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SSTN # 90 - October 11, 2004


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:


1) Bulletin Boards
2) Cain and Abel
3) Bulletin board ideas
4) Pastor appreciation

--> Amazing Miracles of the Bible

5) Happy Birthday Jesus Cake
6) Adult Teachers?
7) Thanksgiving Lessons
8) Mission Possible - Kit?

Instant Christmas Plays

9) Praise streamers
10) Christmas Message
11) Children in the Sanctuary
12) Christmas decorations ideas 


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1) Bulletin Boards

This message is in response to the posting about Bulletin Boards. One of
the things that I have found in my pre-k class is that the kids love to do
the work that goes onto the Bulletin Board themselves. You just hang a
piece of Bulletin Board paper or even colored butcher paper straight off
the roll up on the Bulletin Board in any color that will fit the theme,
and then I go online and print a basic shape or a coloring page outline
from various websites on the Internet. I then make the letters across the
Bulletin Board using Microsoft Word by printing bold block letter
outlines, cutting them out, and stapling them to the Bulletin Board. Here
are a few ideas that we have used in the past:
-    Jesus loves you snow much - make white letters on a dark blue
background; let the kids make snowman to put on the bulletin board
-    Flying high with Jesus - make a light blue background, add clouds if
you want, the letters a bright yellow, let the kids make kites with ribbon
tails
-    Bee all you can be with Jesus - make a light blue background, with
black letters, let the kids make bumble bees
-    Growing for Jesus - make a green bulletin board, with pastel letters,
let the kids make flowers
-    Showers of blessings - make a light blue bulletin board with dark
blue
raindrops and letters, let the kids make umbrellas
-    I will follow Jesus - make a pastel colored bulletin board, with
primary color letters, cut out the shape of a Bible, and put it at one end
of the Bulletin Board. Trace the children's footprints, or let them stamp
their footprint on construction paper with paint, cut out the footprints
and staple them in a path all around the Bulletin Board and ending at the
Bible.
-    God made many different people - make a light blue bulletin board,
make the letters in black, give each child a person outline or a
gingerbread outline and let them color it to look like themselves
-    Happy Birthday Jesus - make a bright colored background, with any
colored letters you want, let the kids decorate birthday cakes
-    Celebrate Jesus love for life - make a bright colored background,
with
any colored letters you want, let the kids decorate balloons, or heart
shaped balloons, and add confetti streamers
-    What's in your pot of gold - make a green background, with gold or
dark yellow letters, cut out a giant pot shape, you can even add a rainbow
across the top of the bulletin board, give each child a heart to color and
write the things that are in their heart on, put the hearts in the pot,
and
scattered around the bulletin board

Hope this gets you started!
Love in Christ,
Sarah in California


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2) Cain and Abel

>> from Lisa H. in Marion, Wisconsin
>>Hello! I am teaching 5 year olds and we are doing a 3 week segment on
>>Cain and Abel. Any ideas on how to explain this to younger kids?

Hi, Lisa!
I just taught about Cain and Abel this past weekend, but it was to
Elementary-aged kids. For 5 year olds, I would say that you could
DE-emphasize the murder (which can be scary at this age, especially for
sensitive types) and emphasize one or more of the following:

A) Why Was Abel's Sacrifice So Special? God knew that Abel loved Him and
wanted to give his best. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God
looks
at the heart.
B) Jealousy is a Dangerous Thing. Discuss how easy it is to get jealous,
but how wrong it is, too.
C) Am I My Brother's Keeper? Help the kids see that the answer is yes. God
wants us to look out for each other. We are either a part of the building
crew or the wrecking crew!
D) God Sees Everything! We can't hide anything from God.
E) Our Family is Important! God gave us our family. Families are the ones
who care for us the most, yet we often treat them the worst. We should
love
our families!

Angie<><


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3) Bulletin board ideas

> Does anyone have some creative yet easy bulletin board ideas for
> Sunday School?

Hi, Maggie!
Check out our webpage at
http://www.whnazarene.org/SS/Children/ChildrensWorkers.dsp

Click on "Bulletin Boards" at the top of the page. We only have a few so
far, but I add new items each week, so check back often!

Angie<><


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4) Pastor appreciation

> from Betty Davis
>I'm very interested in ideas for my 4 and 5 year olds to pay tribute to
>our Pastor and his wife for Pastor appreciation. Any Ideas?

Hi, Betty!
One of our teachers is making a foam quilt for our Pastor this year! She
is
attaching photographs of the children and letting them each decorate a
square of craft foam. She will then hook the squares together by punching
holes and adding ribbon. She got the idea from
http://www.whnazarene.org/SS/Children/ChildrensWorkers.dsp
Click on the "Things To Make" link at the top of the page and scroll down
to "Paper Quilt."

