For Rhiannon Thomas- You might buy a solid color beach ball and paint pictures on it representing things in the kids' like to do. There is a ball on the market for kids who can read. You toss the ball to a child and wherever his thumb points on the question, he answers. Such questions as: My favorite food, I like to...,Someday I want to...etc. For your ball, you could use a toy, food, game, book, friend, etc.
Helen Setser
from SSTN: The product is called, "Throw & Tell Life Application Ball". You can find it in our bookstore by typing the title into the search box at:
http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/bookstore.html
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2) Books of the Bible?
I do a Children's Church - ages 3-8. Any ideas on how to help them learn the Books of the Bible?
Thanks Linda
--from SSTN: Bible book songs and games work well. Also, "Bible Stack-O!", a Bible book name memory game will be released very soon from SundaySchoolNetwork.com. Make sure you check our archives too for more ideas.
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3) Large picture storytelling Bible?
Hi there,
I help lead a 30-minute children’s church worship service every week. We are looking for a nice big children’s Bible that we can gather the children around to see as we read…do they make such a thing? I’ve seen lots of good Children’s Bibles, but nothing that is like a big book/picture book…thanks for any ideas. Amy S. Potosi, WI
--from SSTN: If your church already has a projector, you could use it to project your current Bible stories onto the wall. Now that would be HUGE!
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4) Boys 5th / 6th grade
I teach Juniors and haven't been very successful at getting them to bring their Bibles. I would love to try the suggestion of the "baseball caps with pins". Obviously, this could mean a lot of pins and was wondering if the writer would share what kind of pins and where one might purchase them. Thank you to the writer - and to you Sarah! Janet Respond to dlp99@earthlink.net
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5) Moses Craft?
Please help! Does anyone have any craft ideas for moses?
I used hands made from carboard with tongue depressors attached like puppets, and had each child learn only two books at a time but they had to stand in the correct order of the books they were holding. I had a small group so the older ones had to learn more and switch to the end of the line. It took a few weeks but it worked well, then after everyone learned them we we had a contest using regular white garden gloves, having each child put the gloves in order. If this sounds complicated, it's not and they actually enjoyed it. I also heard of building rooms in a house(poster board house) or library using the books on a library shelf and being able to locate the correct books in the right order. Best of everything! I work with that age group and it is a challenge. Love & Prayers, Linda
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7) Memorizing Bible Books
I know I have sent this idea before but it is such a great one I had to share it again...Have lots of people in your church save cereal boxes...(you will need 66) cover each with contact paper...several patterns;never two of the same side by side...(this would give a clue to the order) Use a permanent marker to label each side of the boxes with each book of the Bible name....Starting with Genesis, stand (as you would books) the first 5-7 boxes on a table or shelf in front of the children....recite them over and over again...remove one, leaving the space open...have the children repeat the books...gradually remove each book until there are no books....The next week add 4 or 5 more books to the group....repeat the process until you have placed all the books on the shelf. This may take 6-8 weeks depending on how quickly your group of children catch on...A fun game is to mix the boxes up and have the children arrange them in proper order....see if some of the parents can do....Dianne, AL
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8) Christ's Apprentice
This is a program that I ran across at Pilgrim Place. pilgrimbethesda.org/youth
The kids really enjoyed doing mission work all summer and our summer attendance was up from past years. They came up with the ideas themselves with guidance from an adult. They created their own team names and banners. I have had serveral of them tell me that they want to continue doing mission work throughout the year. They understood that "Mission is Possible", even if you are only 9 or 10 years old. They got to know each other better working on teams of different age groups. We had first grader and up to 7th graders on the same teams. Hope you can use the program, Cindy
--from SSTN: that link is no longer active, but maybe the church will send it to you.
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9) Teacher Appreciation Banquet
I have an idea for everyone for a teacher appreciation banquet. My husband and I just got done having one with the theme of "Jewels in Our Crown". It was so much fun, that I just wanted to share it with everyone. This is what we did:
Decorations: A wall was decorated with a picture of a crown with fake jewels. On the crown was the name of each teacher or teacher assistant for the church. The tables where decorated with a purple table clothes and gold colored napkins and plates. In the center of the tables was another crown (Burger King crown spray painted gold) with a flower arrangement in the middle. Votive candles were used at each place setting. We also set up two throne rooms for later use. This consisted of a chair with coverings consistent with a throne room and a curtain behind each chair (2 throne rooms). We also had a table that contained the following (2 sets): a bead necklace, a medallion on a ribbon, a scepter (fancy curtain rod), a ring, a crown, fake gold coins and a goblet (glass) filled with a red drink (we used kool-aid). Food: The meat was a crown roast with vegetables. Speech: My husband did a speech on how jewels are found and how they have potential to be something really beautiful in a jewelers hand. He compared that to God being our refiner and how he crafts us into what he wants so his radiance can shine through us. Entertainment: We separated the teachers/assistants into two groups. A word of caution: don't allow spouses to be in the same group. Then one person was selected from each group to be either a king or queen. Robe this person with some material for a cape (we used body bath towels hooked together with a jewelry pin.) We had a series of questions available from the game "The Ungame" (this is a get to know you game). The royal person was asked to write their response to the question on a piece of paper. Then their royal court (team) had to try and determine what their king or queen answered. If they got it right, then they got to place one of the items on the table on the royal personage.
The teachers had great fun with this game and really got to know the person who was either a king or a queen.
Sincerely, Connie G.
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