CHIPMAN-HARRISON LEARNING CENTER
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH
THE CHERUBS
United’s Nursery
Program
Who are The Cherubs?
Webster’s
Dictionary defines Cherubs as "an order of angels, beautiful, usually
winged children in painting and sculpture" and "innocent-looking,
chubby, rosy people". (Doesn’t this sound like a definition of our little
children?) For this reason, we have dubbed our nursery program "The
Cherubs". It is United’s nursery care program for children under four
years old who need a place to stay and play while mommy and daddy attend
worship. The Cherubs are divided into two categories and are attended in two
(adjoining) rooms at the entrance to the Learning Center that make up the
nursery. Those rooms are:
The Osborne
Room (see map) which has been
specially outfitted to accommodate babies. There is plenty of safe, clean
infant furniture for your baby to nestle into, a collection of soft, safe,
clean toys designed specifically for children under 24 months; and a comfy
rocker where one of the four attendants can cuddle and rock your baby while you
worship. The adjoining room is …
The Thayer
Room (see map). The Thayer Room
adjoins the Osborne Room and has been set up specifically for our toddler
population: little ones who may not yet be "potty-trained", but are
no longer confined to cribs and baby walkers -- they're on their feet!! If your
child is old enough to toddle about on his/her own little feet and hasn’t yet
reached his/her fourth birthday, he/she belongs in this classroom which has
been outfitted with blocks and duplos, Christian videos, story books, and a
hands-on Noah’s Ark among other wonderful things.
What curriculum is used?
There
is no formal curriculum at this age level; however, we believe that from the
time children are born, they begin learning what God is all about. An infant
can see God in your face and feel God in your touch. A toddler can hear him in
your voice and experience God in play and interaction with others. When you are
worshipping within the walls of the Sanctuary, we will provide that loving care
in our Nursery. United's babies receive wonderful, warm, well-attended
"sitter care" from our Nursery Staff and Nursery Volunteers under the
supervision of our Nursery Supervisor, Archana Sharma. Archana and her assistants and volunteers
spend the worship hour cuddling, rocking, holding and playing, while Mommy and
Daddy attend the church service carefree.
We ask that parents label their child's belongings and provide the caregivers
with a change of diaper (whether disposable or cloth) for their child. We also
ask that parents of infants and toddlers observe the wishes of, and respect the
meditation of, the other parishioners in the church by taking advantage of our
nursery care. This sentiment is clearly expressed in our bulletin each week as
follows:
"A one-hour service seems like an eternity to a child. How fortunate for our children that we have an excellent adult-attended nursery and child care for young children. Parents are invited to take advantage of this service; you and the people around you will then worship in comfort, and the children will be in a surrounding conducive to their needs. The children will thank you!"
Please
do not hesitate to leave your infant/toddler child in our care while you
worship in peaceful silence and meditation.
Who are the caregivers for The Cherubs?
Two paid staff persons and two
volunteers (no less than two caregivers in each of the two Cherub rooms each
week) provide attendance. The morning will consist of coloring, music, Bible
stories, and free play. The Nursery
Supervisor, Archana Sharma, is in attendance in the Nursery every Sunday
morning, and if you have any questions regarding the Nursery program, please
feel free to contact Archana or Megan Weymouth, Coordinator for Children’s
Ministries.
LITTLE FISHIES
United’s Four-
and Five-Year-Olds
Who are Little Fishies?
Jesus called His
followers to be "fishers of men", and this class represents the
youngest of our little fishermen. Designed especially for United’s four- and
five-year-olds, this class will introduce them to favorite Bible stories using
books, puppets, songs, dance, simple crafts, and other fun activities.
What curriculum
is used?
A simple program
adapted for pre-schoolers from the "Seasons of the Spirit" curriculum
will be used at this level. For more information on this curriculum in general
see "United's Learning Program". At this age level we will
also periodically use the "Godly Play" storytelling method.
What is the objective of this curriculum?
The objective of
this class is a simple one: to help your preschool child build a relationship
with God and Jesus, and to build a closer spiritual relationship within the
child’s whole family. It will also ease the child into a regular habit of
weekly worship and an understanding of church community.
How is this objective accomplished?
