Ideas for Follen Kids: 31 Ideas for 31 Days in May

Looking for ideas of fun things to do as a family or for your kids? This month’s theme is Rituals. Here’s a list for daily activities for the month of May. We hope you’ll find some inspiration, and do any that you choose with deliberate intention, and a sense that everything is holy now.

1. Watch a live-cam of the Decorah eagle’s nest as Mom and Dad raise their 3 babies (at this moment they are adorable!): https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/decorah-eagles/
2. “Follen Mandala Project” Day– Download a Mandala for each family member from the Church website, color, and mail to Beryl at church (or scan and send via email to beryldre@follen.org ) We’ll do this several times this month.
3. Today is Flower Communion! Join us online for the intergenerational worship service at 10 a.m. Gather flowers from your yard to add beauty to your home OR draw pictures of flower bouquets to hang up.
4. Send a family letter to distant relatives with each person writing or drawing something
5. Go for a night walk and be verrrrry quiet. What night sounds do you hear?
6. Portrait Studio—Have family members each draw a picture of another family member. Who knows what masterpiece may be revealed!
7. Create a scavenger hunt in your house. You could have them find specific items OR ask them to come up with an item for each of our UU principles and then share why they chose that.
8. Help tidy your neighborhood. Put on some gloves and pick up a bag of litter.
9. “Follen Mandala Project” Day– Download a Mandala for each family member from the Church website, color, and mail to Beryl at church (or scan and send via email to beryldre@follen.org ) We’ll do this several times this month.
10. Celebrate the good mothers in your life– write & deliver a note of gratitude to someone who’s nurtured you well.
11. Learn something new by watching a short video on https://thekidshouldseethis.com/
12. Follen Mandala Project Day Download a Mandala for each family member from the Church website, color, and mail to Beryl at church (or scan and send via email to beryldre@follen.org )
13. Remember Follen Church. Keep the memories of their time at Follen alive and well. Ask your kids to share what sorts of things they remember about the class they were in. It could be content- or community-focused. What do they miss and how will it feel for them when we can all return to being together again at Follen?
14. Have your family take the J. Paul Getty Museum’s art masterpiece challenge. Find a work of art you love and then have your family “recreate” it. A great way to introduce your kids to great art!
15. Go through old photos. Kids will be especially interested in seeing pictures of you when you were younger.
16. Write a collaborative story. One person starts the story with 3 sentences to set the stage. Take turns adding a sentence to the story and see where you land!
17. “Follen Mandala Project” Day– Download a Mandala for each family member from the Church website, color, and mail to Beryl at church (or scan and send via email to beryldre@follen.org ) We’ll do this several times this month.
18. You’re Not You Day!—Spend the day, or maybe just an hour, or maybe just 10 minutes having each person act like someone else in the family. Stay in character as long as you think is suitable for your family.
19. Start a gratitude ritual Maybe it’s at bedtime, maybe dinner time, maybe at the start of your days. Find a time when you can regularly share the things you are grateful for!
20. Make toilet paper roll bird feeders
21. Have a contest to see who can make the most little words out of your street and city name. Or out of your family name. Or out of “Unitarian Universalism.” Or out of whatever you choose!
22. Create a Key Jar to elicit great family conversations: http://wearemiamiguardians.org/wp-content/uploads/KEY-JAR-48Questions.pdf
23. Adopt a Storm Drain—Live our 7th UU Principle by having your family adopt a storm drain. You can stop stormwater pollution from entering your waterways. Go to https://www.respectourwaters.org/adoptastormdrain to learn more.
24. Make a Fort Day– Rearrange the furniture, gather the blankets, and create a fort that will be the envy of all the neighbors, IF they could come over and see it!
25. “Follen Mandala Project” Day- Download a Mandala for each family member from the Church website, color, and mail to Beryl at church (or scan and send via email to beryldre@follen.org ) We’ll do this several times this month.
26. Have a family talent show. Each of you shows off your talents.
27. Create a UU Principles “Zen” garden. Using sand, a tray, some rocks and appropriate paint or markers, create a UU Principles zen garden, writing a UU principle on each rock.
28. Practice random acts of kindness! Surprise each family member by doing something nice for them.
29. Walk around the block and see how many flowers you can name. If you have a flower guidebook, bring it along and look up the ones you don’t already know! Or download a flower ID app.
30. Inspire others by writing affirming messages in chalk on the sidewalks in your neighborhood—“You’re Awesome,” “Keep it Real,” “ You are beautiful,” etc.
31. Celebrate our Follen Coming of Age Grads– Join us for our online service today where they will present their “Credo Statements” and then write a note to congratulate them on their journey this year by sending an email note to the Coming of Age advisors at coa@follen.org; they will compile and deliver to our amazing “COA” participants.

Want to print these for reference? May family resources – Ritual (3)