Youth Religious Education Lesson Descriptions

January 11th at 10:15am

PreK & Kindergarten – Chalice Children
Weddings and Other Services of Love and Union
The children learn that weddings and services of union happen in your congregation between two people who love each other. They spend time playing with the wedding-related items you brought and then hold a wedding for two stuffed animals.

For our 1st through 6th grade classes, this Sunday is the first session in our Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression & Multiculturalism series which begins the conversation on race, with a supportive approach that considers both the child and the adult.

While young children are avid observers and questioners of their world, adults often shut down or postpone conversations on complicated topics because it's hard to know where to begin. Research shows that talking about issues like race and gender from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and allows them to recognize and confront things that are unfair, like discrimination and prejudice.

1st & 2nd Grade – Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression & Multiculturalism
Race, Color, Nationality
In this session, children explore race, skin color, and heritage in respectful and affirming ways, celebrating what makes each person unique. Through stories, art, and conversation, we practice curiosity, empathy, and fairness while honoring our Unitarian Universalist belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person and our hope for a just and peaceful world.

3rd & 4th Grade – Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression & Multiculturalism 
Sharing Racial, Skin Color, and Cultural Identities
This session invites kids to explore who they are through story, movement, discussion, and art. The session builds self-confidence, affirms that identity is multifaceted and personal, and strengthens community through sharing, curiosity, and mutual respect.

5th & 6th Grade – Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression & Multiculturalism
Identities Outside of Race & Skin Color
In this session, participants explore identities beyond race and skin color, reflecting on the many ways people are shaped by interests, values, culture, and experience. Through guided reflection and shared conversation, youth are encouraged to know themselves more fully, honor the inherent worth and dignity of others, and celebrate diversity as a strength in our Unitarian Universalist community.

7th & 8th Grade – Coming of Age
Meeting with Mentors – Community Service (10:15 – 12:30)
The group will do an activity to help understand suffering in the world followed by a brainstorm of a potential social action project.

High School Youth Group
Waking up to What Really Matters
Our theme this month is “Awakening.” In this session, we reflect on waking up to what really matters and the importance of weighing things thoughtfully. It is often very easy – especially in our status and Tik-Tok centered culture – to just pay attention to surface things and not look any deeper. But when we do that, we risk falling to shallow living. This lesson invites youth to practice and explore ways of deep living, a calling found in our fourth principle about searching for meaning. It’s all a way of reminding ourselves that our faith challenges us to “wake up to what really matters!”