The curriculum we use for our K-5th graders is called Godly Play. Following, you will find a description of the curriculum.
There are two adults in each room, the storyteller and the doorperson. Adults are there to support the community that develops. Just as adults experience the Sanctuary as sacred space, so do the children experience the Godly Play room as sacred space.
The doorperson greets each child and helps them get ready to enter the circle. The story is presented by the storyteller using concrete visuals to help the children enter the story. The story is followed by a series of wondering questions. Next, children are invited to respond to the story they have heard by choosing their "work". The "work" of children is play; so the children are invited to engage in art projects, reading, journaling or retelling the story, as a way to process what they have heard. Finally, the group reassembles for the "feast." The feast mirrors the basic elements of the Eucharist and allows the children to pray, eat and drink together as a community.
Children hear the core stories of the Christian tradition several times over the elementary years because as children grow and change so their understanding of these stories changes and deepens.
Parent Pages are distributed to parents so they can engage their child to engage with them and the story.
The goal of Godly Play is to teach children the art of using religious language, parable, sacred story, silence, and liturgical action to help them become more fully aware of the mystery of God’s presence around them and in their lives.
Godly Play was developed and has been classroom tested since 1972 by Episcopal priest, author, and teacher Jerome W. Berryman. Godly Play is used in all denominations in the United States such as Episcopal, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Catholic, and Presbyterian. Godly Play is used in schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, and other settings. Godly Play is also used internationally, especially in the United Kingdom.
To find out when and where our classes meet, CLICK HERE
You can find out more about Godly Play by clicking this link to their website: http://www.godlyplay.org/
Heather Herschell has joined the St. Mark's staff as co-director of Children's Ministries. Heather oversees the nursery, Parents' Day Out and the "Catechesis of the Good Shepherd" curriculum on Sunday mornings.
Heather can be reached by email at hherschell@stmarks-sa.org.
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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd(Pre K - 3yrs to 5 yrs)
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The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program is grounded in scriptural and liturgical study. The children listen to the Gospel through the use of sensorally rich materials. The children are free to work with these materials that represent proclamations of the Christian message.
The adult's task is to prepare the sacred space, called the atrium, for the children so that they can respond to this holy relationship, first proclaimed to them through Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
The atrium is a place of community and worship rather than a classroom for academic study. It is a place to be with God, enjoy Him, listen to His Word, and to pray. It is designed to reflect the beauty of His creation and God's abiding love.
The vision for this faith experience was begun in 1954 by Dr. Sofia Cavaletti, a Hebrew and Scripture scholar.
Children desire to draw near to God but need the sensitive guidance of the adult as well as the inner guidance of the Holy Spirit in them to nurture this relationship.
To learn more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, click on the link below: http://www.cgsusa.org/
Children
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Nursery
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Choir
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