We want to try something new and awesome in our summer RE classes this year. But we need help.
As I write this, the snow is coming down outside as it has been all day, so it’s not unnatural to be daydreaming about summer breezes, drifting down a river, campfires, and fresh herbs and veggies from the garden. One of my other favorite things about the season is Summer Religious Education. First off, RE staff gets to sleep in a little later so that’s nice. We also have a lot more unstructured play time on the playground. There is definitely a more relaxed feel. We might spend time talking about what everyone is up to all summer. Among vacations, camp at The Mountain, sports camps, music camps, and day camps, our kids sure have a lot going on.
You may have noticed some changes to our outdoor spaces lately, including most recently, our new raised-bed garden planters! Jodi Clere has done a wonderful job coordinating and implementing much of this work and has taken the burden of worrying about where to go next with the playground off the shoulders of RE staff. Our kids love spending time outdoors and they especially love our playground. I’m betting they’ll be pretty delighted with the new garden, as it’s a much better and more friendly set up than our past two years of container gardening in an old sandbox.
We’ve been doing some thinking about what our plans are for Summer RE lately and we all agree that we’d like our kids to get the chance to spend as much time outside in our new “outdoor classroom” spaces as possible. What we really need now are some dedicated folks to help us develop a plan for nature-focused religious education this summer. People with knowledge of gardening, local flora and fauna, and other environmental subjects would be great! We have some ideas and have put together some resources to cull from, but we need some nature-minded volunteers to help make it happen! If you can help make this summer dream come true, please get in touch with Jen or me and let us know you’re in!
Kim Collins, Lifespan Religious Education Coordinator