Another great idea would be to make a "My Grandkids Walk All Over Me"
t-shirt for the Pastor and his wife (assuming, of course, that they are
Grandparents!) from the same webpage. This would be especially nice if
your pastor's grandkids live out of town and you could find a way to have them
help decorate the shirts. OR you could make a funny shirt that says "The
Church Board Walks All Over Me" or "The Preschoolers Walk All Over Me"
instead :o)

Another neat idea is to make a display of baby pictures of the kids and
adults in your church. Also~ use the pastor and his wife's baby pictures.
Make a contest out of guessing who is who!

Also~ you could have the kids draw portraits of the pastor and dictate
what they'd like to say about him as you write it down. Story paper is good for
this (with the writing lines on the bottom and the picture space at the
top)and you can then mount them on construction paper or poster board for
durability.

Angie<><

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--> Amazing Miracles of the Bible

God’s glory and love are revealed through the miracles he performed and
were fully realized when he came to earth in the form of a man to save
mankind. By studying the miracles of the Bible children will gain a better
understanding of God’s love and faithfulness and how he continues to be
loving and faithful in miraculous ways to his people today. Great for
rotation-type programs!

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



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5) Happy Birthday Jesus Cake
 
Check out a picture of a Jesus Birthday Cake topped
with an edible nativity on the following webpage: 
 
http://www.christiancrafters.com/crafts_Christmas_Advent.html 


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6) Adult Teachers?

Is this site only for Children teachers?  I'm looking for ideas for
Adult's.  Things that will help me to get the class going.  Something fun
but very short.  A friend suggested I give everyone a clothes pin and ask
what they use them for, then have them to write someone's name that they
could visit and invite to church. (something along that order or maybe a
short game)  I'm not very creative along these line.  I've looked a little
on the internet, but have not had any luck.  IF you could share some ideas
or tell me where I might look I would really appreciate it.

Thank you very much.
Doris Seitz

--from SSTN: Hi Doris: Yes, ChristianCrafters.Com is mainly for teachers
of children and youth. However, the idea you mentioned sounds like an
icebreaker game. There are some ideas like this in our Games section that
have been used by adults:  http://christiancrafters.com/page10.html 
 
Your Webservant,
Sarah Keith <><
ChristianCrafters.Com
"Home of the Sunday School Network"


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7) Thanksgiving Lessons

Please Help! I've looked all over for Thanksgiving lessons for 2-5 year
olds. Last year we did the srory of the 10 lepers. I need something else
that is well suited for this age group. Please send stories, crafts,
games, songs, ect. . . Whatever you have would really be appreciated.
Thanks!

--from SSTN: check the Sermons, Crafts, and Archives sections at:
http://www.ChristianCrafters.Com 
 

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8) Mission Possible - Kit?

Does anyone have the 2004 VBS kit from CEF "Mission Possible"? After
looking around online, I came across their vbs with the theme as our Youth
Camp.  We are located in Avon, Indiana. If you have the kit and willing to
let us borrow it or even purchase it from you, email me at
deana4kids@choiceonemail.com

Deana

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Instant Christmas Plays

The following easy-to-produce, instant Christmas Plays are available
in our Bookstore-Skits section:

The Mouse's Tale,
Operation Baby King,
The Not-So-Silent Night,
Live From Bethlehem,
Wee Three Kings, and
The Fumbly Bumbly Angels.

For product descriptions, go to the Games & Skits section of the Bookstore
at:

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

Please remember, by purchasing items from ChristianCrafters.Com,
you help to keep SSTN and the website alive! Tell your friends, won't you?

Thank you!
Your webservant,

Sarah Keith <><


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9) Praise streamers

>I'm trying to find a site that would show me how to make a
>"praise streamer"--

Tells how to use them: Dance Streamers
http://www.maranathalife.com/banners/stream.htm
 
Site on HOW to make PRAISE STREAMERS :
Making & Using Dance Streamers
Check out for info: Dance in Worship
Nice link site for worship tools:
 
For a look see of the beauty of Streamers take a look here:
Glory Streamers, Glory Hoops, Glory Tarps 
http://www.wcpageantry.com/streamers.html
 

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10) Christmas Message

>from shirLie
>>>I need help in getting creative ideas on delivering Christmas Message to
>children at the age of 6-12 years

Hi, Shirlie!
My daughter and I wrote a Christmas Program a few years back that explains
Christmas through the use of common Christmas symbols, like the Candy
Cane, Tree, Angel, etc. You might find it helpful to have the kids act it out
for fun and then discuss the deeper meanings behind the story! It is FREE and
you can find it here:
http://www.whnazarene.org/SS/Children/ChildrensWorkers.dsp

Scroll down to near the bottom of the page under the section titled
"Freebies for Your Ministry" and click on "The Reason for the Season." You
may copy and use this skit freely and adapt it as desired!

