, the tender – these form the wealth of home.  – Sarah J. Hale

IN TODAY’S SESSION…

We’re talking about families. We will hear the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins who partnered and raised a chick, Tango. This is our starting point to discuss how families come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. We’ll not only discuss what makes families different from one another, we’ll talk about what makes them the same. We will share ways people in families care for one another.

We will also discuss our faith family: the people who are part of our Unitarian Universalist congregation, our faith home.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about…

You can expand on the discussion about families that we had today by sharing stories of your own family. Children this age generally love to hear stories about how their parents met, and how they decided to form a family. In families where divorce and/or remarriage is part of the story, sharing memories and feelings can be a helpful part of processing the ways families can change, as well as reinforcing the lesson that families come in different shapes and sizes. This is also a good opportunity to repeat stories with children who have been adopted that both honor their birth families and reaffirm their place in their forever family.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try…

A Family Ritual

We talked in our class about the different roles or jobs that people have in families, but you can also honor these roles through a family ritual. Around the dinner table, before bedtime or at another calm period in the day you might want to light your chalice or a candle.  Then, focus on one family member at a time, having each other person in the family say “I honor you for the way you…”, completing the sentence with the different things the person does for the family. These could be tangible efforts, such as earning money to support the family or taking out the garbage, but they could just as well be roles like “making us laugh,” “giving great hugs,” or “appreciating my banana pancakes.”

You might prefer to do this ritual over the course of days, so that before dinner each night a different person is honored.

A Family Adventure

In the story of Roy, Silo and Tango, the children heard how a penguin makes an offer of “marriage” to another penguin by presenting a specially selected pebble. During a trip to the beach, the river or simply in your own back yard you can go on a hunt for special pebbles. You may be amazed how, if you look closely, there are pebbles of surprising colors, shapes or textures. Encourage family members to choose one very special pebble that they’ve found to give as a gift to another family member.

FAMILY DISCOVERY

For children’s books with illustrations that reflect family diversity, visit the online Unitarian Universalist Bookstore (at www.uua.org/bookstore/index.php?cPath=10). You will find And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, illustrated by Henry Cole (Simon & Schuster, 2006), which tells the story of the penguin family we discussed in this session.

Also check out the books offered by the GlobalFund for Children or Lee & Low Publishers specializes in multicultural books for children.

Many resources can be found by searching online, talking to librarians, inquiring in bookstores, or looking through book lists available from schools and libraries.

A wide variety of books and other resources on family diversity are listed at Bay Area Mosaic (at www.kqed.org/w/mosaic/gaylesbian/resources.html).

Today we are learning about Unitarian illustrator N.C. Wyeth, who loved children and adventure and illustrated "Treasure Island."  His zest for life is evident in all of the illustrations he did for books, including "Kidnapped," "Last of the Mohicans," "Robinson Crusoe," and "Robin Hood."  We're going on a Treasure Hunt in the church.  We'll be searching for a Wyeth painting in our very own church!

This  Sunday the Questers are attending the Youth Worship Service in the Sanctuary.

We're also getting ready for our Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser!    We've got a few details to work out for the fundraiser, so come with your ideas!

The fundraiser is taking place Sunday April 1.  Questers are asked to arrive at church by 8:00 am that morning.  Click here to RSVP for your child to participate and let us know how you can help!