January DRE Report

January DRE Report

Our Seventh Principle directs Unitarian Universalists to have “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” There are many ways that parents and religious educators can help foster that respect in our youth. This year our Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten class is using a UU curriculum called We Are Many, We Are One, by Colleen McDonald, published by the UUA. Two of these sessions caught my eye this year, since I am working on deepening my ties to trees and the natural world. Session six of the curriculum is called “Each Tree is Special,” and session seven is called “We Must Care for Trees.” These two delightful class sessions allowed the children to get out and experience trees, and to make art projects inspired by the trees.

As adult UUs, I know that most of us care deeply about environmental issues, and most of us work for social justice in this area. I do wonder how many of us regularly take the time to deeply connect with nature. It is easy in our suburban setting to “forget” to take nature walks, spend time at the beach, to visit our bigger parks and wilderness areas, or to even make a fire in the backyard and sit outside. I know as I get older it’s a little easier to neglect taking time to make that important connection to the natural world on a daily basis. So I am enjoying noticing the trees around me, learning their names and just paying attention to them.

As we move into a new year, I would like to invite those adults who would like to connect/re-connect with the out-of-doors to love a tree in 2011 with our PreK-K class. Each of us can select a tree, identify it and enjoy it this year. You don’t even have to tell anyone about your tree. Here are some ideas from We Are Many, We Are One to help you with your tree experience.

Complete these sentences for your tree:

My tree feels like____________
My tree smells like___________
My tree sounds like__________
My tree looks like____________

Paint or draw your tree, make a rubbing from the bark. Sculpt your tree. Meditate on being a tree. Feel your roots going down into the earth, your branches going up.

Enjoy your tree as you let that inner wild child out to play this year. Here’s to honoring trees and to forging deeper connections with the Earth and each other in 2011!

In Gratitude,

Rayna Hamre
Director of Religious Education