Thursday, September 25, 2014

Pinterest Pick Thursdays

It's Pinterest Pick Thursday again!  Hooray!  Just as a reminder, or for anyone that is new to this blog, today is the day I feature activities you can do at home to promote your child's faith formation (or, if you like, spiritual / belief formation).  The four components of faith formation are:
  • Content (Curriculum)
  • Community (Relationships / Group Identity)
  • Covenant (How do we promise to be with each other)
  • Context / Calling (Who are we in our community / Social Justice) 

Pinterest Pick of the Week:
Family Covenant

Faith Formation Component:
Covenant

Time for Activity:
2 hours

Recommended Age:
All Ages

Materials:
Crafting Material of your choosing, Your home altar, piece of paper, writing utensil

Activities:
How has the first month of school been for you and your child(ren)?  Have all of you settled into a nice routine, or are you still trying to stand on quick sand?  If you recall, about a month ago, I suggested your family create a family altar in preparation for the coming school year.  Did you do it?  Has it been useful in centering you and your family?

Whatever the case may be - routine or quick sand, home altar or none - now, at the dawning of fall, it is a good time to create, or revisit, a family covenant.  For those of you who may be new to Unitarian Universalism, covenant is a group of promises we make to each other and the world on how we will be in relation.  As our faith does not profess any sort of doctrine, the basis of our religion is the covenant - it is what binds us together.  The video below offers a great explanation of what covenant means to Unitarian universalists, appropriate for ages 10 and up.




To begin your family covenant, call all members of your family together.  Share with them what you just learned about covenant.  Then, ask the following questions, and record your answers on a piece of paper:
  • How should we behave when we are around each other?
  • How should we behave when we are around other people?
  • How should we NOT behave?
  • How should we remind each other when we break our covenant?  What words should we use?
Be sure to honor all voices, young and old, when creating your family covenant.  Once all ideas have been recorded, your family may want to revise and edit the list to a simple set of commands.  Now, here comes the fun part...

Transcribe your covenant so it can become a work of art in your home.  Some suggestions are provided below.

A cotton ball cloud with rays of rainbow colored construction paper.

Create a rainbow covenant like the one featured above.  Write each commandment on each ray of the rainbow and change out the words "God, I promise to..." that are on the sun to "Together, we promise to...".  Take it a step further and add our 7 principles to the back of the rainbow (one principle per ray).  Here is a quick cheat sheet for you to use.

Red: Each person is important.
Orange: Be kind in all you do.
Yellow: We're free to learn together.
Green: We search for what is true.
Blue: All people need a voice.
Indigo: Build a fair and peaceful world.
Violet: We care for our Earth.

A multi-frame picture frame
re-purposed as a meal planner.
Or, frame your covenant.  You could frame the entire covenant in one frame, frame each commandment in a separate frame, or use a compilation frame like the one featured to the left.  Use your child's artwork, wrapping paper, or scrap book paper for the backing of each frame.  Print out, cut and paste each commandment onto each frame, or use a dry erase marker on the glass of each frame.

Wood planks, painted, and
stacked on top of each other.
Looking for something more natural?  Just grab some paint, some old wood and stencils.  Have the entire family transcribe your covenant onto an old pallet, or wood planks (see right).

Finally, display your covenant.  Place it by your home altar, if you have one, or display it in a prominent place within your household.

Original Sources: Pictures and iinspiration for today's activity come from My Joy-Filled Life, Next to Heaven, HGTV, and UU @ Home.


Wishing you well!


- Ms. Meredith

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