Religious Education for Children

Church School for 2008-2009

Nursery Care
Infants through children who are two years old this September spend their morning in the nursery, which is filled with toys and activities. The warm, accepting atmosphere, where trust can be formed helps the children feel safe and happy in their first associations with the church. The nursery opens at 10:30. Parents should expect to stay for a few minutes to allow time for their child to adapt to the space and get acquainted with the caregivers. Parents who use the nursery are expected to take turns volunteering.

Preschool
Celebrating Me & My World
This program provides preschoolers with opportunities to grow in their sense of trust and caring and develop their self-identity and their sense of connectedness with all of life. It celebrates the wondrous qualities of the children themselves and expands outward to the things and people around them.

Kindergarten and Grade One
A Discovering Year
This program gives the children an age-appropriate introduction to Unitarian Universalism by focusing on four UU principles that guide the experiences offered in each session:

• That each person is special and important

• That we should treat each other fairly and kindly

• That we should accept each other and learn together

• That we should take care of the earth, the home we share with all living things

Grades Two and Three
Beginning Unitarian Universalism
This program brings children to a comfort with, and sense of belonging to, their UU faith. The goals of the program are for the children:

• To know and articulate their own religious faith

• To develop a sense of pride in their religious identity

• To learn about some special present and past Unitarian Universalists

• To build an understanding of the uniqueness of their church community

• To explore other religious perspectives.

Grades Four and Five
Kingdom of Equals, Jesus’ Radical Path to Love and Justice
This program is an introduction to the life and teachings of Jesus, a man who imagined a world where people would aid and accept one another irrespective of differences, a society without self-righteousness or violence or greed, a true kingdom of equals.

Grades Six and Seven
Neighboring Faiths
This year the sixth and seventh graders are introduced to the faith traditions and practices of other religious groups in the community.  Participation in a variety of different worship services is a highlight of this program.

Coming-Of-Age Program (Grades 8 and 9) 
This class was created to celebrate the transition from childhood to youth, the time when people “come of age”. Many cultures mark this passage with rituals, learning, testing, and celebration. Peers of this age group may be preparing for confirmation or bar/bat mitzvah. Our UU Coming-of-Age youth will spend time learning and worshiping together as they explore their own beliefs along with those of other UUs and other faiths. They will meet once a month with our minister to explore topics such as Heaven and Hell, Good and Evil, and Unitarian Universalism. The year culminates with the youth writing their own statement of beliefs, which will be presented at a worship service of their own design. 

This program involves a serious time commitment, with some overnight retreats and a trip to Boston. Some classes are held during church time, others are in the afternoon or evening. If youth are unable or unwilling to make the commitment to Coming-Of-Age, they are welcome to attend church services with their parents or to join the Neighboring Faiths class.