Howdy Parents,

Today kicked off the Religious Education year for our children.

Both the Elementary and the Spirit Play Classes had Orientation today for their stories. Our Orientation re-introduces the children to the way in which we do things and treat each other in Spirit Play.  It helps the children remember how to roll up a rug, how to get out art materials for their work, and how to have a feast.  It teaches them how to be ready to come into the classroom and ready to hear the story during the opening circle.  They learn the classroom morning schedule and the chalice lightings they will say each week.

Each story ends with wondering questions. These questions do not have right or wrong answers.  They are to get the children to think about the story.  Here are some wondering questions you can use with your children about today’s lesson.

I wonder how you get yourself ready for the story in Spirit Play?

I wonder what work you did today?

I wonder what it felt like to have a feast?

Today teens kicked of their year by doing an in depth check in to get to know one another and by creating their list of hot topics. Hot topics are ideas that the teens will use to facilitate discussion on the first Sunday of every month.

All three classrooms worked together with their teachers today on covenants. In R.E. we use classroom covenants rather than rules. These covenants help us decide how we will treat each other and guide behavior within a frame work that still allows the children to understand that we are all an important part of the classroom.

The Elementary and Teen classes watched a video about covenant that was shown in the opening Plenary at General Assembly. The then had a discussion about how we use covenants in every day life and church life.