Report from Sharon for April 24

Willem and Brianna were the only two children present. We discussed affirmations and I showed them Louise Hay's beautifully illustrated book, You Can Heal Your Life. Using the illustrations as inspiration, we wrote our own affirmation on a puzzle pieces greeting card that I brought. We colored the cards with colored pencils and then they broke the puzzle in pieces and put them in an envelope.

Report from Sharon for April 24

Willem and Brianna were the only two children present. We discussed affirmations and I showed them Louise Hay's beautifully illustrated book, You Can Heal Your Life. Using the illustrations as inspiration, we wrote our own affirmation on a puzzle pieces greeting card that I brought. We colored the cards with colored pencils and then they broke the puzzle in pieces and put them in an envelope.

Youth Sunday! It's a go for March 16th

Thanks for all the positive responses about Youth Sunday! It's a go for March 16th, so please be here the two Sundays prior(March 2nd and 9th) so the kids can plan and rehearse. We'll do it during Sunday School.

Thanks, Lisa for helping the kids do some planning for that today. My kids reported that they really enjoyed it! The chosen them is "The Future/New Beginnings" since it will be the week before Easter and they already have some snack ideas and ideas about the service. So, kids please be thinking of more ideas to bring to our planning session on the 2nd!

Can everyone meet after church on March 9th? It's the Sunday that the kids will be rehearsing. Please let me know.

Christy

Leadership Report from Christy

Sharon and Sky and I had a very productive discussion after church today about the future of the children's program, and we agreed that we need to have a meeting with all the parents and/or teachers to plan where to go from here.

Some things that we need to talk about are:

1. Trying out and choosing a new curriculum so that teachers feel more supported in planning lessons and there is more continuity for the kids.

2. Possible teacher training workshops to help us all feel more comfortable using a child-centered teaching style--Sky says that Lindsey Mainland has written a book on the subject and might be willing to help us with that.

3. Finding a regular mechanism to get feedback from the kids to help us all reflect on how well we're meeting their needs and how we can improve.

4. Choosing and planning activities to help the kids find community with one another, maybe even just having fun activities some Sundays in lieu of a lesson.

5. Finding and paying someone who will teach the younger children. It has been suggested that they use the Unity lessons we already have.

6. Finding a safe way for the kids to be active during after-church discussion groups and meetings--maybe installing some playground equipment?

That's a lot to discuss, but I know we can do it! Sharon suggested that I write a couple of "Vision Statements" (Unity versions of Mission Statements :) about the Children's Program and I am working on those. For now, let's just focus on the theme of "Empowering Children" as we formulate ideas to bring to the discussion. Some examples are giving them active and engaging learning experiences that help them construct their own spiritual values, and creating a dynamic learning community where every child feels that he or she has something valuable to contribute.

Can everyone meet after church on March 9th? It's the Sunday that the kids will be rehearsing. Please let me know.

Thanks and Peace,
Christy