Kids hear every day of the interaction of the world’s great religions. Some of the news is inspiring; some is troubling. Most of it is confusing. How did we get to where we are? Besides looking at the basic precepts of the world religions, we will explore and discover how they came to be. Why do Hebrews, Christians and Muslims revere Abraham in common? How did Buddhism spread from India to the rest of southern Asia and beyond? What are the roots of our faiths and beliefs, how have they changed over history and why?
We will explore this school through the use of stories, myths, imagery, sounds and traditions from the worlds religions, along with some hands-on activities.

The natural world around us is full of marvels. Human beings have built an increasingly complex world through the exploration of nature and its laws. What discoveries in the past have led us to the commonplace miracles which shape our lives? The School of Spirit explores our relation to the spiritual. The School of Wonder explores our relation to the physical. Both of these things have a profound effect on our daily lives. Explorations will include demonstrations of scientific principles, explanations of why things work the way they do and a look at some of the great pioneers in the history of natural science.

This school explores our connection to the greater family of congregation and community. Members of the congregation and the surrounding community will be invited to present their hobbies, their interests, the activities they engage in and subjects they have mastered simply for the sheer joy of doing so. This could be subjects as diverse as cycling, marine biology, coin collecting or digital art. Students will be invited to ask questions, see the tools or materials involved in people’s avocations and perhaps even participate.

We would like to give our students the chance to express themselves. In this school, the lessons are focused on exploring their own creative expressions and relationship to the world. Similar to the School of Connections, these sessions emphasize developing their world of imagination in a supporting setting.

Inevitably the opportunity will arise to study some subject or do some activity that doesn’t quite fit into the other schools. The School of Mystery will be different and surprising, every time.