Youth Curriculum, 6-8-25

Announcements:

Teen Visit to CSL Seattle
Our teens are visiting the CSL Seattle Teen group to join their Sunday class and hang out afterward, ahead of attending Teen Camp on July 13th. Three teens from CSL Olympia are going to camp for the first time! To support travel and camp costs, visit our donations page and select “Give to Youth & Family.” Thank you for supporting this powerful, life-changing journey.

CSL Youth Garden Update
We have haybales ready for planting in our new CSL garden! If you have veggie starts or flowers to donate, we’d love your help growing something beautiful. Would you like to contribute your time, talents, or resources? Contact Youth Director Adrienne Cherry. This month, we’re planning a rainbow garden to match our theme—come help choose what we plant and shape this colorful vision!

Curriculum Overview:

In celebration of Pride Month, this lesson helps young ones embrace their “true colors” and explore the joy of living authentically and out loud. Through stories, music, movement, and spiritual reflection, children learn that being true to themselves is a sacred act of love.

June Monthly Theme: Celebrating Our Oneness: Honoring Unity, Diversity, and Loving Expression
Week 2 Value:  Do What You Wanna Do
Affirmation: I love who I am, trusting my higher self to guide me in every step.

Spiritual Lesson:

This week’s lesson invites children to courageously be their full, vibrant selves and trust their inner wisdom. By celebrating the uniqueness in ourselves and others, we nurture inclusive spaces where all expressions of identity are honored and loved.

Mindfulness: Courage Visualization & Centering

Youth are guided through a visualization where they imagine stepping into a colorful field where their “True Self” meets them with love. We follow the visualization with a silent reflection phrase: “I am safe to be me.”

Active Listening: Book/Music/Video

• Book:  I’m Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem by Jamie Lee Curtis
• Video: What Makes You Special? | TED-Ed Talk by Mariana Atencio
• Music: “Real” by Jason Mraz feat. Renee Stahl
• Book: It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr (younger class)
• Music: “True Colors” by Kindie artist Andrew & Polly (younger class)

Creative Expression: Freeze Dance & Expression Station

Youth visit stations with costume pieces, scarves, or masks. They dance to music (like “Happy,” “Born This Way – Kids’ Remix,” or music of their choice), and when the music stops, they freeze in a pose that shows how they feel most “themselves.”

Lessons in Action: Joy in Technicolor Banner Project…continued

Youth collaborate to create a large banner with handprints in rainbow colors and bold affirmations, such as “I Am Divine,” “Love is Love,” and “We Shine Together.” They can add personal symbols or messages of pride and unity, then parade the banner at the end of class with music and movement. Youth will be invited to display their banner at their center to affirm their space as welcoming and affirming for all.

Connecting: Designing Our Rainbow Garden of Unity…continued

Youth design a vibrant garden plan using rainbow colors to represent the diverse qualities and gifts each person brings to their community. Through symbolic planting and collaborative creativity, they celebrate individuality while cultivating a shared vision of joy, inclusion, and spiritual connection.