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SSTN # 48 - May 26, 2004
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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:
The Parables of Jesus: 6-12 Week Series
1) Noah's Ark for ages 2-3 ?
2) Feedback on Bible Club
3) End of Year Program?
4) New Recruits
Fruit of the Spirit Spinner
5) New Recruits
6) Teaching the Lord's Prayer
7) Beyond 8 note colored bells
8) Where to Start
Super Heroes of the Bible: Two Semester Series
9) Construction VBS
10) Slime Recipe is putty
11) Slime
12) Luring Youth Back?
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The Parables of Jesus: 6-12 Week Series
Parables are "earthly stories with heavenly meanings”. This 12 week series
examines six parables that focus on "Faith", "God's Mercy", "Being
Merciful", "Obedience", "Prayer", and "Evangelism". Through the use of
hands-on Bible lessons, crafts and games, children will gain a better
understanding of these important truths. Can be incorporated into
rotation-type programs! Learn more at:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html
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1) Noah's Ark for ages 2-3 ?
Hi All,
I would like some help with finding things needed to do a summer long
Noah's
Ark segment with 2 and 3 year olds. I plan to "build" the ark with
cardboard boxes and stock it with the childrens stuffed animals and some
appropriate snacks. Are there in depth stories prepared for Noah's Ark
and
other teaching materials, songs, and visual helps that I could make or
purchase?
Rose Hendershot
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2) Feedback on Bible Club
>Does anyone have any experience with "Down the Street and Around the
World
>Bible Club"
Dear Sarah,
Our church has done the "Down the Street and Around the World Bible Club"
from LifeWay in different neighborhoods throughout our community for the
past two years. I thought the material was great. It has lots of fun
game ideas that require only minimal preparation with items easily found
around the house. The songs have catchy tunes and the children always
seem to enjoy the stories. Also the craft ideas were simple yet enjoyable
for the kids --- things easily done outside on a picnic table. I would
highly recommend this material to you.
Gina in Savannah, GA
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3) End of Year Program?
The end of the "year" for Children's church is fast approaching at my
church. does anyone have suggestions on a program, activites, promotional
ideas for ending? I would greatly appreciate any suggestions. We plan to
have some type of summer ministry for the children, but not the full blown
one as we did from sept-may. Any ideas along this line would also help.
I look forward to reading the posts and replies given...and I am
continuously praying for you all in your love, care and concern for the
children of your communities and church
Juanita Johnson
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4) New Recruits
This is in response to the subject of new recruits wanting to help VBS. I
started at our church in the month of February. In May, I volunteered to
do
prepare the snacks and serve the youth during youth night. In October, I
started teaching the 8-12 yr. olds. I was a new Christian myself and
often
I was learning the lesson the week I taught it, but one thing about it,
having this kind of responsibility will keep you on your toes and you will
probably read the bible more. I found wonderful websites online that
helped
me provide the lessons in the subject matter I chose and I worked on the
lesson for about four days each week. I had no children of my own and
before God put me with them, I didn't generally have alot to do with
kids.
Now, I teach the teenagers and God has blessed my husband's and my life
with
these youth. I tell them often that God will lead to the strangest places
when you let Him loose in your life and it won't always be what you are
expecting. As far as VBS, there is always something that needs doing when
you have that many kids, so let them help somewhere and see where it
leads.
You are very fortunate of you can afford to turn away help. At my
church,
we are just now getting volunteers to help out. It has been, on average,
four of us with up to 60 kids some nights. Good luck with your decision
and
please post a follow-up on this so we know how it went.
God's blesssings to you.
Anita Joshua 24:15
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Fruit of the Spirit Spinner
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.
Get a lesson and learn more here:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/lesson_spirit_fruit.html
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5) New Recruits
If you have a pre-planned VBS like Lava Lava Island or Godpel Light's Son
Games, there is not much left to the imagination as to how to teach what
class. All instructions are given and if they need help they can come to
you or to someone with more experience. Also, they can be helpers or
guides. there are a million things that they can do to be a part of VBS.
