Lifespan Religious Education for Children and Youth

Regular Sunday Morning Religious Education Classes for preschool through senior high are offered from September through May. Classes begin at 10:55 and end at 12:15. All youth and children in kindergarten through high school attend a brief children's message in the sanctuary with their families each week from 10:55 – 11:15.

Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers
Supervised Open Play is scheduled each week in the Preschool Playroom.

Kindergartners – High School
No programming is available on a regular basis. Youth are encouraged to attend Sunday Morning Adult Round Table, and adults are welcome to bring children in their care to the Round Table.

At times throughout the year, special multi-age programs will be offered during this time such as Choir for All ages or presentations by special guests. Check Steepletalk, the First U website and the church's annoucement list for these special events.

Social Action Projects
Social action is a cornerstone of our Unitarian Universalist faith. Children participate in several projects which are repeated annually. Some of these are listed below. We welcome your suggestions for additions to this list.

• Trick or Treating for UNICEF
• Guest at Your Table project for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
• Stocking stuffer project non-profit assistance agencies.
• Easter baskets for children at Volunteers of America Family Shelter.

Schedule: Following each Sunday's R.E. class, all youth are invited to stay for Youth Lunch in the Open Classroom, from 12:30 - 1:00. Lunches are provided by parents/guardians and other volunteers on a rotating schedule. Parents of participants are expected to provide occasional lunches. Youth in Grades 6 - 12 and their parents are required to read and sign the First Unitarian Youth Code of Behavior in order to participate in youth programming.

Middle School YoUUth Group for 6th - 8th graders meets almost every Sunday after the youth lunch, 1:00 - 2:30.
YoUUth Advisors: Barbara Schweickart, Fran Ellers, and Ben Luoma.

Senior High R.E. Class and Youth Group are combined and will meet weekly from 10:55 - 12:15, except on weeks when multigenerational services are scheduled. Approximately twice each month, members will meet for extended sessions for special projects or activities.
Senior High Advisors: Kathy Gapsis, Rick Rinehart and Doug Taylor

Coming of Age (7th Grade and Up)
The Coming of Age program is a rite of passage, a way of formally recognizing and celebrating our young people's passage out of childhood. It is designed for youth who are interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism and their own religious beliefs, and in becoming members of the church. Each participant in the Coming of Age program is matched with an adult mentor, who serves as a guide throughout a year of independent study and participation in quarterly meetings. The program culminates in an end of the year Coming of Age ceremony and the opportunity to sign the Membership book.

Coming of Age 2011-2012 Orientation Session TBA, Spring, 2011

Artist in Residence
Multigenerational Programs are offered on selected Sundays, 9:45 – 10:45. Designed for participants of all ages, this program has a fourfold goal: to encourage each participant's search for truth and meaning through a variety of arts-related activities; to increase multigenerational interactions; to help integrate our upstairs R.E. programs with our downstairs Celebrations of Life; and to give families an opportunity to participate together.