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SSTN  # 88 - August 26, 2002


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:


TELL TWO - SPREAD THE WORD!


1) Used Curriculum
2) Water game
3) Tower of Babel
4) Used Curriculum

--> Kidzoo-Shuffle Game

5) Fruit of the Spirit
6) Water game idea
7) Sunday school Awards   
8) Bible Maps

--> Card Game of Christian Symbols

9) Children¹s church a different view
10) Water Games   
11) Motivating My Teachers
12) Water Games for Church Picnic


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TELL TWO - SPREAD THE WORD!

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1) Used Curriculum

>a potluck supper at 6:00 and closing program from 6:45-7:30.  I am also
>looking for a church that would like us to send this year's materials to
>them as we will finish ours this week and the teacher's manuals,

I would love to have the VBS by Groupa nd would be happy to pay postage
Teresa   (Puppetwokshop@aol.com)
La Marque TX 

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2) Water game

At our 4th of July party we played with water balloons. Instead of duck,
duck goose, we did duck duck splash and then when you say splash throw a
balloon on the ground by the person who is splash. Hopes this helps.
Theresa

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3) Tower of Babel

If you have those cardboard blocks they work great for this lesson.  If
not, use boxes, or sit around a table and let each child help build the
tower with regular blocks. For children's church you may need to break
into groups and do this. When God confused the languages you can have each child speak in other
languages (if they know them) or just speak gobbledygook.
This is a great time to teach simple songs in other languages. Spanish,
Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and American Sign Language are usually easy
to find.  I learned Yes Jesus Loves Me in Japanese as a child and at 44
still sing it! Any object lesson about obedience will work here.  The people did not obey
God and were punished, in a very different way than they had ever been
punished before.  How would you feel if you were working and all of a
sudden you could not understand anyone you worked with?

Teresa
La Marque, TX

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4) Used Curriculum

I wpuld love to have your leftover material, as I can really use it.
Please
contact me at
thekingskid@comporium.net
Thanks
nancy


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Kidzoo-Shuffle Game

Kidzoo-Shuffle helps children develop eye-hand coordination, depth
perception skills and strategy plays. Kidzoo-Shuffle is a blast to play
indoors or out! Developed by Sarah Keith for kids ages 5 and up.

Find it in the Products section under "Children's Exercise" at: 

http://www.therapyzone.com 

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5) Fruit of the Spirit

I made fruit costumes. Used pictures form a coloring book, put them on
transparency to enlarged them. Drew them off on paper and used this for
the pattern.  I did each piece twice. This means I had 2 fronts and backs
for each piece. I cut them out and also cut a piece of quilt batting the
same shape. Pin the three together, stitch leaving a small opening and
turn.  I used double fold bias tape to make shoulder straps and ties for
the sides.  If the fruit has a stem or other parts I also sewed this on. I
made a banana, pineapple, peach, apple, orange, strawberry, grapes, ... I
can't remember what else.
I looked around to see if I could find other items related to that fruit.
I found strawberry slippers at the resale shop for the strawberry costume.
We did a fruit fashion show, each child came out and modeled his/her
fruit while the narrator talked about the attributes of that fruit. The
kids love to wear the fruit.
You can use fruit salad for snack, OR Runt candies. The Bible book store
had fruit of the spirit candy, which was large fruit shaped pieces. At the
dollar store I found a long string of fruit shaped containers with
powdered candy inside. These are good for prizes.
Hope this helps.

Teresa
La Marque, TX


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6) Water game idea

This was one of my favorites games as a child and I use it at every
Birthday party.  You will need 3 empty containers the same size.  Fill one
to the top, one only half full, and leave one empty.  (If you are giving
out prizes,you can fill the third one with a small prize.)  Place markers
on a table with #1, #2, and #3.  Place one can behind each marker.  Have a
child come up and sit in front of the table with his back to the table so
he can't see the cans.  Mix up the cans.  Have the child pick a number
from 1 - 3. Pour that can on his head or give him the prize.

