Resources
Part of Riddle and Mystery, 6th Grade
Quiet Music
Use soft guitar or other instrumental music to open sessions and as background during craft activities. Find recordings of specific Unitarian Universalist interest at inSpirit: The UU Book and Gift Shop. Avoid loud, bouncy music that may energize youth instead of helping them settle. Some CDs with quiet tracks include:
Scott August, New Fire (Cedar Mesa Music, 2005)
Baraka (Milan Records, 2005), a reissued movie soundtrack of international religious music
Cesar Berlanga, Music for Relaxation (The Relaxation Company, 2002), quiet guitar music
Empire Brass, King’s Court and Celtic Fair (Telarc, 1996)
Paul Winter, Greatest Hits (Living Music, 1998).
Bells, Chimes and Sound-makers
Openings and a few other activities suggest tingsha chimes. You can purchase tingshas and other bells, chimes and soothing sound-makers online from The Light and Harmony Shop, Zanzibar Trading, Bells Online and many other websites.
Tapestry of Faith Resources
Tapestry of Faith offers two multi-chapter resources online to help you use the arts effectively in children’s religious education. Spirituality and the Arts in Children's Programming is by Dr. Nita Penfold, creator of the Spirit Play program. Making Music Live, by Nick Page, provides guidance for incorporating music into religious education, including how to teach songs even if you are not a musician.
Nurturing Children and Youth: A Developmental Guidebook by Tracey L. Hurd, Ph.D. (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2005), a Tapestry of Faith Toolkit book, may help you shape your expectations and plans for this age group.
Additional Books
More books that might be useful are:
The Gift of Faith: Tending the Spiritual Lives of Children by Jeanne Harrison Nieuwejaar Second Edition (Boston: Skinner House Books, 2003)
Welcoming Children with Special Needs: A Guidebook for Faith Communities by Sally Patton (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2004)
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv (Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books, 2005).