Starting from Scratch: Writing Curriculum for Progressive Kids

Saturday, 12:00pm | Open

Children’s religious curriculum often comes with all the bells and whistles: brightly-colored take home sheets, noisemakers, and plenty of Bible memorization tools. But what happens when none of that is actually what you need? What if you want to actually be intentional about the things you speak over children in your care rather than re-writing what you have just to “make it work?” And what if perhaps the Bible isn’t always the best tool to be using to teach children how to care for themselves, others, and this world? I have worked the last two years, developing and writing my own curriculum for children ages 3-11 – a process I’d like to share with you. Using children’s literature, mindfulness practices, engaging activities, and thoughtful language, this curriculum speaks to who God is as the Ground of Being – present in creation, in others, and in ourselves – as children learn essential values like empathy, courage, and kindness

Anna Skates

Anna was born in Birmingham, Alabama and currently lives in Tennessee, where she serves as a Children’s Pastor. She is a graduate of Belmont University with a BA in Religion; a post-graduate of the University of Alabama where she obtained her Masters in Library and Information Studies with a focus in Children’s Library Services; and currently attends Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Anna has curated a progressive curriculum developed for children ages 3-11 that has been used by congregations across the country. She has also written and illustrated a children’s book called “Sully’s Light.” Anna writes for “UnFundamentalist Parenting” and is featured in “Growing in God’s Light,” a Children’s Storybook Bible set for release in 2018.

Most importantly: Anna is a lover of cheese, her two dogs “June” and “Beast,” and is an avid Gilmore Girls fan.

Facebook: Anna Skates | Instagram: anna_skates | Twitter: @anna_skates

Session ID [254]