Children and Youth Religious Education

Begin with a check in. “Rose, Bud, Thorn” seems to be working. Share 1 thing good that happened this past week (rose), something you’re looking forward to (bud), and something that’s bothering you (thorn)

Post the Covenant in the chat so everyone can see what was agreed upon. Review occasionally to see if they still work.

• K/1st Covenant: Be respectful, Listen to people when talking, Try not to yuck someone’s yum, Let us know when you want to move, Let us know when you’ve had enough screen time, Be thoughtful, kind, and honest
• 2nd/3rd Covenant: Use kind words, Respect each other by muting when you are not talking, Give everyone a turn to talk., Remember the chat is a group conversation and use it appropriately., Have fun!
• 4th/5th Covenant: Be respectful, Use kind words, One person speaks at a time, If the group is less than 10 people, you can unmute yourself to speak, Come on time

Lesson: Thanksgiving and the Cornucopia

· In the fall of 1621, the Native American tribe, the Wampanoag, (pronounced waam·puh·now·ag) and the Pilgrims, celebrated a harvest feast that lasted for 3 days. Of the 100 Pilgrims that had arrived the year before, only 50 remained. There were roughly 90 Wampanoag.

· The white people ended up lying to the Native Americans, stole their land, broke treaties and promises, and killed many of their people. The settlers were disrespectful and greedy. That’s why many Native Americans don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.

Cornucopia:

· The Cornucopia, or Horn of Plenty, is a symbol of Thanksgiving because it represents fall harvest and abundance, which is what we are thankful for. Not everyone has that abundance.

· In Greek mythology, this is one story of the Cornucopia. Its origins began with the story of the birth of baby Zeus (the sky and thunder god of the Greeks) who was hidden in a cave for safe keeping. One of his attendants was a goat named Almathea which means “nourishing goddess.” She fed him her milk and kept

him strong and nourished. But one day, this future king of the gods was playing with Almathea and accidentally broke off one of her horns with his super strength. But Zeus also has unusual abilities and the broken-off horn was was touched with divine power that provided never-ending nourishment.

4) Follow Up:

· “Let Us give Thanks” by Max Coots (adapted) As you say each item, ask the children to draw it quickly, nothing fancy, then hold it up. They can cut them out and distribute among their family on Thanksgiving. I can send them a copy of the prayer. “Let us give thanks”:

For generous friends with hearts as big as pumpkins

For feisty friends as tart as sour apples

For continuous, who, like cucumbers, keep reminding us that they’re there

For friends who are as elegant as a row of corn, and others as plain as potatoes, but so good for you

For funny friends who are as silly as Brussel sprouts

And friends who are as complicated as cauliflower

For friends as endless as zucchini, and delightful as dill

For old friends nodding like sunflowers, and new friends coming on as fast as radishes

And for those friends now gone, who like gardens, fed us in their times, so that we would be filled with their spirits. (call out names if you’d like)

For all these, we give thanks. (All repeat)

· Make a cornucopia. You’ll need paper (preferably construction), 8 ½ x 11 will work, but larger might be easier. Instructions on how to cut and fold are here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdOf3CRldNs

Begin with a check in. “Rose, Bud, Thorn” seems to be working. Share 1 thing good that happened this past week (rose), something you’re looking forward to (bud), and something that’s bothering you (thorn)

Post the Covenant in the chat so everyone can see what was agreed upon. Review occasionally to see if they still work.

• K/1st Covenant: Be respectful, Listen to people when talking, Try not to yuck someone’s yum, Let us know when you want to move, Let us know when you’ve had enough screen time, Be thoughtful, kind, and honest
• 2nd/3rd Covenant: Use kind words, Respect each other by muting when you are not talking, Give everyone a turn to talk., Remember the chat is a group conversation and use it appropriately., Have fun!
• 4th/5th Covenant: Be respectful, Use kind words, One person speaks at a time, If the group is less than 10 people, you can unmute yourself to speak, Come on time

Lesson: Exploring Diwali

(Choose what works best for your group)

Today we’re going to explore Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. This year Diwali began on November 14th and lasts for 5 days. Diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Here is a story that is told about Diwali.

Read “Diwali Legend”

4) Follow Up: (You can either talk about Light Festivals first, or Hinduism)

· What are other winter celebrations that use light? (Advent, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Christmas…) Why do you think that the Light Festivals take place in the winter time?

