Growing at Grace

Easter cookies

2010-03-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Oh goodness, it's been awhile since I've last posted! This is a busy time at Grace! We are knee deep in Bible school preparations, summer curriculum, and planning for Easter Sunday services. There are so many wonderful things happening!

As I was looking around at some Easter links this evening, I came across this recipe. I have seen it before, but have never tried it. What a great way to actively and visually involve our kids in the Easter message! I thought some of you might also enjoy this. If you give it a try, let us know about it.

http://www.cherbearsden.com/cookies.html

a lesson on the Trinity

2010-02-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

Understanding the Trinity can be one of the most difficult concepts to explain to kids. As I was visiting one of my favorite sites, I came across a couple of ways to help kids comprehend the 3 in 1. Maybe you'll be able to use one of these illustrations with your students!

http://www.creativebiblestudy.com/Bibleobjectlessons-trinity.html

http://www.professorwonder.com/magic19.htm

Responding verses Reacting

2010-02-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

When we as leaders (or parents or teachers or any capacity for that matter) are faced with difficult situations, we have a choice to make....

Will you

REACT??????? or RESPOND??????

I hope that you will respond. God's Word addresses this very issue. James 1: 19 say, " All men should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. For a man's anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. " Quick to listen??? I know that's often not our first response because the "being slow to speak thing" is already out the window! We've blown up and blown it!

So what's the difference between the two anyway? RESPONDING IS...

a well thought-out action
an attempt to understand and assess the situation
a desire to influence the child to make positive changes.
offering positive alternatives to negative behaviors.
addressing the actions of the child and not the character of the child.
done with emotional control.

REACTING, on the other hand

is more of a reflex
is often regretted
is often done in the heat of our anger or emotion
can take care of a problem momentarily, but does not offer long term solutions

Unfortunately difficult circumstances with children will arise, and we need to have a plan in place to handle those times. Take a minute to evaluate right now what your usual course of action is. If you react more than you respond, ask the Lord to help you the next time you are faced with a tough situation.

Dear God

2010-02-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

I know I was in the mood for a little humor tonight, so I thought maybe you could use a day brightener as well. These little letters to God written from kids have been around for awhile so you may have seen them in the past, but I thought I'd just share a few of my personal favorites.

Apparently Ginny doesn't think Valentine's Day is a good holiday- : )

Well I can certainly see how this little tidbit could be confusing to a child!

Really now- haven't we all thought something like this at some point?

I love the "kill each other so much..." in this one!

When you work with kids, you never know what the next moment is going to bring!

2010-01-31T07:56:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Pastor Josh and Jenise Colyer on the birth of their baby boy, Landon Tate! All are doing well. If you'd like to keep up with the "Colyer Circus" hop on over to his newly created family blog to find out all of the details!

http://joshcolyer.blogspot.com/

2010-01-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

All Children's Ministry Workers

are invited to a time of appreciation on

Sunday morning, February 14 in Room 208

before the 1st service and between services. Stop

in and get some breakfast goodies and your Valentine!

Thank you for your service and dedication. We love you!!!

snail mail

2010-01-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

On these cold Iowa days we've been having and many of us are stuck inside, this would be a great time to sit down and write out some cards of encouragement to the kids in your group. Remember if you don't have addresses, Kim Novy can get them for you! There are cards you can use in room 210, and if you give them to Josh, he will even put a stamp on them and mail them for you! Do you remember how excited you were when you were little and a personal piece of mail came for you? I know I always looked on our dining room table first thing (that's where Dad always put the mail) when I got home from school to see if I'd gotten anything. A note of encouragement from you might be just the thing that makes their frigid day a little warmer!!

some valuable questions

2010-01-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

I recently came across this entry on another blog, and thought it was a good thing to pass along to you as teachers. What a great list of questions to keep handy as you prepare and evaluate the lessons you are teaching. Print it out and keep it with your lessons. If you honestly answer "no" to any of them, make a quick change- add a visual- explain a section further- add in some student participation- use a review game- simplify the language- and change that "no" to a "yes!"

