DR. SEUSS AND UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS
DR. SEUSS'S SLEEP BOOK

(NOTE: Please review the Introduction before using this Session Plan. Thank you.)

SETTING THE STAGE
STORY SYNOPSIS: Various fanciful and real ways people get ready to go to sleep. (10 Minutes)

AFFIRMATION: We are connected with our universe.

THEME: Sleeping is a natural part of the day.

PREPARATION: Reflect on the importance of sleep in your life.

NEEDED:
Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book, Random House, 1962
Note: Participants may be invited to bring a doll or stuffed animal that they take to bed for this session.

SESSION PLAN
OPENING: Selected by the group. This can be used each session.

CHECK-IN: Welcome. Each person says his or her name. Allow time for each person to briefly tell something that went well since the group last met, or something that did not go well.

Leave an empty chair or space for someone who is missing from the group that day, or to recognize that others are welcome to be invited to join the group.

STORY
Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book

EXPLORING
Sleep as part of the day
Sleep is a time for our body to take a break from activity and to get re-energized. What would happen if we did not take time to sleep? Do you ever have times when you don't sleep well (like in a bed that is not their usual one)? How do you feel in the morning, if you do not sleep well?

What things do some people do in their sleep? (Dreaming, sleepwalking, snoring, talking. The focus is on these being normal for some people, and not something to be ridiculed.)

What kinds of things do they do to get ready for bed? Do they have stories read to them? By whom? Do they tell or read the stories to their parents or siblings? Are there other things that they do to get ready for bed--brush teeth, change clothes, etc.?

How do they feel about going to bed? Do they remember any dreams that they have had? Are the dreams nice? What happens if you have a dream that is not so nice, and maybe is scary? What do you do? (Concern is whether they are afraid, without asking directly.)

Do you take dolls or stuffed animals to bed?
What kinds of bed do you sleep in? (single bed, or sleep with someone, bunk bed)

Do animals sleep? If so, do they use the same kind of beds as people? Do you have beds for your pets? What about wild animals?

Relaxation
Participants lie on a carpeted floor or blankets. Have them squeeze the muscles in each part of the body, then relaxing each part of the body, "falling into the floor". Start with one foot -- "Squeeze the your toes and other muscles of your left foot, really tight, then relax. Squeeze your lower leg, and relax…." Continue with the right foot and leg, moving up the body and ending with the face. Have them rest for a few minutes, listening to just their own breathing.

When it is time to get up, suggest that they gradually stretch while still lying down, move around a little bit before sitting up.

Relaxation is a tool that they can use when they get upset. It also sets the stage for the practice of meditation.

Social Action project
Talk with a local shelter, housing for children with special needs (such as Ronald McDonald House). Invite the participants to bring things that are needed for the children, such as sheets, blankets, pajamas, stuffed animals. This could be offered as a project for the entire congregation.

CLOSING
Make cards with pictures of beds for participants to take home, possibly with this poem or another one that you may find. Repeat the poem as a closing. "Now I lay me down to sleep,
My friends and family, their love to keep,
So love surrounds me through the night,
And wakes me with the morning light."
GROUP REVIEW
What did they like about the session? (theme, activities, someone special being there, etc.)

Announce the story for the next session and who will be the adult facilitator, or if there are special events in the time before they meet again.

Rev. Helen Zidowecki, May 2003