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SSTN # 48 - May 27, 2005


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:


The LORD Is My Shepherd...Bible Club

1) Preschool ideas for Paraguay?
2) Reward System
3) Joseph activities and games
4) Kids Out Of Control
5) Discipline a pet peeve

Summertime Fun Lessons

6) VBS Luau
7) Outside Children's Service?
8) Soakin' In De Sun
9) Wild Wednesdays - water games
10)  Playdough Technique
11) Luau Theme
12) Lord's Prayer With Colors
13) End of the Year?
14) Warm Blankets Orphan Care
15) God's Colors, Yellow


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The LORD Is My Shepherd ... VBS - Bible Club

This five day VBS series can be expanded to 10-12 one hour sessions!
A great resource for summer Bible clubs!
Learn more in the VBS / Bible Club section at:

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


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1) Preschool ideas for Paraguay?

I am looking for ideas for use during a week long conference in Paraguay.
I will be part of a team teaching children ages 2-6 during a missionary
conference in Paraguay. The children will be split into two groups: 2-3's
and 4-6's. We will have to prepare activities and lessons to accommodate
five full days with snack, lunch, and dinner breaks some days going into
the late evening. I have considered choosing a number of different themes,
but haven't settled on one yet. What ever we do has to be done with either
items we bring with us on the plane or use items that are already there.
My understanding is that common craft items for us here in the states are
hard to get there. If anyone has ideas on crafts, themes, games,
activities etc, I would appreciate any input you can give. A number of
these children have siblings and any themes addressing issues that come up
with family would be useful too. The two large themes I had considered for
the 4-6 age group were the Armor of God or The Fruit of the Spirit. The
Fruit of the Spirit seems harder to come up with simple craft ideas to
use. Help!

--from SSTN: both those themes are available with specific ideas at:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/sermons.html 


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2) Reward System

 
14) Reward System?

>I'd like to do some sort of reward system. Perhaps
>something with tickets. Where the kids can earn tickets each week and
>"purchase" a prize. I've already started collecting prizes, but I'm not
>sure what kinds of things I can have the kids do to earn tickets.

This message is in response to Elizabeth about a reward system. Here are
some ideas for some things that you could award tickets for:
Bringing your Bible to class; bringing a friend to class; remembering the
Bible verse from the week before; Bible verse for the current week;
answering questions correctly in the appropriate way (raising hand, being
called on, giving answer); helping out in class (setting up snack,
assisting the teacher, passing out papers, etc); random acts of kindness
or demonstrating the Bible truth learned (being kind to others, playing
nicely, helping new students adjust to the class,etc); or filling out
weekly take home papers, Bible verse memory papers, or completely weekly
activities. That's about all that comes to mind.
Hope this helps!
Love in Christ,
Sarah
 

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3) Joseph activities and games

This message is for Angela in response for Joseph activities and games for
toddlers. Mini coats of color - use a lunch size paper bag, and cut it
like you would make a paper bag vest. Make the shape by cutting from the
open edge to the bottom of the bag. Cut a circle on the bottom of the bag
(where the child's head would go if you were using a standard paper
grocery bag). On the sides of the bag cut two more circles near the bottom
of the bag (which would be the armholes if you were making the large
version. Decorate with markers, crayons, or paint and write the Bible
verse across the front with a black permanent marker.

Coloring page ideas - Print out a coloring page of a coat (with no pattern
on it) and provide one or more of the following options: multiple colors
of tissue paper scraps, watercolors, color changing markers, fabric
scraps, sand, fun foam scraps, buttons, or glitter. Give the children glue
sticks, or a watered down solution of one part school glue to two parts
water.

Construction paper or fun foam coat - Cut out a coat shape from a piece of
construction paper or fun foam. Have the children glue on lace, pieces of
material, buttons, and felt shapes to decorate the coat.

Make coats of many colors - Take a brown grocery bag and cut up the middle
to the bottom flat part of the bag. Cut out a circle for the head and then
cut 2 circles on the sides for the arms. Let the kids paint the coats with
bright colors, decorate with fabric scraps, decorate with construction
paper scraps, decorate with tissue paper scraps, decorate with glitter, or
color with markers.  You can also decorate these with crepe paper strips;
they look pretty neat when painted though.

