

Our Religious Education program for Children and Youth follows a Faith Development model that strongly encourages and supports intergenerational participation. The congregation does not just have educational programs; the church is an educational program. Our comprehensive program reflects the value we place on community and the idea that faith development is a shared journey.
Wee Ones
(ages 2-4)
We
have a new class for our littlest learners.
Using age-appropriate storybooks, projects, and activities; they
will
experience church as a place to make, and be with, friends.
This
UUA curriculum helps
children develop a sense of home that is grounded in faith. Together
they will
ask questions about the purpose of having a home and the functions a
home
serves, for humans and for animals. The program introduces the concept
of a faith home - the congregation - which shares some characteristics
with a family home.
Participants
embark on a
pilgrimage of faith, exploring how Unitarian Universalism translates
into life
choices and everyday actions. In each session, they hear examples of
Unitarian
Universalist faith in action. Sessions
are structured around the Unitarian Universalist Principles.
sUUper
plays (Youth)
September - January
By reading
and discussing one selection from sUUper
plays each week, each youth is able to examine his/her belief system
and how it
influences real life decisions and actions.
Compass
Points (Youth) February - May
Compass
Points is the Sunday morning
component of our Coming of Age program - a UU program intended to help
youth
discern for themselves what it means to be Unitarian Universalist,
individually
and as part of the larger faith community. It involves individual faith
discernment, working with a mentor and a retreat. To
wrap-up their work, the youth will present
a worship service.
Our Whole
Lives
(OWL):
This
year Thoreau offers the 8-week Our
Whole Lives class outside of RE time for
children in grades 4 and 5.
Children in Grades K-2 have three weeks of sexuality education
from the Haunting
House curriculum during class. Youth
are invited to join other Houston Cluster youth at Emerson UU for Our
Whole
Lives Grades 7-9.