Religious Education for Children
Why RE?
Religious Education brings young UUs together for friendship, fun, support and learning. We encourage all UU kids to attend often and to go through the year's curriculum. However, each weekly unit is self-contained and kids cannot "fall behind" by missing weeks! The content of the RE units is designed to provide a mix of discussion, reflection, hands-on activities, play and social time. We hope RE will reinforce each child's identity as a UU, and introduce UU principles and values.
RE Offerings
The Religious Education Program meets weekly during the Sunday worship service. Families attend the first 15 minutes of the service together, then the children go upstairs for RE. We begin each session with "Glads and Sads" (Joys and Concerns to adults), then move on to the week's activity unit, adapted from UU and other sources. We have snack time together; then the children re-join their families when the worship service ends. Each weekly program lasts about one hour. Childcare is provided for children too young to participate in the activities; however, even the youngest are encouraged to participate at their own level. That way, everyone can make "church friends" and get to know each other.
Teachers
We welcome all new and returning teachers to the RE Team, as well as our loyal childcare providers and weekly volunteers. Louise Malloch, RE Coordinator, contacts all parents throughout the year. Parents are encouraged to contact her with questions and concerns.
Curriculum
The RE committee is working on choosing the curriculum for the fall.
The basic structure of the classes stays the same. Each week we have a short discussion or story, followed by hands-on activities. Adults are welcome to visit the program, both to learn from us, and to share their knowledge with us.
Childcare
Parents can bring younger children to childcare upstairs to RE if they wish. Childcare is provided throughout the service. It is also possible to take a fussy infant into the Ballroom Gallery and hear the service while caring for your child.
Extras
In addition, RE students participate in events such as multi-generational services. We also take curriculum breaks for special events or theme projects. Since class sizes are small, we customize the RE content to the specific ages and needs of each group. We value the curiosity, creativity, caring and resourcefulness of all our RE kids.
Resources
UU Principles for adults and children (https://sites.google.com/site/uusevenprinciples/)
Stories from the Six Sources (http://www.cuc.ca/lifespan/biblio_principles.htm)
UUA Faith Development resources for families (http://www.uua.org/religiouseducation/families/index.shtml)
UUA Children's Religious Education resources (http://www.uua.org/religiouseducation/children/index.shtml)
Multigenerational Worship and Stories (http://www.uua.org/worship/multigenerational/index.shtml)
Between Sundays: Answering Kid's Questions (http://clf.uua.org/betweensundays/)