Welcome to Aurora United Church’s virtual Funday Sunday – Sunday School program! While we cannot meet together on Sunday morning, we can still meet virtually to learn about Jesus by reading the Bible, talking about what we’ve read and doing some activities. Get together with your family and do these lessons when it works for you or phone your friend or other family members who you can’t get together with to talk about these lessons. Have fun!
AUC Funday Sunday on Zoom
There will be no Funday Sunday on May 22, 2022
Happy Victoria Day!
See everyone on Sunday May 29!
Sunday May 15, 2022 - Fifth Sunday of Easter
Today was all about the new rule - Jesus telling us that we should love one another as he loves us. We watched a video about the new rule (on this page). A very important thing about this rule is that Jesus was already living that rule. He had already shown his disciples how to love one another because he had already been loving them. And, because Jesus loved first, then the disciples were able to love each other. We sang the song - Love, Love, Love One Another and played Ice Cream Cone Bible Triva Game (see links below). Here are some activities for you to do at home.
Ice Cream Cone Bible Trivia Game
Love Each Other (colouring page)
A New Commandment (fill in the blank)
Sunday May 1, 2022 - Third Sunday of Easter
Today was all about spring and Jesus' parable about the farmer who went out to plant some seeds. You know the story. We talked about parables - stories that Jesus told to teach a lesson. What we learned from this parable is that we need to make our lives - good lives so that God's word and Jesus' life will bear fruit in each one of us. Isn't that amazing - we are God's good fruit to share with everyone around us. Tomorrow begins Mental Health Week in Canada and the theme is Empathy. We are invited this week to ask someone how they are and then just listen to them - to be a good listener helps everyone's mental health - knowing that someone is there who cares for them is special. We watched a video about the parable of the sower (on this page). We sang the song - Seed Sower, and played Finding Jesus Riddle game (see links below). Here are some activities for you to do at home.
Parable of the Sower (colouring page)
Parable of the Sower (cupcakes)
Sunday April 24, 2022 - Second Sunday of Easter
Today we talked about Jesus' resurrction and his appearances to the disciples after Easter! Easter isn’t over…it has just begun! We continue to celebrate Jesus' resurrection, as we see his unexpected encounter with disciples in the upper room, on the road to Emmaus, and at the seashore. How can we open our eyes to see Jesus? We heard the story of the Sand Dollar (see below) We watched a video about what happened after Easter (on this page). We sang the song - Hey Now, Singing Hallelujah, and played an Easter game (see links below). Here are some activities for you to do at home.
Hey Now Singing Hallelujah (song)
Road to Emmaus Crafts and Activities
Easter Sunday
The other Easter games we have played in these last few weeks are also below. You may want to play them with your family and friends on Easter weekend! There are also some Easter crafts and snack ideas for you to try at home!
Let's Talk About Racism
Talking to your friends and family about racism can be tough. Here are some books and videos to help you start thinking about it.
More, More, More, Said the Baby
Written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams, Greenwillow Books (AGES 0-2) Blogger Sachi Feris at Raising Race Conscious Children says that in order to have conversations about racism when your kids are a bit older, you have to raise kids who are aware of race as early as possible. Making it seem like race doesn’t exist only serves to hide the fact that racism is something people face. To that end, she recommends reading the adorable and multiracial More, More, More Said the Baby with toddlers, and using it an opportunity to talk about the different races of the characters, and then expanding that conversation at the same time to talk about people of different ethnicities in your child’s life.
All the Colors We Are
Written by Katie Kissinger; photographs by Chris Bohnhoff, Redleaf Press (AGES 3+) All the Colors We Are takes a kidappropriate, demystifying and scientiIc look at why people have different skin colours (spoiler alert, it’s because of who our ancestors are, the sun, and melanin), and introduces the idea that skin colour is just one part of who we are. This smart book also includes activities to help with further discussions about this topic.
The Stone Thrower (Jael Ealey Richardson)
Written by Jael Ealey Richardson and illustrated by Matt James, Groundwood Books (AGES 4-9) A children’s version of a book Richardson wrote about her dad, Chuck Ealey, The Stone Thrower tells the story of Chuck’s life growing up as black kid in a thenracially segregated Portsmouth, Ohio. Chuck loved football, and though he faced many challenges, including poverty and racial taunts, he had an unbeaten record as a quarterback in both high school and university due to his determination. Even with all of this talent, he wasn’t chosen to play that position in the NFL because of his race. Instead, he became a quarterback in the Canadian Football League, and in his Irst year, led his team (the Hamilton Tiger-Cats) to win the Grey Cup in 1972.
Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged
Written by Jody Nyasha Warner and illustrated by Richard Rudnicki, Groundwood Books (AGES 5-9) In 1946, a Black Nova Scotian woman named Viola Desmond refused to leave her seat in what was then a whites’-only area of a movie theatre. This picture book tells her story with striking illustrations, and offers a fantastic example of standing up for your rights, even when there are strong consequences. (Desmond was taken to jail, charged and Ined for her actions. She was later pardoned, though it was decades after her death.) Viola Desmond is the first Canadian woman featured on Canadian currency.
Kids Speak Their Mind About Race
Discrimination Explained for Kids
Miss Anna Talks to kids about racism. I appreciated THIS video for a lot of reasons: clear, empathetic, short.
Other Resources for Families...
Talking with Children about COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Talking Points from Jeffrey Dale, Shining Waters Regional Council 20.03.20
How to Talk to Children About the Coronavirus Pandemic by Alan Wolfelt at the Center for Loss and Life Transition, 19.03.20
