LOST: story

Today we began a unit on the Luke 15 "Lost" parables. We read from scripture and also viewed a video version of the prodigal son from "Story Keepers". Our new memory verse is Luke 15:10...There is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents.

("Story Keepers" is a animated video series that follows first century Christians in Rome.)

CHRISTmas: review

Today we added the wisemen to our nativity scene and prepared candy cane gifts for the congregation. We reviewed the Christmas story and ways we can be reminded to focus on Jesus! The kids also received a gift from GROW, an ornament in the shape of a gift marked "Celebrate Jesus, God's great gift!" I hope that this ornament will always remind you to focus on Jesus. Merry CHRISTmas!

(The candy canes we handed out to the congregation had tags that listed the symbolism of the candy cane. Several versions of this info can be found online. During Sunday School, the kids wrote Merry CHRISTmas on the tags and attached them to the canes. After service, the children handed out the candy canes.)

CHRISTmas: activity

Today we added the shepherds to our nativity scene and read Luke 2. As we focus on Jesus this Christmas, we want to celebrate like the shepherds...worship Jesus then tell everyone all about Him! Whatever ways we celebrate we can remember that Jesus is the reason for the celebration. Today we cut out and decorated cookies as a reminder to "celebrate like a shepherd"!

(Each child received his own rolled out piece of sugar cookie dough. Sharing small cookie cutters the kids cut out shapes and transferred them to a clean sheet of paper labeled with their names. They then used egg yolk "paint" to decorate the cookies. After Sunday school, I baked all the cookies, keeping track of whose were whose. Each child took home his own cookies.)

CHRISTmas: games

Today we continued to look at CHRISTmas and how to keep our focus on Jesus. We added Jesus to our nativity scene. We also discussed popular Christmas items and the ways we can let them remind us of Jesus. Feel free to visit the AWANA room to take a look! We played a game that involved a gift to remind us that Jesus is a gift from God. We also did a relay race building a Christmas tree to remind us that evergreens can be a reminder of the eternal life found in Christ.

Remember to practice our memory verse and especially to stay focused on Jesus!

(We played a hot potato type game with a gift wrapped in many layers of paper. Kids sit in a circle and while music plays pass the gift around. When the music stops the person holding the gift unwraps one layer of paper. Play continues until each layer is unwrapped. Inside is a small gift or treat for everyone. During the game emphasise that Jesus is a gift from God. We also did a relay game to build a Christmas tree after discussing evergreen as a reminder of everlasting life. Each team has 7 green plastic cups, six plain and one with a star. In relay fashion each runner adds a face-down cup to a 3/2/1 pyramid. The seventh runner adds the star cup face-up to the top of the "tree".)

CHRISTmas: craft

Merry CHRISTmas! Today we added Mary and Joseph to our nativity scene. Through Mary and Joseph the prophecy was fulfilled that the Messiah, Jesus, would be from the house of David. Also the fact that, humanly, Mary could not have had a child fufilled another prophecy! Today we painted a nativity scene. As the kids see it on display at their homes, they are reminded to focus on Jesus!

Please remember to practice our memory verse: For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT

(The kids used craft paint to paint nativity scenes. When the paint dried they did the outlines with permanent marker. I used graphite tracing paper to trace the figures onto wood ahead of time. We used 1 x 3 select pine. Each scene used 20 inches. The star is the tallest piece at 6 inches. I found the figures online in the holiday section at billybear4kids.com Aren't they cute?! The instructions with those figures are for a paper doll type nativity. That would be a great option with younger kids or larger groups. P.S. The scene in the photo was done by a student!)

CHRISTmas: story

Merry CHRISTmas! Between now and Christmas we'll be working our way through the nativity scene. We started today with Bethlehem...the prophesied birthplace of Jesus! We also heard a fun radio drama from Adventures in Odyssey called Redeeming the Season. This drama talked about many Christmas traditions and their Christian meaning. As we begin this busy season full of distractions one way we can keep our focus on Jesus is to make Him a part of all our traditions. For example, when we see a pretty light display we can be reminded that Jesus is the light of the world. When we put up a tree we can let the evergreen remind us of the ever lasting life Jesus brings. Even when we share Merry CHRISTmas we can focus on Jesus the Christ!

Please remember to practice our new memory verse.

(We listened to BTV: Redeeming the Season from Adventures in Odyssey by Focus on the Family. Our nativity scene started today with the stable representing Bethlehem. We'll be adding to it each week.)

B-I-B-L-E: review

Today we practiced our verse finding skills and baked "Bible Bars"! Each ingredient was found in a different verse. We also watched a video of the Sunday school kids reciting memory verses. This same video was played for the congregation during the morning service. The decorations we colored last week adorned the sound booth. Most of all, we want to appreciate the Bible...God's true word!


(There are several "Scripture Cake" recipes out there. If you click on the picture above you should be able to read the recipe I used.)

B-I-B-L-E: activity

Today we continued to discuss the Bible...God's true word! We discussed how amazing the Bible is and how it is unique among all other writings. The kids had a chance to see and copy Hebrew and Greek. We also colored some decorations. Most of all, we want to remember that the Bible is a gift from God...for in it He tells how we can come to Him through His son, Jesus!

(Each child had a handout with Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew and John 1:1 in Greek. Using markers they worked at copying these verses.)

B-I-B-L-E: games

Today we continued discussing the Bible...God's true word! Through His son, Jesus, God makes a way for us to be in relationship with Him. He tells us all about it in the Bible...WOW! We played some games to practice practical matters like learning the books of the Bible and finding passages of scripture. ("Bible Drill" game held over for another time.)

(We planned a "Bible Drill" type game to reinforce how to find a passage using its "address". Teacher calls out a passage, each kid searches and steps forward when they've found it. We also had a relay involving putting the books of the Bible in order.)

