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Children's Religious Education (CRE)

"The true teachers are those who help us think for ourselves" — Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

 

Our Religious Education Program for Children is Designed to:  

  • Develop the children's sense of their own worth and dignity and that of others;
  • Promote their responsibility and responsiveness toward others;
  • Challenge them to think creatively and act courageously;
  • Promote their appreciation of, pride in, and identification with Unitarian Universalism;
  • Increase their understanding of humanity's search for the meaning in life and the expressions of this quest; and
  • Provide opportunities for community service.

A Typical Sunday

Our whole community begins worship in the sanctuary together Sunday mornings beginning at 11:00 am (September 19 - June 5). After “Time for All Ages,” children, youth, and their teachers adjourn to the Education wing for classes.

A Children’s Corner in the sanctuary is reserved for little ones whose parents are not ready to take them to the nursery or classes. Here they can draw, color or look at picture books.

Nursery care for infants and toddlers is available during worship in our “Dream Room,” beginning at 10:50.  

Do you have gifts to share? Of course you do!

Here are some ways to share your talents:

  • Become a teacher
  • Join the RE Committee
  • Volunteer for intergenerational events
  • Sign up to be a Mystery Buddy
  • Help clean up a classroom
  • Coordinate a social justice project
  • Remember CRE in your current leadership roles
  • Say hello to our kids
  • Thank a teacher or committee member

     

Classes for Children

"Nursery" Infants and Toddlers are cared for in our nursery, located near the front entrance to the first floor classrooms. Karla Peterson, Pat Montley, and Connie Phelps head up our Nursery Team.

"Sprouts" Our Sprouts class for two-through-four-year-olds will be located in our first floor classrooms, in the room nearest the kitchen. This class is led by volunteers, Stephannie Weikert, Caitlin Cross-Barnet, and Michael Cross-Barnet as well as our paid childcare provider, Kim Wolf. Our little Sprouts play with play-doh, color, sing songs together, make feasts at the play kitchen, and generally learn how to be a small community together through play and sharing. Parents and guardians are always welcome to visit class with their children.

"Maiasaurs" Our Maiasaurs class for Prekindergarten and Kindergarteners meets each week in the upstairs classrooms, next door to the Youth Group. Teachers, Rebecca Wald, Sue Parr, and Heather Lemkelde are assisted by Janice Zimmerman and Rachel Dodge. Their curriculum, Friendship Finders, focuses on the basic ideas and values that help make a group into a community. Maiasaurs do crafts, make art, act, listen, and play in order to learn how we share, make friends, care about each other, and learn new ideas.

"Explorers" Our Explorers class for 1st through 3rd graders meets in the first floor classrooms. Volunteer teachers, Blake Porter, Kristen Humphrey, and Stephannie Weikert lead lessons from the curriculum, Picture Book Unitarian Universalism. This new curriculum uses contemporary picture books as a focus for teaching about Unitarian Universalist principles and ideals. Crafts, artwork, and stories help our kids learn about their religious heritage while discovering their own values.

"Questers" Our Questers class for 4th through 6th graders meets in the first floor classrooms and is taught by Gina Foringer, Kristin Seeberger, Carrie Ingles, Whitney Novak, and Denise Gregory-Wyatt, assisted by Kip Wyatt, Laura Webber, and Tim Ingles. The new, online curriculum, Toolbox of Faith, uses tools as metaphors for Unitarian Universalist values and ideas. Kids in our Questers class will do hands-on projects to think through and discern their own ideas about the big questions in life.

To talk more about what class might be right for your child, contact Director of Religious Education, Becky Brooks

Special Programs

Religious Education doesn’t happen only in Sunday School. Special programs like Mystery Buddies, our annual Halloween party, and social justice activities not only let the congregation get to know our children and youth, but also infuse fun and learning outside the classroom.

For Details:

    Adult RE
    Youth RE
    Childrens RE

RE-Connect Baltimore, our Religious Education blog, for news, announcements, resources, links, documents, surveys and more that relate to Lifespan Religious Education at First Unitarian

Brochure

Register Online or
By Mail (pdf file)

For More Information:
Idalee DiGregorio
RE Committee Chair - Children and Youth

Becky Brooks
Director of Lifespan RE