Hope something here is helpful!
These are just a few of the many ideas on Joseph. Contact me if you need
further information.
Love in Christ,
Sarah in California
batraylover_23@earthlink.net


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4) Kids Out Of Control

This message is in response to Ann about kids being out of control.
Chances are if the parents and the directors haven't been much help up
until now, you probably will not get much help from them in the future. I
have had experience with kids in my classroom who don't want to
participate in the activities, but it is usually not an every week kind of
thing (I teach pre-k). I will sometimes provide crayons and coloring pages
that they can work on, or let them do their own thing as long as it does
not interfere with the class. One of the things that you can try is when
the child acts out, try telling them that is not the way that we behave in
Sunday School and that is not how God would want us to behave. You would
be amazed how many kids, and adults  for that matter will "straighten up"
with the reminder that God is watching them all the time. It is sort of
like the same effect you get around kids who are trying to behave around
Christmas because they think Santa Claus is watching them. I do not know
how many adults you have in the classroom, but is there any way that the
children can be given special attention? They may be acting out because
they are craving attention, and if an adult sat down with them and took
the time to give them the one on one attention they may straighten up.
Another thing that may or may not work for you is to use the counting
method. When I have a child acting out, I will stop whatever I am doing,
even if it is mid-story and start counting slowly, the children know that
if I get to ten they have to go sit in chair and think about what they are
doing, sit on the bench for the first few minutes of play time, or
whatever else might work for you. I have only had to use the counting
method a couple of times, and usually before you hit ten, the child will
correct the situation on their own. The BIGGEST thing that you can do is
pray to God for wisdom about the situation. There might be something going
on in the children's home lives, they may be going through a major
adjustment, unfortunately as a Sunday school teacher, you don't always
know the background of the children coming into the classroom, and
sometimes it makes it difficult to deal with individual behavior problems.
Ask God to reveal whatever the situation is to you and to give you
patience to deal with the children during their "trying" times. You would
be hard pressed to find a Sunday School teacher who hasn't dealt with a
behavior issue at one time or another, hang in there, and most
importantly, put the situation in Gods Hands and let Him take care of the
rest.
Hope this helps
Love in Christ,
Sarah in California
 


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5) Discipline a pet peeve

Discipline at the church and at home is a real "pet
peeve" of mine. It seems to me that the Bible is very
clear on this; not only is it right, but it is
expected by the Lord!  (Read PROVERBS
20:7,11;22:15,23:13;29:15)  Yes, even spanking (at
home) is correct when it is done PROPERLY and as an
ultimate punishment in most cases.  The problem is
that most parents/teachers/authorities have not the
slightest idea of what is appropriate, and really
don't care what God has to say about it! There is a
passage in Ephesians (6:4) that says not to provoke
your children to anger---maybe this could be due to
improper or complete lack of discipline.
I have been in children's ministries for almost 30
years.  Children have really come a long way----in the
wrong direction---unfortunately many times led by
"Christians" in homes and churches.  We have children
having children (notice I didn't say rearing
children); parents who are more selfish than any
child, thinking of themselves only. And mothers and
fathers who refuse to take any responsibility for
their children's actions or RE-actions!  Yet these
same parents/guardians expect the church (and schools,
I might add) to correct their "mistakes" in the two
hours (at most) that they have to train these
children. 
AS A GENERAL RULE, I have found most children will do
exactly what you expect them to do when you are in
control.  I AM NOT SAYING THAT YOU ARE A POOR TEACHER
IF YOU HAVE AN UNRULY CHILD!  They are simply
exhibiting the behavior they have seen at home, and
that is acceptable there; if we don't show them that
it is not acceptable, they will assume we allow the
same behavior too.  Many times I have far more
"problems" with children when the parents are present
than when it is just the child, because the children
are following only what they have observed at the
home. 
DISCIPLINE DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN PUNISHMENT!  The note
from the lady regarding having a child "help teach"
was great!  Find the child's strengths and try to
capitalize on them.  Sometimes having one read a
passage or act out a part with your help will
encourage great class participation.  Even using them
as "teachers helpers", passing out pencils, etc,
sometimes helps.  I have used these many times.
However, I must explain that I have NEVER sacrificed
the entire class for one student.  I assume that
everyone visits their chidren in their homes; many
problems are solved by knowing the background.  After
working with these troubled children 3-4 weeks, if
there is no improvement then, yes, more corrective
measures are called for: denying treats, participation
in class rewards,etc. There have been two instances
when I had to actually remove the child from the class
in order to reach others who may never have accepted
the Lord because of the disruptions.  The devil will
use any one or any thing to keep souls out of Heaven
--- including children!  If you expect and demand
proper behavior, the children will exhibit it; this
will eventually lead to POSITIVE PEER pressure in your
class. 
Don't get me wrong---------I am NOT saying there is
never disruption, even chaois in my classroom!  But
overall, whether I have 3 or 30---whether they are
pre-schoolers or teens---basically I keep the same
three rules: no "playing around" when an adult is
teaching God's word, hands and all body parts to
yourself, and respect for each other.  This, with the
word of God has been at the foundation of my teaching.
A very wise man once said, "When people mess with
God's word--changing it to suit their purposes--God
will mess with their minds---making them unable to
'think straight'".  This has been born out as the
truth in many countries, and now seems to be showing
up in our own.  Just because "society" declares
discipline is wrong, doesn't mean that GOD has done
so! 
Thanks for your attention!
gayle
in amarillo


