Children's Religious Education
April 26th, 2008
Our Education Program is Designed to:
- Inspire awe and wonder;
- Develop the children's sense of their own worth and dignity and that of others;
- Promote their responsibility and responsiveness toward others;
- Challenge them to think creatively and act courageously;
- Promote their appreciation of, pride in, and identification with Unitarian Universalism;
- Increase their understanding of humanity's search for the meaning in life and the expressions of this quest; and
- Provide opportunities for community service.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Activities
1) Each year for the past 10 years, our RE kids have taken part in an Annual honoring ceremony of our Earth Totem, during April which ties in with Earth Day, with natural decorations, Earth-centered songs, and a pledge to sincerely work harder to educate people about the importance of taking care of our planet. In 2006, as a rededication (after the totem had to be relocated), our ceremony included expressing regret and--in a symbolic gesture to ask for forgiveness--some unusual items were "given back" to the Earth and buried beneath the totem -- an elephant skin purse, a seal-skin souvenir, black coral earrings, and fetishes of endangered or extinct animals.
2) Eco-awareness time in class includes conservation messages around not wasting water or energy, picking up and properly disposing of trash that injures animals (plastic 6-pak rings, styrofoam that breaks up and kills turtles & fish, etc). Our children have participated in several Coastal Clean-ups during September over the past decade.
3) Yearly we discuss the Earth Charter principles, and 2 years ago after a field trip to attend the Earth Charter festival, RE was inspired to build our Earth Scouts garden. Last year we grew herbs and vegetables and flowers. Everyone shared in the bounty -- especially the basil! Pesto was enjoyed by all! The beds have been weeded recently, and Dolly R. will lead us in replanting in the Spring.
4) Under guidance of parent volunteers, students helped build the compost bins near our Green space and painted instructions. The first batch of compost was used to plant our last spring garden.
5) In class we learn about Earth-centered and Nature-centered spirituality -- cycles and seasons, the Green Man and Gaia, as well as songs both in class and with Family Singers. Many of the songs are from our UU hymnal: Rising Green, The Earth is Our Mother, This Pretty Planet (Raffi), Earth Air Fire & Water, Chant for season, Colors of the Wind, and many more...
6) RE has sponsored many celebrations & observances over the years to celebrate and Earth and cycles of Nature and the seasons -- including May Pole celebrations, Solstice observances, Day of the Dead, and more, responding to a need expressed by parents. We observe Samhein yearly with a Day of the Dead intergenerational service led by RE youth and families, and Winter Solstice is observed in class.
7) Our guest teachers share concepts from Native American spirituality and other indigenous cultures with our RE children & youth. We have read and discussed the words of Chief Seattle and other great thinkers.
8) Our Mother's Day service has been planned and led for 7 years by RE children and youth. We always open with the words from Julia Ward Howe, to honor her and her important and powerful message of non-violence. In 2005 we offered a dramatic & musical presentation of "The Great Kapok Tree," an important tree in the rain forest. The children each made masks of different animals to play their parts. Our 2007 program was "Honoring our Foremothers" and included dramatic interpretations and readings on the faces of the Goddess: Pele, Maia, Tara, and Isis.
9) Children, Youth & Parents helped set up and run the Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade Festivals held at MUUF every other year. Last year the youth added a Friday night Youth Coffee house.
10) RE has plans at least one camping trip each year to bring together not only RE families, but other adults in the MUUF congregation who have become wonderful extended family and role models for our RE children & Youth.
11) The Family Singers (including RE families and other MUUF adults) sang for the opening of a presentation by Dr. Helen Caldicott at Manatee Community College, Spring 2006, when she came to speak on the dangers of nuclear energy on the environment and people. The group has sung at local hospitals and retirement homes, and multi-cultural festivals. The group also was sponsored by the Boston GA planning committee, and 14 singers sang as wandering minstrels ("buskers") raising the roof of the convention hall rotunda.
12) Everhyone's favorite event, the winter Madrigal Feast, is a most festive evening of music, food, and gaiety. The event has raised thousands of dollars over the past decade to send several Manatee UUF youth to summer camp at The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center at Scaly Mountain, North Carolina. All the kids return saying it is "a life changing experience" not to be missed!
This is how we grow Unitarian Universalists at MUUF!
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