ALSO~ I think it would be nice to give the kids a small taste of winter!
Here are a couple cute activities you might try:

Serve shaved ice and talk about how this is much like snow!

Have a snowball fight! Give two teams all kinds of scrap paper to scrunch
up into balls. Put a line down the center of the room and have the kids
toss the "snowballs" at the other team. Time them for 3 minutes and when
you say, "STOP!" the team with the least amount of snowballs on their side
is the winner!

Angie<><
 

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11) Children in the Sanctuary

Speaking as the mom of a 4 yr old - my son is reasonably well behaved in
church, as we don’t have Sunday school over the summer months & he does
sit through church w/ aid of his children's bible, and drawing board or
crayons - but I will say I get much more from the sermon when he isn’t fidgeting
next to me. A couple of ideas that might help you out:

A.) If you don’t have Sunday school during worship service, enlist a few of
the high school students or youth group members to oversee the "playroom"
during the sermon or a portion of the service - that way the kids sit for
15-20 minutes in church, but your aren't overtaxing their time frames of
quietness
B.) if you have room install a "sound proof, see-through wall"  install a
speaker system so the parents can see and hear the service, while watching
the children, but without the disturbance to the rest of the congregation
(a baby monitor works also! And is much cheaper!
C.) Do the speaker/monitor scenario without the see through wall - at
least
your parents can still hear & participate in the service but the children
aren't confined and a little noise is more acceptable in another room.

Laus Deo!
Pam Tichy
pbaxter@midtel.net


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12) Christmas decorations ideas?

I just wanted to add that Chrismons are a great way to teach kids while
they are making new ornaments.  Chrismons are traditionally white and gold
but there may be some color in the nativity chrismons.  
 
Chrismons can be very easy and inexpensive. 
 
A)  I purchased a tub of foam shapes ($6), a few sheets of craft foam and
a piece of poster paper (Walmart and Michaels craft store carry the
tubs).   We used a large scalloped circle paper punch to make circles out
of the foam sheets and poster board (you can also use foam meat trays that
grocery stores will usually just donate and just cut circles.) 
 
The children glued the shapes on the circles, sometimes adding glitter. 
The shapes in the tub came in black, green, blue, and yellow.  We used
yellow to symbolize gold.  The tub shapes were very appropriate chrismon
symbols:  bibles, different types of crosses, chi-ro, angels, etc.   
 
B)  Our children have a great time making chrismons with white sculpy
clay.  They can make their own shapes or use the inexpensive sculpy
molds.  We have an angel mold that is especially popular.  You can also
use candy molds which are even less expensive.  After the children make
their chrismons, the shape must be baked (250 degrees for about 10 or 15
mins, I believe.) 
 
You can also use salt dough instead of sculpy for the chrismon shapes. 
Just remember to poke a hole in the shape before it is baked so that you
can hang it on the tree.   You can also paint them after baking.
 
C)  We also used white plastic canvas which we cut in the shape of a
cross.  The children glued gold ribbon between 2 cross shapes.  The ribbon
showed through the holes in the canvas and looked wonderful.   Our tree
was gorgeous and the children had a great time.
 
D)  Walmart also carries packages of religious beads of crosses, angels,
Noah's Ark, and several other symbols which come in blue, green, and
white.  They are about the size of a pony bead and fit on pipe cleaners
easily.  I purchased white and gold pipe cleaners and pony beads.  The
children made circles or triangles out of the pipe cleaners with pony
beads and religious beads on them.  The circle and triangle are both
symbols of the trinity and so they are also chrismons.
 
E)  We have also collected used Christmas cards from the
congregation.  Many of them had religious pictures such as the nativity,
baby Jesus with the animals, the wiseman, angels, etc.  We cut them into
circles, punched holes around the outside edge and laced inexpensive
narrow ribbon through the holes.  Some were placed on our chrismon tree
and some were delivered to residents of the local nursing home.
 
We got a lot of info from the Lutheran church that has really been big on
chrismons for many years.  Also, we found a great book (actually a course
on chrismons) with flash cards and explanations of many of the symbols. 
If you'd like the recipe for salt dough, or any other info or ideas, feel
free to contact me.
 
Gloria B   (sgbburn@rsonline.net)
 
--from SSTN:  ChristianCrafters.com initially launched as a Chrismon site
in 1997. We have an abundance of information on Chrismon symbols and
ornaments, as well as books and complimentary patterns to download at:
http://www.ChristianCrafters.Com/chrismon.html 


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