All posts in Elementary Age

Princess and Warrior Party {Repost}

By | September 22, 2011 | Elementary Age, Halloween, Holidays and Events, Preschoolers | 2 Comments
Crown, princess, king, queen

In 2009, for our Fall/Halloween party at church, we did a Princess and Warrior theme.  The girls came dressed as princesses, sat at lovely decorated tables and ate princess pink pancakes.  Afterwards, they watched a skit about Queen Esther.  The boys met at a “campsite” in the gym, with the lights dimmed and fake fires blazing.  They munched on hot dogs and then participated in a skit about Gideon.  It was a complete blast!   Check out some of the pictures below.

Princess Table

Warrior Table

Princesses eating pancakes

Warriors in battle

Want more details?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Print Friendly Print Get a PDF version of this webpage PDF

Final 2 Weeks in the Music Giveaway!

By | August 2, 2011 | Elementary Age, Preschoolers, Resources | Comments Off
Flickr by craigCloutier

Just got an email from Bob at God’s Kids Worship.  Here’s what he said:

Just a short note to let you know that we’re in the final 2 weeks of our summer kids ministry music give-away. We anticipate that we’ll give away around $5,000 worth of DVDs, CDs & downloads in these last 2 weeks, alone. We’re picking up the pace and value as we push toward the beginning of a new year for kids ministries all over the world.

The response has been tremendous. We’ve given away around $10,000 worth of stuff in the first month and a half, and we’ve been hearing great stuff back from our kids ministry friends!

In these final two weeks, the daily prizes will increase in value and ministry impact. Could you please let your ministry readers know that we want them to be eligible? Just tell them to go to our Facebook page, and “like” us. That’s all. They’ll get notices about the daily give-aways until it ends on August 15th with our biggest give-away ever.

Well, what are you waiting for?  Get on over to facebook and win some great stuff!

Print Friendly Print Get a PDF version of this webpage PDF

My Awesome God Bible: Review and Giveaway!

By | July 8, 2011 | Bible Study, Elementary Age, Parents, Preschoolers, Resources, Reviews | 16 Comments
bible

I had the privilege of reviewing “My Awesome God Bible Storybook” by DiscipleLand recently, and here’s what I thought:

What’s Good:

  • The illustrations were lively and interesting.  They were very modern and could easily keep a reader engaged.
  • In many instances, these pictures really brought the story to life. For instance, Abraham and Sarah look seriously old (p32) when Isaac was born (which they were!).  It’s nice to have a storybook illustration finally portray this.
  • This Bible included some lesser known, but important stories from the Bible, such as Rahab, Achan, Saul’s wrongful offering to the Lord, and passages from Nehemiah and Ezra. Even the mention of Cain and Abel is missing in many Bible storybooks, but it was included here.
  • I also liked the fact that My Awesome God Bible included some of the Psalms and almost the whole book of Acts. And THANK YOU for including Paul’s letters — it was a perfect approach for a storybook Bible, including the main points of the letters in an actual letter form.  It’s so hard when we turn to one of these passages in a “real Bible” during lesson time and our preschoolers with storybook Bible don’t have anything to turn to because the book isn’t even represented.  I’m really glad to see this isn’t the case in this version.
  • For some of the more common stories, page after page wasn’t devoted to the details.  For example, I’ve never understood why every day in creation and every single plague needed their own page while some very important books of the Bible or stories got completely skipped.  This storybook Bible condenses these typically drawn out stories to only a few pages, without skimping on important facts.
  • Some commonly misrepresented stories were correct in this Bible.  For example, Adam and Eve ate some unidentifiable fruit instead of an apple (finally!) and the wise men gave gifts to a walking toddler, not a baby in the manger.

What’s Not So Good:

  • Sometimes inferences are made that are not directly from Scripture, such as a person’s thoughts, motives, or feelings. For example, how do the authors know that Mary, mother of Jesus, was a very good housekeeper (p217).
  • Transitions in this book were very shaky.  It was often difficult to tell where one story ended and other began.  The reader has to do a double take to realize they’ve moved onto another story or another time-frame. Many people in the Bible were mentioned without any introduction or background information.  For a kid reading, this could be confusing.   (This happens quite a few times in this book).
  • Almost everyone in this book was super attractive, well-built, muscular, and well-groomed.  Even Job didn’t look so bad in the midst of his struggles.  Neither did the the lame man who apparently was able to work out quite a bit in his condition.  Not only is this unrealistic, but don’t our kids get enough of the “perfect body” imagery from the media already?