1. Will they understand it?
2. Can they see it?
3. Are they scared of it?
4. Can they apply it?
5. Is it too long for them to pay attention?
6. Could they repeat it? Re-teach it?
7. Are they being bad, or being their age?
8. Will they get it?
9. Will they want it?
10. Will they remember it?

Pasted from <http://cmmonthly.com/category/training/page/2/>

How well do you know your students?

2010-01-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

I came across this article today, and it hit me hard. I thought about all of the little faces that come through Grace's doors each Sunday. Some days I stand at the door and greet them as they come in. I am happy if I know their names. I'm learning more and more with each Sunday I am up there. But for so many, that's as far as it goes. Unless these kids are friends of our family, I probably couldn't tell you if they live in a single parent home, only attend church with grandparents, have a parent who has cancer or who has lost a job, or any other host of major life events that might be taking place. And that makes me sad. Thankfully I am not doing ministry alone. My smile and personal greeting at the doors as they come in is important, but each one of you, who teach and train them on a weekly basis are so crucial...by listening, by caring, and by loving them whatever the circumstance they are facing.
Can you think of someone in your group who has a special need right now? A child who is going through a particular hurt? Make a point to reach out in a special way to let them know how much you care for them.

Take a minute to read the following article.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/childrensministry/cupothoughts/whatchildrenreallybelieve.html

Teaching the Bible creatively part 3

2009-12-30T12:13:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with our discussion of creative ways to present your lessons, how about a GAME SHOW approach? Kids love the personal involvement, and a little competition never hurts! Think of some of the different game shows you used to watch growing up and do a spin-off of one of those- Price is Right, Family Feud, $100,000 Pyramid, Jeopardy, Weakest Link, and Deal or No Deal are just a few. This is a great way to incorporate a fun review of the lesson as well. Invest your time in creating a reusable gameboard to be used over and over again. Plan a game time every so often. Kids will really look forward to this time!
Keep in mind-
1)Along with the games can come poor winners/losers. This can be a great time to encourage positive team building and the practice of being a graceful non-winner (it sounds better than loser, doesn't it?). If you have a group who cannot handle the competitition aspect, just make it a fun, easy-going activity.
2)Sound effects and simple props can adds loads of fun and "authenticity" to your show. A microphone, buzzers, sparkly spinners, and prizes can add great appeal. A little dressing up as a game show host never hurts either!
3)Have the kids challenge you! There's nothing more fun than the teacher getting involved in the action. For some kids, the thought of trying to outwit, outplay, and outlast the teacher is a great motivator! I used to have a standing challenge with my 4th grade students with multiplication flashcards and the game 'Around the World.' If they could stop me from going 'Around the classroom' by beating me to the answer they would get some M&M's (I had an M&M candy machine in my classroom). This opportunity was all some of them needed to really want to practice those boring old flashcards!

There are so many ways to make your lessons come alive for the students. Think about the things that excited you as a learner. Think back to your school days. What things did your teachers do that you really enjoyed? What kinds of activities kept you engaged in the classroom? What classes did you look forward to each day? Take a minute to reflect on your own school experience and use that to improve your own teaching!

Teaching the Bible creatively part 2

2009-12-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

Wow! I didn't mean to go so long between posts. But now that some of the busyness that goes along with Christmas is slowing down, things are starting to get back to normal.

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday and got to enjoy time with family and friends. May you have been able to reflect upon the precious birth of our Savior during all of the hustle and bustle. How were you able to share the real meaning of Christmas with your children or church children? One of the things I did with my 9 year old was share the true story of St. Nicholas. We have never pushed the idea of Santa Clausat our house, however we never outright told the kids he is not real. Many families have differing ideas on how to handle Santa Claus, and I am not here to debate that. One thing that I did want my son to know was that St. Nicholas was a real person- a good man who gave of himself to help others. If you have not shared the true story of St. Nicholas with your child or maybe you don't know the story yourself, then go to the Christian bookstore for a book or gather some information online. Here are a few links...

http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Saint-Nicholas-Demi/dp/0689846819/ref=pd_cp_b_3

http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Nicholas-Story-ChristmasLegend/dp/0758613415/ref=pd_cp_b_1

http://www.history.com/content/christmas/history-of-santa/the-legend-of-st.-nicholas

