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SSTN # 128 - December 22, 2003
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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:
Christmas Photo Frame...QUICK & EASY DOWNLOAD!
--> This Christmas...Help Support SSTN
1) Making a Christmas memory
2) Happy Birthday Jesus Parties
3) Children's Furniture -- Tables
--> Curriculum For The New Year
4) Bible story mural
5) Nursery guidelines?
6) Old Christmas musical?
--> AWESOME NEW BIBLE FOR TEENS!
7) This Year's Gift Exchange
8) Christmas program song
9) In-house Training
10) Isaac & Abraham Story
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Noel Christmas Photo Frame...QUICK & EASY DOWNLOAD!
An easy make-and-take project with a great fundraising tip!
Learn more here:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html
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--> This Christmas...Help Support SSTN
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educational resources at SSTN and ChristianCrafters.Com. To give online,
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Your webservant,
Sarah Keith <><
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1) Making a Christmas memory for a child Craft and lesson.
Age I had 4 to 7 years old I actually did this past Thanksgiving 2003 also
in an SS class I do teach.
I gathered up a few (enough for 5) very simple crafts for the children to
make who were at the Thanksgiving dinner at my son's home.
After lunch most of the adults were busy chatting I slipped off to a play
room where the children were. (Note is was a little like having an SS
class to teach.)
I carried all my supplies, ornament pictures of card stock (not fully cut
out), scissors, glue sticks, bright colored Christmas strips. The children
glued the strips onto the not fully cut out opposite side of the
templet ornament. Turned it over and cut on the lines of the ornament Now
they had a pretty ornament on one side. Then glued strips of paper on the
templet side and they have their very own home made ornament!
We also decorated a Christmas tree on card stock with glitter glue and a
few stickers. They cut them out too. I told them They could have their own
tree in their bed room with lots of home made ornament but they said, Oh!
No, I'm hanging on my moms tree!
How proud they each were.
Lesson:
My question to them was, Do you know what a memory is? They answered
right. I talked to them about remembering Christmas because we celebrate
Jesus birthday at this time of the years. As we made these ornaments we
made a memory together to remember Jesus and all the fun we had making
these cards.
Just for fun:
I spilled white sequins on the play room rug and spoke about how I must
clean it up real good. My granddaughter said Grams you're Dead meat (only
child who is a daddies girl). I guess she gets in trouble if she messes up
the play room. All the kids helped me clean it up.
If you want the instruction I can send it to you.
At Sunday school the older children (all ages 20 in the class) also made
Christmas lapel pens from the many Christmas pictures I cut out and put
clear glitter glue in. I gave them two pen backs. They made two. I told
them it would be nice to give one to a friend.
I told them they could make several more at home and give them away to
passing people while they were out shopping.
On 12/8/03 I had an appointment to go have a chest X-ray. While driving to
town the told me if you ask the children to give out the pens or small
pictures they make then YOU should be willing to do it too. Plus I want
you to sing I wish you a merry Christmas too.
So I slowly did so in the hall, elevator and to the front desk security
guard, and the X-ray clinic room.
I haven't told the Class yet...I wonder what they will think and do.
Also God had spoken to me the night before to tell the story once again of
God's Trees. Now days it floats a round the Internet as The Three Trees. I
learned it in the very early 1970s in Child evangelism. I was concerned
that It was me wanting to tell the story but while driving to town and
right in the middle of the medical center traffic in front of me was a
car! To my surprise the license plate read "Trees3"!
I got my conformation to tell God's Trees once again. I always put a lot
of action into and I will use the time to teach How to tell a story and
keep everyone's attention.
Thanks for reading my email and if you want to use any of it in the
teachers newsletter.
Yip you can.
Jan Form Alabama
--from SSTN: thanks for sharing, Jan.
ysic, sarah ;o)
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2) Happy Birthday Jesus Parties
You and your subscribers have been such a blessing to me. If fact, I was
so inspired when I "accidentally" came upon your site, that I felt it was
time to become the full-time Children's Church Teacher, and allow our
Pastor's wife to be free to be in every service.
I do have to share that I struggle with some of the suggestions for the
Jesus parties like pinning baby Jesus in the manger. It just makes me
uncomfortable to take such a sacred moment and turn it into a game. I
believe that even young children can have lessons that emphasize worship
over making everything fun....and I have that same uncomfortable feeling
when teaching materials become cartoons, etc. Just a thought, God bless
all of you for your hearts to teach children. Carol
--from SSTN: What if players took turns being wisemen and pinned the
"star" above the manger instead? Would this be less offensive? ysic,
sarah
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3) Children's Furniture -- Tables
Our church found round wood kitchen tables were less expensie than
childrens' tables of the same size. We sawed off the bottom of each leg
to adjust the height.
~~Vicki, Indiana
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--> Curriculum for the New Year!
Available at:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html
All sales help to support SSTN and ChristianCrafters.Com.
