Youth Curriculum, 5-3-26

Announcements:

Youth & Family will be hosting a booth at the Lacey Spring Fun Fair on May 16–17, featuring a fun, interactive activity for kids—come enjoy free rides, games, STEAM exhibits, and more for all ages! If you’d like to spend a few hours helping us play, connect, and share the spirit of CSL with the community, please reach out to Adrienne to sign up.

April Theme: Foundations of Spirit: Discovering the Divine Within
Week 1 Value: Oneness
Affirmation: I am connected to all life, and all life is connected to me.

Curriculum Overview:

In Week 1, youth and teens are introduced to the foundational spiritual principle of Oneness—the understanding that we are never separate from each other, from nature, or from the Divine.

Through engaging activities and reflection, youth begin to recognize connection in their everyday lives: in their relationships, in the natural world, and within themselves. They explore how their thoughts, feelings, and actions ripple outward and affect others.

This week sets the stage for the month by helping youth experience that connection is not something they have to create—it is something they are already a part of. As they begin to see life through this lens, qualities like kindness, empathy, compassion, and cooperation naturally emerge.

Spiritual Lesson:

We are all connected—what we think, feel, and do impacts the whole.

Youth explore the idea that Oneness is both a spiritual truth and something we can observe in real life. Just as ecosystems depend on every part working together, human relationships are also interconnected.

They begin to understand that when they act with kindness or awareness, they are contributing positively to the whole. When they feel disconnected, they can return to the truth that connection is always present.

This lesson emphasizes that remembering Oneness helps guide better choices, deeper compassion, and a stronger sense of belonging.

Spiritual Practice: Connection Web & Mirror Awareness

Youth participate in a hands-on activity where they create a “connection web” using yarn, physically demonstrating how each person is linked to others. When one part of the web moves, the entire web is affected—illustrating the impact each individual has on the whole.

They also engage in a partner “mirror” activity, silently reflecting each other’s movements. This builds awareness of nonverbal connection, empathy, and attunement.

Active Listening: Book / Music / Video

Younger Children (Ages 4–7)

• Book: I Am One: A Book of Action by Susan Verde
  Teaches that small actions can create connection and positive change.
• Music: One Love by Bob Marley
  Encourages unity, love, and togetherness.
• Video: Kindness Boomerang – “One Day”
  A short film showing how one act of kindness spreads from person to person, demonstrating human connection in action.

Children & Preteens (Ages 7–12)

• Book: The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
  Illustrates the deep interdependence between humans and the natural world.
• Music: Count on Me by Bruno Mars
  Highlights friendship, trust, and mutual support.
• Video: How Wolves Change Rivers (Yellowstone National Park ecosystem)
  Shows how the return of wolves transformed an entire ecosystem, demonstrating the powerful connection within nature.

Teens (Ages 13–16)

• Reading: Excerpts from This Thing Called You by Ernest Holmes
  Illustrates the deep interdependence between humans and the natural world.
• Music: Stand By Me (Playing for Change version) by Playing for Change
  Features musicians around the world performing together, symbolizing global unity.
• Video: Mirror Neurons & Empathy (PBS NOVA)
  Explains how our brains are wired to feel what others feel, reinforcing the science behind connection.

Creative Expression: Web of Life Art

Youth create a collaborative art piece representing Oneness.

Each participant draws themselves, an element of nature, or something meaningful to them (family, animals, community). They then connect their drawings with lines, patterns, or string to show how everything is linked.

The final piece becomes a “Web of Life,” visually representing the truth that all parts are connected and interdependent.

Connecting: Oneness Circle

Youth complete the sentence: “I feel connected when…”

Group Response: “And we are all part of one.”