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.)