B-I-B-L-E: craft

Today we continued discussing the Bible with our emphasis being Jesus' own words from John 17:17...Your word is truth. The Bible is God's word and it is true! What an amazing gift! Our craft for this unit was beaded bookmarks. The kids were reminded that when they use their bookmarks they should remember: God's word is truth!!

(For the beaded bookmarks we used waxed linen twine, beads and charms...all from the jewelry department of the craft store. Basic instructions for a simple version are "knot/inch of beads/knot" on each end of 12 inches of twine. More specifically...start with knotting a charm on the end of 13-14 inches of twine, add around an inch of beads, then a knot, then another inch of beads, knot a bead at the other end, push the second inch of beads to that end and knot. The photo should help also. With a larger or younger group, simple cardstock bookmarks could be made instead. Keep in mind that these should be laminated because marker, crayon and sometimes pencil can rub off onto book pages.)

B-I-B-L-E: testimonies

Last Sunday we began a new unit about the Bible. The kids heard testimonies from people across the world and across time. These testimonies had in common that God used His word in a mighty way in each person's life. Our memory verse for this unit is John 17:17b...Your word is truth. Also, during this unit we will be collecting coins to donate to the Gideons.

(Testimonies were collected from several sources, especially Voice of the Martyrs and Gideon International. All testimonies were adapted to be appropriate for children. Men and women from the church read the testimonies.)

Dancin' David: activity

We've been talking about all the ways we can focus on/worship God including telling others about Him. Today we made a poster/mural to share with the church. It will be on display in the sanctuary and then the AWANA room. Our poster has a verse from one of David's psalms. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! Psalm 63:3

(We made our mural on paper because there wasn't a wall available to paint. The poster was sketched out ahead of time and the kids took turns painting.)

Dancin' David: review

Today we reviewed what we've learned about David and about worship. I also surprised the kids with the news that they would be worship leaders during the morning service! During Sunday school the kids practiced leading "Every Move I Make". Being up front during service was a big step...everyone did a great job and the congregation loved it!

(If you can't have the kids lead worship in a service, perhaps you can video tape and show it at a church event.)

Dancin' David: games

Continuing with our unit on Dancin' David, we played musical games to help us become less self-conscious with singing and movement. We are also working on learning motions for the song, "Every Move I Make". The favorite game of the day was Musical Rings (a non-elimination musical chairs).

(We played Freeze Dance...dance around and freeze when the music stops. We also played Musical Rings which was a big hit. I found this idea somewhere on the web. I'll add a link if I can find it again. It's played like musical chairs except with hoops instead of chairs. When the music stops everyone must put one foot into a hoop. No one is ever eliminated but one by one the hoops are taken away until everyone is trying to get a foot into the same hoop! For a larger group end with 2-3 hoops to avoid crashes! The motions for "Every Move" are just for the "waves of mercy..." chorus and are pretty straight forward, just do the obvious, we clap for the rest of the song.)

Dancin' David: craft

Today we continued discussing Dancin' David and worship. We made "Nuts for Jesus" jewelry to remind us to worship without worrying about what others think.

(This idea came from Chris H. at GLC...thanks! Cut one inch-ish strips from bandanas. Have the kids soak the strips in water and wring them out very well. Next, the kids twist the strips as tight as possible and then slip on a nut (as in nuts and bolts). Secure the ends with a clip so that they do not untwist. Leave these to dry until next Sunday. These can be worn as necklaces, bracelets, anklets or can be hung up as a reminder to be "nuts for Jesus"!)

Dancin' David: story

Today the kids visited King David's palace. Queen Michal gave them a tour and shared what she really thought of King David...especially in regard to dancing before the Ark of the Covenant! (2 Samuel 6)

We learned that David was celebrating before the Lord and didn't care what others thought! He was focused on God! We worship God whenever we focus on Him...praying, sharing, reading His word, singing, testifying, dancing etc. We learn from David that when we worship, our whole focus should be on God...not on what others are thinking of us.

Our memory verse is 2Samuel 6:21b-22a…so I celebrate before the LORD. And yes, I am willing to look even more foolish than this!

(I told the story first from the point of view of Queen Michal, sort of irritated to be giving a palace tour and aggrevated by David's "unkingly" attitude. In the course of the "tour", Michal shares David's backround and rise to the throne. Lastly, she shares about "last week" when David danced before the ark. A costume is optional. I wore some gold tulle over my shoulders just to indicate that I was in character. When the queen "left", I then shared the story directly from scripture.)

GROW: Kick-off

We started using GROW the Sunday after Labor Day. As a kick-off we looked at Luke 2:52... Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. (NLT) Kids naturally understand growing taller, stronger and smarter. Think of the times you've seen kids seeing how high they can jump, comparing who's taller or sharing new knowledge. The Bible doesn't tell us much about Jesus' childhood. We read about a couple events and then...
"Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people." Jesus had to grow up! He lost baby teeth, had growth spurts, learned new skills...he was fully "kid"! Jesus knows what it's like to be a kid. Our kids can know that Jesus is for them NOW, not someone to pursue only as an adult. So my prayer is that our kids will continue to grow smarter, taller and stronger but especially that they will grow in GOD! To remind us that growing in God starts now, we decorate cups with watercolors and then planted them with grass seed. As we watch the grass grow we can be reminded of our own growth in God.

(We used plastic craft mugs that come with insertable pictures to color. Instead of the supplied pictures we used watercolor paper painted with blue and green watercolor. To plant the seeds, we set up an assembly line: one small scoop of pea gravel, one big scoop of soil, sprinkle of grass seed. Each mug handle had a tag with Luke 2:52 printed on it.)