· Have you heard of Hinduism? In some ways Hinduism is the oldest living religion. Elements of it stretch back thousands of years. Hindus believe that a person’s soul passes through a cycle of successive lives, and its next life is dependent on how the previous life was lived. Do you know what that’s called? (Reincarnation)

· The Hindu religion there are many gods and goddesses which are part of one Supreme God, Braham. The others represent some idea about God, like kindness, or the power of God. Usually when we hear people talk about the god they believe in, if they believe in such a god, they use “HE’ or “She”. But Hinduism does not see God as a gender.

· As Unitarian Universalists we are free to choose our own idea of what god is or isn’t, and even allow that belief to change. We believe that learning about other religions and ways of looking at the world is how we develop these beliefs.

5) Get a flashlight. Make your room as dark as possible. Think of all the ways we can bring light into the world. Each time someone names one, turn on the flashlight, then turn it off again.

Begin with a check in. “Rose, Bud, Thorn” seems to be working. Share 1 thing good that happened this past week (rose), something you’re looking forward to (bud), and something that’s bothering you (thorn)

Post the Covenant in the chat so everyone can see what was agreed upon. Review occasionally to see if they still work.

• K/1st Covenant: Be respectful, Listen to people when talking, Try not to yuck someone’s yum, Let us know when you want to move, Let us know when you’ve had enough screen time, Be thoughtful, kind, and honest
• 2nd/3rd Covenant: Use kind words, Respect each other by muting when you are not talking, Give everyone a turn to talk., Remember the chat is a group conversation and use it appropriately., Have fun!
• 4th/5th Covenant: Be respectful, Use kind words, One person speaks at a time, If the group is less than 10 people, you can unmute yourself to speak, Come on time

Lesson

Exploring Prophetic Imagination (Choose what works best for your group)

Younger Children: I would focus on “Imagination”. What is imagination? (power to picture things in your mind, a creation of the mind, forming an image of something not known or experienced) What do you use your imagination for? How can we use our imaginations to make the world better for ourselves and others. Let’s imagine people smiling. What can we do to make that happen? (say kind things, send notes and pictures to people to cheer them up, tell jokes to them) Have children get drawing/writing materials. Ask them to write/draw something they think would make people smile. Think of someone you want to give it to. If you’re going to mail it, get the address from parents.

Older Children: Breakdown the words first. What is a prophet? (Someone who is believed to predict the future. Prophets often aren’t afraid to say things other people don’t want to hear) In what ways do people see the future? (study science, look at trends-for instance, if it’s known that people made more money in a certain year, it can be predicted that they will spend more at the holidays. Some people say they have dreams or visions about the future.) Who is Dr. Fauci? Do you think he’s a prophet? Why or why not? If you see that someone is about to fall off a tall ladder and you predict that they’ll get hurt, are you a prophet?

What is imagination? (see above) Can we use our imaginations to predict a better future? What can children do to make the world a better place for themselves and others? We can begin with the people right in our own world.

See above activity.

Begin with a check in. “Rose, Bud, Thorn” seems to be working. Share 1 thing good that happened this past week (rose), something you’re looking forward to (bud), and something that’s bothering you (thorn)

Post the Covenant in the chat so everyone can see what was agreed upon. Review occasionally to see if they still work.

• K/1st Covenant: Be respectful, Listen to people when talking, Try not to yuck someone’s yum, Let us know when you want to move, Let us know when you’ve had enough screen time, Be thoughtful, kind, and honest
• 2nd/3rd Covenant: Use kind words, Respect each other by muting when you are not talking, Give everyone a turn to talk., Remember the chat is a group conversation and use it appropriately., Have fun!
• 4th/5th Covenant: Be respectful, Use kind words, One person speaks at a time, If the group is less than 10 people, you can unmute yourself to speak, Come on time

Day of the Dead Lesson

La Día de los Muertos or The Day of the Dead, is a traditional holiday in Mexico that takes place in the first 2 days of November and is to honor the dead. It is not a scary or sad time, but a time for remembering and rejoicing in the memory of those who are no longer with us. It is much like All Souls day, which is November 1st.This is not a mournful time, but a time to rejoice and even mock death.

