S U N D A Y S C H O O L
Children Ages 4 - 2nd Grade
Godly Play
Godly Play is a program based on the Montessori method of education. We have created a Godly Play sacred space in one of our classrooms downstairs and each week children will be able to explore their relationship with God, reconciling the God they know with the God they hear about in church.
Godly Play was developed and has been classroom tested since 1972 by Episcopal priest, author, and teacher Jerome W. Berryman. Mr. Berryman believes that children are not vessels to fill with spiritual facts and knowledge, but rather that they already have a spiritual life that we may not understand. Children are looking for the gift of religious language so that they can express their experiences, and they have much to teach us if we simply take the time to learn from them. Most important, children’s play is their work and they, like everyone else, want to feel self-sufficient.
A Godly Play class starts with a story. A circle is formed around the teacher, and the children watch the teacher use the Godly Play materials to share the story. Then children choose work projects. Some work with paper and crayons, others with clay, others use Godly Play materials to add details to the story they heard. There is noise—laughing and talking; but it is noise with a purpose and a reverence. The children also share a feast in the Eucharistic sense. Then there is the dismissal into the world.
If anyone is interested in learning more about Godly Play, contact The Rev. Joie Clee Weiher, Assistant Rector.To register your child, please download a registration form here.