Youth Curriculum, 8-17-25

Announcements: (in service, social media, e-news)

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, 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 3

This week, CSL Youth explore the uplifting and expansive power of love through the theme of soaring. Just as a bird trusts the wind to carry it higher, we learn that love can be the current that lifts our spirits, expands our creativity, and strengthens our trust in life. Through visualization, creative collaboration, and heart-centered reflection, youth discover how to live with openness and joy.

August Monthly Theme: Love in Motion: Cultivating Compassion, Courage & Connection
Week 3 Value: Trust — Love Lifts Me
Affirmation: “My life, all life, soars in love today.”

Spiritual Lesson:

Love isn’t just something we feel; it’s something we step into and let carry us. By opening our hearts, we allow love to lift us into greater creativity, kindness, and trust in ourselves and others. In the Science of Mind tradition, we recognize that love is the essence of Spirit moving through us, and when we live from that place, we rise into a fuller expression of who we are.

Mindfulness: “Wings of Breath”

Youth practice a gentle breathing exercise, imagining each inhale as the wind lifting their wings, and each exhale as a glide through the open sky. With each breath, they affirm openness, trust, and joy.

Focus: “I open my heart and let love lift me.”

Repeat affirmation: “My life, all life, soars in love today.”

Active Listening: Book/Music/Video

• Book (older youth): The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (excerpt — reflections on love, trust, and courage)
• Music (older youth): “You’ve Got the Love” by Florence + The Machine
• Book (younger class): Love is You & Me by Monica Sheehan
• Music (younger class): “Flying Free” by Don Besig

Creative Expression: “Wings of Love” Collage

Youth each decorate paper feathers with colors, images, and words that represent how love moves in their lives. These feathers are joined together into a large communal set of “Wings of Love” to display as a reminder that we are lifted higher when we share love together.

Lessons in Action: “Wind Beneath My Wings” Partner Trust Walk

In pairs, youth take turns guiding each other (one with eyes closed, one leading gently) to practice trust, listening, and communication — experiencing how love can guide and support.

Connecting: “Soaring Circle”

Gathered in circle, youth share one way they’ve felt “lifted” by love this week. We close by affirming together:

“My life, all life, soars in love today.”