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4) Bible story mural
I wanted to share this idea - it was one of the most successful projects
I've ever done in a Sunday School or Bible School class - and so easy! I
wrote each verse of our Bible story on a piece of paper, and had each
student draw a slip of paper. Then they drew a picture on a large piece
of paper of what their verse portrayed. I believe the first story I did
this with was the paralyzed man whose four friends brought him to see
Jesus, but the house was so full that they had to lower him in through the
roof. We had some masterpieces! And when everyone was done, we lined
them up along the wall with the verse beneath each picture. It was
wonderful! I was worried that some of the kids maybe wouldn't want to
draw - but I should have been worried that we didn't have enough time to
finish their intricate drawings! This idea works with many Bible stories,
and it's fun to display for everyone to see!
Julie
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5) Nursery guidelines?
My church has a problem which is not really a Sunday School tea cher
problem but it does involve children. My church is looking for nursery
guidelines. We have been unable to find any established guidelines for
church nurseries which we could use to guide us in writing ours. We used
teenagers until recently but have decided unfortunately this could be
setting us up for some problems. We do plan to provide some boundary
awareness training for nursery attendants in the near future. This
training covers abuse. I would appreciate any help anyone could give us.
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6) Old Christmas musical
I am also looking for an old christmas musical that we did back in the
late
80's I just remeber it had a song. "Listen you can hear a mother singing
and her lullaby is floating through the air, listen is is coming from a
stable why would any little baby be in there." Is this familiar to
anyone?
Melanie Manley
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--> AWESOME NEW BIBLE FOR TEENS!
"Revolve: The Complete New Testament" - A Bible that looks like a magazine
for teen girls! Revolve is the new look for teen Bible publishing. Special
features includes Blabs (Q & A), 12 month-long calendars, Love Notes from
God, Issue articles, Basics of Christianity Articles, Quizzes, Beauty
Secrets, Guys Speak Out!, Relationship articles, Truth or Dares,
Devotional Reading Plans, and more. In the Bibles section of our
Bookstore:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/bookstore_bibles.html
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7) This Year's Gift Exchange
I began to wonder ...
What if I pulled God's name
In the gift exchange this year?
What kind of gift would I choose
For someone I hold so dear?
And how would I present it
the day the exchange came?
Wrapped in glitter, with a bow,
a tissued bag, and sign my name?
With my gift will HE be pleased,
Will it be a great surprise?
Can what I choose delight HIS heart,
Will what I choose be wise?
As I reflect on what HE paid,
for the Gift HE's given me.
Such love and sacrifice on my behalf,
A total treasure from my King.
The gift I'll give in this exchange
Should please HIM from the start,
I'll give it daily from now on ...
my life,
my love,
my honor
my praise,
my worship,
my true devotion,
my heartfelt passion,
and I'll present it
with
all of
my heart.
Copyright 2003 Emmalea Butler
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8) Christmas program song
If it's the song I'm thinking about, it's called "With a Star That Bright"
& is on "America's 25 Favorite Christmas Songs for Kids."
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9) In-house Training
I tried to email direct, but it was returned.
We have done both -- brought someone in and done our own. As a result we
now host an annual Children's Ministry Workshop each year (2004 will be
#7), where we bring in lots of workshop leaders and offer 20+ workshops
and 2-3 general sessions. We invite other churches, so this is a big
deal. Lots of information and fun.
We also travel around the country and do training workshops.
If you want to do your own, the best way is to start with one or two
people sharing ideas. Then brainstorm together. I started by brining an
item to the meeting and giving 5 minutes for attendees to figure out how
they could use it in SS. I would then teach an object lesson, give a
story telling technique, etc. Then I started assigning things "You bring
an object lesson for the next meeting, you bring a snack that could be
used in SS." It was amazing the stuff they came up with.
We have a certification program for our teachers. One of the things in
level 3 & 4 is they have to present to a teachers meeting (game, object
lesson, storytelling idea, song, etc.).
You can learn a lot from each other. We also found it helpful to bring in
someone form outside, as a new voice is always nice.
Blessings
Teresa
La Marque, TX
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10) Isaac & Abraham Story
>I seem to recall that you requested what the teachers on
>this board thought about your curriculum company NOT teaching the story
>Isaac and Abraham. Why does it upset you to hear their answers?
I am not upset about anyone's answers. I asked if anyone else had decided
not to teach this lesson (or any others) and why. My response had to do
with a reply that said "do not take it upon yourself what stories to
teach." If she had read the post she would know that we have to make
decisions about what to teach, since we publish curriculum. I have
noticed that often people do not read an entire post (not just on this
forum but on others as well). They read a part of it and start answering
and often the answer is not relevant to the question. For example --
another board I am on ha a question posted about using power point to
summon parents to the nursery. She asked for opinions from people who used
this system in their church. A person responded by telling her about a
paging system they use (pagers), which has nothing to do with her
question. She was not asking what system to use, rather wanting feedback
and asking questions about a particular system.
Teresa B
La Marque, TX
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