Last post I was sharing some ways for teaching the Bible creatively. I'll give you a few more ideas today.
Another fun way is to be a ONE MAN SHOW. If you have a lesson with a few main characters, become each character. Have a coat rack nearby and put a few props to stand for each person involved. Change your voice or dialect to match each character. It is important to BECOME the character and not just narrate about the characters. If you are telling about David defeating Goliath, use a child's cap for David, a spear for Goliath, and a robe or crown for King Saul. Don't be afraid to embrace your "silliness." We may feel "dumb" acting as each individual in the story, but the kids love it! Find props that are easy to take off and put on. Don't worry if you don't have exactly the right prop. Be creative! You'd be amazed at the treasure of props you have around your house and garage.

VISUAL PROPS are so important to utilize as you teach. Having that visual "hook"- something to get them thinking in the right direction- draws their attention right to you! How about some chocolate covered grasshoppers to introduce the account of John the Baptist? How about a broken ruler to emphasize the sin in the garden?

Another effective use of props is the element of SURPRISE! Keep your props hidden until the appropriate time in the story to reveal them. How about a treasure chest sitting in front of you? Perhaps set up a table at the front of the room with your covered props. Uncover them as you get to their part in the story. Or maybe you can pack your props in a suitcase and unpack it as you tell the story. Props provide a concrete connection from the telling of the story to the remembering of the story. These props are also valuable for review purposes at the end of your time together.

teaching the Bible creatively- part 1

2009-12-10T18:16:00.001-08:00

This past summer I read a great book that all teachers and children's workers could benefit from. It is entitled The Fabulous Reinvention of Sunday School written by Aaron Reynolds.

http://www.amazon.com/Fabulous-Reinvention-Sunday-School-Transformational/dp/0310274338/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260497995&sr=1-1

It is full of great ideas to bring your lessons to life and keep the kids engaged. We have a tough job sometimes keeping the students' attention. In our media-driven world, they have become accustomed to having action at their fingertips at all times with their cell phones, ipods, computers, powerpoints, laptops, PS3's, etc. That being said, we need to reach the students with the important message that we have to share. And we have to find the best ways to get that job accomplished.

So over the next week or so I am planning to share some of Aaron's tried and true methods. He is a former teacher and children's ministry director of Promiseland Children's ministry at Willow Creek Community Church. He now is an author and children's ministry consultant.

1) Audience Participation- It's no secret- kids like to be involved. When you ask for a volunteer, hands fly up begging to help, often before they even know what they are volunteering for! If you analyze your lessons, you can always find ways to let your audience be a part of it all. Here are a couple of methods-

hand-pick participants to help you tell the Bible story. If you're relating the story of David and Goliath, pick a David, Goliath, and some Philistines. Give them some simple props and let them act out the story as you tell it. If you're relating the Last Supper, set up a table and choose students to be the disciples. When telling the account of Noah, have students be the animals and load into the ark. Find ways to involve your audience.

A couple of things to note when hand-picking your helpers- 1) Keep the instructions easy. You shouldn't have a long detailed list of things for them to do or say. This will take too much time for instructions and take away from the flow of your lesson. You should be able to describe their task in just a sentence or two. In the example of the disciples at the Last Supper, they may not even have to say anything. Just their presence alone makes the picture you're trying to portray come alive. 2) Stay in control. You are the storyteller. Your volunteers should be enhancing the point you're trying to get across, not inhibit it. Preparation on your part can solve many problems before they start. Is the volunteer part more suited for an older student or a younger one? A boy or a girl? A more outgoing child or a quiet one? Is an energetic 4th grade boy really the wisest choice for giving the Philistine Jedi sword to? 3) Bring the children up during their parts and dismiss them as soon as they are finished so as not to be a distraction when they are not involved.

have the whole room be involved. This may be everyone doing the same thing or dividing the group into parts. Half of the room will act as the Israelites and half of the room will be the Philistines. The whole group is the crowd that Jesus is teaching. Having the students be in charge of sound effects is also a fun way to get them on task with you. When telling of Jesus calming the storm, they are the storm! When hearing the Philistine army coming, they are the troops drawing nearer! Find a way to help them tell the story from their seats. Once again, be sure the instructions are simple and easy to explain and complete.

