Religious Education Program
for Children & Youth
Monthly Newsletter Article (click RE Review below)
Greetings from Pam
How can we best serve the optimal growth and development of children and youth, for the greatest good of our society and world? At Evergreen we are committed to providing a safe, compassionate and welcoming place for all ages, wherein we offer opportunities to develop a language for exploring spirituality, to seek meaning and the answers to life’s Big Questions, and to learn to think in ways that will serve the future of our fragile planet. Our ministry for and with children and youth is engaging, informative, creative, and loads of fun. I look forward to speaking with you personally about our excellent program and how it can meet the needs of your children and family. If you have any questions about any of the classes, please email me.
Yours,
Pam Gerke
Religious Education at Evergreen
Unitarian Universalists believe that life is for learning and that one of the most important groups we serve as a UU congregation is our children. During childhood, youth, young adulthood, and adult years, we encourage each other to personal and spiritual growth, our second principle. (See our Seven Principles.) At Evergreen we offer learning for all seasons of our lives. Parents seek a learning environment where children can learn positive values and learn to seek their own answers to life's questions, working closely with wise, compassionate adults.
Sunday Morning Schedule
10:30am until the end of worship service: Nursery Care with a professional Caregiver for ages birth through 3 years. Children and youth join their families in the sanctuary for the beginning of the service.
10:50am (approx.) - Children, youth, teachers, advisors, and other adult volunteers go to classrooms after the Story for All Ages.
11:30am or when worship ends: Children in the Nursery are to be picked up promptly.
12:00pm - Children in PreK - 2nd grades are to be picked up promptly at their classrooms when classes end. Children in 3rd - 12th grades meet their parents in Beaman Hall.
Worship Services for Children and Youth
On the first Sunday of each month our young people meet together in a worship service specifically designed for them. Children and youth observe Unitarian Universalist practices such as Lighting the Chalice, singing, listening to teaching stories, offering prayers, and collecting an offering which is given to a service organization selected by the children. The service is held in the Fireside Room at 10:30 am, after which they go to their respective classrooms.
RE Curriculum
Creative Spirituality ~ 2011-2012
With an appreciation of how we create our lives through the choices we make, RE classes will explore faith, Unitarian Universalism, families, our community, and our planet home through lessons, stories, art activities, service projects, conversation, and creativity.
Nursery
Nursery: Birth through age three
Our Nursery is staffed by a Caregiver, assisted by adult volunteers.
Each Sunday includes: music or stories, sensory or art experiences, and the opportunity to learn social skills by playing and sharing snacks with other small children.
A baby changing table can be found in the larger bathroom next to the kitchen.
Children and Youth Program
Each classroom has consistent teachers with rotating volunteers. These classes enjoy lively discussions, crafts and other activities that fit the day's lesson, as well as snacks and possibly field trips. This is done while children learn appropriate social skills in a creative and friendly environment.
Classes for Pre- Kindergarten through High School
Children and youth attend the first part of worship services at 10:30am and then attend their own classes until 12:00pm
Pre-K (ages 4 & 5): We Are Many, We Are One, a UU curriculum that teaches preschoolers about their religious community and traditions while giving them the opportunity to learn and the freedom to discover and express their uniqueness.
Kindergarten & 1st Grade: Spirit Play is a Montessori-based UU curriculum centered on wisdom stories and children's responses to them. The children will also have the opportunity to participate in the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program in human relationships and sexuality (spring trimester).
Grades 2-3: Moral Tales uses stories to help children learn make moral choices which this class will further explore through drama and puppetry. The children will also experience Crossing the Rainbow Bridge, a program for a Rite of Passage that honors children's religious growth and identity as UUs.
Grades 4-5: The Web of Life curriculum developed by their teacher is based on the UU Principle of respect for the interdependence of all life. Children explore biology, ecology, diverse points of view, non-violent conflict resolution, how we impact our world, and how to make a positive difference.
Middle School: Families is a photo documentary curriculum that explores the diversity of families in our congregation and community. Youth will create a photo-documentary project while they deconstruct and reconstruct the notion of family in our modern world.
High School: A Chorus of Faiths helps youth explore values of service to our community and religious pluralism through stories and by coordinating an interfaith service. Youth will deepen their Unitarian Universalist identity and faith while learning practical leadership and organizing skills.
Common Ground Intergenerational Choir
Children ages five and up may join the Pine Cone Choir which rehearses most Sundays after RE class and performs in worship services several times a year. The Choir is directed by Pam Gerke and Paul Henderson. Middle School and High School Youth are welcome to join the Common Ground. See Music for more information.
Youth Conferences
Middle School Youth CON (Conference) will occur September 23-25 on Vashon Island. The Fall High School Youth CON will be October 21-23 near Randle, Washington. High School Youth may also attend a Social and Political Action CON in March, a Spring CON, and other local programs for UU Youth.