Our Religious Education (RE) classes are grouped by grade level. The material selected for use with each group is geared for the children's ages and interests. What is offered covers a broad spectrum, with the intention of honoring the values outlined in the Unitarian Universalist Principles. Included are personal development and self-esteem, world religions, Unitarian Universalism and Unitarian Universalists, decision-making, Jewish-Christian heritage, and values clarification. Our resources include materials published by the Unitarian Universalist Association, other UU societies/fellowships, religious education publishers outside our denomination, and materials and courses developed by our own volunteers.
In addition to regular Sunday morning classes, our program includes worship, special Sundays, holiday celebrations, and multigenerational activities.
Nursery care is provided from 9:30 - 11:50 A.M.
Please register your child(ren) before bringing them to Nursery or RE. You can download a Registration Form and bring it with you on a Sunday. Registration will take place before the 10:00 service throughout September. Newcomers may register their children at the RE office throughout the year. Visitors, if you are bringing a child to the nursery or to RE and the child is in the 2nd grade or younger, please go to the RE window in the lobby for a Visitor Information Sheet.
CURRICULUM OFFERINGS 2011 - 2012
Nursery: Child Care provided by paid staff – Missy Millett and Brandy Luther.
- Toddlers - The Red Group: Childcare provided by volunteers.
- Pre-K (3 and 4 year olds) - The Orange Group:
- Fall and Spring: Celebrating Me and My World: This yearlong program celebrates the wondrous qualities of children and the animals, things and people around them. It provides experiences to grow and trust and caring and to develop a self-identity and sense of connectedness with all life.
- Pre-K/K (4 and 5 year olds) - The Yellow Group:
- Fall and Spring: Around the Church, Around the Year: This curriculum gives an introduction to what a UU community is like, and encourages expression of feelings and questions young children have about life, death, people around them and the environment.
- Kindergarten and First Grade - The Green Group:
- Fall: Wonderful Welcome: This Tapestry of Faith curriculum helps children to identify intangible gifts central to Unitarian Universalism such as friendship, hospitality and fairness, and share these gifts with others.
Spring: Love Surrounds Us: This Tapestry of Faith program explores all the Principles in the context of Beloved Community of family/home, school, and neighborhood. Participants engage in activities that emphasize the love they feel in community.
- First and Second Grade - The Blue Group:
- Fall - Faithful Journey: This Tapestry of Faith curriculum equips children with language and experiences to develop and articulate a strong Unitarian Universalist faith identity through historic and contemporary stories of Unitarian Universalist faith in action.
Spring: UU Superheroes: This values-based UU identity curriculum introduces children to stories of UUs who have acted with courage and wisdom in their attempts to live their lives full and make the world a better place for others.
- Third Grade - The Indigo Group:
- Fall – Moral Tales: Every day our children go forth into a complex world where they are often faced with difficult decisions and situations. Moral Tales attempts to provide children with the spiritual and ethical tools they will need to make choices and take actions reflective of their Unitarian Universalist beliefs and values.
Spring: UU Superheroes: This values-based UU identity curriculum introduces children to stories of UUs who have acted with courage and wisdom in their attempts to live their lives full and make the world a better place for others.
- Fourth and Fifth Grade - The Purple Group:
- Fall and Spring: Spirit of Adventure: This program is designed to help children understand what it means to be a good Unitarian Universalist and to foster UU identity. The activities include lots more than arts and crafts and expose the children to a variety of role models from fields such as sports, medicine, science, building, exploring and the “web of life”.
- Sixth and Seventh Grade:
- Fall and Spring: Neighboring Faiths: This program explores the history and development of different faith traditions. Participants will choose which religious groups to learn about, visit and relate to their own religious views.
- Eighth and Ninth Grade:
- Fall and Spring: This will be a “coming of age” year for this group to learn about UU history and heritage and the sources of Unitarian Universalism to formulate their own set of beliefs. They will draw from several UU curricula: How Can I Know What to Believe? Popcorn Theology, and other UU curricula for youth.
- Senior High Group:
- Fall and Spring: Our high school youth will informally explore ethical, social and political issues in their lives. They will also host a St. Lawrence District youth conference in October and prepare for their presentation of a Sunday Worship Service in the spring.
Religious Education - Youth Links
