Youth Curriculum, 8-10-25

Announcements: You’re Invited: CSL Olympia Community Picnic – Sunday, August 24th!

Join us after service on Sunday, August 24th, for our Annual CSL Olympia Community Picnic — a joyful celebration for all ages! Our youth program is helping by planning outdoor games, a kid-friendly water feature, an obstacle course, a photo booth, and live music to keep the fun flowing.

Bring your neighbors, friends, and family, along with a lawn chair and a dish to share (sign-ups available). Let’s come together for a beautiful afternoon of connection, laughter, and summer sunshine!

Curriculum Overview – Week 2
This week, CSL Youth continues their journey through Love in Motion with Love’s Ascent — a celebration of how love elevates us and those around us. Inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s vow “to bring joy in the morning and relieve suffering in the afternoon,” youth discover the transformative power of care, kindness, and shared joy. Through meditation, movement, and mindful play, we explore how love lifts our spirits and deepens our connections.

August Monthly Theme: Love in Motion: Cultivating Compassion, Courage & Connection
Week 2 Value: Elevate — Love’s Ascent
Affirmation: “I lift others with love and feel lifted too.”

Spiritual Lesson:
Love is a rising force — it expands our hearts, inspires our actions, and deepens our bonds. This week, youth explore how even the smallest act of kindness or compassion can create a ripple of upliftment in the world. Through the lens of the Four Immeasurables and Science of Mind principles, we reflect on our capacity to be joy-bringers and heart-healers, grounded in love’s courageous presence.

Mindfulness: “Loving-Kindness Meditation”
Youth are guided in a gentle practice of sending goodwill to themselves, loved ones, and even people they find challenging. Through silent wishes like “May you be happy. May you be safe. May you feel love,” they experience how love moves outward and upward from a grounded center. Focus: “Love grows when we give it freely.”

Repeat affirmation: “I lift others with love and feel lifted too.”

Active Listening: Book/Music/Video

• Book (older youth): Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson explores missed opportunities for kindness and the lasting impact of our choices.
• Video: Kindness Boomerang” (Life Vest Inside – 5 min) “Kindness Boomerang” by Life Vest Inside
• Music (older youth): “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars (A joyful and affirming reminder of the power of being there for others.)
• Book (younger class): Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud (A fun and concrete way for younger children to understand how kindness fills both their hearts and others’.)
• Music (younger class): “Kindness is a Muscle” by Universal Kids (An energetic and catchy tune that helps kids see kindness as a daily practice.)

Creative Expression: “Kindness Catchers”
Youth create colorful “kindness catchers” (like origami fortune tellers) with messages of encouragement, compliments, and uplifting ideas. They can be used throughout the week to inspire loving actions and spark joy with friends and family.

Lessons in Action: “Joy Tag” Game
A high-energy group game where youth “tag” one another — but instead of freezing, the tagged person receives a kind word, compliment, or helpful gesture. The goal: uplift as many people as possible in just a few rounds! It’s love in motion, in real-time.

Connecting: “How Love Lifts” Reflection
Youth gather in a heart-sharing circle to name a time when someone’s kind word or action made a difference in their day, or how they lifted someone else up. Together, we close by repeating the affirmation: “I lift others with love and feel lifted too.”