Spirit Play Parent News for the week of March 5, 2017
Children’s Chapel this Sunday, March 12th, we are learning about our fifth source: Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit; or, in children’s language: the use of reason and the discoveries of science.
This Sunday, rain or shine, we will be doing a trash walk around OBIC! Please make sure your children grades K-5 are dressed appropriately for the weather! It’s forecast to be cold, so gloves and hats would be a good idea. Start in the Sanctuary, same as normal; children move downstairs after the Time for All Ages.
Parents are invited to join us! See you on Sunday!
Daylight Savings starts this weekend! Remember to set your clocks ahead so you aren’t late for church!
Movie Nights for Parents and Adolescents!
Please join us for two movie nights with your adolescents from fourth and fifth grade through high school.
April 23 – Miss Representation:
Miss Representation exposes how mainstream media and culture contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America.Miss Representation
The film draws back a curtain to reveal a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see – how the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls makes it difficult for women to feel powerful and achieve leadership positions.
In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message we receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader. While women have made great strides in leadership over the past few decades, the United States is still 33rd out of the 49 highest income countries when it comes to women in the national legislature. And it’s not better outside of government. Women make up only 4.6% of S&P 500 CEOs and 17% of directors, executive producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films.
Stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists, and academics, like Katie Couric, Rosario Dawson, Gloria Steinem, Margaret Cho, Condoleezza Rice, Rachel Maddow, and Nancy Pelosi, build momentum as Miss Representation accumulates startling facts and statistics that will leave the audience shaken, but armed with a new perspective.
– See more at: http://therepresentationproject.org/film/miss-representation/
May 7 – The Mask You Live In:
The Mask You Live In follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity.The Mask You Live In
Pressured by the media, their peer group, and even the adults in their lives, our protagonists confront messages encouraging them to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflicts through violence. These gender stereotypes interconnect with race, class, and circumstance, creating a maze of identity issues boys and young men must navigate to become “real” men.
Experts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, sports, education, and media also weigh in, offering empirical evidence of the “boy crisis” and tactics to combat it.
The Mask You Live In ultimately illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men.
– See more at: http://therepresentationproject.org/film/the-mask-you-live-in/
Yours in faith,
Robin
What happened in your child’s class this week
I remember that Violet is the color of the Seventh Promise: to Value our home, Earth, that we share with all living things.
This is a true story. It happened in 1974.
Gaura Devi is eight years old.
She lives in India, near very high mountains called the Himalayas. The tops of the mountains are covered with Snow all year round.
Gaura Devi lives on a hillside below the mountain tops, in a house made of stone and slate. It is a good house. In summer, when the sun is hot, the house is very cool. In winter, when the snow is very deep, the house is very warm. Gaura Devi is poor, but she is happy.
Every morning, Gaura Devi takes her two goats down to the valley so they can eat the grass there.
On some mornings, she goes up to the forest above her village with her aunt. The forest has many big trees. In the forest they pick special plants and flowers and berries. Gaura Devi’s aunt uses the plants, flowers, and berries to make medicines. She takes care of all the people in the village when they are sick, and usually makes them well again.
In the afternoons, Gaura Devi goes with her mother to collect broken branches and twigs and dried grass. They use branches and twigs to make a fire for cooking. The fire also keeps the house warm in winter. The cow eats the dried grass and gives them milk every morning and evening. Gaura Devi and her mother walk very far every day to collect enough for the family.
Gaura Devi wondered why her mother does not go up to the forest nearby and cut down the trees. She asked her mother, “Why do we walk so far for wood every day, but leave the trees in the forest?”
Her mother replied, “Gaura Devi, you listen to me. The trees are our brothers and sisters. They provide shade for the plants and flowers and berries that your aunt makes into medicine. They are houses for the birds and animals.”
“The roots of the trees are like hands. They hold the earth to the side of the mountain. They also hold the water from the big rains and from the melting snow. If anyone ever cuts down our brothers and sisters, our village will be washed away.”
One day, Gaura Devi and her two goats walked up the mountain trail toward the forest.