God would never turn them down, and they can't get experience if you
don't give it to them..... As long as they are willing to serve Jesus in
any capacity, then I would sure find something for them to do! Encourage
their spirit, and their volunteering... is it rare!!
God Bless, Gail
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6) Teaching the Lord's Prayer
Precept Ministries has a Children's Study called "Lord, Teach me to
Pray". there is also a 28 day adult study. I've been teaching gr.4-6
this study in Jr. Church. It takes 28 weeks or more.... It's recommended
that the leader be a trained Precept study leader, but it is NOT required.
~Luanne
--from SSTN: "Lord, Teach me to Pray For Kids" is available in our
Bookstore. Type the title into the search box to find it:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/bookstore.html
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7) Beyond 8 note colored bells
Hi annetteonemom,
I would be glad to share information about what I have been doing with our
bell choirs at Southport Christian School. I actually have seven bell
choirs from PreK thru 5th grades with a total of about 115 children. I
have been leading bell choirs and arranging my music for about 4 years
after getting very tired (as did the kids) of playing the same songs over
and over. My last arrangement was to Jeff Deyo's recording of More Love
More Power from the WOW 2003 Worship CD. I used this song with my K group
(14 children) for last Friday's chapel service at Southport Christian
School.
I get my bells from Rhythm Band Instruments, as far as I know they are the
only company that sells all the sets I use. They are the
importers/developers of the bells which are made in Taiwan (I think). In
their catalog you can find the basic 8 note set, the 5 note chromatic set,
and the 7 note extended set. They run about $100 for a complete set of 20
bells, the last I checked. Or you can by each type as a separate set. I
own four 8 note sets and 3 each of the chromatic and extended range sets.
To really do some of the contemporary music you need all three types. How
many sets you need of each depends upon how many children are in your
choir. My largest is 22 PreK children. I usually only allow them to ring
1 bell each but that's 22 bells and pretty well exhausts my whole set. It
is amazing what Children can be taught when it comes to bells.
I do all my own arranging. Basically there are two ways this can be
done. If you have a good ear and lots of patience you can sit in front of
the CD and play it over and over until you are able to pick out the
chords on a keyboard. As I do this I notate the chords. In this
manner it usually takes about 2-3 hours to notate a song using the chords
that would sound good on colored bells. If you are a keyboard player you
can probably do it much faster. I then enter it into a computer spread
sheet, organize it, assign colors and set up a bell assignment for the
choir I am going to lead. Then I divide a 20" by 30" Styrofoam signboard
(Wal-Mart $1.95) into 6" high by 2" wide segments. That allows 15 chord
changes per row with 3 rows or about 45 chord changes per board. I use
repeats wherever possible, and sometimes in one song alone there may
be over 100 actual changes on one board. Next I draw circles for each
note (bell), usually about 1 1/4" in diameter. Lastly I color in the
circles with the appropriate color. I like to use acrylic paints since
they don't run if they get wet. It takes a little longer but the colors
don't fade as they do with colored marking pens, much safer. Two weeks
ago I was leading our 5-6th grade choir in two songs at the local RC
church (Sacred Heart) by invite, when it began to rain very hard. By the
time I got the boards safely inside they were wet and some of the notes
were running, luckely the children have good eyes and were very familiar
with the cues.
The other way to arrange the music is to get the CD and songbook. I like
the WOW worship CD's and song books. You can get the chords from the
treble cleff piano music, usually 3 or 4 notes and those are the chord
changes I use for the bells. I just got the 2003 songbook and found that
my own arrangement is actually more tuneful than the chorded arrangement
in the book. Some songs work really well with the bells. Usually those
that have a lot of chord changes, or possible chord changes. This method
is probably the easies method for arranging bell music.