Carolyn Warvel

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7) Sunday school Awards   

We use Bible bucks for our second graders to earn and then once a quarter
we open the store and let them buy things. We also open for Christmas,
Mother's Day. Father's Day and Easter so that they might purchase items
for others. We have some larger items such as Bibles, books, tapes, CD's
etc. But they have to work hard to earn enough money to buy these things.
They earn on attendance, visitors, Bibles brought, questions answered,
they draw a picture as the lesson is presented offerings, and memory work.
They are responsible for keeping up withtheir Bible Bucks. They also have
a work Book that we put together from coloring books, puzzles etc that
pretain to the lesson and there is an envelope in the back to keep their
bucks in. they earn bucks for the work done itnthe workbook
Joyce Philen
Temple Baptist
Odessa, Tx

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8) Bible Maps

>I am going to be doing a 13-15 wk study on the apostles and was looking
>for some good teacher guides or material you may have found on
>maps of journeys, deaths, etc...

Dear kjfm and everyone,
Here are the results from an exhaustive search I recently completely when
looking for online Bible maps. You should be able to find pretty much any
map you want from these three sites. These especially include Paul's
journeys. Enjoy!
 
http://www.execulink.com/~wblank/keyway07.htm
http://www.bible.ca/maps/
http://www.painsley.org.uk/re/Atlas/default.htm

Kim H.
Prescott Valley
St. Germaine's Parish

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"Card Game of Christian Symbols"

FaithShapes! ®  A fun, must-have game for every Sunday School class! For
kids and adults, readers or nonreaders. The 64 cards are beautifully
illustrated with historical explanations and Scripture verses. Use them
for family game night, during Sunday School, or for personal enrichment.
Shape your faith with FaithShapes ®.

In the Curriculum section: 
http://www.christiancrafters.com/kt_kit.html 


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9) Children¹s church a different view!   

I have been following the conversation about children¹s church for a
while and I must respectfully disagree with a number of things that have
been said. I do not wish to offend, but simply express a different
viewpoint formed after years of children¹s ministry.

I believe that God¹s family should worship together as one community. I
have heard a some express the opinion that children should not attend
³adult² church until they have learned to ³behave respectfully². I wonder
what that means exactly? What is implied is that ³respectful behavior²
means sitting quietly without disturbing the adults. Didn¹t Jesus tell
the adults that they needed to become like children? I find it
interesting that he did not tell the children that they needed to become
like adults! Perhaps we need to reflect on the full implications of that
comment.

Children are naturally curious, enthusiastic, energetic and full of life.
Why would you not want to enjoy these wonderful gifts in the context of
the whole community? When you say to a child you cannot come to our
service until you can behave respectfully, you are actually saying you
are not accepted and welcome for who you are. Is this what Jesus modeled?
Is this how God treats us? What are we teaching our children?

In our church everyone meets together as a community to worship together.
After about 15 minutes the children can choose to go to Sunday school or
stay with their parents. We then regather for Communion. Most children
choose to go to Sunday school, but some prefer to stay and they are
welcome to do so. The children who do stay are allowed to be children.
They wander around the church and visit with members of the congregation,
we¹ve even had one or two who stood with our minister as he preached and
copied all of his hand movements. You get the picture!

Is it a distraction to the congregation? A minor one, but we are adults
and can cope with a few distractions. We feel that it is far more
important for our children to be loved and welcomed than for us to have
services with no disturbances.

Are the children being disrespectful? No, they are being children. Isn¹t
it more disrespectful to exclude them until they behave like us?

Some have intimated that children who stay in church and play or move
around are not learning anything. As an experienced educator I strongly
disagree.  In conversations with their parents many of the children have
indicated that they have heard much of the sermon. It is amazing what can
be absorbed. However, even if they do not understand or hear the sermon
they are learning. They are learning that the church is a community where
they are  loved, where they are valued and accepted for who they are,
where they are respected. As most young children equate God with their
community of faith these are valuable lessons.

