Five Smooth Stones,

a Family Ministry Blog

Religious Education for Children & Youth

All children and youth, whether visiting for the first time or attending for the 50th, are invited to learning engagements on Sunday concurrent with the worship service.  Please note that the Our Whole Lives class is open in September only.

This Sunday, February 23, 2020   Resilience & Fragility

Monthly Core Story:  The Lizard’s Song

• Preschool/Spirit Play begins in Room 21 Jumping Mouse, An Indigenous People’s Story
• Kindergarten-2nd Grade Begin in the Sanctuary and end in Room 24, Building SandDrip Castles, how the stickiness teaches us about building community.
• Third-Fifth Grade Begin in the Sanctuary then end in Room 22,
• Games of Resilience – what do they teach us about Resilience.
• Middle School Begin in the Sanctuary then end in Room 30/31.
• OWL in Fiatfalva
• High School Room 32

Preschool

A Unitarian Universalist Montessori-influenced learning space called Spirit Play invites children to  engage the story of the human family, stirring their curiosity and creating space to explore their own thinking and responses to the world. The morning concludes with a communal feast and sometimes a trip to the playground. 

Sacred Spaces (K-5th Graders)

Our spiritual theme-based learning ministry encourages each participant to teach and reach and create and make and ask and query and share and serve. Children take turns in each learning modality: CREATE, ACT, EXPLORE and PRACTICE allowing for multiple expressions and play with the Unitarian Universalism.  Learning is infused with a maker philosophy allowing children to discover and express what they already “know.” All ages begin in the Sanctuary for the beginning of the worship service. Elementary Learners (K-5th)  breakout by age groupings (K-2nd; and 3rd-5th, two of each) into MakerSpace learning opportunities related to the monthly spiritual themes. 

Middle School (6th, 7th, and Non-OWL 8th Graders)

Our sixth and seventh graders meet together and alternate between two curricula, “Amazing Grace” which is a UU values based curriculum and “Heeding the Call: Qualities of a Justice Maker” which focuses on social justice and our faith.

The class also uses group games and activities to help them learn to navigate the middle school years. They do several fun activities throughout the year such as creating a haunted house for younger kids and painting the windows near the childcare center during the holidays.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) (8th and 9th Graders)

This curriculum teaches 8th grade participants to make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in: sexuality, sex, sensuality, anatomy, friendships, dating, communication, health care and more.

Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. Note: Permission from parents is required for this class, and parents or guardians must attend a parent/guardian orientation. Eighth grade visitors are welcome in the non-OWL Middle School class. Next class opens Fall 2020.

High School Youth Group

(No youth group on Sunday, Feb 16 as we are on retreat!)

Our high school youth group Sunday morning time is youth-directed and adult assisted. Youth choose topics to learn about and discuss from current issues to world religions. They also use this time to bond as a group, do social justice projects, and projects that serve the congregation.

REGISTER HERE

Religious Education offerings at 11:15am

Childcare & Preschool

Children spend their Sunday morning in our loft and activity-based Childcare space.