Mosque, Temple, and Church

A few weeks ago I accompanied Landon's grade level (P2=Kindergarten) on a field trip to a local Muslim mosque, a Chinese temple, and a Catholic church.  Unfortunately, I had to leave before they made it to the church, so I only have pictures of the mosque and temple.  It was very interesting to go in these buildings and learn a little about other religions.  I love that the kids can go on a school field trip to various places of worship.  I love that the multi-culturalism here is acknowledged.  The school doesn't ignore everyone's varied backgrounds and faith, or make them off-limits for teaching and discussion.  They don't pretend that everyone believes the same thing, or even worse, that no one believes anything at all.  Children are encouraged to learn about other people's backgrounds/cultures/religions, and to share their own experiences with others.  This was an educational trip for me, as well as for the kids!

Mosque

After removing their shoes, the children waited patiently to enter the mosque.

We were waiting for extra head coverings for the women, but it turned out that we were

allowed inside without them.  We did have to cover our elbows and knees.

It's wide open inside.  This area, and the balconies, are for the men to pray.

This partitioned area in the back corner is where the women pray

This is where the Imam speaks and leads the prayers

The kids were supposed to draw something they found interesting.  Landon drew a

picture of a grandfather clock.  Clocks are on almost every wall in the mosque so that everyone

knows the proper times to pray.

I don't know what this says or represents, but it was pretty!

Foot baths outside of the mosque

The kind people at the mosque had prepared a feast for us!

They were very welcoming, and answered any questions the children had.

 After the mosque we took a break at a local park.  It was soooo hot!

The Chinese Temple

 There are several places for burnt offerings and incense for the many gods.  

Unfortunately, we didn't have a guide here to explain everything to us.

One of the teachers was able to, but I wasn't in her group, so I missed out on the lesson!

This woman was praying and sticking incense into all of the urns around the temple

An altar with more incense.  The smell was intense.

 Landon drew a picture of the lantern

At the end of the day, Landon said he like the mosque the best, because it was the biggest.  :)