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Summertime Fun Lessons

What can bugs teach children about Jesus? More than you think! In "Buggie
For Jesus - I'm a BEE-liever", children will learn important Bible truths
using hands-on buggie crafts, games, lessons, and yummy devotions. Great
for midweek or a refreshing change of pace during the Sunday School hour!
Learn more in the Curriculum Creatives store at:
 
 http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html  


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6) VBS Luau

There is an great rotation model lesson from Cokesbury titled Breakfast on
the Beach.  It uses the story from John 21:1-15, where the risin Jesus
meets the dixciples on the beach after fishing.   It teaches we too can
find the love of Jesus in ordinary things like walking, eating, and
talking.  We decorated for the beach and had a really great time. Becky


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7) Outside Children's Service?
 
Hi!  I am new to this list and am looking for some help. I am the
superintendant at our local Sunday School.  We are planning an outdoor
service that the children are going to lead.  We have quite a few songs to
sing, but I am not sure what to do in between the singing!  It is quite a
small group of children--about 12, ranging in ages from 3-8.  Any helpful
ideas would be awesome!  TIA!  Lori Ann, Watrous, Sk. Canada


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8) Soakin' In De Sun

Hi Anita!

We too are a small church, but have a ton more kids and lots of helpers. 
We did a Hawian theme a few years back and called is Soakin' In De Sun! 
We wrote a song, decorated with everybodies trees and greenery from their
homes, put a grass hut around the drum sheild, all dressed in hawian
shirts and big hats, and had an absolute blast!  For the lessons, we
talked about the fruits of de spirit.  And demonstrated them all, plus
thier opposites.   You can e-mail me off list for more ideas.
sharonvanwyk@hotmail.com


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9) Wild Wednesdays - water games

Here are some water games I've done with kids all the way through high
school age. They should be done outside and the kids should know to wear
clothes that can get wet.


Hot water pistol - played like hot potato but when the music stops the
person who ends up with the water gun gets to squirt someone on either
side of him/her before they are out.

Water relay - divide into even teams - ask for a volunteer from each team
who doesn't mind getting really wet. You'll need 2 empty #10 cans for each
team (a local school or other food service might supply you with these, I
got mine from our church camp) or 2 plastic buckets of similar size per
team. One styrafoam or paper cup per team. Have the teams stand in
parallel lines with a can full of water at one end and an empty one at the
other, the volunteer from the team sits in front of the empty bucket. 
Using the cup they are to scoop out the water and pass the cup to the end
of the line and pour it into the empty bucket - normally the kids will be
very sloppy doing this spilling water along the way - in this case you
want to retain as much water as possible because as each team is
successful at transfering their water their volunteer gets to dump the
water on to one of the other teams volunteer who hasn't completed the
task.

I purchased a water ballon bomb a few years ago at Target - its a plastic
ball about the size of a small cantelope with lots of slot holes in it. It
opens in half and you put a water balloon inside it and then turn the
timer at the top - proceed to play hot potato with it. At some point the
timer goes off and the balloon get popped - the person who gets exploded
on is then out. When doing this it's important have balloons in buckets or
bowl in several places around your circle so that the bomb can be refilled
quickly - keeping up the pace of the game.

When doing water games one of the most important things is to remember is
that you and the other adults will get very wet - the kids love to get you
wet - this is part of the fun experience for them. Talk with your
volunteers about this ahead of time, nothing spoils the fun faster then
someone getting mad about getting wet. (And bring extra clothes and undies
to change into if there isn't time to dry before you have to go
home : )


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10) Playdough Technique

I tried something I have never done before and thought I would pass it
along. I work with roughly 6 kids on Weds. nites ages 6-11. I gave each
kid their own container of play dough and let them just play with it as
I read over the next chapter of Judges about Samson. It kept their hands
busy so they didn't wander off and mess with each other/things and sat and
listened!!! After we discussed the story I asked each kid to make
something specific that had to do with Samson. They could make anything at
all, from any chapter we had read so far, but they had to keep it a
secret. After they finished making their creations we tried to guess what
everyone else had made and I asked questions like, why do ya'll think
she made a pig...because samson's mother couldn't eat unclean food...this
helped to reinforce elements of the story and it gave me an idea of their
comprehension... for instance, i had one girl make a piece of pizza, her
reasoning was samson's mom not eating "bad" food, so I had to remind her
of what unclean "bad" food was, but in her defense that was the first nite
she came to weds. nite church...all except one of my kids said they
liked it and they would like to do it again...Maybe this might work for
someone else also... 