Suddenly she saw a truck parked by the side of the road. Many men, wearing caps and carrying axes, were walking toward the forest. Gaura Devi went up to the leader.
“Why are you going to the forest?” she asked. The man said, “We are going to cut down the trees.” Gaura Devi said, “My mother says the trees are our brothers and sisters. They are not to be cut down.” The man replied, “We have orders from the people in the city to bring the wood to them. Now we have to go to work.”
Gaura Devi thought. She began to walk down the mountainside. Then began to run. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. The goats ran behind her.
She ran to the big gong in the open space in the middle of the village. She picked up a stick and beat the gong as loud as she could. All the women in the village came to the open space. Gaura Devi told them what she had seen. Women began to walk quickly up the mountain side. Gaura Devi’s mother was the leader. Gaura Devi ran behind.
Soon they reached the forest edge. They saw the men preparing to cut the trees. The women ran up to the trees and began to hug them.
Gaura Devi’s mother said to the leader,
“We come as your friends and do not wish you any harm, but we cannot let you cut down the trees.” “Get out of the way,” said the leader of the men.
“The trees are our brothers and sisters,” replied Gaura Devi’s mother, “If you cut down the trees, our village will be washed away when the rains come. We are hugging the trees. If you cut the trees down, you will have to hit us with your axes first.”
The men looked around at the women hugging the trees. They knew they shouldn’t cut down the forest, even though they were told to do so by the people in the city. The leader said, “You have taught us a lesson. We will not cut down the forest. We will go back home with our axes.”
The men walked slowly back to the truck. “We will tell others not to cut these trees down,” they promised.
That evening, the whole village had a big celebration. They ate fruits and sweet cakes and sang songs and danced. Gaura Devi was a hero. Her friends put a necklace of sweet-smelling jasmine flowers around her neck. Gaura Devi was very happy.
Soon Gaura Devi felt very tired, so she went to sleep. But in the nighttime the forest was not asleep. The animals talked about what had happened, and how brave Gaura Devi and the women had been. Her sisters and brothers the trees did not talk. But they too were very happy. They did not sleep. They smiled.
Wondering Questions:
I wonder if you have ever seen or heard any of this before?
I wonder which part of this story is the most important?
I wonder which part you like the best?
I wonder where you might be in this story?
I wonder how it feels to be a hero?
I wonder if you have ever been a hero?
I wonder if the women felt afraid while they were hugging the trees?
I wonder if the women felt brave while they were hugging the trees?
I wonder if it is possible to feel brave and afraid at the same time?
I wonder what happened to the men who were supposed to cut down the trees?
I wonder where the village men were when the women went to protect the trees?
I wonder if you have ever hugged a tree?
I wonder how that felt?
I wonder if you have heard of “Tree Huggers” before today?
I wonder if you knew that the first “Tree Huggers” were a girl and the women from a remote village in India?
I wonder if this story reminds you of any of our other Unitarian Universalist Promises?
I wonder where the Spirit of Love and Mystery might be in this story?
UPCOMING EVENTS
CONSTRUCTION HELP NEEDED! At our April 9 Children’s Chapel, we will be building a Little Free Pantry. We have a project manager who will help us design and build the pantry. We need tool-handy parents to help with the building and installation of the pantry. We especially need someone who has experience with installation of a structure on a post. Click here for examples! Please email Robin Slaw if you can help.
board 48117 640Family Game Night and Potluck, Saturday, April 22, 5:30-8:30 pm. Join us for a meal and games! Families of all types are invited! Bring your favorite games to share. Mark your calendars now!
Elementary Our Whole Lives (OWL) classes for Grades K/1 and Grades 4/5
Please remind your OWL students to go directly to class and not enter the Sanctuary! Classes will run through April 2nd. Kindergarten and First Grade 9:00-10:00 am, Fourth and Fifth Grade 11:00 am-12:30 pm. All other RE Classes continue as normal.
Parents & Caregivers as Sexuality Educators! Next class Sunday, March 12th, 5:00-7:00 pm Facilitated by Doug Miller, Steph Silver, and Robin Slaw.
Yours in faith,
Robin
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