Children's Programs

Children’s Program
Children's Fellowship Principles
Children’s Pictures and Art

Children’s Program

“The Fellowship is a place where we are called on to be the best that we can be, where we can open our minds and our hearts to new ideas and opportunities to learn, to grow and to build meaningful relationships.”  A member

The UU Children's Fellowship program – what some may think of as Sunday School – reflects our belief that every individual's spiritual path is unique. In our Children's Fellowship, each Sunday, we work to create an experience where our children are supported to explore their path while learning respect for the exploration of their peers. Our goal is to encourage and respect young people rather than indoctrinate them.

As adult leaders in the Children's Fellowship, we teach, not by lecturing, but by trying to model the values expressed in our UU principles – respect, caring, tolerance, and freedom of inquiry. In our relationships with each other and with the children, we seek ways of working that help us all to better understand the meaning of the “peace, justice, equality and compassion” that we strive for in the broader community.

Activities that have been part of our program in the past include:

• learning about holidays and holy days from other cultures;
   
• making sandwiches for a monthly lunch for a seniors group;
   
• doing yard work at the home of Fellowship members who needed help;
   
• taking field trips with adults in the Fellowship willing to share their expertise on a particular topic;
   
• preparing presentations for intergenerational services with the adult members of the Fellowship.

The program will continue to draw on the talents, knowledge and wisdom of many members of the Fellowship. The Children's Fellowship is led by a group of volunteers (at least 2 in each classroom). We also invite participation from others who enjoy being with children and are patient and kind, to share their interests and experiences.

The children are an integral part of the larger fellowship. From time to time the children attend an intergenerational service (about one hour) or listen to a story told for people of all ages at the beginning of a service. Children make friends of all ages – from children their own age to the eldest in the fellowship.

The 2006/2007 program for our Children's Fellowship will draw upon a variety of sources for inspiration. We will explore holidays and holy days from other cultures, work on projects to benefit others in the wider community, celebrate the sacredness in nature and the world around us, learn about other countries from those who have lived there, examine the lives of well-known UUs who have made a difference in the world, and discuss important issues like “What is the right thing to do?” “Where did the universe come from?” “How can we make this world a better place for everyone? ” “What does it mean to me to belong to a ‘faith community’? ” “Why do bad things happen? And good things?”
 

Children's Fellowship Principles

Seven guiding principles form the core of our Children's Fellowship program. Children and youth are encouraged to follow these principles in their daily lives, as a personal standard for ethical and moral decisions:

We believe:

• Every person is important and valuable;
   
• All people should be treated fairly;
   
• Our churches are places where we should accept one another and learn from one another;
   
• Each person should be free to search for what is true and right;
   
• All people have the right to speak out and vote on things that matter to them;
   
• We should help build a peaceful, fair and free world;
   
• We need to take care of the earth, the home we share with all living things.

These principles are drawn from many sources, including: our shared sense of wonder; the stories of women and men in history and current times who inspire us to be fair and understanding; religions of the world   including Christian teachings; and the discoveries of science.
 

Children's Pictures and Art

Creative expression is an important element of the Children's Program. Here are some samples of recent work by our children.

“Be Nice to Spiders”