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SSTN # 111 - October 31, 2003


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:


--> Halloween Witness

1) Creation activities
2) Creation activities
3) OctoBEARfest
4) Need Help   

--> Hands On Lessons of the Bible

5) Harvest for Preschoolers?
6) Teaching sacrifice of Isaac to children?
7) Need Help
8) Creation activities

--> Instant Christmas Plays

9) Establishing & Growing A Children's Ministry?
10) Need Help
11) The Circle book?
12) SCUBA Material?
   

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--> Halloween Witness

Print out the "Pumpkin Analogy" found in the Archives at:

http://christiancrafters.com/archive98_Sept02.html 

Give one of the following to the Trick or Treaters in your neighborhood:

a) Attach the pumpkin message to a mini pumpkin or bake pumpkin-shaped
cookies and place a few into a small ziploc bag along with the pumpkin
message.

b) Wrap a few pieces of candy into orange tissue paper to form a small
pumpkin-shape and tie it off with green chenille stems to form the leaves
of the pumpkin. Remember to attach the pumpkin message to the candy-filled
pumpkin!

c) Print out the recipe and lesson for "Monster Mouths" and drop it in
with candy into Halloween bags!  Get the lesson at:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/page6.html 
Remember to leave copyright and website info intact when reprinting!


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1) Creation activities

I can think of no other Bible topic that lends itself to so many fun
activities for children than creation. Here are a few examples.

A.  After teaching how God created the earth, sun and moon, get three
children to act out their motions.
a. The sun stays still, but always shines (smiles).
b. The earth travels round the sun, rorating as it does so (365+ spins per
one circuit round the sun!).
c. The moon travels round the earth, remembering to always keep its same
side facing the earth.

I have always found this to be great fun for children of all ages. Usually
the 'moon' finds it hard to keep up with the earth, causing great hilarity
among the spectators.

B.  Talk about how God created the air ( or oxygen ), and then demonstrate
how dependent we are on this by getting the children to see how long they
can survive without it, i.e. how long they can hold their breath.

C.  If you do balloon modelling, here is a good object lesson you could
use. If not, it could be adapted for use with a toy animal, or even a cut
out one.

Produce your balloon animal and ask. "How do you think this model was
made? Do you think it could have been made by accident? Perhaps someone
left an uninflated balloon in this room last night, and left the window
open. Overnight, the wind blew through the window and into the balloon.
The balloon then began twisting itself round and round until it formed the
shape of this animal, which you see here now. Finally, the end of the
balloon managed to tie itself in a knot to stop the air escaping. Do you
think that really happened, or do you think that there is a balloon model
maker somewhere who made this animal on purpose?" The children should see
the absurdity of the model being able to make itself by accident, and
respond. "There is a balloon model maker somewhere." Admit that you are
the model maker, and then emphasise the point that everything the children
see around them has to have a maker. Watches need watchmakers, shoes need
shoemakers, chairs need chairmakers etc. Nothing can make itself.
You will then be able to apply the above argument to the creation of the
Universe and everything in it. State "There are some people who believe
that the Universe made itself by accident. But the Universe is far more
wonderful and complex than a balloon animal, and if even that couldn't
make itself, then how likely is it that the whole Universe made itself?
No, the Bible teaches us that we have wonderful Creator who made the
Universe and everything in it on purpose. And the good news is:-  He made
it all for our benefit.I have a similar object lesson with balloon animals
that is more suitable for older children. Email me on
mnmsweetsur@xtra.co.nz if you would like a copy.

D.  There is an excellent object lesson about "an amazing flying machine"
on a children's web site, but I cannot remember which one. However, here
is a summary.Talk about all the money and brain power that have gone into
making some marvellous flying machines, such as Concorde, the Space
shuttle, Stealth bombers, etc. Then say that you are now going to talk
about an amazing flying machine that is far more wonderful than all the
others put together! This flying machine can take off and land sideways on
a vertical wall! It has tremendous maneuverability, being able to
instantly change direction.It can take off with amazing accelleration. It
even has the ability to sense danger,and can take off and be out of danger
in a split second. "Would you children like to see a picture of this
amazing flying machine? Here it is - a fly! (Produce a picture of an
ordinary house fly). God's creations are far more wonderful than people
can make!"

