First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington, Massachusetts

UU Principles for Children

A Unitarian Universalist believes…

That each and every person is important.
That all people should be treated fairly.
That our churches are places where all people are accepted and where we keep on learning together.
That each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.
That everyone should have a vote about things that concern them.
In working for a peaceful, fair and free world.
In caring for our planet earth.

Curricula Descriptions
First Parish Religious Education Program
2010-2011

Pre-K: Sunday School Fun (all year):
Our preschool children learn about being in community in a fun and loving way. Weekly lessons incorporate the concepts of church, family groupings, holiday celebrations, nature and the world around them with art activities, music and circle time sharing.

Kindergarten: A Discovering Year (all year):
This program offers children the opportunity to learn about their religious community and tradition as well as the freedom to discover and express their uniqueness. The four units encourage children to use their minds, bodies and emotions to develop their sense of identity and self-esteem within the UU community and the world.

Grade One: Stories About God (fall,winter):
A few of the goals of this extremely well written and organized course are: 1. To offer children a variety of experiences with that which people call God; that is, the ultimate reality, values, and mysteries which underlie all the physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions of life, 2. To help children develop a language with which they can speak about God, and 3. To expose children to a wide variety of stories about God based on insights: from all the world religions, from feminist experiences, and from the ordinary and extraordinary experiences in life. The children are exposed to images, metaphors, and stories which are compatible with our UU principles and beliefs at a time when they are developmentally ready and questioning.

Grade One: Rainbow Children (spring):
This is a program of affirmation. It affirms the worth and beauty of self, family and community, and human diversity. It is also an anti bias curriculum that focuses on racial and ethnic prejudice at conceptual levels that this age group can understand. Because the best antidote for hatred is self-esteem, Rainbow Children is about our worth and dignity, for when we are sure of the goodness within us, when we have no need to hurt others.

Grade Two: Experiences with the Web of Life (all year):
We are pleased to introduce this new course which offers our children a way to learn about and respect the interdependent web of existence of which we are all a part. It offers an emphasis on values which differentiates it from the ecological content that children often receive at their weekday schools. Goals are: To have the children develop an awareness of the interdependence of living things and each child’s place within the web of life; to encourage children’s natural sense of curiosity and awe; to gain awareness and comfort with change and growth as characteristics of living things (including life and death) ; to protect the environment; to enjoy nature; and to develop a respect for all living things.

Grade Three: Holidays and Holy Days (all year):
This long -used and favorite course offers our children a way to learn and celebrate special holy days from around the world through stories, food, music and movement. What’s new is that we encourage our teachers to tie in our UU principles with all the holidays, hoping to compare and contrast the many theological beliefs and ideas the children will be exposed to during the year.

Grade Four: Living the Promise (fall, winter)
This course was designed to have children become familiar with significant aspects of the Bible in a way that holds real meaning for them, and is fun. The theme of covenant runs throughout this class, the ancient Hebrew stories the children read, and the religious, political and ethical questions that are raised for the children to discuss in relation to these stories. This course is a powerful way for our children to examine themselves and their beliefs in our faith and in our world.

Grade Four: Our Environment (spring)
Our Environment (spring )challenges our students to look at the changing face of our planet and discuss ways they can help to become more aware of the problems and take action to preserve what is of value and worth.

Grade Five: Kingdom of Equals (all year)
This class in an introduction to the life and teachings of Jesus, based on the four gospels of the New Testament. The premises of this course are: 1. The character of Jesus is a pivotal figure in both secular and religious history, 2. The ideas of equality and radical love as taught by Jesus are still an ideal and spiritual path worth studying, 3. The Jesus stories are universal, and therefore, open to interpretation and definition, and 4. Biblical literacy is critical for our students as they learn to navigate the politcal culture and current events at home and abroad.

Grade Five: Toolbox of Faith (spring) invites 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).

Grade Six: Traditions with a Wink (fall, winter):
This class teaches an understanding of the UU faith that can replace the vague” anything we want to” statement with: “We come from a long tradition of questioning and searching. We come from a long tradition of loving kindness and good works”. We have powerful stories and visions of hope, which we share with our youth as they begin the process of shaping their own faith.

Grade Six: The Lessons of Loss (spring):
Although the subject of death and dying is introduced and touched on in earlier grades, this class examines: how various cultures and religions answer the question of why tragic events occur; what the range of UU beliefs concerning death and dying are; what other religious traditions believe about death and dying and how religious rituals acknowledge loss; and allow the students to develop their own thoughts regarding what death means to them and their families.

Grade Seven: Neighboring Faiths (fall, winter)
This class introduces students to the faith traditions and practices of other religious groups in our community. Our group will visit other places of worship and participate in their traditions. We also encourage our students to continue to work on their own faith journey as they compare all the faith traditions.

Grade Seven: Our Whole Lives of Sexuality (spring):
We are pleased to offer this life affirming course to our seventh grade students beginning in the Spring , and continuing through the Fall of the following year. This class offers students the opportunity to identify, clarify, and discuss issues about self-esteem, media images, gender identity, relationship building, communication and caring, as well as learn important facts about the human body, sexual harassment and abuse, and sexual practices. Please note: To register for this class, students must attend Sunday School for three months prior to class.

Grade Eight: Our Whole Lives of Sexuality (fall):
Please see above

Grade Eight: Coming of Age (winter, spring)
This rite of passage course will be offered to our eighth grade students, who will be matched with an adult mentor from our congregation. Together they will work on completing a required check-list of subjects including worship, social justice, religious history and tradition, life and organization at First Parish, and their own spiritual autobiography. This class culminates in a worship service and celebration during which their personal credos are shared.

(Full curriculum materials are posted in the Members' area of our site -- use the regular username and password information for access or email webeditor@firstparish.info if you need help.)