CLASS AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

   Unlike many religions, Unitarian Universalism does not have a standard curriculum for Religious Education. There are dozens of UU curricula designed for children of various ages. The ongoing challenge is to find the best curricula to meet the needs of our UUF children.  For the 2006-07 year, we have put together a rich and exciting RE program for all our UUF Children and Adolescents.  Please note that class age and grade definitions are flexible.  Some children who are not yet three years old are ready for our Pre-Kindergarten class, others who are already three years old are not quite ready.  If you have concerns about your child’s placement in a class please do not hesitate to talk with the Director of Religious Education. 

   Children attend the first part of our Sunday Services in the Sanctuary. Our RE classes start when the children are “sung out” of the Sanctuary and head to the classrooms.  Religious Education classes end at 12:30 to permit parents a few minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee while they meet and greet others in the Phillips Social Hall.

Childcare
   Every Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a safe, warm, supervised environment is provided for UUF children.  This pre-Service childcare permits parents to attend meetings or discussion groups before Sunday Services and to meet and talk with other parents.  Teachers use this time for staff meetings, planning future lessons and to put the last minute touches on the lesson of the day.  Infants and toddlers through age three, who are too young for our formal RE program, can remain in the nursery during Service and RE time. Age appropriate toys and activities are available.  Our Childcare program is staffed by a trained adult.  Free childcare is provided for nearly every UUF event or meeting where parents are present.

    Our Pre-Kindergarten program is based on the philosophy that young children learn about religion through relationships.  What is a person? Who am I? How am I related to others? How do I treat other people? What are my responsibilities?  What kind of world do I live in?  These are religious questions that children begin to answer as they become acquainted with themselves, other people, and their environment.

    We want the children in our Pre-Kindergarten program to feel support and affirmation for their individuality and to experience a sense of belonging to a group.  The curriculum for our Pre-K class, A Discovery Year, is supplemented with a second curriculum, Story Time: a literature based curriculum for Preschoolers. 

Grades K-2: Free to Believe
   Kindergarten through second graders participate in the Free to Believe curriculum.  This is an experiential program designed to nurture the emotional, social and spiritual life of children. Through a variety of activities related to many different learning styles, children will experience meditations, rituals and opportunities to explore the wonders of nature. The curriculum is centered on our seven Unitarian Universalist principles and seeks to increase children’s sense of religious identity. The children will also focus on some of life’s “big questions” such as: How did life begin? What are different images of God? Why do people and animals die?

   The Free to Believe lessons help children appreciate each other’s similarities and differences as they learn to view our differences as positive.

   The year ends with the children considering ways in which we can live our lives consistent with our UU principles and what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist.

Grades 3-5: Spirit of Adventure
   Children in grades three through five are participating in the curriculum Spirit of Adventure. This is a UU identity curriculum that uses physical movement, challenge and adventure to teach older elementary aged children our seven principles.  Spirit of Adventure is divided into eight themes: Sports, Medicine, Food, Holidays, Science, Building, Exploring and Web of Life.  For example, in the lessons on sports, children learn how to be good winners, losers and members of a team.  The lessons in medicine help children learn a reverence for life while the lessons on food emphasize hunger and sharing.

   Each lesson uses one of these eight themes to help guide our third, fourth and fifth graders to develop an understanding of the seven UU Principles while having fun!

Middle & High School:

 Neighboring Faiths & The Gospel According to The Simpsons
   The Adolescent class combines two exciting and popular curricula.  Neighboring Faiths invites youths to actively encounter the traditions of other religious groups in our community. Together they explore what members of other faiths believe, value, and do as religious people. Neighboring Faiths gives participants a chance to be creative and to venture beyond the classroom.

 The units selected include:

o        a session about the religion,

o        a visit to a place of worship

o        a session that integrates the experiences.

In some units the class explores the religion and some of the rituals with a guest.

    The television show, The Simpsons, went from being a program panned by many religious leaders for promoting a lack of ethical family values, to becoming one of the most theologically relevant prime time programs.  The Gospel According to the Simpsons has been taught for credit in colleges and is very popular with UU adolescents across the United States.

OWL: grades K-2 and 4-6
   OWL is an acronym for Our Whole Lives.  It is a series of sexuality education programs with components for grades K-2, 4-6, 7-9,  10-12 and for adults.  The OWL program provides an opportunity for children, youth and adults to learn about sexuality in the affirming and supportive setting of our Fellowship.

   OWL 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, OWL provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but supports participants in clarifying their values, integrating sexual and spiritual understandings, building interpersonal skills and understanding the spiritual, emotional, social and political aspects of sexuality. 

    OWL was developed in partnership with the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ in response to the needs expressed by members of both faith groups.  Both denominations have a proud tradition of promoting education and justice in human sexuality.

    We are very fortunate to have trained, enthusiastic OWL teachers for the elementary OWL program.  OWL classes will take place during regular RE time in September and October.  We hope to soon run a training program for secondary OWL.

Summer RE
   Our RE program continues during June and July.  We use these nine weeks to sharpen our focus in one area of Unitarian Universalism.  Past summers have featured themes such as “The Music of Heroes” and an anti-bullying curriculum:  “Don’t Laugh at Me.” 

Coming of Age 
   As a human life comes "of age," the new stage of life is characterized by closer examination of values and beliefs and by making choices about religious and social commitments. Our Coming of Age program celebrates the transition while guiding our young people as they embark on the journey into young adulthood. To help with this guidance, the program matches each participant with an adult mentor. Through a series of social and paired activities, the youth explore their developing religious principles, bond with members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville and also connect with Unitarian Universalists denomination-wide. The Coming of Age program culminates in a Rite of Passage Ceremony at an Intergenerational Sunday Service in late May.

    The Coming of Age program requires commitment: participants will attend retreats and classes, perform service, and engage in focused personal reflection

    We are working on adding two new components to our Coming of Age program this year.  We would like our Coming of Age youths to make a Pilgrimage to Boston and we would like them to have the option to become voting members once they complete the Coming of Age program.

YRUU – Youth Group
   YRUU is an acronym for Young Religious Unitarian Universalists, also known as our UUF Youth Group.  YRUU is part of our Religious Education program and meets every Sunday after Service at 12:30. Our YRUU group is structured as an Adolescent Covenant Group with a check-in and an emphasis on Social Service Projects. In YRUU, youngsters and their adult advisors learn from each other, experience youth worship, build community, empower each other to lead and make a difference in the world through social action.  When YRUU members graduate high school or turn 18, we hold a Bridging ceremony to welcome them into our newly formed vibrant community known as: UUYAN (UU Young Adult Network) for folks ages 18-35.