{"id":483,"date":"2012-03-25T02:13:15","date_gmt":"2012-03-25T02:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/?page_id=483"},"modified":"2015-11-02T02:43:51","modified_gmt":"2015-11-02T02:43:51","slug":"family-program-information","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/family-program-information\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Program of the Humanist Community"},"content":{"rendered":"<p align=\"center\"><strong>A great place to meet other<\/strong> <strong>families interested in promoting<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>a caring and responsible way of<\/strong>\u00a0 <strong>life based on reason!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Our Humanist Family Program creates a fun environment for exploration and discovery.\u00a0 At our weekly meetings, children participate in activities that encourage them to reflect upon questions like:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_650\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-650\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-650\" title=\"2012-03-04-(3)a\" alt=\"\" src=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/2012-03-04-3a3.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-650\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Welcoming Circle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>How do we know what is true?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>How should people treat each other?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>What is our own human potential to make a positive difference?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_652\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-652\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-652\" title=\"Sharing-Circle-500\" alt=\"\" src=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Sharing-Circle-5002.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Sharing-Circle-5002.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Sharing-Circle-5002-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 85vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-652\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sharing Circle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rather than promoting a specific doctrine that dictates what our children should (or should not!) believe, we encourage our sons and daughters to explore these ideas through activities that include topics such as the natural and physical sciences, fine arts, and human relationships.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Past topics<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sciences:<\/strong>\u00a0 Evolution, Astronomy, The Big Bang, Measuring, Electric Dynamos, Friction, Sound Waves, Bubbles, Crystals, Water, Caves, Seasons, Life Cycles, Plants (Seeds, Flowers, Bulbs, Changing Color of Leaves), Life in the Deep Sea, Rain Forests, Honeybees, Dinosaurs, Sloths, Eggs, The Sense of Smell, The Eye, The Heart, Healthy Eating, Recycling, and more!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_654\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-654\" style=\"width: 354px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-654\" title=\"Kae-reading-400\" alt=\"\" src=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Kae-reading-4001.jpg\" width=\"354\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Kae-reading-4001.jpg 354w, https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Kae-reading-4001-265x300.jpg 265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 85vw, 354px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-654\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Story Time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>On Human Relationships:<\/strong>\u00a0 Friendship, Cooperation, Curiosity, Being Different, Communication, Racism, What is a Family? Anger, Jokes and Silliness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fine Arts:<\/strong> Poetry, Music and Sound, Color, Symmetry, Card Tricks, Zoetropes and Visual Illusions, plus many art projects exploring the above topics in Science and Human Relationships!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Family Program is very hands-on and participatory.<\/strong>\u00a0 The weekly topic is often introduced with a story or a short talk, after which the children are invited to participate in a hands-on activity that may be: a game, a science activity (like measuring sound waves, making simple motors, breaking geodes, planting bulbs), a skit, an art project (like paper cut-outs, painting, plaster casts, masks, writing limericks, etc.) We occasionally go on field trips to local points of interest.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Family Program Sample Schedule <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-656\" title=\"Mia-Jumping-386\" alt=\"\" src=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mia-Jumping-3861.jpg\" width=\"288\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mia-Jumping-3861.jpg 288w, https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mia-Jumping-3861-223x300.jpg 223w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 288px) 85vw, 288px\" \/><\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n10:45\u00a0 Sharing Circle (Show &amp; Tell)<br \/>\n11:00\u00a0 Story or Introduction of Topic<br \/>\n11:15\u00a0 Hands-On Activity<br \/>\n11:50\u00a0 Concluding Discussion<br \/>\n12:00\u00a0 Closing Circle<br \/>\n(12:10\u00a0 Optional Lunch Buffet with the Humanist Community Forum)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Family Program FAQs<\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What ages are the children in the Family Program?\u00a0 Children in the program have ranged in age from 1 to about 13.\u00a0 We adapt the activities to make them fun and interesting for many ages, sometimes breaking the children into groups by ages.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-658\" title=\"Lucas-Show-and-Tell-216\" alt=\"\" src=\"wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Lucas-Show-and-Tell-2161.jpg\" width=\"134\" height=\"216\" \/>\u00a0 Will the Humanist Family Program teach my child that there is no god?\u00a0 We strive to teach our children to think for themselves and to ask questions.\u00a0 We present the scientific method as a verifiable way of learning about the world.\u00a0 Although most Humanists would self-identify as atheists, the subject of God rarely comes up in Family Program activities.<\/p>\n<p>Can I drop-off my child with the Family Program while I attend the Forum?\u00a0 No; normally at least one parent participates in the family program along with his or her child\/children.<\/p>\n<p>Who organizes the program and leads the activities?\u00a0 The Family Program is participant-driven; parents and families set the agenda.\u00a0 Parents volunteer to lead sessions on a rotating basis.\u00a0 The family leading the session chooses the topic they would like to explore.<\/p>\n<p>Are all parents required to lead sessions? No.\u00a0 There\u2019s no requirement to lead sessions.<\/p>\n<p>How long has the program been going?\u00a0 The Family Program has been around for about seven years.<\/p>\n<p>Does it cost anything to attend? No, it\u2019s free!\u00a0 Also, if you choose to stay for the lunch buffet with the Humanist Sunday Forum, children eat for free!<\/p>\n<p>At the Family Program, children find an accepting and supportive environment where questions are encouraged and kids can feel comfortable expressing their own views and just being themselves.<\/p>\n<p>To see examples of previous programs <a title=\"Family Program Past events\" href=\"family-program-past-events\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A great place to meet other families interested in promoting a caring and responsible way of\u00a0 life based on reason! &nbsp; Our Humanist Family Program creates a fun environment for exploration and discovery.\u00a0 At our weekly meetings, children participate in activities that encourage them to reflect upon questions like: How do we know what is &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/family-program-information\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Family Program of the Humanist Community&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/483"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7682,"href":"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/483\/revisions\/7682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.humanists.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}