Children's Programs: Courses

Celebrating Our Songs

Celebrating Our Traditions: Great Stories

Celebrating Out Traditions: God & Me

Exploring Our Bibles: Doing the Right Thing

Exploring Our Bibles: Bible Heroes

Bible & Prayer: Sacred Texts

Bible & Prayer: Rituals and Sacred Spaces

Identity & Transition

Pre-K: Celebrating Our Songs
A music-based, parent-toddler program, this course emphasizes playful exposure to Judaism and Christianity through song and dance.

K-3: Celebrating Our Traditions: Two related courses, Great Stories and God and Me, familiarize children with the yearly cycle of holidays.

Great Stories This course aims to familiarize learners with the yearly cycle of holidays by emphasizing the ways the stories connect us to the traditions and inspire us to celebrate, learn and grow together.  It is a chance to enter into the captivating stories associated with different holidays and traditions. 

God and Me This course continues to familiarize learners with the cycle of holidays through Biblical stories with an emphasis on creating a personal relationship with God. Through a deeper understanding of the holiday traditions and the relationship with God behind those traditions, the students will also connect feeling close to God with celebrating as a communityhelps children relate holiday celebrations to their own spirituality and focuses on building a personal relationship with God.

K-3: Exploring Our Bibles: Two Bible focused courses, Doing the Right Thing and Bible Heroes introduce students to key Bible stories.

Doing the Right Thing This course aims to introduce children to basic Bible stories from the Torah and the Gospels, with an emphasis on the ethical values drawn from these stories. Major characters such as Abraham, Moses, and Jacob; Jesus, The Disciples, and Mary are introduced. Values such as hospitality, forgiveness, and sharing are emphasized.

Bible Heroes This course aims to familiarize students with the great Bible characters from Biblical stories in both Jewish and Christian tradition – such as Joshua, David, and Paul. Students will learn the stories of these heroes and heroines and will understand why we continue to tell their stories today.

4-6: Bible and Prayer: Sacred Texts and Sacred Spaces and Rituals focus on the prayer and practice of each religion.

Sacred Texts This course aims to provide children with an understanding of the holy writings of both traditions, how they are organized and the roles they play in supporting the teachings of each faith and in fostering a connection to God.  This course will deepen the children’s understanding of the major Biblical stories and will also introduce them to Psalms, prayers, and other sacred texts.

Sacred Spaces and Rituals This course introduces children to the importance of houses of worship and life cycle rituals in Judaism and Christianity. They will learn about the value of sanctifying key moments in life, in particular: birth, coming of age, and marriage. And they will directly experience these by visiting a synagogue (to observe a Bar/Bat Mitzvah), a Protestant church (to observe a baptism), and a Catholic church (to observe a wedding mass). They will appreciate the way sacred spaces reinforce ritual and prayer and will also learn some key prayers that are common to regular services or special occasions. 

6-8: Identity & Transition
Designed for students entering their teens, this course focuses on issues of religious identity and what it means to have an engaged spirituality in either tradition. Introducing the development of Jewish and Christian traditions over the years, students will learn about the history and culture of both religions. Some may choose to prepare for Bar/Bat Mitzvah or Christian confirmation, while others will continue their religious journeys. How to educate the children is the most pressing issue facing interfaith families.

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