I¹d like to finish with a few words from Jesus. "Whoever welcomes one of
these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me
does not welcome me but the one who sent me."  Mk. 9:37

Thank you for your time.
Sharon Harding from Northern Alberta

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10) Water Games   

Some was wanting to know of some water games to play for labor day. Well
at our VBS this year we played two games  that no one may have thought of
they were Stoning Stephen and Drying up the River Nile.

Stoning  Stephen was the name we gave to our water ballon fight. But the
twist was our pastor was Stephen. He told the story of stephen and then he
let the kids pound him with ballons. Their aren't many Pastor like Blair
Self in this world. He is a brain cancer survior and works really hard to
get the kids in church.

Drying up the River Nile was played with sponges on the kids behinds. You
tie sponges onto their backsides and you place a small tub or pool of
water at one end of the course and at the other a small cup or glass. The
kids sit down in the tub/pool and fill the sponges up when you say go.
They then race to the other end and empty the sponges into the glass by
squeezing the water into the cup. Do this with two contestants and the
first to reach the line that you have marked on the cup is the winner.

Another one that we didn't try is Saving baby Moses. This one is one we
didn't have time for. You get several tiny baby dolls, ie like Barbie's
little sister, you put them in a tub of water. You then choose two teams
they have to get the "baby Moses " out of the water blindfoled and toss it
to their partner. who has to catch it in a net. and then take it to a
basket and returns for more babies. The team with the most babies in the
basket at the end of game wins.

Maybe these will help.
God Bless You.
DEBRA, Faith FCM Church Walnut Grove, AL

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11) Motivating My Teachers

I just wanted to respond to Debbie.   I too feel the same say "God will
provide the laborers needed", but I think that perhaps you missed the
greatest opportunity to share the GOSPEL with children who do not know the
Lord by cancelling VBS due to lack of workers.    My church just finished
doing VBS.   At one point, I felt like there were not going to be enough
VBS workers to supervise the 200 or so children that usually attend VBS. 
As a team, we did our part in doing our best to recruit workers and
children.   And as we prayed and trusted God, we asked God to do the rest
(Meaning provide the workers and the children to make VBS possible) 
God's greatest commission is to save the lost.   That is Jesus' heart cry.
His heartbeat.  Satan would have us think that we can't do it due to lack
of workers, lac! k of funds, etc.    Well, he is right, WE can't do it,
but God can!!!  To make long story short, I anticipated that God will
provide all the necessary VBS workers even up to the last minute. 
Therefore, we planned a VBS workshop for the day before the first day of
VBS in order to train new VBS workers that would join.   Sure enough, God
was faithful.    By the first day of VBS we had almost 60 workers
recruited to help oversee all aspects of VBS (lunch, transporation,
recreation, bible hour, crafts, assembly, puppets, etc.).    Our theme was
"Faith Mountain" and God showed us that "we live by faith and not by
sight".  Though we felt at one point, we may not be able to pull this off
or we may have to reduce the number of kids being enrolled, God gave us
exactly what we needed so that His will be done.   So my sister, I just
want to encourage you to trust the Lord.   He is faithful.!    God will
touch people to serve.  Just do your part -- pray, recruit, pray some
more, and trust.    Maybe it's not too late and you can do a one-day VBS
with less workers.

Dee Q

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12) Water Games for Church Picnic

My daughter enjoyed this water game at a Christian Summer Camp.  She
couldn't remember the name of the game but you divided your children into
two groups to create two lines.  You will need four buckets (two filled
with clean water) at the front of the line and two (empty buckets) at the
back of the line.

Now to play the game.  The children at the back of each line are given a
sponge or spongy ball.  They each run to the front of the line where the
two buckets filled with water are and dunk the sponges into the buckets.
Here's the catch.  Both children must pass the wet, dripping sponges to
the next child, and so on and so on until it reaches the end of the their
respective lines.  The two children at the end of each line must ring the
dripping sponges into the empty buckets.  Then the two children should run
to the front of the line and begin the whole process all over again.  This
should continue until the front buckets are empty or until at least each
child has had a turn.
To determine the winning line?  Which ever bucket at the back of the line
has the most water in it at the end of the game is the winner.

Ahreita Griffin
Charlotte, NC

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