Sunday School

Sunday School meets on most Sunday mornings, from 10:25 – 11:05 am, for kids in Preschool to Sixth Grade

At Grace we use three different curriculums for our Sunday School classes. Godly Play is used in our Preschool and Kindergarten classes; All Things New by Morehouse Publishing is our First and Second Grade curriculum; and Living the Good News, also by Morehouse Publshing, is taught in our Third to Sixth Grade Sunday School classes. Sunday School classes meet from 10:25 – 11:05 am on most Sunday mornings during the program year.

Godly Play

Godly Play is a storytelling program based on the Montessori method of teaching young children. This curriculum is widely used in Episcopal churches because it draws children into a deep experience of the Bible story and helps them to experience it with all their senses. This is how it’s implemented: Children gather in a circle on the carpet and are told a Bible story, with wooden figures and props. The Storyteller has memorized the story and moves the figures of the narration as she or he speaks. The Godly Play stories are kept in individual baskets on shelves that are designed for young children to reach and access easily. After the Storyteller tells the story, the children can answer questions about the story or ask questions. The Storyteller prompts the children with I Wonder questions. For example, I wonder how the fishermen felt when Jesus asked them to put down their nets and follow him.
The children are invited to pursue their wondering about the story in three different ways: by telling the story themselves; telling a different story they have already heard; or by responding to the story with art materials.
At Grace, Godly Play is used with the youngest children but is incorporated, also, into classes for the Third to Sixth Graders – two to three times a year – as a way of helping them to go deeper into the questions they have about their faith.

First/Second Grade Class

The First and Second Grade class uses the All Things New curriculum. This curriculum is a wonderful source of stories and project ideas. It takes children through the key Bible stories (Old and New Testament) in chronological order, so they get an idea of the sequence of the stories. This class begins with a craft, hears the Bible story of the day, and does an activity – skit, game, or project – to explore the ideas presented in the story.

Third Grade Class

The older kids’ classes use the Living the Good News curriculum, which is designed to follow the Episcopal Lectionary Cycle. The Third Grade class learns to find each week’s Gospel story in their Good News Bibles. They read the Gospel out loud, each person reading a verse or two, at the start of each class. Afterwards they discuss the meaning in the story and role play the story or do a craft to respond to the story. In addition, this class enjoys special Sunday events: a tour of our entire church building; a historical look at our stained glass windows, and community outreach projects.

Fourth Grade Class

The Fourth Grade class spends a good part of their time discussing the Gospel story’s relevance to their real life situations. They work on group art projects and like the Third Graders, take turns reading the Gospel out loud at the beginning of each class. Each Fourth Grader receives their own Bible at the beginning of the year and may have it inscribed by Mother Lauren and Father Scot. Like the Third Graders, they take a guided tour of the building and hear Godly Play stories, occasionally, as part of their curriculum. Also, they participate in special Sunday projects to help others – both inside and outside of our parish life.

The Fifth and Sixth Grade Class

In the Fifth and Sixth Grade Sunday School class, kids study the Book of Common Prayer and learn the fundamentals of what it means to be a member of our Episcopal Church. In addition, they read the Gospel stories each week from classroom Bibles and discuss the relevance of these stories in their own lives. They, too, participate in service projects and each fall participate in a workshop on feelings, designed to help them with peer relationships.