• The Aztec people of Mexico believed that after death, people became hummingbirds and butterflies. Monarch butterflies always appear during the Day of the Dead
• People set up pathways to guide and welcome the spirits of their loved ones. Both for All Souls Day and the Days of the Dead, people make altars by placing by placing things together that remind them of their loved ones. (a ring, a treat or other food, dog or cat collar, blanket, name of song…) They light candles to guide their loved one.
• Skulls and skeletons are everywhere in the form of masks, candies, pastries, window displays, decorations
• People gather in the cemeteries, cleaning, arranging brightly colored flowers and candles, placing fruit and bread on graves, playing guitars and the radio
• They put out the favorite foods of the dead loved ones
• More information can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

Follow Up Activities:

• Do you know of people or animals who have died? What do you remember about them?
• What would you put on your altar? Let’s get some of those items or write/draw them and place together. Light a candle or put a flashlight on your altar.
• Activity and craft pages.

• Begin with a check in. You can try using “rose, bud, thorn”. Share 1 thing good that happened this past week (rose), something you’re looking forward to (bud), and something that’s bothering you (thorn).
• Work on the covenant. What does that mean to them? (an agreement or pact about how we will act and expect others to act when we are together) What would be different about a Covenant for a Zoom meeting and one if we’re in person? Ex: In person we often say, “keep hands to yourself”, “share supplies”…” Take turns when speaking” is something that would apply in both situations. Also, “don’t put others down for their opinions and feelings, including in the chat”. Write down participants’ suggestions. Send to Dolores
• Explore the Jewish New Year

 The Jewish New Year lasts for 10 days. The first day of the New Year is called Rosh Hashanah. In the Hebrew language, Rosh Hashanah means “beginning of the year”. (show sign in Hebrew) The last day of the Jewish New Year is called Yom Kippur. That means “day for righting wrongs”. (sign)

There is an old story that says on Rosh Hashanah, God opens up a book called the book of life. Everyone’s name is said to be written down in this book. Under each person’s name are listed all the good and not good things that person has done in the past year. God counts up the  good and not good deeds and decides each person’s fate for the next year. On Yom Kippur, the last day of the New Year, God writes down everybody’s fate in the book of life and closes the book.

The old story says that before God closes the book, you have the chance to change your record in the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. You can wipe the record clean. You can start by being truly sorry for the wrong things you’ve done. But being sorry is not enough to change the record. You also have to try to make things right again with the person you have wronged. You must do good deeds. That’s why Yom Kippur is called the “day for righting wrongs”.

This story can be seen as a good reminder that you must look back at the past year and judge your own deeds. To Jews, the new year is the most important holiday of the year because it is a time for righting wrongs. It’s a chance to start all over again.

On the last day of the new year, Yom Kippur, people spend the day praying and thinking. They do not eat or drink all day, so that they can concentrate on their thoughts. Another reason that people don’t eat on Yom Kippur is to remind themselves of the hunger and suffering of other people in the world. They say prayers for others and for the whole world. (Is there a ritual we do that is similar to this? Sending positive energy to others and calling of names in Chapel.)

Many Jewish people wear prayer shawls when they pray. Wearing the special shawl helps get into a certain mood. People of other beliefs wear a stole or a prayer shawl as well when doing a Spiritual Practice. Our ministers often wear one. Some are specifically made by someone’s friends or congregation. Putting on a shawl or stole is a good way to begin a time of focusing and thinking. Like ringing the bell at the start of Chapel.

Follow Up:

• Are there “wrongs you need to right”? Get some paper, a notebook or journal, and take a minute to right them down to remind yourself. You don’t have to share unless you’d like to.
• Making our own “Prayer Shawls”. Use a piece of fabric or old pillowcase/sheet that you can cut into a strip about 4-5 ft. long and 6 inches wide. Or use an old scarf that you can decorate. (As an alternative you could cut 2 sheets of paper into thirds lengthwise. Tape them end to end. You might need to cut a “scoop” in the part of the paper that goes around your neck.) Decorate with symbols/pictures/words that are meaningful to you or help you feel calm. (chalice, bird or some other animal, yin yang, peace symbol, book, hands…) share with each other what those symbols mean to you.
• A story for Yom Kippur.

Once there was a child who loved to tell stories about his friends. Sometimes the stories were true, but often the stories were not true. The neighborhood children did not like their gossiping friend. One day they decided to ask the Rabbi’s advice . The Rabbi heard their complaints, and called the child to his house.

“Why do you make up stories about your friends?”, the Rabbi asked.

“It’s only talk,” replied the child. “I can always take it back.”

“Perhaps you are right,” said the Rabbi, and he began to talk of other things. As the child was ready to leave, the Rabbi asked, “I wonder if you would do something for me.”

