Tapestry of Faith: Chalice Children: A Program about Our Unitarian Universalist Community for Preschoolers

Taking It Home: A Tour of the Outside of Our Congregation

And the Earth is my blue boat home. — "Blue Boat Home" by Peter Mayer, Hymn 1064 in Singing the Journey

IN TODAY'S SESSION . . . We took a walk around the outside of the congregation to explore the special places of our "church [congregational] home."

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER . . . Invite your child to show you the walk we took around the outside of the congregation's building. Read one of the suggested books for this session:

  • All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan (1994). Told in the voice of a child who lives on a farm with his parents and grandparents, the child introduces readers to the spots that each person in his family loves best.
  • Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney and Annette Cable (1998). In this playful introduction to maps and geography, step-by-simple-step, a young girl shows readers herself on a map of her room, her room on the map of her house, her house on the map of her street—all the way to her country on a map of the world.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try . . . comparing the congregational grounds to the grounds around your home. How is it different, and how is it the same?

A Family Adventure. Take a tour together of a local place of nature.

A Family Discovery. Listen to "Blue Boat Home" by UU Peter Mayer on YouTube or order his music on iTunes. Visit the UU Ministry for the Earth website.

A Family Game. Play one of the Chalice Children Games together.

A Family Ritual. Bless your property or a nearby outdoor area by walking through it with a chalice, using the words from "Blue Boat Home," Hymn 1064 in Singing the Journey.