Sharing Our Journey: Excursions With Our Faith
Grades 4 and 5: Using a curriculum in the fall called “Travel in Time” (written by Lois Ecklund, our adventurers will learn about Unitarian Universalist history and those who shaped our faith, as they take excursions to historical New England sites. From Henry David Thoreau’s cabin in Concord to Bronson Alcott’s “Fruitlands,” they each will find a personal connection through Unitarian Universalism to revolutionaries in our country and in our faith. In the spring, the class will turn its attention to the values of our Unitarian Universalist faith in a changing and complex world, through the curriculum “Amazing Grace” (by Richard Kimball).
Term 1: Travel in Time: Excursions With Our Faith
Lois Ecklund’s curriculum, “Travel in Time,” helps Adventurers gain a new perspective an personal connection with Unitarian Universalist history and those who shaped our faith. Participants will study our Transcendentalist roots, including trips to Concord and Fruitlands, and visits with Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as an introduction to some of the women who shaped Unitarian Universalism. We’ll connect with the lives and stories of Clara Barton, Louisa May Alcott, and Florence Nightingale, among others, and study the impact of these famous people on our present-day lives.
Term 2: Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace, written by Richard Kimball, helps youth more deeply engage with Unitarian Universalist values that help shape our lives in this challenging world. By modeling and sharing the values that shape Unitarian Universalist identity, youth are better able to develop their own independence, ethical thinking and behaviors, and to lead caring and responsible lives as citizens in a complex society.
The curriculum uses stories, activities, discussion, and more to help youth address such questions as: Why do bad things happen? What is the role of God, gods, and goddesses? Who am I? Is evil or goodness within us? Is it something we choose? What are my own ideas? How can I follow my own ideas and not somebody else’s? Is “you decide for yourself” really the ultimate UU answer to these questions?
“Amazing Grace” is a significant tool for helping young people along the path toward becoming empathic and responsible adults.