From Sarah Grenier: August flew by!!
We had an exciting time welcoming Minister Runnels, learning a few things, and playing at the Olympic Sunday Funday. We have lots of activities coming up this month, but I’d like to discuss something that’s been on our minds.
Kids are active and loud! That’s how they learn, and our job, as their church community, is to keep them safe. First, we should make sure we are realistic with our expectations of littles. They need outlets for moving their bodies. We are so excited about getting the fence, so our kids can play outside safely!!! If anyone has outdoor play equipment, please let me know.

If we are upset when a child does something like run across the chairs in the sanctuary, the first step is to regulate ourselves before interacting with the child. The easiest way to get from an unregulated to a regulated state is to take a deep breath or a few!
Next, we can follow a formula for how we approach the situation.
Observe and empathize: “I see you are having so much fun running!”
Boundary: “Chairs aren’t for running on. It’s my job to keep you safe.”
Choice: “Would you like to jump down like a frog or a kangaroo?” For an older child, you might ask, “what can you do instead that is safe?”
I hope this helps everyone in their interactions with kids or parenting! I’d be happy to elaborate in future discussions.

And now, for the September schedule:

• Sunday, September 1st, 10:30AM: Blessing of the backpacks! Our story will be about generosity.
  *During coffee hour: Back to school party
• Sunday, September 8th, 10:30AM: Water communion story
• Friday, September 13th, 6:30PM: Game Night! Bring your favorite board game or play one of ours. We will celebrate all September birthdays with a cake!
• Sunday, September 15th, 10:30AM: Peace story
• Sunday, September 22nd, 10:30AM: Solstice story
• Saturday September 28th: Climate Justice Revival
• Sunday, September 29th, 10:30AM: Multigen Service
  *10:30AM: Nursery open, no children’s religious education