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SSTN # 31 - April 12, 2004


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:

1) What's FOTS?
2) 40 days of purpose
3) Tests in Sunday School
4) Service Project: Gleaning

Fruit of the Spirit Spinner ... NEW ... EASY DOWNLOAD!

5) Telling our own story - building community?
6) Disruptive Child
7) Prayer web site
8) The Passion

NEW-LIFE PUPPET patterns 

9) Tests in Sunday school
10) Tests in Sunday School
11) Miss Patty Cake Music?
12) Used Faith Mountain VBS?


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1) What's FOTS?
 
Find out at:

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


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2) 40 days of purpose

To Karen Young who asked if anyone had done the 40 days of purpose study
Sunday School curriculum, I am about to wrap it up with my SS class of 4th
and 5th graders. The material was given to me by our minister of
education. It is laid out to follow along with the adult study however it
is not as in depth as the adults. We did have the same topics each
week-worship, fellowship, discipleship/ministry, missions/evangelism, etc.
for five weeks. The activities are very brief and there have been few
crafts included but the kids seemed to respond ok. They understand it all
but then my class is almost entirely church family kids so this is nothing
new for them. The take home pages are great for them as they did not have
the book to read. Our church gave out the book and then had SS lessons for
all adults with similar material for the kids. We also had a discipleship
training class for all teachers and nursery workers that don't attend a
regular SS class. We are hearing membership testimonies on this study next
week and I look forward to sharing what everyone has to say. I have heard
alot about the subject but little about how it has actually affected
people.

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3) Tests in Sunday School

I have taught 8-12 yr. olds and now teach teens.  After I have completed
all the lessons on a subject matter, I started doing postcards with
multiple answer questions on them.  We gather all the kids together and
just call out the questions.  For the ones who get the most questions
right, we give them a prize.  Sometimes it is just a bag of candy.  Other
times we have books or toys we bought from the religious section at
Oriental Trading.  Our kids are very competitive and they want to win
something, so they work harder to retain the information.  There are no
losers as all the kids get something if not a small certificate that says
"You Did Great!"  It doesn't cost that much to do this and the kids seem
to respond to it.

Anita  Joshua 24:15

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4) Service Project: Gleaning
 
Last weekend I had the awesome experience of gleaning corn. If you've
never done this it is a great service project for your upper elementary
and youth department kids. It amazed me to see how much good corn was left
on the plant and what a shame it would be to have it go to waste. There
are organizations that coordinate gleaning projects for their communities.
One in south Florida is the "Daily Bread Food Bank" at:
http://www.dailybread.org.
 
If you'd like to contact them for more info, email Sonia Lozano at:
slozano@dailybread.org

or call:  1-888-633-9861

You could contact farmers directly.
 
Your webservant,
Sarah Keith <><
http://www.ChristianCrafters.Com 
"Home of The Sunday School Teacher's Network"


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Fruit of the Spirit Spinner ... NEW!

Children will learn the Fruit of the Spirit in a fun new way. Each
characteristic is illustrated with a whimsical cartoon fruit for kids to
color, cut, and spin. Download an unlimited supply of patterns for a
onetime fee of only $3.00.

Get a lesson and learn more here:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/lesson_spirit_fruit.html 


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5) Telling our own story - building community?

We are doing a weekend program for children ages 5-12 yrs - any ideas for
crafts, music, Bible stories for  would be very helpful
We need to get this together in the next two weeks...
In Peace,
Carolann Pacer-Ramsey
Families 1st
Richmond VA

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6) Disruptive Child

Hello I am a second grade teacher. What I end up doing is have that child
write the class room conctract on a piece of paper and make sure they
bring it home and have it written back. Other wise if it continues the
parents will have to sit in or he or she will have to spend the time in
the superintendants office. It could be me but i think its the right thing
to do is have them write the class room contract. At the beginning of the
year our church hands out a paper with all the rules on it for the year.
If you would like a copy you can email me and I will be glad to send you a
copy of the class room contract rules that we have.
 
Sincerely
Amanda Dill

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7) Prayer web site

Start your ad-free e-group at  http://www.strategicnetwork.org

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8) The Passion

In response to the question, regarding the scene in the movie, "The
Passion",  I believe that the child that Satan was carrying through the
crowd was to represent the Antichrist.  Satan believed that he had won.