E.  Children are fascinated with dinosaurs. You may be able to purchase at
reasonable cost a suitable fossil, e.g. a dinosaur tooth, or footprint and
take this along to your class to talk about.

F.  God made the first of every living Biblical "kind", each with the
ability to reproduce 'after it's own kind.' To explain this, take along an
acorn. Explain that God created the first oak tree, with acorns (seeds)
like this one contained in it. Some of those acorns would fall to the
ground and grow into other oak trees, just like their parent tree, with
each again containing their own acorns. Those, in turn. would fall to the
ground and some would grow into more oak trees containing acorns, etc.etc.
And that's how we get oak trees today. You may then wish to apply this
argument to other living things, emphasising that cats always produce
cats, dogs produce dogs, and people produce people etc.

G.  Adam had to name all the different animals, and then he would have to
have remembered their names - a remarkable memory feat. I have an object
lesson/illusion that enables you to do your own remarkable memory feat in
front of your class.
Email me if you would like a copy. Maurice Sweetsur

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2) Creation Activities

>Our first topic is Genesis, the creation, and ideas for fun crafts or
>activities with this theme??

We just finished a rotation on Creation. One of the best things the
children did was to paint the Creation story like Michaelangelo did -- on
his back. The kids loved it! It really turned craft time on its ear. We
used different media for each age. The older elementary kids got to use
real paint (acrylic with lots of covering for their clothes), the next
group used tempera, the next markers and the last chalk. Each group came
up with their own interpretation and you have a great art project to show
the church. We taped a piece of foam board to the bottom of the tables in
the room and had the kids crawl underneath.
Good luck with it!
G&P, Amy in Abilene

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3) OctoBEARfest

For Donna doing OctoBEARfest - how about 'forBEAR' one another
Jenni in MD

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4) Need Help

the role as Youth leader verses mom is a hard one.  Yes as a mom you would
want to know but kids these days have a hard time trusting adults so you
have to maintain that trust.  However you should keep in contact with this
young lady (a child really) and encourage her to turn to her own heart for
the real answers. Keep remindiing her that this disease has changed her
life as she knew and wanted it and that it will continue to be a part of
her life and will effect her future relationships. unfortunately sex is
becoming a "no big deal" among teens  in this day and age and we have to
encourage them to do what they feel is right and not just what we tell
them is right. As a health care provider I see this thing all the time.
We took a group of our youth to an aids hospice center and that was the
best lesson we could have taught them.  The people there were very open
and honest with the kids and seeing is be! lieving.  Be there for her and
encourage her to talk to her parents, offer to go with her and be prepared
to pick up the pieces when and if they fall.


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--> Hands On Lessons of the Bible

KID-tested and teacher approved! Can be used with rotation-type programs!
Learn more at: 

http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html 


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5) Harvest for Preschoolers?

I need ideas for teaching "Harvest".  I welcome any and all suggestions,
snack, games, etc.  Thanks.

Joyce Wallace

--from SSTN: check all the resources at:  http://www.ChristianCrafters.Com 
ie. Games, Crafts, Yummy Devotions, Skits, Sermons, etc. AND don't forget
the Archives!


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6) Teaching sacrifice of Isaac to children?

>I have done this as Abraham's wife, relating the story of
>my husband taking our precious long-awaited son to the
>mountain for sacrifice, I even got caught up in it as well
>as the children, we were all crying - and K-Gr.3 kids
>actually understood the idea of sacrifice and obedience to God.

