UU Fellowship of Poughkeepsie Welcomes Children of All Ages
Infants and Toddlers
Parents are invited to use the Main Meeting Room (MMR)’s “SoftSpace” allowing full access to the worship service. Another alternative is for parents to sit with their children in the PlaySpace (East Wing Library) with age appropriate activities and books.
Worship Every Sunday
Worship is not something in addition to religious education…..worship is religious education for all ages…just a different form. Children of all ages begin Sunday mornings with their families in the Main Meeting Room (MMR). They take part in the chalice lighting, first hymn, and an age appropriate Time for All Ages (TFAA) connected to the monthly spiritual theme. Most Sundays, children are then sung out of the MMR to MakerSpace, their collaborative and exploratory religious education space. About once a month, children of all ages remain in the MMR for a multigenerational worship service which includes participation of all ages and age appropriate elements. Occasionally, there are Sundays where there is no RE (NO RE Sundays) and worship kits and in seat activities are available to help your child remain with you in worship or sit with you in the SoftSpace.
Makerspace
Makerspace is a new (yet old-fashioned) approach to innovating, learning, and problem-solving. The idea is to design, collaborate, create, experiment, fail, try and try again. Makers work on daily challenges with other Makers in the space. They have adult facilitators and resources (often recycled) available to respond to the challenge posed for the day.
They do this as a part of a team (2, 3 or 4) or sometimes the whole group works together and, yes, some days where children challenge themselves alone.
What makes it a UU Makerspace? The shared purpose of a UU Makerspace is to shape confident, compassionate, and creative humans, practiced in the values of collaboration and imagination so that they can grow and heal a broken and exceptional world.
Theologically, Unitarian Universalists are a people of “deeds not creeds”. When we “choose to bless the world” (Rebecca Parker) or practice “Tikkun Olam” (Jewish teaching about healing the world), we are becoming Unitarian Universalists.
When we give participants tools and materials, facilitate how to use them, and encourage them to grow in knowledge and skills, we are giving them space to learn to be people who can DO and BE.
Please Note:
Fall 2022: Preschoolers and teens are included in an all Ages Makerspace and Worship and are given different age appropriate and related “makes.”
Fall 2022: MakerSpace meets predominantly outside. Please dress your child from head to toe, to be outside in all kinds of weather.
In order to help us connect with your family, please complete a registration here for your children or youth to participate.
If you have any questions about our R.E. program, please contact Reed Asher, RE Chair here.
