Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Love Will Guide Us: A Program for Grades 2-3 that Applies the Wisdom of the Six Sources to the Big Questions

Alternate Activity 2: UU Source Constellation - Reason and Science

Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • Review this activity. Plan how to incorporate it into the session Opening.
  • Purchase gold and silver star stickers.
  • Print out Session 3, Handout 1, UU Source Constellation - Reason and Science for all participants, plus one extra.
  • Print out Session 3, Leader Resource 1, UU Source Constellation Answer Sheet - Reason and Science.
  • Using the leader resource as a guide, use star stickers to mark the infinity sign constellation on one copy of the handout: Place gold star stickers on the outlined stars and silver star stickers on the solid stars. Do not connect the gold stars. Post the constellation on the Night Sky along with the Big Dipper and North Star.

Description of Activity

Use this activity with your Opening to add additional Source constellations to your Night Sky.

Tell the children:

Our Sources are the way we are guided as Unitarian Universalists to help us live our faith.

Ask the children if they remember (or know) what a "source" is. Allow a moment for responses. Then, explain that the definition of source you are looking for has to do with origin, or beginning.

Distribute the UU Source Constellation handout. Say in your own words:

Today we are talking about the "the use of reason and the discovery of science," our fifth Unitarian Universalist Source.

Unitarian Universalists believe science and reason will help us answer the big questions. They are called Humanists, and people who are humanists want concrete answers. Do we know for certain where we come from, how life began, or why we are here?

Unitarian Universalists believe it's important to learn from science and reason and to help us, we have a constellation named in honor of this Source. It's shaped like an infinity sign (a scientific symbol) to represent this Source. Are you familiar with that symbol? It looks like a figure eight resting on its side. Can you find it in our Night Sky?

Can you find the infinity sign in our Night Sky?

Give them time to look for the infinity symbol. As children find it, let them show you by tracing the shape with a finger on their own handouts.

Distribute gold and silver stars. Have children stick gold stars on the outlined stars and silver stars on the solid stars on their handouts. Then, invite them to pencil the infinity sign constellation by connecting the gold stars. Tell them they may take home their own Reason and Science constellations.