Our Religious Education program offers a nursery and four graded programs covering kindergarten through middle-school-aged youth. The Preschool-Kindergarten and classes for grades 1–3 are held at both 9:30 and 11. The others are offerend only at 11.

Nursery

We offer nursery care for infants and children who have not reached their third birthday by September 1st. Nursery involves play and storytelling in a warm, nurturing atmosphere. Our nursery is supervised by experienced, paid care-givers.

Preschool-Kindergarten, 9:30 & 11:00

We Are Many, We Are One

Offers children the grounding of a religious community and tradition, along with the freedom to discover and express their uniqueness. The underlying theme throughout is anti-bias and multicultural education, which celebrates diversity and interdependency.

Grades 1–2–3, 9:30 & 11:00

Free to Believe, by Tirrell H. Kimball & Richard S. Kimball, 1998.

Commissioned by the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhassett, NY, this curriculum explores UU principles and sources while nurturing the emotional, social, and spiritual life of children. Its first sessions focus on UU principles, values, and beliefs through hands-on activities, stories, games, songs, and discussions. Children address the conflicts they often face, and are guided in creating an accepting classroom community. Later sessions focus on life’s big questions (about God, death, the creation of life) through the lens of UU sources.

Grades 4–5

Holidays and Holy Days, by Charlene Brotman & Barbara Marshman, 1984.

A standard favorite in many UU RE programs. Designed for grades 2–6, it relates the beliefs and celebrations of many world religions to UU principles. The format and content are appealing to children of all ages. Additional themes addressed are: UUism, Judeo & Christian Heritage, Peace & Justice, Respect of Web of Life, Life Issues.

Grades 6–7–8

The Questing Year, by Tirrell H. Kimball & Richard S. Kimball, 1998.

Commissioned by the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhassett, NY, this curriculum egages participants in four quests designed to help them seek and develop their own answers to deep life questions about human faith and the web of all existence. Connected through social action and spiritual search, the Mystery Quest, the Inner Quest, the Action Quest, and the UU Quest are all challenging and fun. The class uses music and meditation to experience religious mystery, creates personal aliens and mirror boards for exploring self, runs a social action project to help others outside the church, and explores the lives of outstanding Unitarian Universalists through a reproducible booklet included in the basic text.