 “Of course,” said the child. The Rabbi took a pillow from the couch and handed it to the child.

“Take this pillow to the town square. When you get there, cut it open, and shake out the feathers. Then come back.”

The child was puzzled, but agreed to do what the Rabbi said. He carried the pillow to the town square and cut it open. The breeze scattered the feathers across the sky. The child returned to the rabbi’s house and told him what he had done. The rabbi seemed pleased. He handed the boy a basket and said, “Now please go back to the square, and gather the feathers up again. The child gasped.

“But that’s impossible.”

“You are right ,”said the Rabbi. “So it is not possible to take back all the untrue things you said about others. Be careful with the words you spread. Once spoken and sent on their way, that cannot be gathered again.”

• Begin with a check in. You can try using “rose, bud, thorn”. Share 1 thing good that happened this past week (rose), something you’re looking forward to (bud), and something that’s bothering you (thorn)
• Post the Covenant in the chat so everyone can see what was agreed upon. If you haven’t yet gotten around to the Covenant, take some time to work on that.

What does that mean to them? (an agreement or pact about how we will act and expect others to act when we are together) What would be different about a Covenant for a Zoom meeting and one if we’re in person? Ex: In person we often say, “keep hands to yourself”, “share supplies”…” Take turns when speaking” is something that would apply in both situations. Also, “don’t put others down for their opinions and feelings, including in the chat”. Write down participants’ suggestions. Send to Dolores

• Exploring Unitarian Universalism: Our Roots and Principles”

Unitarian universalism is a really long name. Why? Because it combines the names of two different religions with roots that go back hundreds of years. What do you think those names of those two religions are? Unitarianism and Universalism were both faiths that had many beliefs in common. In 1961 they decided to join together (merge) to become one faith. How many years ago was that? (The younger children won’t know how to figure this out) Do you know who it was who suggested that they merge, and worked to make it happen? It was the youth groups, the teenagers. One of the main things that the Unitarians and Universalists had in common was a commitment to social justice and working for equality. Our eight Unitarian Universalist Principles sum up our beliefs. Today we’re going to talk about 3 of them. The 1^st, the 6^th and the 8^th.

Let’s start with the word, “Principle”. Usually, we hear the word principal as the head of the school. Principal and Principle are two words that sound alike but are spelled differently. Do you know what that’s called? (homonym) UU Principles are guides on how we want to live our lives.

 Let’s start with the first Principle. “Every person is important and valuable.” Is it ever difficult to find what is good about someone? How could you do that?

Our 6^th Principle guides us to ”build a fair and peaceful world”. What are ways we could do that?

The 8^th Principle was recently added to the other 7. It calls us to use our minds, hands and hearts to work for people to be treated equally no matter their race, religion, gender identity, or who they love. (end all oppressions) Sometimes we live this Principle by going to rallies or protests to speak out against injustice. Have you or your parents ever been to one? Another thing we can do is make signs to put in our yards and windows. What might the signs say? (Equal Justice For All; Be Nice; Only Speak Kindly; Your Life Matters; Black Lives Matter; Equality Now…)

Follow Up:

• Making “Protest” signs. Get cardboard or paper. You could use a cereal or other type of box. You’ll need markers, crayons or paints

The Jewish Holy Day of Yom Kippur begins at sundown tonight. Last week we learned that Yom Kippur means “day for righting wrongs”. We thought about some wrongs we might need to right. You don’t need to share them, but it’s a good idea to write them down.

                                                A story for Yom Kippur.

Once there was a child who loved to tell stories about his friends. Sometimes the stories were true, but often the stories were not true. The neighborhood children did not like their gossiping friend. One day they decided to ask the Rabbi’s advice. The Rabbi heard their complaints, and called the child to his house.

“Why do you make up stories about your friends?”, the Rabbi asked.

“It’s only talk,” replied the child. “I can always take it back.”

“Perhaps you are right,” said the Rabbi, and he began to talk of other things. As the child was ready to leave, the Rabbi asked, “I wonder if you would do something for me.”

 “Of course,” said the child. The Rabbi took a pillow from the couch and handed it to the child.

“Take this pillow to the town square. When you get there, cut it open, and shake out the feathers. Then come back.”

The child was puzzled, but agreed to do what the Rabbi said. He carried the pillow to the town square and cut it open. The breeze scattered the feathers across the sky. The child returned to the rabbi’s house and told him what he had done. The rabbi seemed pleased. He handed the boy a basket and said, “Now please go back to the square, and gather the feathers up again. The child gasped.