When performing the song I begin playing the song from the CD and as soon
as the introduction is over I begin moving my conductor stick from
rectangle to rectangle while I count the length of the chord (which is
marked in the rectangle.) This works real well, even though it sounds a
bit complicated. The key is to select good songs and then make good
arrangements. I did one last year for "Lord I lift Your Name on High" It
was a bit complicated but worked out well.
Let me know how many children are in your choir and what ages they are.
Address any questions to Gene Maxwell.
genem5329@atmc.net
PS I have several Christmas songs I have made arrangements for, i.e.
Michael Bolton's, Silent Night, The Mannheim Steamrollers, Oh Little Town
of Bethlehem, One of Twila Clarks Christmas songs from 2 years ago, and
What Child is This (a very interesting Scottish bag pipe version). Don't
know that I have ever done any Easter music though.
Gene Maxwell
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8) Where To Start
On Where to Start,I would recomend the Beginning. As in the Beginning as
we know it. Creation... Genesis.
Once one has a foundation of the awesomeness of God and how much He cared
for us to create such a magnificient world for us to live, and our very
selves in Adam and Eve, then can you go onward to sin and why Jesus came
and progress with Christ's life.
Hope this helps,
Blessings from Indiana,
Doreen
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Super Heroes of the Bible: Two Semester Series
"Super Heroes of the Bible" is a special midweek program which examines
the lives of some famous and not-so-famous people who had willing hearts
to obey God. And by obeying him, they were used in miraculous and powerful
ways to help change the course of human history. It is the goal of this
series to build FAITH, COURAGE, and OBEDIENCE in the lives of children,
and to change the world for Jesus Christ.
To learn more, go to this page:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html
(you may need to copy and paste this address to your browser)
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9) Construction VBS
You may want to go to an appliance store and tell them you are in need of
some refrigerator, freezer, or large screen tv boxes STILL INTACT. Ask
them not to cut them up. You can use these as houses. Cover them in
leftover newsprint. (Go to your local newspaper and ask them if they have
any leftover newsprint paper rolls. They never use the whole roll. It is
not colored. It is like a manilla color.) Cut out windows or draw them
on, cut out doors.
Have the children decorate their houses.
Hope this is of help,
Blessings from Indiana,
Doreen
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10) Slime Recipe is putty
>1 and 1/2 cup water
>2 cups Elmer's glue (must be Elmer's)
>Food Coloring
>1 cup water
>3 T. Borax detergent
I have never replied to this newsletter but I feel that I should reply
here. This recipe is NOT for the slime that you use to "slime" a person
or pour over somones head. This is the recipe for the goopy slimey
version of silly putty or playdoh. I just felt I need to warn about this.
Jennifer in Mi
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11) Slime
An easy slime receipe that is successful with younger as well as older
children is as follows...
Use equal parts of liquid starch and Elmers glue (NOT the school glue
-
the regular, old-fashioned Elmers glue!)
We have used baggies for mixing, as well as plastic bowls or cups and
spoons for stirring. Both are kind of messy - but then, so is Slime! If
the slime is too runny - add some more glue. The more glue you add, the
stiffer the slime will be. It's a great texture for the children to
explore.
Once you have the glue and starch measured out into bowls, cups or
baggies, just have the children mix until it comes together. Again - if
it's too runny - add a little glue at a time.
This slime will stay 'fresh' indefinately in a closed
container/baggie.
Food coloring may be added if desired.
In His Service,
Michele Bowen
Old Mission UMC
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12) Luring Youth Back?
Hello,
Every Sunday Night, for some reason, we do not get a huge turn out back on
Sunday Nights for Youth Night, and I was wondering. Does anyone have any
suggestions on how to lure youth back to church on Sunday Nights. It's
really not the Youth's fault. It's the parent's fault!! What can be done.
I've gotten down to only having 2 Teen Boys on Sunday Night. They are so
bored with me, they don't know what to do. We have played bible drill
games, and other games. But can you tell me, as a woman teacher, what can
I teach these Teen Boys (14, and 13yrs of age) that would hold their
interest. Thank you.
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