The Humanist Society of New Mexico launched its Family Cooperative children’s Sunday school program in
May of 2008. Our intention was to expose our children to different religious beliefs and teach them about
values, morals, critical thinking, and scientific methods. None of us had any experience in creating such a
program, and very few secular programs of this type exist. This booklet is intended for others to use as a
resource for Humanist educational programs. We hope you enjoy!
We met twice a month for approximately an hour. Our usual format was as follows:
· begin with a story or an introduction
· discussion
· songs
· play break and snack
· science activity
The children’s parents rotated as the teachers, preparing the lessons and conducting the class. All parents
were encouraged to stay with their children to share in the learning and teaching and to help manage the
children, who were all under ten years old. We feel this is preferred to a “drop off” arrangement.
In the Plans you will see “Complimentary Activities” listed that tie together different concepts. These are given
in some detail on separate pages. Feel free to use whatever combination of content that you think will work
best for your group. Some of the lessons that are centered on a story may seem short; however, the lesson is
really in the story itself. Preparation times are provided as relative guides, but will actually vary depending on
the teacher’s pre-existing knowledge of the material. Rehearsals with your teaching partner or perhaps even
your own children prior to the group class are highly recommended.
The Family Co-Op and these lesson plans were made possible by the Humanist Society of New Mexico and by
the American Humanist Association (AHA). References to the curriculum areas and topics developed by the
AHA Kochhar Humanist Education Center are included in the left panel of each lesson plan, Curriculum
Resources for the Life Span.
Director of Classes: Ron Herman, 505-292-4375, hsnmfamily@aol.com.
How Isis Gained More Power by Learning Ra’s Secret Name (Goldman/Wheeler)
The Story of Persephone and Demeter (Goldman/Wheeler)
Egyptian Creation Story (Cornelius)
What About Gods? (Cram)
Billy Goat Gracious (Cram)
“The Turtle and the Island” Story (Watson)
Truthfulness in Stories (Cram)
Myths, Legends, and Fables (Cram)
Winter Solstice Celebrations (Watson)
Obvious Jokes (Watson)
Telephone Game (Cram)
“Sneetches” (Cornelius)
The Lorax Lives (Sefkow)
Scale Model Solar System (Goldman/Wheeler)
Arm Levitation (Cram)
Camouflage Candy (Cornelious)
Animal Feeding (Watson)
Darwin’s Natural Selection (Watson)
Testing the pH Level Using a Purple Cabbage (Goldman/Wheeler)
Fizzy Foaming Mess (Watson)
Separating Curds and Whey (Watson)
Quicksand (Cornelius)
Microscope Magic (Cornelius)
Oil Race (Cram)
Geological Strata (Watson)
Deserts and their Animals (Sefkow)
Music (Cram)
