The First Congregational Church of Darien

May 15th Newsletter

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For Parents

from verywellfamily.com

In our new screen-saturated social distancing lifestyle, worries about body image are taking new shape. Read a bit about some general guidelines for talking to your kids about body image from verywellfamily.com.

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Kids learn about body image—and develop anxieties about their appearance—from a variety of sources, including parents, friends and peers, and the media. Parents can play a crucial role in encouraging a sense of good body image in kids. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

    1. Watch your words. Don’t say things like, “I look so fat in this,” or “I can’t eat this because it’ll make me fat.” Your child is listening and learning from you. The Common Sense Media study found that kids ages 5 to 8 who think their moms are unhappy with their bodies are more likely to be dissatisfied with their own bodies. Show confidence in your body as well as about yourself.
    2. Try not to focus on appearance. Don’t talk about people’s appearance and their bodies and focus on more important things about a person, such as how kind or charitable they are or whether they have good manners or work hard.
    3. Emphasize exercise and healthy eating over their weight. Spend family time doing active things like playing outside, riding bikes, and going to the park. When you go grocery shopping, let kids help you clean and put away the groceries and encourage dialogue about the various fresh items you have brought home.
    4. Scan their toys. Take a look at the action figures in your son’s toy chest. Do they have unrealistic bulging muscles? Do the dolls in your daughter’s room have proportions that are not humanly possible? Try to edit these toys out or at least balance them out with more realistic representations of the human body. Better yet, stock up on brain-building board games, puzzles, and great books for kids.
    5. Talk about gender and body stereotypes in ads and media.
    6. Limit screen time. Studies have shown that cutting back screen time can reduce kids’ risk of obesity and even improve grades.

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    Prayers

    1. For states that are opening up
    2. For über and taxi drivers
    3. For those with medical issues other than or on top of COVID-19.

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    Screen-Free Fun

    1. Draw a road with chalk and follow it on rollerblades or a scooter.
    2. Paint rocks.
    3. Let your children dress up in your old formals.

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    Church Beautification – Adopt-a-Spot (A Message from Wyn Lydecker)

    Here’s a chance to get out as a family in the fresh air and to do some service for God’s creation and your church home. You’ll make our church look more beautiful and welcoming to visitors and passersby. And you’ll get exercise in a cooperative venture.

    Since we cannot hold our annual all-church spring beautification, we’re asking families to volunteer “Adopt-a-Spot” and accomplish one job by themselves. You choose the time that will work for you! By working in family units on your own time, we’re adhering to the spirit of keeping a safe distance from others.

    To adopt-a-spot, contact Christine Geeding at: cgeeding@uccdarien.org or 208-891-0848

    Here’s a list of landscaping tasks that need attention at our church. You choose! Map of church is attached to help clarify the spot.

    Landscaping Jobs

    1. Pull little weeds and pick up the loose bricks in the Memorial Garden.
    2. Weed and mulch the bed outside Meetinghouse by entrance to Parish Hall (where the hoses are kept).
    3. Weed and mulch the bed with tulips, hosta, and astilbe next to the ramp into Parish Hall (Do not cut the tulips or their leaves).
    4. Weed and mulch the bed in front of the ramp.
    5. Weed and mulch the bed outside the Library.
    6. Cut back the ilex hedge next to the ramp to the Meetinghouse so that it isn’t growing over the sidewalk. (Please do not touch the bed next to it, as it’s filled with perennials.)
    7. Weed, edge, and mulch bed with sign by path from upper parking lot to church. (Do not cut daffodil or tulip leaves.)
    8. Weed, edge, and mulch the bed outside Dale’s office. It has a lot of perennials in it, so this is good for someone who knows their plants.
    9. Take away the dead Christmas greens in the urn outside the office wing entrance and plant seasonal flowers. Clean up the courtyard and clean up debris around the drain.
    10. Weed and mulch the bed next to the main church steps on the north side of Meetinghouse. Throw away the discarded pots of plants in the bushes.
    11. Weed, edge, and mulch the long bed with tree, tulips, perennials, and yew that is in front of the church. (Do not cut tulip or daffodil leaves)
    12. Weed, edge, and mulch the bed with the white church sign in back of bench.
    13. Weed, edge, and mulch the round bed with yews and a church sign in near Brookside Road.
    14. Look for other jobs, like trimming hedges or weeding hillsides or planting lilies or perennials.

    You can buy brown cedar mulch at Home Depot. If you can find it on sale, even better. Feel free to donate the mulch or ask for reimbursement from the church. Please note on your receipt: Church Beautification. Contact Audrey Esmond or Wyn Lydecker (203-536-4157; wynlydecker@gmail.com) for help identifying weeds or with questions. FYI: poison ivy is reddish green with groups of 3 small leaves.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_custom_heading text=”Our church is beautiful…be part of keeping it that way!” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center|color:%231e73be” google_fonts=”font_family:Artifika%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” css_animation=”fadeInLeftBig”][vc_empty_space][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/qACBYxqqSCs”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][vc_column parallax=”content-moving” parallax_image=”9300″ width=”1/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”9498″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

    Let me know if your student would like an Access teeshirt! $12 ea.

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    Let’s Have a Puppet Party!

    For age 0 – Kindergarten

    [/vc_message][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”9616″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Parents of littles:
    Pastor Ben and Mrs. G. want to join you and your littlest ones (age 0 – Kindergarten) for a fun Zoom party showcasing our puppets and stuffed animals.

    What works best for you?
    Weekday: Morning/afternoon/evening?
    Weekend: Morning/afternoon/evening?
    Please email me!

    How will it work?
    1. Have your child bring their favorite stuffed animal to show-and-tell
    2. Enjoy a puppet show by Pastor Ben and Mrs. G.
    3. A short stretching/yoga cycle based on the stuffed animals we see in our party

    This party should last between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on how engaged the littles are.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_message message_box_color=”white” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-handshake-o”]

    Elementary Virtual Game Night

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    Join Mrs. G. on May 21st at 7:00pm for our next Elementary Virtual Game Party. Geared toward 3rd-5th grade, but younger siblings are welcome! Link to Zoom here!

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    Let’s Build a Dinosaur!

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    Oh What Fun!

    https://www.yourmodernfamily.com/dinosaur-out-of-toilet-paper-rolls/

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    FCC LINKS

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