Kick-off Meetup for Humanist Children’s Sunday School a Success!
Families and HSNM volunteers met on August 24 at what will be our permanent location, a community school (grades 1-5) in the North Valley. There were get-to-know-you games for all, art and outdoor play for the children, and a constructive planning session with parents. Here are the highlights of the discussion and decisions:
Schedule: Through the end of the year, there will be just one meeting per month, to be held on the Second Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Save these dates: September 14, October 12, November 9, and December 14
Session Structure and Leadership: Parents take turns coordinating the sessions; they may lead/teach segments of the sessions themselves and/or enlist other parents, HSNM volunteers or special guest teachers to be available to lead an activity. (It is understood that the structure will be loose and spontaneous; rigorous planning or adherence to a plan is not desired.) A typical session will contain several of these components: Lesson/Story/Discussion, Science activity, Art Activity, Music Activity, Role-playing/Problem-solving activity, Snack*, outdoor play. (*Snacks should be minimal; check with other parents about special diets.)
Parents must attend with their children. Parents are asked to remain on the school grounds so that they can be on hand if needed. There are areas where those who are not responsible for leading activities can enjoy some quiet time or each other’s adult company.
These HSNM volunteers will assist the Family CoOp on an ongoing basis, and one or more of them will attend each Sunday School session and be responsible for the facilities: Ashley Jordan, Cheryl Gatner, Zelda Gatuskin.
Resources… are being gathered here!
Communications: It was agreed that an email list works best. Cheryl will manage the list and facilitate communication. No one wanted to have to join another “group” or remember another password! If you would like to send a message, join the list or attend a session, contact: Cheryl Gatner, kewwlnurse@gmail.com or 505-890-4176
Goals: To the question, “What do you want the children to get out of these sessions?” the parents answered: Ethics, [learning about] Other religions and cultures, Science, [dealing with] Bullying (“how to handle when people criticize”), Interpersonal Communication, Problem Solving.
Out of the Mouths of Babes: Finally, here is a transcription of the colorful list the children made of their own interests and things they want to learn about: The Sun, Lazers, Robots, Lazer Robots, Cheerleading, Dancing, Why Colors Change, Chemistry, Music, Singing, Jumping, Fashion & Sewing, Pokemon (this could be a great lesson both in computers and biodiversity), Math, Reading, Animals, Vegetables, Comets, Cosmos, Legos, Neptune, Clouds, Star Wars/Star Trek, Explosions, fruit, Aerodynamics, The Future, Technology, Bees, Court Jesters (harhar), The Planets, Birds, Books, Nature, History, and Bugs.
Humanist Society of New Mexico 