RE programme (National Programme).

Come and See is an invitation to exploration and a promise of life for everyone. The invitation is open to all.

In response to the question; ‘where do you live?’ Which was asked by the disciples, Jesus invited them to; ‘Come and See.’ (John 1:39) The disciples went with Jesus ‘and spent the rest of that day with him.’

OUR TOPICS FOR THIS YEAR

Autumn

Domestic Church - Family September - October
Baptism/Confirmation - Belonging October - November
Advent/Christmas - Loving November - December

Spring

Local Church - Community January
Eucharist - Relating January - February
Lent/Easter - Giving March

Summer

Pentecost - Serving April - May
Reconciliation - Inter-relating May - June
Universal Church - World June - July

Suggestions for home activities

Explore the Diocesan website, looking at the number of churches, and finding out about our bishop. www.dioceseofbrentwood.net

Read Bible stories together or encourage older children to read a child’s Bible.

Autumn Term

Theme: Domestic church – family

Topics

Early Years Myself – God loves and knows each one.

Year 1 Families – God’s love and care for every family.

Year 2 Beginnings – God at every beginning.

Year 3 Homes – God’s dream for every family.

Year 4 People – The family of God in scripture.

Year 5 Ourselves – Created in the image & likeness of God

Year 6 Loving – God who never stops loving.

Suggestions for home activities

Make a collage using family photographs of all the significant family members—grandparents, parents, children, aunts, uncles etc. who show God’s love. Write underneath it “We show God’s Love to one another.” Include those who have died

Theme: Belonging – Baptism and Confirmation

Topics

Early Years Welcome – Baptism: a welcome to God’s family

Year 1 Belonging – Baptism: an invitation to belong to God’s family

Year 2 Signs and symbols – Signs and symbols in Baptism

Year 3 Promises – Promises made at Baptism

Year 4 Called – Confirmation: a call to witness

Year 5 Life Choices – Marriage: commitment and service

Year 6 Vocation and commitment – The vocation of priesthood and religious life

Suggestions for home activities

Talk to someone who has been to a Baptism and/or Confirmation about their memories of this celebration.

Theme: Loving – Advent/Christmas

Advent is a time when we appreciate the love in our lives and prepare to celebrate love becoming a reality in the person of Jesus. At Christmas we celebrate the gift of Jesus, given by God as a sign and expression of God’s love.

Topics

Early Years birthday - Looking forward to Jesus’ birthday

Year 1 Waiting - Advent: a time to look forward to Christmas

Year 2 Preparations - Advent: preparing to celebrate Christmas

Year 3 Visitors - waiting for the coming of Jesus

Year 4 Gift - God’s gift of love and friendship in Jesus

Year 5 Hope - Advent: waiting in the joyful hope for Jesus, the promised one

Year 6 Expectations - Jesus born to show God to the world

Suggestions for home activities

Discuss with the children how your family welcomes visitors to your home.

Find out about some Christian symbols for advent e.g. advent wreath, calendar, Jesse tree.

Use the CAFOD or Missio websites to get a religious Advent calendar.

Spring

Theme: Local Church - Community

The experience of community is an essential and enjoyable part of life for people of every age and faith. The cycle of a year and the span of a lifetime contain occasions for regular celebrations as well as unexpected surprises, when people want to celebrate with family, friends and communities.

Topics

Early Years Celebrating - People celebrate in Church

Year 1 Special People - People in the parish family

Year 2 Books - The books used in Church

Year 3 Journeys - Christian family's journey with Jesus

Year 4 Community - Life in the local Christian community: ministries in the parish

Year 5 Mission - Continuing Jesus' mission in diocese (ecumenism)

Year 6 Sources - The Bible, the special book for the Church

Suggestions for home activities

As a family think about which celebrations of community life have you most enjoyed?

How did you celebrate? Who took part?

Which celebration are you looking forward to in the coming months?

How will you celebrate? Who else will take part?

Theme: Eucharist – Relating

When praise and appreciation are experienced, we are able to relate on a deeper level.

Topics

Early Years Gathering – Parish family gathers to celebrate Eucharist

Year 1 Meals – Mass, Jesus’ special meal

Year 2 Thanksgiving – Mass, a special time to thank God

Year 3 Listening & Sharing – Jesus gives himself to us

Year 4 Giving & receiving – Living in communion

Year 5 Memorial Sacrifice – Eucharist as the living memorial of Christ’s sacrifice

Year 6 Unity – Eucharist enabling people to live in communion

Suggestions for home activities

Look through the family photograph album to help the children remember important events and special people in their lives.

Discuss how we come together for special celebrations

Theme: Lent/Easter – Giving

Life, especially family life, or life in school, is full of opportunities for self-giving. Over lent, let us think about how we can give to others.

Topics

Early Years Growing - Looking forward to Easter

Year 1 Change - Lent: a time for change.

Year 2 Opportunities - Lent: an opportunity to start anew.

Year 3 Giving all - Lent: remembering Jesus’ total giving.

Year 4 Self discipline - Celebrating growth to new life.

Year 5 Sacrifice - Lent: a time of aligning with the sacrifice made by Jesus.

Year 6 Death & New Life - Celebrating Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Suggestions for home activities

As a family talk about how you are going to practice self-control and self-giving for the rest of the season of Lent. You may decide to give up biscuits or cakes and donate the money to a charity. If you have an older child provide him/her with an opportunity to take part in The Stations of the Cross. Ask your child/ren how the school is focusing on Lent and self-giving.

Read Bible stories together or encourage older children to read a child’s Bible.

Summer

Theme: Pentecost—serving

Early Years Good News – Passing on the Good News of Jesus

Topics

Year 1 Holidays and Holy Days – Pentecost: feast of the Holy Spirit

Year 2 Spread the Word – Pentecost: a time to spread the Good News

Year 3 Energy – Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Year 4 New Life – To hear and live the Easter message

Year 5 Transformation – Celebration of the Spirit’s transforming power

Year 6 Witnesses – The Holy Spirit enables people to become witnesses

Suggestions for home activities

Talk about good news in your family and how you shared it.

Ask your child to tell you the story of Pentecost and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Theme: Reconciliation—inter-relating

Early Years FRIENDS – Friends of Jesus

Topics

Year 1 Being Sorry – God helps us choose well

Year 2 Rules – Reasons for rules in the Christian family

Year 3 Choices – Importance of examination of conscience

Year 4 Building Bridges – Admitting wrong, being reconciled with God and each other

Year 5 Freedom and Responsibility – Commandments enable Christians to be free & responsible

Year 6 Healing – Sacrament of the Sick

Suggestions for home activities

Talk together about times when you have forgiven and been forgiven.

Discuss the importance of saying sorry. Look for opportunities for forgiveness and reconciliation in the day to day life of the family.

Theme: Universal church—world

Early Years OUR WORLD – God’s wonderful world

Topics

Year 1 Neighbours – Neighbours share God’s world

Year 2 Treasures – God’s treasure; the world

Year 3 Special Places – Holy places for Jesus and the Christian community

Year 4 God's People – Different saints show people what God is like

Year 5 Stewardship – The Church is called to the stewardship of Creation

Year 6 Common Good – Work of the worldwide Christian family

Suggestions for home activities

Together, look through a family scrapbook or photograph album of a visit to a place that is special for your family.

Look at a globe or an atlas. Find a special place and pray for the people of that country.

Discuss how we can look after our world and support our neighbours, near and far.