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SSTN - Number 211
July 9, 2001

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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:
1) Missionary Mail
2) Nursery Sunday School Class?
3) Including youth in a wedding
4) Old Fashion Day ideas
5) Teacher Appreciation Idea
6) Halloween
7) Christian Flag pledge
8) Missionary package
9) Old Fashion Day ideas
10) Fundraising Project
11) Attendance....habitually late
12) Attendance

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1) Missionary Mail

At the end of July, there will be a team of men going to Romania on a
mission trip from Foothills Bible Church in Lakewood, Colorado. (One of
these men happen to be a friend of mine) I cannot remember from what part
of the country you are writing from, but you may want to contact this
church and see if they would be willing to take the box with
them. You will have to contact information for the phone number as I
don't have it. Chris Six, Spring, TX

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2) Nursery Sunday School Class?

I am the teacher for a nursery class and the ages range from 2 - 4 or
before they enter kindergarten. My question is how do I keep the
attention of a 2 year old and teach the 4 year old at the same time. Also
since I am new at this what schedule do you use for a one hour sunday
school and do you know of any good internet sites with christian ideas for
lessons to use? I would appreciate any responses.
God Bless, Martha

--from SSTN: Martha, Your task is not an easy one. That is a HUGE
developmental gap. I would engage helpers to take teach the 2 yr. olds and
younger 3s, and teach the older 3s and 4 year olds. Also, check the
Archives List for 'multi-aged classes'. ysic, sarah.

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3) Including youth in a wedding

I have seen several weddings in the past few years that have used youth
groups as part of the ceremony. (I am a wedding photographer.)
In each incidence, the children were given a part in the ceremony by
performing special music as a group.

One of the weddings that used younger children, had them sing right after
the couple lit the unity candle. The children filed into position sang
their special song as a unity candle was lit. Everyone was able to see
each child in their Sunday Best. From the smiles on the children's faces,
they thought the ceremony wouldn't have been official without them.
Emmalea Butler, Trafalgar, IN

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Multi-Aged Curriculum

Sunday School Specials (Vol. 1-4), has quick and easy Bible lessons for
combined ages! A lifesaver for small churches that combine multiple aged
groups! Great for large churches that host family nights, and small groups
with kids to entertain. You can get all four books in the 'Christian
Education' section of the Bookstore at: ChristianCrafters.Com


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4) Old Fashion Day ideas

>> I am looking for ideas for an Old Fashion Day. Any ideas ?

As a photographer, the first thing I would want to do at this festivity is
to photograph each person that attends. Kodak has a fairly new film called
T-MAX 400. This film is for 35 mm cameras and gives black and white prints
with the same processing as regular color film (C-41 processing). Film and
print together, would probably be less than 50 cents per photo. Not a bad
investment for something that may be considered "priceless" in the future.
This would be a nice item to include with a "Thank You" note for those
attending as well as a perfect way to remember the day by saving the
photos in a scrapbook for the honored birthday girl.

If you are able to speak with the technician that will be processing and
printing the film, you can request the prints be exposed as a sepia (brown
tone) print. The photos will then have even an older nostalgia look to
them --- perfect for your theme.

I can visualize sitting each girl down on a simple chair or stool and
having her sit very straight -- like the old photos of long ago. It also
sounds like the other "favors" you have mentioned would be perfect as
props in the photo.

Just a thought --- Emmalea Butler, Trafalgar, IN <><

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5) Teacher Appreciation Idea

Prepare a 3x5 note card -- (or a computer generated note card of that size
with a theme decoration or church logo on it). Have those invited to
attend write on it a memory of a teacher or a special thank you. The cards could
be given directly to the teachers, placed in a small album or scrapbook to
be awarded, or they could be placed, by floral sticks, into flower
arrangements. Emmalea Butler, Trafalgar, IN

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6) Halloween

I would just like to say I agree with Kim as to Halloween and what it
stands for so our church at home plans a harvest carnival with a "Bible
Character" costume parade as an alternative so that the young people at
the church have an opportunity for dressing up and getting candy ( we have
booths with games etc) with a Christian theme. That way the children
don't feel as though they are being left out of things and they are in a safe
environment both physically and spiritually. God bless. Nancy in Nairobi

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7) Christian Flag pledge

Hi! I am a teacher in a Christian School in central Pa. Here is the
pledge to the Christian Flag that our class says each day:

I pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag, and to the Saviour for who's
Kingdom it stands. One Saviour, crucified, risen, and coming again, with
Life and Liberty to all who believe.

