Religious Exploration for Youth – Beacon At Home
“Horton Hears A UU: Life Lessons from Dr. Seuss”
April 5, 2020: “Oh the Places You’ll Go!”
Theme: Exploring our world, getting outside out comfort zones, dealing with detours and bumps in the road.
Watch the videos on YouTube:
- Listen to the story read aloud with full color illustrations: https://youtu.be/3U60jboHHFs
- Fun kid-friendly Rap version of the story: https://youtu.be/i-hW8KOdqnQ
Talk about the story and explore these Life Lessons from the book:
- We can make decisions about our lives
- There is a lot of see and experience when we are willing to explore
- Sometimes, we encounter detours, bumpy roads and disappointment
- We can change course and “move mountains.”
Talk about what it’s like to not be able to go places during this time of social distancing.
What do they like about and what don’t they like about it? How are they “going places” through technology and other methods? Where are they most looking forward to going once we are able to wander and gather again?
The story and our UU Principles:
How does the story relate to our Fourth principle – the free and responsible search for truth and meaning and our Sixth Principle -The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.
Story-related activities:
- Watch Travel Kids videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqa5gDXXxK0M8gr8WadV4yw
- Print a map and talk about where you’ve been or where you’d like to go
Research and plan a trip to one of these places (make a poster, as desired):
- List ways to travel and make a poster with cut out shapes, pictures and other on-hand materials
- Have fun with this travel word search (PDF)
- Download (free) and play the classic “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego” game. https://www.myabandonware.com/game/where-in-the-world-is-carmen-sandiego-deluxe-edition-1s5
Additional Religious Exploration resources for this week:
Our Judeo-Christian roots
Two holidays converge – Passover and Palm Sunday
- The Passover story in 10 scenes – https://youtu.be/Y0oW_YVEqOU
- Whiteboard Ministry – Palm Sunday, A very Important Donkey – https://youtu.be/4vrELDWUP3k
- Check out this April Calendar (PDF) with coloring pages and clickable links for daily activities such as writing a haiku poem, watching for three different kinds of birds, and having a dance party.
Religious Exploration for Middle Schoolers
“Building Bridges”
Topic: Hinduism
April 5, 2020 at 10:00 am
- Hinduism 101: Hip-Hughes (9 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGV6M4wQ8Os
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Up Close Look at Holi Celebration (1.5 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbFIkJ8KFZ8
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Story of Holi & History Behind the Celebration (7 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3si_OQBwSEc
Questions to Consider After Watching Videos:
- Given that Hindus believe in one main universal soul / God (Brahman) that all life originated from, but also acknowledge, and may choose to worship and pray to other gods and goddesses, do you think Hinduism is a monotheistic (one God) or polytheistic (many gods) religion? Can it be both?
- What do you think of the idea of Karma – That your good and bad deeds in one life influence your next life, whether you are rich or poor, and the caste in which you are born? Do you think this belief would influence the behavior of people born into different castes? How so?
- Hindus believe that God is not separate from us but lives within us and the goal of each soul is to experience God and thus be fully connected with God. In what ways do you experience God or a connection with the universe?
- A Hindu’s ultimate goal is Moksha or enlightenment. Following all the rules and leading a good dharma (way of life) will eventually lead your soul to be free of Earthly rebirth / reincarnation, so that you will finally become one with the universal soul / God / Brahman. How does this differ from an idea of heaven or afterlife in other faiths we’ve studied? Does this idea appeal to you more or less than other faiths’ versions of the afterlife?