Um… I’m not Sure About…

  • A few of the illustrations were clearly not biblical, like the umbrella on Noah’s ship,the man using a kiln in the middle of the desert (p67), or the king’s men eating pizza and hot dogs at a banquet (p187). Also, there were weird little animals like lizards, turtles and mice everywhere. These quirky additions were probably meant to bring some modern relevance to the story or a smile to the reading adult, but I’m just not so sure about it.  I know we have to be really careful about what  we present to children.  Often, they have difficultly discerning the difference between real and imaginary, and I would hate for their first exposure to God’s Word to be full of false pictures.

Final Take

Great, great, great additional to any Children’s Ministry leader’s library.  Also, great thing for parents to pick up for their kids.  All in all, it’s pretty accurate and gives a great overview of the Bible.  I’ve been a big fan of the Read and Share Bible for some time, but I have found myself switching back and forth frequently between that and My Awesome God Bible during “The Big Story” story time program we’ve been running on Wednesday nights.  If you haven’t picked up a storybook Bible for your preschooler yet, this would be  a great book to invest in.

Time to Win!

Thanks to DiscipleLand.com, I’ve got three copies to give away to readers!  Here’s how to enter (you get one entry for each comment):

  1. Leave a comment, telling me what your favorite Bible story is.
  2. Follow me (@lrwhitney) on twitter and then leave a comment letting me know you did so.
  3. Like Growing Kids Ministry on Facebook and then leave a comment letting me know.
  4. Like DiscipleLand on Facebook and then leave a comment letting me know.
  5. Send me a Starbucks card (this will count as 10 entries) .  :)
  6. Contest ends July 20th.

Interested in buying one for yourself or ministry?  Head on over to DiscipleLand and pick one up for $19.95.

WINNERS: Michelle, Rachel and Pam!  I’ll be contacting you soon!

Print Friendly Print Get a PDF version of this webpage PDF

How’s Your Summer Going?

By | July 6, 2011 | Elementary Age, Preschoolers, Vacation Bible School | Comments Off
KFC Storytime (2)

This year, we decided to take a break from Vacation Bible School, and here’s our letter to the church explaining why:

We’re Taking a Break from Vacation Bible School

We love seeing all those kid faces flood into the church on VBS week.  The singing, the crafts, the games, and the costumes – what could be better, right?  We asked ourselves that same question — could we make a program that’s even better than VBS?  Something that might keep kids with us longer or something that might draw families as a whole in more?  As a Christian Education committee, we decided to give it a try.  These were our priorities:

  • Design a program the whole family could participate in.  Even though VBS was designed to be a family-friendly affair, it still seemed pretty kid-oriented.  We wanted something parents would feel comfortable attending as well.
  • Create a program that engages the community more.  So often when we create events, we hold them inside the four walls of our church.  We wanted something that stretches us out a bit more.  Maybe some kind of outdoor event?  Maybe something in the local neighborhoods? We wanted to be out where people simply passing by would see that the church cares for the people around it.
  • Build a program that is longer-lasting.  Because VBS is so often seen as “an event”, kids often swoop in for the week, and then swoop out at the end, never to be seen again.  Certainly, there’s value in the things they learned while they were with us.  Some of you may have even been saved during a Vacation Bible School program.  Praise God!  We want to see kids saved, and we also want to see them grow in Christ.  We wanted to build a program that encourage growing relationships – with church members, other kids, and of course with God.

So, with all that to consider, here’s what the Lord brought to our minds:

  • Monday Morning Story Time at Whitford Park, 10:30AM (Story, craft, snack)  (All summer)
  • Five Fabulous Friday Family Movie Nights, Dusk -11PM (July)
  • Wednesday Night “The Big Story” at ELRAC, 6:30PM (Story, hands-on activities, snack)

Good News for Volunteers

We know VBS was intense and exhausting.  Now, you have an opportunity to serve once a week for a few weeks, once or twice the whole summer, or become a big part of one program.  There’s a lot more flexibility for you!  Check out this Sunday’s bulletin for job descriptions (also on the Kids Ministry bulletin board) or give me a call to learn more!  Please pray about being a part of this exciting new step we’re taking to be a light to the world.  We’d love to have you on the team.