To understand the necessity of involving your students in the lesson process, I want to remind you of some research that has been done:

Engineering Education magazine found that students
retain only 10% of what they read, 26% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 50% of what they see and hear, 70% of what they say, and 90% of what they say as they do something.

Notice how these percentages jump as the students get personally involved in the learning? Think about this as you plan your next lesson.

Christmas ideas

2009-12-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

With only 3 Sundays left before Christmas I thought I would share over the next week or two some great links and sites that you might find useful in your class or in your home. With so much focus on shopping, list making, baking, programs, wrapping, decorating, and materialism, we need to use this precious time we have with our kids to remind them that although many of the things above are fun, Christmas is so much more than that- the birth of our dear Saviour- who by coming to earth as a baby, provided a way for our salvation.

Try to spend some time in the next three Sundays reflecting on the beauty of this holiday. There are loads of puzzles, crafts, skits, scripts, stories, and object lessons that could be great additions to your lessons. Be sure to let us know if you used one of the ideas!

http://www.teacherhelp.org/chris.htm

http://kingskidstuff.home.att.net/christmas.htm#Childrens%20Activities

http://www.creativebiblestudy.com/Christmasobjectlesson.html

A great resource

2009-11-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

I just came across this site, and thought some of you might want to take a look. You can make customized Bible memory verse cards very simply I tried it and it was so easy! (If I can do it, so can you- I am not computer savvy at all!). Besides printing a memory verse, you could...

print the lesson point of the day
type an application activity for them to do at home during the week
make a mini news bulletin for parents telling them what the students learned that day
give them a Bible verse to look up at home and read with their parents
type any reminders for them

or use your imagination! If you are able to use this in some way, I'd love to see your results!

http://www.sundayschoolprintables.com/versecards/cute.php

Praises from Sunday, November 15

2009-11-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

I always love to be upstairs on Sunday morning to see what kinds of things are going on. And so many things I see make me smile. So I decided to share with you some of the things that made me smile this past Sunday…
Tim and Carrie Laizure joined our teaching staff during the 1st service hour. They will be touching 3rd grade lives every 3rd Sunday!! Welcome! We’re glad to have you on board!
Our new Jr. high helpers began. Yeah! You are such a blessing to us, and we are grateful to have the extra help. It was so nice to be able to send a Jr. high helper with EVERY class this past week!
4/5th grade has been talking about service in past weeks so what better way to apply the lesson than to dig in and serve! Becky and Randy took their (large!) class downstairs and had the kids sort and unpack boxes for Share What You Wear! What an awesome way to put words into action!
As I was working on registration forms, I was listening to the 2nd grade classroom look up Bible verses. It was so encouraging to listen to them dig into God’s Word and be so excited when they found the verse Mr. Mike challenged them to find.

I’m sure there was much more of this great stuff going on that I didn’t see or hear! Thanks so much for your investment in the kids! You are making a difference!

Just a couple of things to remember:
1) Please turn in your “What do you think?” forms that were given to you on the appreciation night. We reallly want to know what you think!!

2) We are trying to gather registration forms from all of the students, and are slowly getting there. If you want a list of addresses/birthdays for your class, please e-mail Kim Novy. She has most of them in her files, and she has been so diligent to quickly get them to the ones who have already asked.

3) Once you have those addresses, use them! Maybe make a goal to write a couple of notes per week if it’s too daunting to do them all at once! A personal note from their teacher would mean the world. Sometimes we have no idea how something so small can mean so much!

2009-11-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

I’m glad you made it here to the new Growing at Grace children’s ministry website. Our prayer is that this will be an avenue for closer communication and a resource for continued growth and learning.
My goal is to update this site at least once per week, but I'm hoping that will grow over time as well! I'd love for you to post a comment to let me know you have been here! If you do not have a google account, you can still post without making one. You can just click on "Name/URL" and sign your name. You don't need to put anything in the URL space. The sidebar on the top right hand side will also include links to other websites you might find interesting. I will continue to add to these as I come across helpful information.
Thanks for stopping in! Until next time!