Self-Guided, Science-Based Lesson Plans, Stories, Dramatic Scripts and Songs for Teachers and Parents
Learning the science-based story of 14 billion years of cosmic, planetary, life, and human evolution in fun and meaningful ways can be transformative for kids. Curriculum materials are downloadable here on the themes listed below. All of these are intended for use by teachers or parents who are looking for participatory curricula, stories, dramatic scripts, and songs for helping children learn and love our cosmic and earthly evolutionary journey. (Assembled by Connie Barlow)
Except where noted, all programs were written by science writer and educator Connie Barlow.
If you find these resources useful, please make a DONATION to support Connie Barlow's continuing curriculum development. (She received no funding for developing any of these children's curricula, most of which she developed and honed while guest teaching in numerous religious education programs between 2002 through 2009, when she and her husband travelled the USA as "America's Evolutionary Evangelists."
Summer Church Camp Curricula on Evolution
listed by church and year:
Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno, CA- "Out of the Stars"
curriculum by Aubree Smith and Jennifer Kranzke
(2006; in 2010 Denise Lanier added program for teens)
based on Jennifer Morgan's Born With a Bang trilogy and Great Story Beads.
NOTE: First Unitarian Church of Dallas TX (in 2006) and All Souls Unitarian in Tulsa OK (in 2011) - used the above curriculum originally created in Fresno for their own week-long summer day camps, titled "Camp EvolUUtion".
Sunday School Rotating Curriculum
listed by church:
First Unitarian Society of Madison - "Exploring Our Origins" (4th and 5th grade; offered every other year)
Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church, Goleta CA - "Science and Myth" (elementary grades; offered every third year)
Final 2 weeks culminate in choosing and stringing "Earth Story Beads"; see photos of Jan Ross leading the program.
Jon Host (father of four) recommends
this sequence of books for spanning from pre-school (left), primary grades (center),
and 6th grade through youth (right).
teens - young adult
A whole new genre of music videos (freely accessible for online viewing or download) examine existential questions of life's meaning from a science-based, yet reverential, perspective. Highly recommended for discussion are the music videos by Symphony of Science and by Peter Mayer.
NOTE: For ministers, teachers, and other adults preparing to guide youth Coming of Age classes, experiences, and declarations, it is vital to see the importance of leading youth toward contemplation and consideration of life and life challenges as they really are — rather than making "beliefs" central for this quest (especially the usual supernatural belief questions: Is there a God? Do I believe in life after death?). Toward this end, Connie Barlow highly recommends reading or listening online to UU Rev. Davidson Loehr's 2008 sermon titled "Brokenness." Rev Loehr highlights the wisdom that had been read to the congregation the previous Sunday by 4 youths who had just completed that quest. Click to read or listen to the sermon, then scroll down to the second sermon on this page ("Brokenness"), delivered June 15, 2008 at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin TX.
You may download, print, and use any and all of these resources, without seeking permission, for all purposes other than publication. (Contact us if you wish to include them in a book or magazine.) And please hotlink our site to yours.
Connie subtitled this 9-page essay, "An invitation to parents and religious educators to present a coherent cosmology to our children." Composed as a critique of Dale McGowan's invited lecture at the annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists nationwide (in June), Connie calls for a reassessment of the way kids in religious liberally families and institutions are taught "religion". Our postmodern celebration of diversity and advocacy of free choice actually means we deny our children a basic human requirement: "a coherent cosmology (creation story / worldview) through which to enjoy and securely navigate the years of childhood wonder, learning, and innocence." (posted July 2010)
"With Praise and Thanksgiving" by Gail Forsyth-Vail, 2010. She is Adult Programs Director for the Unitarian Universalist Association. This is an online short essay on the Universe Story as the grounding source for awe, wonder, and gratitude — and for all ages.
Podcast AUDIO, "Jennifer Morgan: Born with a Bang - Jennifer and Connie Barlow in dialogue about the importance of giving children a big-picture understanding of the story of the Universe, and as an inspiring adventure story.
Advance the video at right to 1:00 minute into the program for a sample reading from Connie's chapter.
"Evolution Now: A Manifesto for Our UU Congregations"
, sermon by Connie Barlow delivered August 2008 - a plea for Unitarian Universalists (and other liberal religious folk) to ensure that we give our children a coherent, inspiring creation story to guide their lives and love for all of creation. Click to listen online or read in PDF.
♦ Universe Story Online Course for K-12 Teachers offered by The Heritage Institute uses some of the curricula and other materials on our TheGreatStory.org website. (It is a continuing education course for K-12 Teachers for credits of professional development.) The kid's book trilogy shown below are among the course texts used.
♦ BIG HISTORY for Kids - The International Big History Association newsletter of December 2011 is a special issue on children's "big history" curricula. Contributors include Born with a Bang children's book author Jennifer Morgan and Montessori educational authors and consultants Michael Duffy and D'Neil Duffy (who show the parallels between the new field of "Big History" and Maria Montessori's long-standing "Cosmic Education" approach to elementary education).
Great Ball of Fire author, Betty Kissilove combines Carl Sagan with Dr. Seuss in this richly illustrated, epic journey from the birth of matter to the birth of human culture and religions.
For children and adults, the story begins:
Once a long time ago there was Nothing / Like nothing before or to come.
'Twas a Nothing with Everything in it: / Nothing even as big as your thumb.
We can't talk of the size of this Nothing / Because nothing has no size at all.
All this Nothing is hard to image / 'Cause there's nothing at all to recall
Till out of nowhere this Nothing decided / That no time and no place and no thing
Were all ready and willing and able / To flare forth and become Everything!
"Darwin's Darkest Hour" - 2 hr NOVA television show now available for free viewing online. Great for adult or youth education class and discussion in any progressive church or secular setting, as it shows the cultural ethos and wrenching personal difficulties in facing the need to give up a biblically literalist view of God and Creation.
