04/08/2026 by Shannon Day

Fabric Play

Have you heard of Fabric Play? At Westside, we have already done some! Our costuming station includes many fabrics in different textures, colors, and sizes. These are fabrics and costumes that children can touch, feel, play and engage with in imaginative play. While costuming has benefits around gender affirming, role play, and body autonomy, both costuming and Fabric Play have other benefits too! This activity helps with fine and general motor skills, sensory awareness, problem solving and creativity, and often involves collaborative activities teaching about cooperation and communication. Fabric Play can take costuming even farther into props or scenery. Fabric

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04/01/2026 by Shannon Day

Spring Energy

Greetings: I love Westside’s tradition of wearing fun hats to Easter service for our annual congregational photo. I might have worn my favorite green wig and antenna the last couple of years because it feels so much like spring energy to me! Besides pondering my spring outfit for Easter Spring Sunday service, I’m thinking about what we will have for dinner on Parents/Caregivers Night Out this Saturday, April 4th, 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Parents/Caregivers Night Out is a no-cost, child drop-off event. Adults sign in their children with me in the Social Hall. Then you will have two free hours

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03/25/2026 by Shannon Day

Spring Con

Greetings: Now is the perfect time for Westside families to register their 8-12th graders for Spring Youth Conference April 24 – 26 link.My friend, Amanda Alice, asked me to share her invite with all our Westside youth 8-12th grades and families. Amanda says “We are excited to be hosting the next youth conference – InCONvenient Community Con – this spring at East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, Washington! You are invited to attend—please register and help spread the word. Youth conferences, or “cons” for short, are led by youth from our region, including UU! As you probably definitely know, CONS

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03/18/2026 by Shannon Day

Courage, Care and Interdependence

Greetings: This Sunday we’ll be learning a bit about James Luther Adams, a UU theologian, who said “We are not saved by faith or love alone, but by the courage to act upon both.” In RE we will have a fun interdependence group braiding activity and a quiet contemplative mini zines station where we examine what we’re good at, things we bring to the group, and how we all need support sometimes. What do you think it’ll be easier to think about — what you bring or what you need? We will have our usual RE activity stations including immigrant

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03/05/2026 by Shannon Day

Spring Ahead RE

We hope you join us for a weekend of RE activities. Everyone, but especially families, are invited to join us in the Social Hall forAll Ages Game Night on Saturday, March 7, at 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. We’ll be having a potluck, so please bring something to share – but if you don’t, that’s ok too. We’ll have multiple tables set up for different games and for multigenerational game play. This is not a drop-off-kids event; we’ll be planning for parents to stay, play games and potluck. This is a perfect event to invite new and other families that

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03/02/2026 by Shannon Day

We Love Reading

Greetings: What are you reading these days? Pictured here is the 12 Days of Lunar New Year picture sing-a-long book from Time for All Ages on Sunday February 22. I love to read and am often reading more than one book. I’m currently reading Black History is Your History by Taylor Cassidy, which is so good, relevant, and makes history personal, understandable, and wonderfully geared towards young adult readers. Do you have young readers at home? MaiStorybook is one of my favorite book list recommendations: Lunar New Year link, ten favorite Ramadan Children’s Books link, and Black History link. You

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02/16/2026 by Shannon Day

Parent/Caregivers/Guardians Group

Greetings: Do you have any plans for this weekend? At Westside, we will have Parent/Caregivers/Guardians Group 10:30 am -12 noon. It is open to all Parents/Caregivers/Guardians of children, youth, young adults, and adults of all ages. Participants are welcome to join any or all meetings – no RSVP is necessary.  Folks are welcome to park in the church lot or on the street, and to enter through the Social Hall door. Our RE Sunday programming for children is happening at the same time in the Social Hall.  During our meeting time, we are creating a space of connection for parents,

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02/09/2026 by Shannon Day

Buddhism, Tea and Love

Greetings: Westside had an exciting weekend including a Winter Con for high schoolers, our annual Auction Saturday, and special guest speaker Marcus Green Sunday. Thank you to all those who have worked behind the scenes with Westside’s auction and to all those who attended, participated, and donated. Your donations and pledges make it possible for us to do all the wonderful programming and events at Westside and have our amazing staff. In RE, one of the ways we embrace our UU pluralism and multicultural values is by engaging in a variety of spiritual grounding practices, and connecting the children to

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01/29/2026 by Shannon Day

Ground Hog Day

Greetings: Have you ever seen a ground hog? Once when I was hiking in the mountains I saw and heard marmots but they’re different than the one groundhog I spotted while visiting my spouse’s family in Illinois. On social media, I follow a famous groundhog named Chunk. If you do a search in your favorite search engine or on YouTube for Chunk the Groundhog, you can learn about him, his family, and their adventures. Chunk had been helping himself to Jeff Permar’s garden, and instead of trying to get rid of Chunk, Jeff decided to lean into co-existence. What might

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01/26/2026 by Shannon Day

Messages of care and solidarity with Minnesota UUs

Greetings: How is your heart? This last Sunday in RE, our special activity was making cards with messages of care, love, support, and encouragement to Minnesota UUs. These kinds of handwritten notes are so appreciated. We encouraged children to collaborate as writers, scribes, and artists. We will also had our other RE activity stations available. All of Westside was invited to make cards and handwritten messages. Blank cards were provided on the activity table in the back of the sanctuary and more card-making supplies in the Social Hall after services on Sunday. This week, we will send the package of

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