If this is your first time visiting UCM, we encourage you to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start of service (Sundays at 10:30am) so one of our greeters can give you a tour of our nurseries and classrooms and answer your questions about our children’s programs. It is also helpful to contact our Director of Spiritual Exploration, Wendy Shusterman, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 905-278-5622 before attending for the first time, but it is not a requirement.
All families with children can check in at the Welcome Table in the front foyer, when they arrive. Each child receives a nametag and visitors fill out a visitor information form before their child goes to their class. Please note that a peanut/milk-free snack will be served in the children’s program but advise the teacher or Director of any allergies or medical conditions.
At UCM, children always join the congregation in the Great Hall for the opening segment of the service. They are also invited up to the front to enjoy a meaningful story and discussion before heading off to their classes. Throughout the year, there are several Intergenerational services where the children stay for the whole service.
Suggested reading for parents and children. These can be found at the UUA Bookstore at http://uuabookstore.org/
FOR PARENTS
*The Gift of Faith: Tending the Spiritual Lives of Children, Second Edition by Jeanne Harrison Nieuwejaar
Parenting as Spiritual Journey: Deepening Ordinary & Extraordinary Events into Sacred Occasions by Rabbi Fuchs-Kreimer
The Intentional Family: Simple Rituals to Strengthen Family Ties by William J. Doherty, Ph.D.
10 Principles for Spiritual Parenting: Nurturing Your Child’s Soul by Mimi Doe
Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn
FOR CHILDREN
uu & me - a magazine that helps kids think about what really matters
*Unitarian Universalism Is a Really Long Name by Jennifer Dant. An introduction to Unitarian Universalism with simple text and lively full-color art that offers youngsters useful and accessible answers to questions like Who Are We?, What Do We Believe? and Do We Pray? For children ages 5-9.
*My UU ABCs by William Cleary. A UU activity book with puzzles, lessons, and pictures to color. Ages 3-7.
*UU & Me! Collected Stories Edited by Betsy Hill Williams. Twenty-six stories from the first five years of uu & me, the kids’ magazine published by the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF). Fact and fiction, historical and modern, mythical and real-life, these stories have the power to spark imagination and stimulate reflection on how our faith informs our real lives. Ages 5-10.
*I Can Make a Difference by Marian Wright Edelman. These timeless stories, poems, songs, quotations, and folktales speak to all children to let them know that they can make a difference in today’s world. They are drawn from a variety of cultures and peoples. Grades 2-4.
*A Lamp in Every Corner: Our Unitarian Universalist Storybook by Janeen K. Grohsmeyer
*What if Nobody Forgave? & Other Stories of Principle; collected and edited by Colleen M. McDonald
*A Bucketful of Dreams: Contemporary Parables for All Ages
by Christopher Bauice
*Aisha’s Moonlit Walk: Stories and Celebrations For the Pagan Year
by Anika Stafford (ages 5 - 12)
