First Day School Calendar
Younger Children and Middle School Together
Chestnut Hill Meeting Religious Society of Friends
First-Day School Objectives (2008/2009)
The goal of children's religious education in Quaker meetings is to make space for children to experience and live from the center of God.
The curriculum for 2008/2009 focuses on the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament). The Hebrew Bible is at the heart of many of the world's religious practices, including Quakerism, and has been part of the faith of billions of people. Many of these people have felt that the Divine is in some way revealed in these books.
Its books range from stories of creation and origins
to the deeds of
leaders, kings and ordinary people, from the poetic
faith of the
psalms to the yearnings of the prophets, with much
else besides. In
all of these forms, the stories put into words an
experience of the
power, mystery and wonder of the Divine in the world
and our lives.
The goals of studying the Hebrew Bible in First Day School are many. We hope to expose our children to the religious, cultural and artistic creations and traditions that stem from the Hebrew Bible. We hope to expose them to the language of faith and of social justice that has inspired and led many Quakers before us. Finally we hope to connect with our children's own developing faith through these stories of faith. Children are uniquely placed to approach the Divine through stories such as those of Genesis, Abraham, Moses, and to do so with open eyes and without preconceptions.
Old Testament
| Dates | Topic |
| 9/7 | Intros |
| 9/14-10/26 | Getting acquainted and Genesis stories |
| 11/2-12/14 | Joseph and Popular Bible Stories |
| 12/21-1/25 | Holiday activities and Popular Bible Stories |
2/1-3/15 |
Women of the Bible |
| 3/22-5/3 | Moses (and Seder?) (and Earth Day) |
| 5/10-5/31 | perhaps into June Psalms |
The Older FDS began the year focusing on community
building with both FDS activities and outside events.
During the rest of the year, we will look primarily
at 2 issues: 1) how Quakerism informs our daily lives
and 2) how we put our values into action.
If you are new to our meeting or are planning to visit, please read the following documents on our website (www.quaker.org/chestnuthill/ReligEd):
- First Day School (Sunday School) Program An Overview for Parents
- Frequently Asked Questions about Children and Worship at Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting
We look forward to seeing all of you at first-day school this summer at Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting.
Inclement Weather Policy: If the weather is harsh (i.e. snow, ice, flooding), making it dangerous for Friends to come to meeting, please assume that there will be no first day school or child care that morning.