The best way to keep good acts in memory is to refresh them with new.— Cato

IN TODAY'S SESSION... We concluded our Faithful Journeys program. Our Move It! game challenged the children to voice ways they will "step up" to act on Unitarian Universalist Principles we studied in earlier sessions. We also heard a personal story of faithful action told by a member of our own congregation, and had a party to which we invited — in our imaginations — the people from our Unitarian Universalist heritage and contemporary communities whose faithful journeys we have learned about. Our final signpost to help guide us in faithful action was "Get Moving."

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about... a decision you had to make — large or small — and how you chose a course of action based on your values. Identify which Unitarian Universalist Principle(s) encompass the particular values involved in this decision. Engage your child to look for how the Principles appear in the ways your family spends money and time. Invite your child to share a recent choice that was influenced by their trying to do the right thing, and see if you can attach one of the Principles to their choice.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try... Make an "I Can. " In Faithful Journeys, children reflected on ways they expressed the Unitarian Universalist Principles. They wrote about their actions on Faithful Footprints that we posted on our Faithful Journeys Path. Continue the practice of affirming your child's agency and ability to act for good by creating an "I Can." Write "I can... " on a piece of construction paper and wrap it around an empty, clean tin can. Any time you observe your child acting in a way that reflects our Principles or values, such as kindness, honesty, compassion and fairness, drop a coin in the "I Can." When the can is full, as a family, select a charitable use for the money.

FAMILY ADVENTURE

The image of a journey along a path structured the Faithful Journeys program. Explore an actual path your family has never taken in your neighborhood or a local park. As you go, consider what it means to find and follow a new path. What might make a new path scary? What might make it fun? How can you be sure you leave the path in a condition at least as good as you found it?

A FAMILY GAME

The children played "Step Up," progressing toward a finish line by offering ways they could "step up" to act out a given Unitarian Universalist Principle. If you'd like to try this game at home, here's a copy of the Principles with language for both adults and children.

FAMILY DISCOVERY

While not a specifically Unitarian Universalist program, the Giraffe Heroes Project collects wonderful stories of people who have chosen to "stick their necks out for the common good," demonstrating the kind of agency the Faithful Journeys curriculum has promoted.