| Spirit Play |
| We see the purpose of religious education as helping children in living into their own answers to the existential questions: Where did we come from? What are we doing here? How do we choose to live our lives? What happens when we die? We use the Montessori approach and Berryman's morning as worship approach for the structure of the morning. As in Montessori, the key elements are the classroom environment and the teachers. These elements free the children to work at their own pace on their own issues after an initial lesson. The Door Keeper helps the children get ready to enter the classroom as parents drop them off. The Storyteller leads the circle in the story of the day, followed by the wondering. Children choose an art response or to work with a story previously heard, helped by the Door Keeper. Children clean up, followed by a feast (snack) with the Storyteller. Leave-taking is a formal process of saying good-bye to the Storyteller when parents arrive and children are ready. Stories have been developed in the following categories: Unitarian Universalist Focal Shelves Promises (Principles) Sources Stories of the Mystery Beginnings and Endings Sacred Places Church Corner Religion Boxes and Ways to Pray Heroes and Heroines Developed through grants from the Unitarian Sunday School Society and the Fund for Unitarian Universalism nitapenfold@aol.com for information and training workshops |
| A Unitarian Universalist Adaptation of Jerome Berryman's Godly Play developed by Nita Penfold, D. Min. Rev. Ralph Roberts and Beverly Leute Bruce with grants from the Unitarian Sunday School Society and The Fund for Unitarian Universalism Resources Now Available Neo-Pagan Sabbats in Holidays and Holydays style NEW Promise Stories for Older Students (5 & 6, 7 & 8 grades) Holidays and Holydays Translation for Spirit Play Classrooms Spirit Play: A Manual for Liberal Religious Education Programs New: Spirit Play GROUP now open to those who are teaching, just sign up and I will approve if you are involved in a program. Just Click Here. Video NOW AVAILABLE IN DVD FORMAT Basic Information Background Information Spirit Play Introductory Lessons CD Spirit Play Training Costs Trainers: Nita Penfold Joy Silver Current Trainings Available Links Spirit Play Resource List List of Churches Using Spirit Play Getting Started in Spirit Play Ralph Roberts Spirit Play Story Materials Nita Penfold Art and Spirituality site |
Flaming Chalice Lesson