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11) Luau Theme

For this luau thing, you can always do a theme on creation and how God
made everything.  He loves all people and wants them in Heaven with Him. 
Nancy


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12) Lord's Prayer With Colors

I used the coloring pages from this site to teach the Lord's Prayer:
http://www.teachustopray.com/
At rotation.org, you can find some great info. too.  I hope this link will
work:
http://rotation.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/9626088121/m/4726088121/r/67260

88121#6726088121  About half way down the page are ideas to use colored
candles or eggs.  We did the same to make a necklace.  Of course, it's
easier to find the eggs around Easter.

Denise S. in PA


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13) End of Year?

Do you have any crafts, prayer services for the end of the school year...

Valerie Consolo-Ryman


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14) Warm Blankets Orphan Care

Warm Blankets Orphan Care is asking for people to become “Prayer
Guardians.” It’s just a person signing up and then they’re given a
specific orphan in a third-world country to pray for. It’s a great thing
to do as a Sunday school class. The kids will realize that they can make a
global impact just by praying. Either pray for the same child as a class
or give each child a different orphan to pray for. This really enhances
and shows the importance of prayer in each of the kid’s lives. All we need
is an email address….and then you have the option, but Warm Blankets will
send a picture of each orphan that your class if praying for and will give
each kid in your class a “prayer bracelet” that the orphan have hand-made.

Here’s the link if you’re interested. Let me know or if you need any
further information.

http://www.warmblankets.org/prayercorps/index1.htm



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15) God's Colors, Yellow

Theme~"Sunshine":
Cut out a yellow circle (or use yellow paper plates) and some yellow
triangles for each child. Help them glue the pieces together to form a big
sunshine and draw on a smiley face!

Talk about how God made the sun and mention any of the following:

*the importance of keeping yourself safe in the sun (sunglasses, sunblock,
hat, drink water, etc.) You could get each child a pair of yellow
sunglasses
or a sunvisor and let them decorate them with stickers

*the sun helps plants grow--you could talk about corn (which is yellow)
and
show an ear of corn, then show canned corn, then show popcorn. You could
have the kids sit on a yellow sheet or table cloth on the floor and plug
in
a hot air popcorn popper and let the popcorn pop without a lid. Let  the
kids try and catch some popcorn in yellow cups or bowls. Play "Popcorn
Praise"--have kids squat down and tell them that every time they think of
something to thank God for they can pop up like popcorn and yell it out!
It's really cool to see kids popping up everywhere shouting out "Mom!"
"Dad!" "Toys!" etc. You could give them banana slices to go with their
popcorn, too. You could even make the banana slices into sunglasses with
some imagination and toothpicks, I'm sure!

*the sun provides light--make shadow pictures on the wall with your hands
and a flashlight; Make simple suncatchers by cutting out circles of clear
contact paper and letting kids sprinkle glitter on one, and then stick
another circle of clear contact paper on top. Punch a hole and add yarn
for
hanging.

*the sun provides warmth--talk about summer and how the sun shines so
brightly to make this season so warm. Show pictures of different types of
clothing that you have cut from a magazine or other source and let the
kids
decide which articles can be worn in the summer time (include boots,
mittens, hats, sandals, etc.)

For game time, play any games you like with soft yellow balls. You can use
balloons, depending on the age of the kids. I wouldn't give balloons to
kids under three without LOTS of supervision since they can bite the
balloons and get pieces in their throats. Any yellow age-appropriate games
would work, too. For example, you could play ring toss with an all yellow
game you find at a Dollar Store, etc.

For music time, sing "You Are My Sunshine" or the song below I just wrote
for you to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine:"

Who made the sunshine? (Hold hands palms up out from shoulders, as if
shrugging shoulders to ask a question)
God made the sunshine! (Point up)
That yellow ball up in the sky! (Form a circle "ball" with your hands)
He gave us sunlight  (open and close fists quickly to make "flashes" of
light) To makes our days bright-- (use hands to form circle "sunglasses"
around eyes) We thank You, God  (fold hands in prayer and bow head)
For glad sunshine! (trace your smile with your pointer fingers, left to
left and right to right)

There is also a cool Barney song called "Mr. Sun" that most kids this age
are familiar with, and "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is another one I
like.

Thanks for the colors idea, btw! I think it would be a neat idea for VBS
or a series of summer lessons! Would you mind if I use the idea on my church
website?

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