The year’s themes are:
- UU Fluency – studying historical UU individuals and UU ideas/ideals
- Resiliency and finding your center in a changing world
- Finding Joy – through play, outdoor exploration, and self-reflection
Schedule:
Circle RE will run every Sunday, and will rotate between the three Circle churches on this schedule :
1st Sundays at UCMH (Hudson)
2nd Sundays at First Parish (Northboro)
3rd Sundays at UUCSW (Westborough)
4th Sundays – RE on 4th Sundays begins in January (due to the winter holiday calendar), and it’s topic and location are TBD; these will be announced at the beginning of each month.
Occasional schedule changes may occur – be sure to check your church’s newsletter.
Special events may happen during the year in addition to our regular RE meetings and may occur on Friday evenings, or Sunday afternoons.
Curriculum Details
This year, the Silverthorn School of Magic returns to help us bring our UU magic into the world! Inspired by the world of Harry Potter, students will explore our themes in classes like “Charms”, “Herbology” (outdoor exploration of trees and plants), “Divination” (learning to listen to your inner voice), and “Defense Against the Dark Arts”.
Hats and cloaks (provided) are donned for classes, and we’ll use our hand-made wands to help us direct our positive energy and wishes into our lives. The topic of Resiliency will be part of our Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, where kids will learn how to deal with life’s challenges. We’ll explore the magic of Unitarian Universalism by learning about historical UUs, how they changed the world, and how we can follow in their footsteps.
Outdoor exploration and play will be a part of RE as much as possible. I will notify families when to make sure to have kids dressed for the weather.
The Silverthorn School is more about how topics are presented and explored, rather than the topics themselves. For example, in November the theme is Change, and we will be looking at what makes change possible, through the use of magical “spells”, which are simply fancy ways of using affirmations. Affirmations are powerful magic all by themselves!
If this sounds like fun, come join us as a volunteer classroom assistant, and become a Silverthorn Professor!
Curriculum resources being used this year:
Soul Matters RE Curriculum, Soul Matters Team
Awakening Joy for Kids, Baraz & Lilyanna, Parallax Press, 2016
Select and adapted stories and programs from the UUA’s Tapestry of Faith
Harry Potter and Philosophy, Baggett and Klein, eds., Open Court Publishing, 2004
The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy, Bassham, ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2010
Harry and UU Curriculum, Imagine RE
Yoga for Mental Health Teacher Training, Beers & Migdow, Kripalu Center for Wellness, 2022
