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When responding to a topic, delete “ALL TEXT that is NOT PERTINENT to your
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SSTN-Volume 1 Number 141
January 12, 2001
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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:
1) Easter Plays for Kara
2) Bible Scavenger Hunt
3) Thanks
4) Resold Music?
5) Scavenger hunts
6) Fresh VBS ideas
7) Teacher survival kit
8) Spanish Language Resources?
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1) Easter Plays for Kara
I have used "The Easter Miracle Through the Eyes of the Children" It is
available from Cedarmont Music. www.cedarmont.com Great songs and
narration by the kids. Annette in NC
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Do you need an ALL-PURPOSE curriculum at your church? 'Kid's Time Kit:
God's People Celebrate!' is for any number of kids, any number of
teachers, and for limited budgets! (Grades 1-6). It includes reproducible
crafts, games, lesson plans, songs, and so much more!! Check it out under
Curriculum at: www.ChristianCrafters.Com
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2) Bible Scavenger Hunt
We had a Scavenger hunt for our teens last year. All I did was look up
bible verses with common items in them and left a blank where the name of
the item was and then another verse had the name of a place where they
would find the object. At each site we had enough of the objects for each
team to take one item. We split them up into teams and the first team
back with all the items was the winner.
The items and the places in the game are kind of specific to what you
have available and where you are. We did our scavenger hunt outside.
Here are some examples of the type of things and places.
1. The place in this verse will tell you where to look:
1 Kings 7:7 Look on the Back ____________
Deut. 25:10 There you will find one old black __________
(The answers from the verses are Porch and Shoe.)
2. II Samuel 5:3, David was _________ over Israel but he never
drove a car so he never opened it's _______________Proverbs 26:14
The answers are King (a paper crown) and Door. The crown was taped to car
door.
3. II Kings 9:13, On the _________up to the house you will find a
______________ to get in the door. Rev. 9:1
(The answers are Stairs and Key.)
If you don't have a specific item you can make it out of paper and tape it
to the location. We had about 12 items and it took them about an hour to
look up all the verses and figure out where everything was. It was also
dark outside when we did it and the items were not all in plain site so
they got to carry flashlights too and that was exciting for them.
If you have any questions you can e-mail me at roblorharris@prodigy.net.
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3) Thanks
I just wanted to write you to say I like your site very much. The games
are very creative. Thanks so much for allowing me to be able to share them
with my Sunday school class. Maria
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** Support the ministry service of SSTN by purchasing products from
ChristianCrafters.Com.**
Choose books, magazines, and CD's in our online Bookstore, or use the
search box to locate your specific item. If you have an item you'd like
to see in the Bookstore, let me know and I'll try to get it!
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4) Resold Music?
Our organist is looking for a musical program for a spring presentation
for our children's choir. She mentioned Karen Hill and the Backyard
Bunch. She has heard something about a web site, maybe "minister to
minister", where previously purchased music is resold to other churches.
Anyone know about this? Thanks! Pat Mitchell Eden Chapel UMC, Cincinnati
OH patmitchell2@juno.com
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** For the month of January, in celebration of SSTN's one year birthday,
invite two friends or co-workers to join us! Point them to the 'Sunday
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5) Scavenger hunts
I have a book from Youth Specialties called Special Events for Youth
Groups that has a lot of scavenger hunts and hundreds of other fun
activities in it. If you can't find the book email me and I should be
able to send you a copy of some of the activities. minnow@netnet.net
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Have you visited the 'FREE FEATURED RESOURCES' section at
ChristianCrafters.Com this month? Find it on the home page!
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6) Fresh VBS ideas
I am responding to those who need fresh ideas for VBS. Let me explain how
our church handles it since I think it is quite unusual. Of course, it
all depends on what facilities you have available in order to do this. In
our church, our youth actually plan and present the entire VBS using
their own special talents. This is really great for leadership training
for the youth and they actually do most of the ministering during VBS.
The kids that come seem to prefer being ministered to by other youth.
Here is how it works:
A couple of months prior to our selected date, the youth begin to
brainstorm ideas for a theme. Once that is decided, they start writing a
skit for each night, usually a continuing story like a soap opera. That
leaves the kids hanging so they want to come back and see what happens
next. For example, last year, my daughter (who likes to write) wrote the
majority of the script. Their theme was 'Noah's Ark, obedience and
faithfulness". The artistic people in the youth (along with an artistic
adult) created a huge ark out of cardboard with a door and windows,
Laugh-In style. Remember that old tv show? Our VBS goes for three
nights. Each night we gather all the kids of all ages in our sanctuary
(after removing all the chairs) and conduct about a one-half hour praise
and worship using kids songs and a little rock and rollish Carmen type
songs. The youth are on the platform in front dancing and teaching hand
motions to the songs by example. For each song they might wear a
different funny hat or something silly like that. The music is loud, the
lights are darkened except for the stage lighting. The kids are divided
into age groups by using police tape to make a section for each group.
After praise and worship they have a short sermon/lesson on our theme.
Next, we have an offering collection pitting the boys against the girls.
We have a boys bucket and a girls bucket on a pendulum type thing and we
make a big deal of it as they come up to drop in their coins. (coins only
since the heaviest wins) We have a table at the side available for kids
who want to make change for paper money. The adults love to get in on
this too. It gets very loud and exciting.
After we see who wins, the kids are marched out to the snack room for a
snack and drink. Adult volunteers administer this, while the stage is set
for the skit. When the stage is ready, the kids are marched back in and
seated. We then present the skit for the night. Last year with our
Noah's Ark theme, we had a bumbling butterfly who stumbled around trying
to fly each night, slamming into walls and acting very silly. Kids love
that. Each night she would pray for Jesus to help her to fly; emphasizing
spiritual principles to the kids about prayer. The last night, of course,
she flew to funny music, and confetti and everyone cheering her on. All
those kids returned each night, just to see if bumbling butterfly would
ever fly! We provided lots of funny jokes in our skits to keep their
attention- like Shem got accidentally thrown over board and one youth was
behind the "ark" throwing up water to make it look like a splash. Funny,
little details like that the kids love, and the youth can think them up
easily. In between praise and worship songs we had adults dressed like
animals open the windows of the ark and tell animal jokes and riddles
"Laugh-In" style. It was a huge hit! The last night for the grand
finale, each child got to select an animal mask (the foam ones ordered
from Oriental Trading company) and march around the sanctuary to fun music
and go through the ark door, which they thought was great.
I hope this give you a fresh approach. You can customize it for your
church. Also, we pick up kids from neighborhoods and truck them in for
the VBS. We go in a week before and hand out flyers door to door for the
parents. They love to send the kids. And we always keep a few rows of
seats in the sanctuary for adults who want to watch and sort of chaperone.
The adults end up getting involved without even being asked!
Shirley-N. Georgia
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7) Teacher survival kit
Hi, I've just started receiving the newsletter & saw this about the
teacher survival kit. Could you please let me know what it is? It sounds
like something I really need! Anybody can respond directly. Thanks so
much. H. Everett (hiwahiwa69@aol.com)
--from ChristianCrafters.Com, find it in the Archives List.
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8) Spanish Language Resources?
We are missionaries in Uruguay. Do you have any materials in
Spanish-games, tapes, videos, skits or other things?
Thank you, Deborah Nichols-rdanichols@redfacil.com.uy
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