God Bless
Susan E.W

--from SSTN: Christianitytoday.com  has a full explanation with comments
from Mel Gibson.

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NEW-LIFE PUPPET patterns 


When assembled, New Life Puppets turn inside out to change from a tadpole
to a frog, or a caterpillar to a butterfly. They're easy-to-make and
children will learn about becoming new creatures in Christ! Get a free
puppet skit too! In our Curriculum section:

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


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9) Tests in Sunday school

We test our kids periodically, but they are not worksheet tests. Instead
we use Bible baseball, jepoardy or a who wants to be a millionare game
format. It is not a presise form of measurement, but it gives us a good
sense of where we were successful and where we might have missed the mark.
The kids are always split into teams and if they don't know the answer
when it is their turn, they can use one of three "team consultations"/ The
kids all love to play games, so if you want or need to test them, I
suggest making a game out of it. We also play "Spin and Solve" which is
our version of wheel of fortune. In this game, the puzzle is a clue or a
question they have to answer relating to a lesson. It probably wouldn't be
as useful as the other games for review purposes, because it takes longer,
but is a good weekly review game.
Cheryl

--from SSTN: Good point, Cheryl. I agree wholeheartedly. For anyone
interested in this method, check out the Bible Games page at:
http://www.ChristianCrafters.Com 
ysic, sarah keith <><

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10) Tests in Sunday School

In my opinion Sunday should not turn into just another school day, and
that tests should not be administered. Sunday School should be about the
Lord Jesus Christ and His love for us; those that learn of that love do so
at their own pace; this is due to the fact that the only way to find Him
is in your heart. I cannot even imagine having tests in Sunday School.
When I think of tests, I think of grades, how can someone even imagine or
come up with a grading scale to grade someone's faith in Christ. To me,
that is just as bad as one Christian saying to another Christian I am a
better Christian than you are because I (have done more good deeds,
learned more Scriptures, or...whatever else you want to fill that blank in
with). And what of the children that are just poor test takers? I
personally have become frustrated with the normal "testing and grading
system", and Sunday School even now is my refuge away from all the school
stuff that follows me day after day. Sunday School in my opinion should be
a place to hear the Word of God, study the Scriptures, fellowship,
worship, and enjoy His presence. At our church the kids memorize verses,
if they learn it great, if they don't it's not like they are going to have
a pop quiz and they are going to get a failing grade if they cannot recite
an entire verse and where it is found. I attended a Lutheran School as a
child, one of the "assignments" at that school was to attend a Wednesday
morning church service as a class, after the church service we went back
to our individual classrooms and we were quizzed on what we had just
learned in the message. I am not a test taker, I have never been a test
taker. Even though I attended church every Wednesday and church and Sunday
School every Sunday, I began to resent the church as a child, I blamed the
church for the schools grading system, when I had a D on my report card
next to Worship I felt like I didn't know how to worship properly. When I
got to the end of second grade I left that school (for other reasons, not
just that one), but throughout my life it took me a long time to realize
that system was not the system that was best in my interest. It takes a
long time to recover from something like that, and an even longer time to
give church a chance again. I finally did at the end of the fifth grade,
and now I cannot imagine how I ever lived without it.  Just some of my own
thoughts, hope they help the situation.
Love in Christ,
Sarah in California

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11) Miss Patty Cake Music?

I'm looking for someone who has Miss PattyCake's Mini Musical Resource
Kit.  It's suppose to have split track or accompaniment music/songbook in
it and I really don't need the who kit.  You can email me directly at
soniawilliams@kconline.com  Thanks

Joyfully Serving Him,
Sonia Williams
Director of Children's Ministries
Argos United Methodist Church
 
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12) Used Faith Mountain VBS?

Hi Everyone,
 
I am on a quest to find a used Faith Mountain Craft Book from the 2002
VBS.  If anyone has one and is willing to sell it, it would be a real
blessing to my VBS this summer.  Actually I would be interested in
anything you might still have.
 
You can e-mail me at dania_hann@hotmail.com.
 
Thanks,
Dania

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