RE Curriculum Overview - Pre-K Through Grade 8
Pre-K: Chalice Children
Based upon a philosophy that a child’s spiritual development is related to direct experience, this curriculum helps young children learn what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. Using a chalice theme, children learn about their religious community, engage in sharing with others, and explore a sense of belonging.
Kindergarten-1st Grade: A Discovering Year
A Discovering Year nurtures children’s spiritual and religious growth through connections to their ever-widening environment. Through ritual, sharing times, quiet times, crafts, activities, singing and music, games and movement, stories and talks, they learn to appreciate the worth of each person, to work and play cooperatively, to express feelings, to celebrate human diversity, and to feel part of their UU community.
2nd-3rd Grades: Free to Believe
Free to Believe explores UU principles and sources while nurturing the emotional, social, and spiritual life of children. Initial sessions focus on UU principles, values, and beliefs through hands-on activities, stories, games, songs and discussions. Children address the conflicts they often face, and create an accepting classroom community. Subsequent sessions focus on life’s big questions through the lens of UU sources.
4th-5th Grades: Bibleodeon
Bibleodeon introduces Hebrew and Christian scriptures by presenting the best-known Hebrew and Christian stories. Participants act in 11 amusing playlets, illustrate a time line, keep doodle books, give awards to outstanding biblical women, and more. They explore connections between biblical events and UU principles, and between biblical ideas and their own lives. They experience the Bible as one of many wonderful UU sources.
6th-8th Grades (Junior Youth Group): The Questing Year
The Questing Year engages participants in four quests designed to help them seek and develop their own answers to deep life questions about human faith and the web of all existence.
In addition to the curriculum-based Sunday morning offering, our middle-school youth also comprise our Junior Youth Group which is involved in social justice work and the Coming of Age program. For more on Coming of Age, please see our page, Information on Junior and Senior Youth Groups.
We are fortunate to have facilitators trained in 7th to 9th grade OWL (Our Whole Lives), an honest and age-appropriate sexual education program which helps participants make informed, responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior.
Peace and Social Justice Initiatives: Primary and Elementary School Children
- Trick or Treat for UNICEF — UN International Children’s Emergency Fund boxes are distributed concurrent with Halloween. Combined funds are forwarded to UNICEF.
- Guest at Your Table — A UU Service Committee program; boxes are distributed concurrent with Thanksgiving and December holidays; children place them on dining room tables to remember those who are hungry in the world. Combined funds are donated to UUSC.
- Easter Can Hunt — On Easter Sunday, Junior Youth hide donated cans of food, which our elementary age children then find. Donated cans go to local food banks.