We have a fall semester (September through December), a spring semester
(January through May) and a summer term (June through August). We offer
organized lessons during the fall and spring semesters, with a more flexible
structure during the summer to accommodate irregular attendance due to
vacations, etc. Our basic plan includes six major themes (one each semester):
Quaker History, Quaker Practice, Quaker Testimonies, the life of Jesus and
other Christian traditions, Discovering Worship and the Hebrew Scriptures and
other faith traditions. While our general plan would have the children
advancing in age groups approximately every three years (pre-school, lower
elementary, upper elementary, middle school and high school), there is enough
flexibility in the themes to accommodate repeated cycles using different
curriculum and resources to deepen and broaden understanding.
The methods devised to carry out this plan may vary from year to year, but may
include some of the following approaches:
Faith & Play
Derived from Jerome Berryman's Godly Play, Faith & Play is a Quaker-based
Montessori-like approach based on storytelling, "wondering" and other
open-ended activities designed to encourage children to develop a language for
discussing and questioning matters of faith. Children gather in a circle, sing
a song and participate in a story, then share a feast, and work on an art
response (silent worship) related to the story. These activities mirror many
adult Quaker meeting activities - singing meeting, forums, queries, "eating
meetings" and silent worship.
Less formally structured than Godly Play, interactive storytelling uses many of
the same elements to encourage children to think about and discuss matters of
faith. This may involve walks and games to help the children form a community.
Children work together on various projects - sewing, cooking, or other crafts -
often to prepare materials for upcoming events.
We consider all of these activities to be a form of worship for the children,
and we endeavor to lead the children in a manner consistent with Quaker values
and testimonies such as the testimonies of peace, simplicity, integrity,
equality, and community. The specific activities can vary greatly from week to
week and teacher to teacher