Wendy Rosner-Mifflin County Christian Academy-Burnham, Pa.

--from SSTN: If anyone's interested, the Archives List at
ChristianCrafters.Com has variations of this pledge. -- sarah

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8) Missionary package

The person wanting to send craft stuff to Romania can send it by sea to
cut the cost in half or she can send printed material by M-mail which is
quite cheap or she can pick out craft supplies that are not heavy like
glue. She should pick out things like cotton balls, stickers, etc.
Another thing she can do is take the boxed supplies out of the packages to
help reduce the weight since every ounce adds up when shipping. If
the item needs to be packaged like beads, she could put them in a sandwich
bag instead of sending them in a plastic container.

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9) Old Fashion Day ideas

>>I am looking for ideas for an Old Fashion Day. Any ideas ?

Several years ago my church celebrated our centennial for an entire
year! First we gathered memories and stories from everyone and in the
church and published it as a memory book. We celebrated "Heritage Day"
one Sunday and asked everyone to dress as if it was the year 1898. We
parked all the cars in a field across from the church and allowed only
horse & buggy and foot traffic in the church parking lot. We had use
of a horse drawn carriage. Our minister was to arrive on horseback,
like the old circuit riders, but the plans fell through and he arrived
in a 1930's car instead. We had an old fashioned picnic after worship
and in our church we set up various displays of memorabilia. Under a
rented tent we had an old fashioned hymn sing. We had cake walks for
the adults and games of croquet and jacks for the children. We offered
rides in the horse drawn carriage and the old car. Later in the year,
we buried a time capsule and celebrated a "homecoming" service with a
formal luncheon that followed. -- Barb from Cedar Grove

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10) Fundraising Project

Sarah, there was a lesson that you shared on your network not too long
ago. It was a project wherein each child of the sunday school was given a
fundraising project. I really would like to use it, but I did not copy it
and was hoping that you had it in your files. thanks, Maye Riddick

--from SSTN:
Hi Maye: All the SSTNs are archived in the Archives List at:
ChristianCrafters.Com. You can search for any topic using the search box.
ysic, sarah <><

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11) Attendance....habitually late Just a little story to share...

Thank you for sharing such a thought-provoking story! At our old church,
teachers were told to take strict attendance and record what time
late-comers "strolled in". If children were absent more than 3 weeks with
no good excuse or frequently tardy, then the parents were sent a letter
... on and on and on. This whole attitude seemed like a surefire way to
drive people away from Sunday School. My feeling was if we have a child
attend class once a month, then we only have that short amount of time to
exhibit unconditional love and acceptance, and teach them something about
their faith.

At our present church, we have a group of immigrants who come in one van,
and are frequently late. When these 4-5 children arrive in our classroom,
I usually take that opportunity to make sure all the students are "with
me" in the lesson. "Good morning Bob, Sue, and Bill! We're so glad
you're here. Can anyone tell our friends what we've been talking about
today?" That way, they feel welcome and worthy of being "caught up" and
at the same time, I can see if the other kids understand the lesson. If
we are already in the midst of a craft, we ask them to be neighborly and
help late kids get started. So - lateness can be used as a great
opportunity!

--from SSTN: I, for one, would rather go to your present church.;o))
Thanks for sharing! YSIC, sarah

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12) Attendance

I have been reading all the controversy over whether or not to take
attendance. I have always taken attendance because I think children like
to know that you appreciate their coming and that you are recognizing
their effort to serve Jesus. But I have never made a big deal over tardiness.
I have a small basket with each childıs materials ­ the book, crayons,
scissors and a glue stick and in it I have a small attendance chart and a
sheet of stickers. Each week, when they come in they get their box and
put one sticker on the chart. When their chart is full I let them go to the
treasure box ­ a little box of treats I have collected from my own kids ­
McDonaldıs toys, books, etc and items from the Dollar Store. They love
seeing the chart fill up and they LOVE getting a treat for the FULL chart.
They want to come so they can put a sticker on the chart. (You can get
the attendance charts and a pack of stickers at a school supply store, I think
they have them at WalMart too ­ they are inexpensive and if you laminate
them you can use them over and over) I hope this is helpful. - Amy,
Smithfield, NC

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