Grand Valley UU Children's Religious Education (RE)
We offer children's programming each Sunday in a combined preK-5th grade class at 10:30am. Teachers lead classes drawing from the Soul Matters curriculum while making use of creative activities including music, art, theater, and story. The Soul Matters curriculum presents the same themes the adults engage in during service in an age-appropriate format. Our classes and services are designed to foster community, empathy, and a sense of social responsibility among our children and youth.
From Director of Programming and Community Outreach Maya Kraushaar
Last month, we focused on Living Love Through the Practice of Trust. We began the month by looking at what it means to trust ourselves and support ourselves even when things are hard. We continued with a discussion of what it means to trust other people and what makes others trustworthy. We then explored what it means to trust life and what it takes to fix broken trust. In addition to discussing the skills of making a sincere apology and forgiveness, we also got into our feelings and explored how it feels when people lie to us. In our final week, we looked at trusting our inherent worth and how part of that is also about helping others trust their inherent worth, which led us to a discussion of how we can support those voices in each other’s heads that say, “I deserve to be treated with respect.”
As spring emerges, we will shift our focus this month to Love Through the Practice of Joy, how to recognize it, cultivate it, play with it, and share it. When love and happiness merge, we experience joy. Joy is everywhere, and if we cultivate the skill to see it, then we can bask in the feeling more often, share it with others, and make life richer.
We’re kicking off the month with an all-ages service where the kids will perform a song with Ms. Amanda Jackman and introduce their group poem and mosaic representing joy.
In our second week together, we will be looking at where joy can be found, and we will begin by exploring how joy is found in “foolishness.” Think fun, silliness, jokes, and the good-hearted frivolity that makes us happy to be alive.
In our third week, we will look at how joy can be found in music. We will be taking inspiration from the well-loved and widely-used saying, “Make a joyful noise!” And we will most certainly be literally making a bunch of joyful noises ourselves!
During our final week of exploring The Practice of Joy we turn to how joy can be found in nature, with a special nod to Earth Day. When we focus on Earth Day, we often focus on how we can save the Earth. In this session, we explore the other side of the coin, focusing on how Earth can save us with its deep and simple joys. To help us get at that, we will be taking inspiration from the well-loved and widely used sayings, “Stop and smell the roses!” and “Nature is the best medicine.”
As always, if you have an idea that you would like to suggest for our children’s program, please let me know. I am always happy to build a lesson around your idea and, better yet, feature your knowledge within our program, inviting you in as a special guest. Our children benefit from the wealth of knowledge held in our community and from interactive time with our adults. This makes our program more dynamic and diverse.
Children’s Religious Education
April 2025 - Living Love through the Practice of Joy!
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April 6th 10:30 a.m. Celebration/Stewardship Sunday - - Connection, Community & Commitment Join us for this all ages service where the kids will perform a song with Ms. Amanda Jackman and introduce their group poem and mosaic representing joy. April 20th 10:30 a.m. Joy Found in Music (“Make a joyful noise!”) This is our second week of exploring The Practice of Joy. Last week, we explored finding joy in foolishness, and this week, we look at how joy can be found in music. We will be taking inspiration from the well-loved and widely-used saying, “Make a joyful noise!” And we will most certainly be literally making a bunch of joyful noises ourselves! |
April 13th 10:30 a.m.
Joy Found in Foolishness (“For the fun of it!”)Our theme this month is The Practice of Joy. All month long, we will be looking at where joy can be found, and we will begin by exploring how joy is found in “foolishness.” Think fun, silliness, jokes, and the good-hearted frivolity that makes us happy to be alive. We will be taking inspiration from the well-loved and widely-used saying, “For the fun of it!” This session will also give us a chance to celebrate and have fun with April Fool’s Day April 27th 10:30 a.m. Joy Found in Nature (“Take time to smell the roses!”& “Nature is the best medicine!”) This is our final week of exploring The Practice of Joy. So far, we have explored how joy can be found through community, foolishness, and music. Today, we turn to how joy can be found in nature, with a special nod to Earth Day. When we focus on Earth Day, we often focus on how we can save the Earth. In this session, we explore the other side of the coin, focusing on how Earth can save us with its deep and simple joys. To help us get at that, we will be taking inspiration from the well-loved and widely used sayings, “Stop and smell the roses!” and “Nature is the best medicine.” |
​Childcare provided every Sunday from 10:15am-11:45am during Sunday Worship.
Thank you volunteers!
A big thank you to our incredible teachers! Volunteers make our RE program fantastic!