Support Forum for A Joyful Path Teachers
This is a place for teacher’s using A Joyful Path children’s curriculum in their homes or communities to discuss and support each other.
Here you can:
~Post questions to ProgressiveChristianity.org and each other
~Note tactics and/or supplementary resources which you have found successful with particular lessons
~Share stories and ideas
*Just login to to post a comment or question. For help email us at contact@progressivechristianity.org or call us at 977-544-7343
Topics: The Younger Generation and Theology & Religious Education. 8 Points: Eight points. Resource Types: Teacher's Forum.
Regarding the Forum. I do not at the moment have a question or comment, but would like to know what others are saying and doing. Can I read the question/comment flow? I use the curriculum in our one-room-school house Sunday School at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Penn Yan, NY.
What is “pinging” that is not allowed? Does that mean reading what others are saying without asking a specific question or making a specific comment? If it is, I surely wish I could ping.
Hi Joan,
This is a new page and has yet to be used! Yours is our first comment so that is why you aren’t able to see any others. A Ping and trackback are basically when other people write about this page on another website. We have now enabled that feature.
Thank you for your comment!
We would love to hear your feedback on the curriculum!
Deshna
Hi Joan,
I am very intrigued by this curriculum, unfortunately, the high cost is keeping me from purchasing it. If I knew it was fanastic, I’d grit my teeth and pay the money but I don’t want to make such a costly purchase without more feedback. I would really love to get your feedback on how the curriculum is working for you in your classroom. I would actually be using it at home, with my 6 and 8 year olds. We are a homeschooling family and I am looking to weave Progressive Christian stories and principles into our daily homeschooling rhythm. We attend a Unitarian Universalist church on Sundays which we love but I’d like to include more throughout the week.
I hope to learn more from you!
Thanks,
Sarah
Dear Sarah ~
I know you asked your question of Joan, but I feel compelled to answer it. I know it’s expensive — as a homeschooling mom you probably know better than most how expensive truly well done curriculum really is. This will be worth your money about a million times over!! I have used it in an intentional community that my family is involved with, as well as with my own three children (ages 5, 8, and11) and I can say first-hand that it is AMAZING!
It is so accessible that it give my family a “language” with which to discuss the world around us. I’ll overhear my children talking to each other, reminding each other of a story we read in the curriculum or an activity which taught them something. We’ve used it as a spring-board to think through social issues and ethical dilemmas, trouble with friends, disagreements amongst themselves, etc.
I can think of tons of ways you could integrate this curriculum into your homeschooling day — it’s such a natural fit for that! Bottom line — By the “in-home” version, if it doesn’t work for your kiddos for some reason, send it back in and we’ll give you your money back. I think you’d only be out the 7 or so bucks for shipping. You will never regret the decision to bring this lovely spiritual guidebook into your home!
~ Sara
Hello – First, Thank You!!! for creating the most thoughtful and intelligent children’s C.E. curriculum to date. This is a game changer and a prayer answered. We look forward to using yr. 1 this coming Fall semester. My question – wondering how we can apply this kind a curriculum to a spiritual summer church camp — and if you have anything in the works at this point to that end? To offer an alternative to traditional bible camps that are the mainstay in our area. Also wondering if you could suggest Communion, Confirmation and Youth Retreat program materials that would follow the Joyful Path foundation at our UCC Church? Deepest Thanks, Laurie
Dear Laurie ~
I know last summer there was at least one community that I know of who used the children’s curriculum for a summer church camp. One of the beautiful things about this curriculum is that it is so versatile and user-friendly. You could simply pick five lessons that you especially want to teach, and use one each day of your camp. There are enough activities and crafts and ideas in it to easily fill up each day — you may even use some of the “teacher reflection” material, depending on the age of your group!
As for Communion, Confirmations, etc. — These are on our priority list to create, along with a curriculum specifically for older children (11-14ish). We have the momentum, we’re just on the lookout for the funding to properly move forward with these projects. I realize that it doesn’t help you now, but it’s coming!
One thing I know some communities are doing with their older children is tapping more deeply into that “teacher reflection” material — I’ve used the curriculum with a very eclectic group myself, with an age range of 4 and a half, all the way to 13. The older children enjoy helping the younger children with the crafts, reading the stories to them, and I’ve used the teacher reflection that goes along with each lesson to add some more depth to the conversation with the kids tracking on that level. One of these days we’ll have a curriculum specifically for these kiddos, but in the mean-time, I am discovering that what we have right now certainly has the capacity to grow along with them!
Blessing!
~ Sara