Religious Education

Welcome! At the First Universalist Society of Salem, the Religious Education program is a cooperative Sunday School for ages three and up. We provide nursery care for children under three.

Children here explore the world of Unitarian Universalist faith through a rich variety of activities including story and song, children's worship, group social justice projects, arts, discussion, exposure to the traditions of world religions, role play, games, and more. They also participate in regular intergenerational services in the sanctuary.

Parents/guardians can contribute to our church school community by teaching or assisting in a classroom; serving on the Religious Education Committee; or helping prepare for and staff special events. We welcome your participation!

To join the committee, please contact co-chairs Tabitha Carty (tlcarty @ gmail.com) or Caryn Mitchell-Munevar (womynesq @ aol.com).

To teach, please contact Director of Religious Education Marlyn Miller, marlynmiller @ mac.com; (978) 495-2746

2009-10 Schedule

9/21-11/29-Our 7 Principles
All our children will learn about Unitarian Universalism's 7 principles, the older through cooperative play, art, stories, and music, the younger through Treasure Hunting, a values-based curriculum.

12/6-12/14-Holiday Play
Our children will spend three weeks talking about stories from the holiday season, creating music, art, and theater in order to put on a play for the congregation on Christmas Eve.

January 3-12-Intersession
From woodworking to wildlife tracking, knitting to yoga, this month gives us an opportunity for the wider church community to engage with the children and share their special talents. Children will benefit from working in mixed-age groups as they problem-solve and help each other with new skills.

1/31-3/21-World Religions I and Treasure Hunting
Our younger children will continue to explore Unitarian Universalist values, while our older children will look at the major world religious traditions through stories, activities, and projects designed to encourage them to understand other religious viewpoints and feel more confident in their own.

3/28-4/18-Helping Other Unitarian Universalists: A Lesson on the Philippines
Over these three weeks our children will come together to learn about Unitarian Universalists in other parts of the world - most particularly those in the Philippines. We will explore Philippine Unitarian Universalism through stories and games, and then create a fundraiser to raise money to support a Philippine Unitarian Univeralist student.

4/22-4/30-World Religions II and Treasure Hunting
Once again, our younger children will engage with Unitarian Universalist values through the Treasure Hunting curriculum, while the older students will continue exploring world religious traditions.

Special Events

10/28 - Halloween Party
11/15 - Cornbread Baking
11/22 - Thanksgiving Communion
12/27 - New Year's Activities
Mid-February - "Mystery friends" program
2/24 - Mardi gras
3/14 - Intergenerational Drumming
4/4 - Easter Activities
4/25 - Beltane/Earth Day
6/6 - Children's Sunday
6/13 - Flower Communion
AND MORE!

Our Seven Principles - A Version for children

Each person is important
Be kind in all you do
We're free to learn together
We search for what is true
All people need a voice
Build a fair and peaceful world
We care for earth's lifeboat

January Term 2010

January term (running January 10, 17, and 24) rapidly approaches. Children have several options of what to do this year, listed below. Please let Marlyn Miller know of your child's first and second choices - there is limited space in each class, so they should sign up early in order to guarantee their first choice. Please note also that Liz Duff will be offering an animal tracking walk open to the entire church on January 17.

MAMMAL TRACKING with Liz Duff
For ages 7 and up
Sunday Mornings

January 10th:
What wild mammals have you seen? How can we tell their tracks apart? Liz Duff will be introducing the older children to some simple ways of recognizing mammal track patterns.

January 17th:
What have the animals been up to in the forest? Learn to read the stories left behind in their tracks, and other evidence and help make a mural, creating your own mammal track story.

January 17th After Church and Coffee
Mammal Tracking for All Ages
Following the church service you are invited to join us on a tracking adventure following the trail behind the South Campus of Salem State College, in the "Forest River Conservation Area." Off Loring Avenue; behind the South Campus of Salem State. Please dress for the weather. Hats, scarves, boots, and mittens are recommended. Bring a bag lunch to eat in the car on our way over. Church members of all ages are welcome to join us! Please RSVP to Liz if you know you intend to join her at lduff @ massaudubon.org

January 24:
Liz will not be available. Children in this class will be able to choose another activity that day. PLEASE NOTE: Children who sign up for this class need to be able to attend all sessions.

KNITTING
with Jan Brick
For ages 6 and up
Children will learn the basics of knitting and work together on a project to donate to a local charity.

WOOD BURNING AND CARVING
with Bill Smith
For ages 9 and up
Children will work with expressing themselves in the medium of wood. Younger children will practice wood burning - the art of drawing on wood with a burning tool. Only older children, with the permission of their parents, will be able to practice carving.

YOGA with Julie Pottier-Brown
For ages 4 and up
Learn yoga with our master yoga teacher! Class size in limited to four kids 7 and under, and 4 kids 7 and over.

MUSIC AND CRAFTS
with Kelly Fouhey and Sarah Smith
For ages 6 and under
Kids in this group will be learning songs and making their own instruments, as well as other craft projects. A fun (and noisy) time will be had by all!

OUR WHOLE LIVES

The religious education program is in the process of putting together a session of Our Whole Lives for 7th-9th graders for the next church year. Our Whole Lives is a program used by Unitarian Universalist and UCC congregations that helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. We will likely be sharing the program with kids from Marblehead UU and Salem Unitarian. As it now stands, we're planning on running it on Sunday evenings, 4-7, with sessions once or twice a month, and a long introductory and concluding session. If you have a child, or know of a child, in 7th through 9th grade, who would be interested in participating, please let Marlyn Miller know as soon as possible.