As I sat down to plan out my summer, I instantly became overwhelmed by the sheer amount of activities and trips we have planned. After two summers of caution under the pandemic, we seem to be making up for lost time. There are camps and vacations and parties. It is exhausting to think about.
Acknowledging that many families find themselves in the same spots, we have planned Children’s RE Activities for the summer that will be simple, yet impactful. We have two groups of volunteers leading activities and then I will be leading a few activities.
We will start off the summer this Sunday with the first of our “Banned Books Story Time.” As many of you know, there are important books that are being banned around the country. It just so happens that these books often coincide with some of our UU values. So the first book will be “Antiracist Baby” written by Ibram X. Kendi and illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky. We will use the book as a jumping-off point to discuss what it means to be anti-racist and how we, even as kids can work to become anti-racist. We will read the book and engage in a couple of active learning activities.
The second installment of the “Banned Book Story Time” will be a couple of weeks later featuring “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole. It was this past year’s most banned book. We will look at the many ways families come together. Not all families have a Mom and Dad, but some have two moms or two dads, some have one mom or dad, some have parents that do fall into the gender binary, some are born to families and some are adopted. No matter how a family is created, it is all equally a family. We will again read the book and learn through some hands-on activities.
This summer will also feature a class led by Candice and Brooke Donaldson. They will discuss that way those without sight engage in the world around them. They will hear firsthand from Candice, who has lost her sight, and Brooke who has worked at the Seeing Eye here in Morristown. They will meet a seeing-eye dog, learn some brail by using a brail type-writer, among other activities.
Finally, the Davis Family will lead a day of art. Children will use their creativity to create visual works of art.
These classes are designed for children 3-11 years old. They will take place from 10-11am. The Schedule for July is as follows:
- July 4th – Banned Books Story Time – Antiracist Baby
- July 10th – NO RE – Children are invited to stay for Alison’s Odyssey Program
- July 17th – Learning about the Visually Impaired
- July 24th – Banned Books Story Time – And Tango Makes Three
- July 31st – Art
August dates are still being planned. Updates to come soon.
Please note that during the summer, we will not have our paid childcare provider in the nursery. However, the service will be streaming in the library and there will be some activities for our young children there for both parent and child to view the service.