“But that’s impossible.”

“You are right ,”said the Rabbi. “So it is not possible to take back all the untrue things you said about others. Be careful with the words you spread. Once spoken and sent on their way, that cannot be gathered again.”

The  Story For All Ages, “Turtle Tale”, by Frank Asch, will be shown at the end of Chapel.

• Begin with a check in. You can try using “rose, bud, thorn”. Share 1 thing good that happened this past week (rose), something you’re looking forward to (bud), and something that’s bothering you (thorn)
• Post the Covenant in the chat so everyone can see what was agreed upon. If you haven’t yet gotten around to the Covenant, take some time to work on that.

What does that mean to them? (an agreement or pact about how we will act and expect others to act when we are together) What would be different about a Covenant for a Zoom meeting and one if we’re in person? Ex: In person we often say, “keep hands to yourself”, “share supplies”. ” Take turns when speaking” is something that would apply in both situations. Also, “don’t put others down for their opinions and feelings, including in the chat”. Send to Dolores

2^nd/3^rd Covenant:

Use kind words

Respect each other by muting when you are not talking

Give everyone a turn to talk.

Remember the chat is a group conversation and use it appropriately.

Have fun!

• Exploring Both/And (Chose the discussion that works best for your age group)         

 In today’s story, what does “Both/And” or paradox, have to do with Turtle? Do you think it applies? Can     you think of a time in your life when you agreed with both sides of an opinion? Or 2 different, and possibly opposing, ways of doing something?

• Review last week

Last week we learned that Unitarian Universalism combines the names of two different religions with roots that go back hundreds of years. Unitarianism and Universalism were both faiths that had many beliefs in common. In 1961 they decided to join together (merge) to become one faith. It was the youth groups, the teenagers, that worked to make it happen. One of the main things that the Unitarians and Universalists had in common was a commitment to working for justice.

UU’s have 8 Principles that are guides on how we want to live our lives. Usually, we hear the word principal as the head of the school. Principal and Principle are two words that sound alike but are spelled differently. When I was a kid the principal used to tell us that a school principal is your “pal”.

Today we’re going to explore our 7^th Principle, and a way to put it into action.

• Our 7^th Principle states that “We need to take care of the earth, the home we share with all living things”. Today, one species of animals that is in danger of becoming extinct are turtles.

1. Don’t buy souvenirs or other items made from critically endangered hawksbill shell. The tortoiseshell trade is the biggest threat to hawksbills. When traveling, ask vendors what souvenirs are made of and when in doubt, don’t purchase items in question. See our How To Identify & Avoid Hawksbill Turtleshellguide to learn how to recognize turtleshell and other similar looking materials.
2. Reduce your carbon footprint! Climate change affects the health of coral reefs which are vital to the hawksbills survival. A warming planet also skews sex ratios in baby turtles, changes the abundance and distribution of prey, increases erosion of nesting beaches, and more. Learn some simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint here.
3. Choose responsibly caught seafood. Sea turtles are vulnerable to commercial fishing methods like trawling, longlines, and drift gillnets, becoming unwanted catch (also known as “bycatch”) that is discarded like trash. To help make turtle friendly seafood choices check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch which is also available as a handy app for your phone!
4. Just say NO to plastics! Sea turtles and other ocean life mistake plastic as food and ingest it. An estimated that more than 100 million marine animals die each year as a result of eating or getting entangled in plastic. Avoid using disposable plastic bags, bottles, and “skip the straw.” Check out some easy ways to reduce your use of plastics here.
5. Leave No Trace. This means practicing good housekeeping when visiting a beach where turtles nest. Remove your trash (and trash left by others) and any obstacles that may become hazards for nesting sea turtles and hatchlings like beach furniture, holes, and sandcastles. Turtles need clean and clear beaches (and oceans!) to increase their chances of survival.
6. Turtles dig the dark! Sea turtles need dark beaches for nesting and for navigating their way to the ocean. Light from beachfront development can deter females from coming ashore to nest as well as lead newly born hatchling away from the water and towards danger. Learn more about sea turtle beach etiquette here.
7. Hang onto those balloons! Helium balloons can travel long distances, get caught in electric lines, and hurt animals like birds and sea turtles, which similarly to plastic bags can be mistaken for jellyfish. Learn more about reducing pollution from balloons from the folks at Balloons Blow. 
8. Donate to a worthy cause. Billion Baby Turtles is a great way to help on the ground sea turtle conservation efforts in Latin America. For every $1 donated we can save 10 sea turtle hatchlings and we have saved more than 3 million so far! Learn more and donate to save baby turtles here. Another option is to set up a Facebook Fundraiser. 
9. Choose sunscreen carefully. Chemicals in some types of sunscreen can damage coral reefs and pollute turtle habitat. Avoid any sunscreen with “oxybenzone” and look for brands labeled as “Reef Friendly” and avoid sprays that can pollute the sand where turtles nest. Check out this article in Vogue about the best ways to avoid sunburn. =

