Religious Education Curriculum
Infant-Toddler Care: Children up to age 3
Our childcare program provides loving care and supervised activity for the youngest members of our church. Our goal is to provide a warm and nurturing environment where trust naturally grows, helping children to become comfortable and happy with their first association with the church. Simple toys, picture books, and music are part of their environment. Parents may remain with their child as long as needed for the child to become comfortable with the caregivers and surroundings.
Pre-School - Kindergarten: Friendship Finders
Children at this age want structure and routine, but it must be fun for them with lots of movement and activity. Our religious educators create an environment in which children feel church is a safe and fun place to be. Children are not expected to recite their learnings. The hope is that our children enjoy themselves and feel confident enough to let their parents attend the adult worship service. This is accomplished with rituals, structure, and lots of fun activities so that pre-school and kindergarten children can build friendships while focusing on the theme of caring hearts, open minds, and helping hands with this year’s curriculum, Friendship Finders.
Elementary One: 1st Grade – 3rd Grade:
Dr. Seuss and the Unitarian Universalists
Stories have been used in Unitarian Universalist religious education programs for generations. Each week, children explore one or more of our seven Unitarian Universalist principles through the prose and verse of the beloved Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss’ stories are fun and engaging, but even more important, they are based on life situations and experiences and give children a way to reflect and talk about things that are part of their lives. We all sleep; we all get lost; we all are afraid sometimes; we all meet people who are on and sometimes in our way; we all enjoy adventure in various ways; we all struggle with what is right and what is not. Each week, children will explore the wonderful stories of Dr. Seuss to better understand themselves and the world around them.
Elementary Two: 4th Grade – 5th Grade:
Toolbox of Faith invites fourth and fifth grade participants to reflect on the qualities of our Unitarian Universalist faith, such as integrity, courage, and love, as tools they can use in living their lives and building their own faith. Each session uses a tool as a metaphor for an important quality of our faith such as reflection (symbolized by a mirror), flexibility (duct tape), and justice (a flashlight). A number of activities including an opening ritual (joys and concerns), a central story, hands-on exploration, and the Council Circle (which incorporates reflection), serve to guide children to explore a particular facet of our Unitarian Universalist faith each week.
Middle School: 6th Grade – 8th Grade:
The Gospel According to the Simpsons embarks on an exploration of faith and spirituality using framework of this popular animated comedy series. The Simpsons is a situation comedy about modern life that includes a significant spiritual dimension. Lessons of varying spiritual, moral, political, and social issues are explored using America’s best-known dysfunctional family. Religion, particularly Judeo-Christian theology, plays a central role in the lives of these pop cultural icons and allows pre-teens to comfortably consider issues with an open mind while they explore their own attitudes toward God and religion and the knotty relationship between the two. Each session correlates to a particular episode that participants view in class prior to a discussion on subjects such as: prayer, God, pluralism, the institutional church, family values, gay marriage, heaven and hell, and the Bible.
YRUU (Young Unitarian Universalists): 8th Grade – 12th Grade:
Coming of Age: Deepening Ties With Your Congregation is a 9-month long program developed by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing (Michigan) to celebrate the transition from childhood to youth – the time when people come of age. The teenage years are a time of tremendous growth and change. Throughout history, many cultures marked this passage with rituals, learning, testing, and celebration. Today, some religions honor coming of age with bar / bat mitzvahs or confirmations. The Coming of Age program is a life-changing experience that provides youth with the tools to direct their own spiritual lives and deepen the ties within our congregation.
Youth Programs and Opportunities
Music and Song
Music is an integral part of our weekly religious program. It offers an opportunity to learn about music, singing, and performing. Children will discover and share the special feelings that come when music making is done well. We encourage children to participate in this aspect of our program, just as they do in class or service. Children will also have the opportunity to perform their songs for the entire congregation. Middle and high school youth are encouraged to share their musical talents with the entire congregation by coordinating performance dates directly with the Minister of Music.
Special Monthly Programs for Elementary School Children
Our religious education program at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Fullerton affirms the arts as a means of promoting cross-cultural understanding while assisting children to express their creativity, values, and visions. Once a month and an occasional twice a month, elementary age children will participate in special programs focusing on having fun through the arts, games, and outdoor activities. Special programs also include opportunities for social action and service projects. And throughout the year we will observe, explore, and celebrate holidays recognized throughout the world.
Social Responsibility
The Unitarian Universalist Church in Fullerton’s religious education program encourages our young people to develop a sense of social responsibility and to take action to influence change. Our children and youth help with projects of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, as well as other activities to benefit people in need. Children and youth are encouraged to generate their own ideas of how they can improve our world and the health and well being of its inhabitants. Past projects have included preparing and serving meals to the homeless, collecting backpacks and school supplies for Orange County’s Share Our Selves organization, CROP Walk for Hunger, selling coffee for Equal Exchange, and our weekly canned food collection for Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services (FEIS).
Our Whole Lives
Our Whole Lives, or the OWL program, is a series of sexuality education curricula for six age groups: grades K-1, grades 4-6, grades 7-9, grades 10-12, young adults (ages 18-35), and adults. Our Whole Lives helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. Participants typically meet once a week in a safe, supportive peer group environment with specially trained leaders. Parental consent is required and regular class attendance must be a priority. Classes are held at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Long Beach.
