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Children's Religious Education at Prairie UU Society
Coming Events
Sunday Religious Education 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. every
Sunday morning, free of charge.
Spring Fling will be Saturday night, May 17, beginning at
5:00 p.m. Prairie youth of all ages (adults are welcome, too) will
gather at Prairie to share dinner followed by a twilight walk in the
UW Arboretum (6:30 to 8:00 p.m.). The fun continues with an overnight
at Prairie, and breakfast before Sunday RE. Come for part of the
event, or stay for the whole thing. Be sure to register in
advance! The new Permission Form is available here.
Transition Sunday, one of Prairie's cherished annual
services, will be June 1. In this intergenerational service, we focus
especially on celebrating our youth. This year's service will include
a dedication ceremony for little Indy and a tribute to our graduating
senior, Toby.
Call
271-8218 to RSVP for more information!
The religious education program at Prairie involves children in a wide variety of activities, meant to make learning exciting and enjoyable. Children are full participants in the program, sharing their ideas and opinions, and using their creativity. The program includes several different types of experiences:
In this year (Fall 2007 and Spring 2008) our classes are focusing on world religions.
Unitarian Universalism Principles for Children
from Beginning Unitarian Universalism
- We believe that each and every
person is important.
- We believe that all people should
be treated fairly.
- We believe that our churches are
places where all people are accepted and where we keep on learning together.
- We believe that each person must
be free to search for what is true and right in life.
- We believe that everyone should
have a vote about the things that concern them.
- We believe in working for a
peaceful, fair and free world.
- We believe in caring for our planet Earth.
Religious Education Classes
Our theme changes each year, using curricula on Unitarian Universalist principles and practice, social and environmental justice, study of the world's religions, and age-appropriate human sexuality. This year's theme is World Religions.
Classes for the 2007-2008 school year
| Preschool |
Teachers: Yvonne Hiebert and Carl Wacker
Our young children will participate in age-appropriate games and crafts that reinforce UU principles through a curriculum created by one of our church members, Randy Converse.
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| Grades 1-3 |
Teachers: Robin Proud and Marcia Johnson
"Special Times". Acquaints children with Jewish and Christian heritages (which are central to our culture) and engages them in celebrating the Jewish and Christian holidays and other "special times" such as the Shabbat/Sabbath, Thanksgiving, and everybody's birthday. They will experience these celebrations through art, music, stories, discussion, and sometimes food! (uua.org).
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| Grades 4-6 |
Teacher: Karen Deaton
"Religions of the World" This group will learn about the central stories and concepts of the three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They will also learn about an important Eastern religion: Buddhism. Games, skits, and other classroom activities will be supplemented by visits to local congregations and discussions with visitors from those congregations. We will use several curricula from the uua.
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| Grades 7-12 |
Teachers: Paula Pachiarz, Barb Park, Orange Schroeder, Rick Ruecking, and others
"Neighboring Faiths" Inspired by the UU classic, Church Across the Street, this yearlong curriculum helps youth in grades 7-9 learn about their own Faith and other faith traditions through interactive experiences such as field trips and interviews. These encounters with other religions are given meaning through periods of reflection and discussion about Unitarian Universalist and personal beliefs and values (uua.org)
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Intergenerational Services
 Several of our Sunday services each year are intergenerational, designed to fully engage both children and adults. These services are usually arranged around holidays, and can include crafts, dance, music, skits and readings. Children often participate in presenting or even leading these services, which are among our most enjoyable Sunday programs. During these
services there are no regular RE classes and infant care is provided downstairs.
Spirit Circles
 Once a month all the children gather before their classes for a “spirit circle.” The circle is a chance for the children of all ages to be together, and share movement, song, and spirit. We open the circle with a poem as we light the chalice:
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We light this chalice to celebrate Unitarian Universalism.
We are the church of the open mind.
We are the church of the loving heart.
We are the church of the helping hands.
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Special Seasonal Overnights
Three times during the school year, Prairie hosts a social event open to all RE participants in grades K-12 and their invited guests. The fun starts on Saturday evenings, and most children opt to stay overnight. A fourth event in the summer is from Friday evening to Sunday morning, and is just for students Middle and High School age. These are big highlights of the year for our kids. The biggest event of the year is Prairie's Annual All-Congregation Retreat, for kids and their families.
| Fall Frolic |
Wild Wintering |
Spring Fling |
Summer Spree |
“Service Sundays”
Three times during the year all classes participate in a community service project, giving students a chance to live their principles. These projects can range from a fund-raising walk, baking cookies for the homeless, raking leaves for our elderly members, or cleaning up trash littering the neighborhood.
Other special activities
 “Nifty Gifty” One Sunday in December students make craft gifts for friends and family using simple materials, assisted by some of our more artistic members.
“Mystery Friends” In early spring students exchange letters for four weeks with Prairie adults. They don't know who their partner is at the start, but they usually figure it out by the time everybody guesses during the party at the end!
Youth Religious Education Coordinator
Rebecca Malke-Eligenti began as our Youth Religious Education Coordinator (YREC) on April 16, 2006. She studied both journalism and world religions in college, and brings that knowledge to assist us in making our Religious Education program both enriching and fun for our youth. Rebecca has been a Unitarian Universalist for several years, and joined Prairie Society in 2004.
Contact Rebecca by email at youthcoordinator@uuprairie.org.
Previous Program Descriptions
Religious
Education Program for 2005-2006
Religious
Education Program for 2004-2005
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