As an editor of Sunday school curriculum, I am curious as to how many
people use the above lesson?  We took it out of our curriculum due to the
problems of child abuse, etc. We did not want children to think it was OK
for a parent to harm a child.  Would like to get some feed back on this or
other stories you do not teach and why.

Thanks,
Teresa

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7) Need Help

> I need some help. I am stuck in between my role as a youth
> leader and my heart as a mother.

YOU HAVE TO TELL HER PARENTS! This goes way beyond her trusting you guys
it is her physical and spiritual health it is obvious these kids are WAY
WRONG on both of these subjects!! And if they have an STD someone got it
from someone else! You have to take the chance of her hating you but as a
mother I would be beyong hurt and angry if noone told me her parents are
the best equiped to handle this as they love her more than anyone else
does PRAY for guidance in the right way of telling but please tell them.
Debbie

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8) Creation Activities   

For Creation activities and ideas go to www.answersingenesis.com   some of
the great books are "A is for Adam" by Ken & Mally Ham & "D is for
dinosaur" by Ken & Mally Ham & "The Seven C's of History" which is kids
curriculum about Genesis and is really great.  We seen a seminar by Ken
Ham & Buddy Davis (he has wonderful kids CD and his songs are really
great- "I Believe" is awesome!!!!! )and they teach the truth about Genesis
and I've never heard it taught so well and explained so well.  If you get
the chance to go to there seminars (schedules on there web site)  GO you
will come away with a better understanding of the Bible.
Thanks Val

--from SSTN: check our Bookstore for these books. Type the title into the
search box to locate them:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/bookstore.html 


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Instant Christmas Plays

The following easy-to-produce, instant Christmas Plays are available
in our Bookstore - Games & Skits section:

The Mouse's Tale,
Operation Baby King,
The Not-So-Silent Night,
Live From Bethlehem,
Wee Three Kings, and
The Fumbly Bumbly Angels.

AND, when you spend $25 or more in the BOOKSTORE shipping is FREE!
For product descriptions, go to this page:

http://www.christiancrafters.com/bookstore_games.html 

Please remember, by purchasing items from ChristianCrafters.Com,
you help to keep SSTN and the website alive! Tell your friends, won't you?

Thank you!
Your webservant,
Sarah Keith <><


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9) Establishing & Growing A Children's Ministry?

Morning all, I need some ideas on the following:
a. HOw to establish a children's ministry
b. How to grow children's ministry

Thanking you in advance. GOD BLESS!! In Him
Celeste

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10) Need Help

>I need some help. I am stuck in between my role as a youth leader and my
>heart as a mother.

I really think you have a moral responsibility to tell the parents of
these young people. Two reasons.

a. Both of these teens are engaging in very risky behaviors. This time
they caught an STD that could be treated. They were lucky, it could have
been AIDS or one of the other STD's that cannot be cured. Neither of them
seemed to have learned anything from this experience and are continuing
to put themselves at risk. They are in a sense playing Russian Roulette
with their bodies. Their parents need to know.

b. The young man needs to be treated, firstly because he could face
serious health problems (including infertility ) if he isn't. Secondly to
stop him infecting other women.

I know this isn't easy (I would recommend going to your pastor for help)
but it needs to be done and soon.

Sharon

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11) The Circle book?

In preparation for All Saints Day, our Pastor was telling me about a book
called The Circle. Unfortunately, he loaned it out to someone and it was
never returned. I have looked in bookstores and on the net. I fear that
the book may be out of print. Does anyone know of this book, better yet
have this book, so that I may get more information  on it, ie author?

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12) SCUBA Material?

I'm responding to Pam who wants to donate the Scuba material.  I'd love to
have it.  Our church wanted to use it last summer but really didn't have
the funds so we used group material from acouple years ago.  I love
Group's material.  You can respond to luvkids@hotmail.com.  Thanks much.
Linda

--from SSTN: please make sure "sharing" materials is within
Group Publishing's copyright guidelines.

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