So, How’s it Going?

I’m so glad you asked!  We’ve done one movie night and a month of story time.  I’ve seen a number of story-time families out and about in the community, and it’s been fun being able to say hi and connect with them as a normal person!  I’m really excited about the connections we’re building and the relationships that are forming. Though I must say, volunteer power is SERIOUSLY low on this front.  Final report still in the works!

How About You?

What is your church doing this summer? Traditional VBS?  Sports Camp?  Backyard parties?  I’d love to hear how it’s going!  Leave a comment and let me know!

Print Friendly Print Get a PDF version of this webpage PDF

Daddy Dates: Book Review

By | July 5, 2011 | Elementary Age, Parents, Preteens, Resources | Comments Off
dates

For this book, my husband did the honor of reading and reviewing the book Daddy Dates by Greg Wright.  Here’s what he said:

When my wife and I started to consider kids, we were generally told that boys were great and girls were…well the only advice we got was “LOOK OUT”.  After recently having a daughter myself, I was eager to find a book that could provide some practical insights into being an effective dad.    From the start, Greg used the book Daddy Dates as an effective medium to touch on all the issues that I as a new dad started to fret over.   Girls face tremendous pressure from media, the social scene, as well as at home, and all I wanted was to be a guide through this rough passage.   Even though the idea is simple and spawned from common sense, it is often those small ideas that are overlooked while we search for the great solution.   I am grateful that I came across Daddy Dates as it has given me a new outlook on fatherhood.   It has also given me the courage to have a real and hopefully impactful relationship with my own daughter.    I recommend this book to any struggling or overwhelmed father of girls.

Pick your copy of Daddy Dates up at Amazon today!

Also, check out the official Daddy Dates website!

 

Print Friendly Print Get a PDF version of this webpage PDF

The Big Story: Lesson Ideas for Moses, Plagues, and the 10 Commandments

By | June 30, 2011 | Elementary Age, Ministry Ideas: Lessons and Programs, Preschoolers | Comments Off
Flickr by imkukie
We’ve been making our way through the major stories in the Bible (I wish we had time to hit them all!) as part of our Big Summer Plans.  This past Wednesday, we covered Moses (early life and beyond), the 10 Plagues, and the 10 Commandments.  During story-time, I used a lesson from the “Forget-Me-Not Bible Story Activities” book.  Kids swatted flies, repeated the famous “But Pharoah said No!” line over and over, and generally acted out the plagues from their seats.

When it came to the Passover, I lowered my voice a bit and explained the terrible final plague and how Pharoah’s stubbornness caused great pain, but God’s people were saved by the blood of the lamb.   I was amazed at how quiet and focused the kids became as we entered this part of the story.  They seemed truly concerned for both the Egyptians and the Israelites.  It was a powerful story-time moment and it reminded me once again how God’s Word is living and active (and interesting!).

For our station time of the nights, here’s the options we had available:

  • News Broadcast: Kids pretend like they are first hand witnesses to the Escape from Egypt, either as Israelites or Egyptians.  They draft up questions and interview each other for the camera.  The guy who made our Spy Guy movies will do some editing and we’ll show the kids the videos for a bit of fun later.  (Idea from Forget Me Not Bible Story Activities)
  • Make a Brochure: In this station, kids use Egyptian websites, Cool Bible Tools, and the Bible to make a brochure of Egypt.  The theme “Come Visit Egypt: Home of the 10 Plagues” was a popular one, but kids could focus on any part of the story or country.
  • Egyptian Wall Painting: Who doesn’t love drawing on walls?  We slapped some butcher paper up and gave kids copies of hieroglyphs and their corresponding letters.  (We used stuff from these Egyptian books, but you can find the same information online).
  • Stone Rubbings: We have a big stone outside with the 10 Commandments on it, so kids went outside to make stone rubbings of it.  They also talked about which commandment is easiest to follow or hardest to follow while they waited for other kids to finish their rubbings.
  • We didn’t do this one, but it would have fun to go outside and do some activities with sidewalk chalk, whether writing with hieroglyphics on the parking lot (writing the memory verse perhaps?) or drawing a set of 10 Commandment stones.

Got some ideas of your own?  Post a comment and let me know!

Print Friendly Print Get a PDF version of this webpage PDF
← Older Entries