Each week the
class time for this age level will be broken out into several distinct learning
segments which include: welcome and introduction; story time; activity time;
snack time; and free-play. The snack provided each week will be a simple snack
of animal crackers and juice or something similar, and will always be preceded
by grace. The class activity whether a cutting/pasting creation, a "let’s
pretend" role-play, a cooperative game, or a special song or finger game,
will help to enhance the story of the day. During free play, the children can
choose from a variety of toys, which have been purchased or donated
specifically with that age-level in mind.
A typical morning in the Little Fishies class will look like this:
10:00 - 10:05 Opening Circle (Welcome w/prayer)
10:05 - 10:15 Introduction of theme
10:15 - 10:20 Exploration of theme (story time)
10:20 - 10:45 Integration of theme (activity time)
10:45 - 10:55 Free Play
10:55 - 11:00 Closing Circle
This is, of
course, a flexible schedule and will vary slightly depending on the story or
activity, but provides a basic outline showing what you can expect your child
to experience during his/her "Little Fishies" hour.
Who teaches the Little Fishies?
For the sake of
constancy and stability, two members of United, Susan Spinner and Joanna
Dragone, have generously volunteered to teach this class for the entire year.
Volunteers from within the church family sign up by month to serve as weekly
assistants to the permanent teachers.
The Little Fishies class is housed in the Gardner Room (see map).
Elementary
(Grades 1-6)
United's 2005-2006 Elementary Learning Program
What curriculum is used for the elementary grades in the Learning
Center?
A
heavily-modified version of the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum, by Logos
Productions, Inc., will be used for all elementary grade levels in the Learning
Center.
What is "Seasons of the Spirit?"
Seasons of the
Spirit is a lectionary-based curriculum that will integrate worship and
education, and will encourage family interaction well after families have
returned home from church.
What is the "Lectionary"?
The Common
Lectionary was developed by 19 different denominations (last revised in 1992)
in an effort to create a closer relationship between the various denominations
by encouraging them to study from the same biblical passages each week. The
lectionary also creates a closer relationship in a single denomination,
however, in that everyone -- from the 3-year-old to the 83-year-old -- is
"on the same page" each week in worship and in education.
Why "Lectionary"?
Our main reason
for incorporating the Common Lectionary here at United is that it integrates
worship and education. John Westerhoff, noted author and lecturer, once
suggested that one of the reasons we were losing our youth participants is that
worship and education were so totally separate. Before Pastor Joe came to us,
the full power of that connection was not known to us, but now the lesson for the
day in the Learning Center goes hand in hand with the sermon delivered by
Pastor Joe every Sunday. It’s a wonderful integration for our church family and
perhaps that lesson continues over Sunday evening dinner tables throughout our
community.
The Lectionary
also accommodates the cycle of the Christian Year, a concept which we have
begun to intentionally present to the children in the past few years. The
Christian Year is delivered to the children as a cycle of colors, symbols and
stories. The children’s worship space in the classroom is color-coded for the
season, the Acolytes wear a season--representative color in their sash each
week, and the stories and symbols to support each season are energetically
presented.
How is family life integrated into this curriculum?
Family decisions
and conversations play a major part in a child’s faith development. If the
parents and the children are receiving the same scripture lesson each week,
follow-up conversations at home are natural and easy in a way that is not possible
when adults and children are focused on different Bible stories. Please contact
the Learning Center Office (846 3515) if you would like some suggestions for
family discussion relating to the Sunday sermon and Learning Center lesson.
Who teaches the elementary Classes?
The teaching staff for Grade 1 through Grade 6 is comprised of volunteers from within our church family. Megan Weymouth, Coordinator for Children’s Ministries, oversees the program and prepares the teachers.
JR. HIGH/YOUTH
United's Youth
Programs
Once again, the
Jr. High Youth will spend their year in their own unique curriculum. They will enter into a three-year cycle of
study, volunteer work, mission work and spiritual retreat Within the first two years of the program
they will make that final decision: whether or not to commit their faith to the
Christian Church. During the third
year, “Discipleship year”, they are required to complete a full year immersed
as new members into the life of the church.
YEAR ONE: THE LIFE OF CHRIST
In year one (2005-2006) they will study the
life of Christ through the book of Luke and the film series, “Jesus of
Nazareth”.
Year
Two: Becoming a Christian
In the second year (2006-2007) their lessons will be taken from several different sources, and each week of each month we will juggle the formats. Here is a menu of the formats that will be used during the second year.
W Sermonastics:
Jr./Sr. High classes will attend the worship service, as a group,
to engage in an exercise called "Sermonastics" Using a worksheet as a
guide, they will develop a deeper understanding of the Minister’s message.
