Youth Faith Exploration

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Our faith exploration programs are designed to enrich and nurture the spiritual lives of children, youth, and families. We strive to help one another grow in spiritual practice, deepen our understanding and respect of our religiously diverse world, and live our UU principles out in our daily life.

Register for Youth Faith Exploration Offerings

2023-24 Youth Faith Exploration Offerings

We Come to Church to Grow our Hearts

Infants and toddlers (ages 0-3)

9 & 11 am

Nursery care is provided for our infants and toddlers. Parents may drop off their infants and toddlers in the nursery before the service begins. Please sign your child in at the classroom door. 

PreK (ages 3-5)

9 & 11 am

Parents/guardians may drop their children off in room R3/4 prior to the service. During our PreK class, children will explore the themes of the month through stories, play,  and crafts. Please sign your child in at the classroom door. 

Kindergarten-5th grade

9 & 11 am

K-5th graders start in the service with their parents. After the Time for All Ages they will follow the teachers to their classrooms. 
Classes will end at 10:10 am or 12:10 pm

In our K-5 classes, we explore our UU identity by learning our values, rituals, songs, and history. Students will make meaningful connections with other children and adults. They will learn tools to deal with difficult situations with the use of spiritual practice. Teachers will provide opportunities for social action and help our kids become more inclusive. 

Important elements of each class:

  • Singing (learning our UU hymns)
  • Spiritual practice (a moment of stillness)
  • Chalice Lighting and Reading of our Covenant
  • Sharing of Joys and Sorrows
  • Theme based activities that allow our children to socialize and connect while deepening their understanding of UU values and identity.
  • Opportunities for social action
  • Closing words

Classes are split between grades K-2nd and 3rd-5th with “age appropriate” activities planned for each class.

Elementary Our Whole Lives (OWL) 9 am 

  • 1st & 2nd grade OWL –  Sunday, September 17 – November 9 (no class 10/15).
    Mandatory parent/child orientation Sunday, September 10 12:30-2:30 pm
  • 4th & 5th Grade  OWL – Sunday, January – March 17
    Mandatory parent/child orientation on Sunday, December 10 12:30-2:30 pm

6th Grade –  Neighboring Faiths

11 am

Our 6th graders will journey into world religions with activities, special guests, and virtual field trips, empowering them to develop empathy and awareness of faiths around the world. They will also be connecting their learnings about world religions to their own Unitarian Universalist faith by learning from our Sources of the Living Tradition.

6th graders go directly to their classroom, (M3/4) located in the Mills Building

7th Grade Our Whole Lives (OWL)

10:45 am

Our Whole Lives is an age appropriate, comprehensive, and progressive sex education curriculum that supports participants in making informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. OWL also explores how their sexuality is connected to being Unitarian Universalists.

7th graders who are registered for OWL and whose parents have attended the orientation, go directly to the classroom, (M1/2) located in the Mills Building.  

8th Grade Coming of Age (COA)

11 am

The Coming of Age program supports the transition from child to youth in a yearlong journey, helping teens to explore their identities, beliefs, Unitarian Universalist faith, relationships with others, and connections to the world.

8th graders go directly to the Priestley room (in the basement of the main building) for COA. 

9th-12th Grade High School Youth Group (HSYG)

11 am

Our High School Youth Group (HSYG) provides an opportunity for teens to build community, have fun with friends and further explore their UU identity.  This year our curriculum will use popular movies to encourage discussion of issues relevant to youth particularly around identity and culture.

High Schoolers go directly to the Mitchell Room (in the basement of the main building) for HSYG.  

A few guidelines:

Before the service:

  • Please have your K-5 child find their nametag on the nametag board. Let your teacher know if your child needs a new nametag. Middle and High School nametags will be kept in their classrooms
  •  K-5 begin in the service in the Sanctuary with their families.  MS/HS and Elementary OWL classes go directly to their classroom. 

After the service:

  • K-5 parents please pick up your child at 10:10 am or 12:10 pm.  Classes run 10 minutes longer than the service time.   Children will not be allowed to leave their classroom without their guardian.
  • Middle and High School youth are dismissed from their classrooms.
  • Your children are welcome to have a snack in the Kid Zone in the south commons after the service.
  • During the service, all youth need to be in the service or in class. They are not permitted to play on the playground or be in the commons without supervision. 

We have created Google Groups for each class to help facilitate communication between teachers and families. If you are registered for FE you will be added to the appropriate group.