As I look forward to the coming fall, I am excited! We are off to a fun and eventful year in Children’s Religious Education. We have a wonderful group of volunteers who are dedicated and concerned with the safety and well-being of the children. Our curriculum is from the UUA’s Tapestry of Faith program.
~PreK children will explore the Chalice Children program. They will be introduced to a sense of wonder and respect for the world, belonging to the congregation, and learning the importance of sharing and expressing love.
~ Our K-1st grade class will explore our Seven Principles in the context of beloved community of family/home, school, and neighborhood in Love Surrounds Us.
~ The 2nd-3rd grade group will learn to seek guidance in life through the lens of our Unitarian Universalist Sources in LoveWill Guide Us. They will learn that we value questions in Unitarian Universalism as they begin to shape their own answers.
~ The 4th and 5th graders will use the Tapestry of Faith’s curriculum Windows and Mirrors. Using the metaphor of windows and mirrors represents the relationship among our awareness of self, our perceptions of others, and others’ perceptions of us.
In the spring, this group will begin Our Whole Lives (OWL), which equips them with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. For more information contact Tom Hartnett at tjhiii@aol.com.
~Our middle schoolers will be processing Big Questions in Riddles and Mystery, such as: Where do we come from? Where are we going? Does God exist? and What happens when you die? The final three are increasingly Unitarian Universalist: Can we solve life’s mystery? How can I know what to believe? What does Unitarian Universalism mean to me?
~ Our high School group will follow a new curriculum that centers around worship, discussion and social justice issues.
With love and acceptance of ourselves, we are destined to have a fun and successful year in Children’s Religious Education.
Elizabeth Hickman
Director of Religious Education