• Plan a fundraiser to raise money for “Billion Baby Turtles”. We’re going to make postcards to sell to the people at church. For today, you’ll need cardstock, cardboard, or heavy paper. (if you don’t have it, cut up a cereal box, pasta box, shoe box…) Markers, preferably sharpies, or crayons or colored pencils. Scissors and a ruler. Cut a piece of “cardstock” approx. 4”x6”. On one side draw pictures of turtles, or write sayings like, “Save The Turtles”, or “For The Sake of Turtles: Don’t use plastic bags”, or any other ideas you can brainstorm. Make as many as you want.

I haven’t figured out yet how we’re going to distribute the postcards or collect the money, but I’m working on it.

We might show the Story For All Ages, “Turtle Tale”, at the end of Chapel again.

• Begin with a check in. “Rose, Bud, Thorn” seems to be working. Share 1 thing good that happened this past week (rose), something you’re looking forward to (bud), and something that’s bothering you (thorn)
• Post the Covenant in the chat so everyone can see what was agreed upon. (I didn’t get one from 4^th/5^th)

K/1^st Covenant:

Be respectful, Listen to people when talking, Try not to yuck someone’s yum, Let us know when you want to move, Let us know when you’ve had enough screen time, Be thoughtful, kind, and honest

2^nd/3^rd Covenant:

Use kind words, Respect each other by muting when you are not talking, Give everyone a turn to talk., Remember the chat is a group conversation and use it appropriately., Have fun!

• Exploring Paradox or Both/And (Chose the discussion and activity that works best for your age group)     Paradox: A paradox is by nature, difficult to explain. A paradox is a statement that at first seems to be contradictory or impossible, but may actually be possible or true.

Examples:

• Don’t go in the water until you have learned how to swim. (How can you learn to swim if you never go in the water?)

• There is a wizard who can do anything. Can this wizard make a rock so big that the wizard himself cannot move it? (If the wizard can do anything, he can make the rock, and he should also be able to move it. However, the rock is too big to be moved.)
• This sentence is a lie. (Since the sentence is a lie, does that mean it’s really true?)

Paradox or Not: Read some of the following statements to the group. Ask them which ones they think are a paradox.

1. I love tomatoes, but I hate tomato sauce!
2. You must spend money to make money.
3. One must be cruel to be kind.
4. You need a car to get a job. You need a loan to get a car. You need a job to get a loan.
5. When you have replaced every single part of a car, is it still the same car?
6. Would a bullet that can shatter anything be able to shatter bulletproof glass?
7. Can you promise not to make any more promises?
8. Can you follow a command to ignore all rules?

• Talking About God: People have all different ideas of what God is. Some of them might seem like a paradox. Here are some things children have said:

For me, God is a 5 year old girl. For my cat, God is a cat.                                                                            God is a good feeling.                                                                                                                                     God is anything you want God to be.                                                                                                             God is a big woman who loves us all.                                                                                                             God is a she, and a he.                                                                                                                                        I do not believe in God.I don’t believe in the devil either.                                                                                                                   God is a cloud that stays in the sky.                                                                                                               God is in everyone.                                                                                                                                        God is anything that is mysterious and has remarkable power.

Do you think any of these are a paradox? What do you think God is?

• Follow Up Activities:
• Find 2 things that you like, but are very different. (food, toys, books, clothes…) Share why they might be a paradox.
• Make a “Paradox Plaque” to hang somewhere. Choose one of your favorite paradoxes and write or draw it on paper or cardboard, horizontally or vertically.
• Make a plaque that says what you think about God.

                      More Paradoxes:

Only you can take responsibility for your happiness. But you can’t do it alone. It’s the great paradox of being human.  

The paradox of simplicity is that making things simpler is hard work.   

If you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.

A fear of weakness only strengthens weakness.