W The Gospel According to Harry Potter: At least once a month, we will
take a Bible Study lesson from Connie Neal’s book of the same title. This is a
wonderful new formula for Bible study that is designed to attract kids, and yet
offers wonderful insight into subjects such as “Many Gifts, One Body,”
“Overcoming Prejudice,” “What it means to be ‘called’," etc.
W Multi-media Week: This is our ethical issues week. We will
discuss a particular “hot” issue, and we’ll use pop songs, newspapers, video
and TV as a vehicle for discussion around that particular issue. The third week of the month is also the week
when our Discipleship Year kids spend the morning in service to the church.
They will be assigned morning duties (i.e. nursery care, coffee hour, greeting,
etc.) as a part of their confirmation preparation.
W Cooperative Games/Activities:
Occasionally we will play games -- Bibleopoly, Bible Pictionary, Jeopardy, WWJD
and even Twister just to name a few.. The purpose of these games is multifold,
but mostly it builds community within the group.
W Extreme Challenges: Every
week the students will be given a challenge which will help them see what it is
to serve, to make healthy decisions, to give of themselves, to learn to what it
means to be a disciple. The challenges may include making a sibling’s bed for a
week, joining a new club at school, or introducing themselves to a member of
our church family, and spending a few minutes with that person during
fellowship hour. All challenges must be signed by a parent upon completion.
W Community Service: All of the
children at this level are expected to complete a minimum of 15 hours of
community service over the course of the church school year, and an additional
20 hours during the summer. If your teen has trouble finding ways of donating
their time to our community, please feel free to contact the Learning Center
Office (846 3515) for some "leads".
What is the enrollment for this program?
The Junior/Senior
High class is open to all students entering grades 7 - 10 for the 2005-2006 school
year.
What support/adult involvement is required of this program?
In the faith
formation of teens, the Christian educator faces a great deal of skepticism and
even apathy from his/her audience. This is the most challenging age level to
deal with in Christian Education. Please help to guide these young people into
a full life within the Church. Also please volunteer to assist teaching at this
level for a month or even just a single Sunday.
Who teaches this program?
The youth class is taught by Megan Weymouth, Coordinator for Children's Ministries along with assorted volunteers from within the church family.
CONFIRMATION PREP
United's
Confirmation Preparation Program
Included in year two are confirmation preparation classes for those
students who are interested.
This is a year of preparation for confirmation in which the kids study,
volunteer, perform mission work, retreat, and ultimately make that final
decision: whether or not to commit their faith to the Christian Church. Confirmation Prep students attend their regular class on Sunday morning and
attend Confirmation Prep classes on the second and fourth Sundays of each
month. Confirmation Prep classes will
be held on Sunday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in the Learning Center. William H.
Willimon’s Making Disciples will be used and 13 mentors will be chosen
for one each of thirteen steps in the journey for the entire group. Each mentor
will team up with the Coordinator for Children’s Ministries to instruct the
confirmands in just one session -- one Sunday evening -- of the program. The
benefits are twofold -- the Mentors are not overwhelmed, and the kids have the
benefit of 13 mentors as opposed to just one!
A calendar of the dates, topics, and leaders will be sent to every youth
who signs up for the Confirmation Prep Program. Please encourage your 8th/9th grader to enroll in this important
program. Enrollment in no way commits your young person; it is his/her
opportunity to make that decision for him/herself -- a most important phase in
faith formation.
At the end of the school year the Confirmation Prep students are asked
to commit to a minimum of 20 hours of community service for the summer, are
encouraged to attend national/regional events, and are asked to spend the
summer considering their life as a Christian and what it means. When they
reconvene in September, they will be invited to attend the Confirmation
Retreat, and those who so choose will be confirmed that fall and will enter
into their Discipleship Year.
What support/adult involvement is
required of this program?
It is a difficult time when someone who is only 14 or 15 becomes an
adult member of any organization. They still need guidance, support, and
nurture from the other adults who can provide leadership. Please help to guide
these young people into a full life within the Church family, and encourage
them to continue to ask questions.
Upon completion of the two-year confirmation preparation program, the new confirmed members are required to commit to a full year as an active member of the church: their Discipleship Year. Discipleship Year kids are required to attend Sermonastics one Sunday per month, fill a volunteer slot in service to the church one Sunday per month, and help in the Learning Center on the fourth Sunday of the month (“Sunday Funday”).