Missions Board

Every couple months in Children's Church I pick a country for the kids to learn about. We pray for the missionaries from that country that our church supports and write letters to them. I have been teaching the kids how to pray for missionaries.

It is awesome to listen to the kids pray for the missionaries. I wish that the missionaries could hear them pray. There is nothing like the simple faith of a child.  I usually have a volunteer each week come up and pray for the missionary. When I forget to do this the kids remind me. If I have the kids pray at other times during class they always pray for the missionary even when I haven't mentioned it.  It is neat to see them get excited and involved.

December/January Bulletin Board

This one is rather simple, but it does the job. I am planing to add snowflakes...I have some I bought, just need to find them...

Paper Strip Ornament

Check this and more crafts out by clicking:

Paper Strip Ornament : christmas : holidays: winter : Shop | Joann.com

Paper Loop Wreath

For instructions go here:
Paper Loop Wreath : holidays: winter : Shop | Joann.com

Pin Cushion Project

Check out this cute pin cushion project at "Blessed Femina"
It looks super easier and a great way to use fabric scraps.

I have decided each month I am going to make one song visual. Kids learn the songs so much faster when we have a visual. Here is the one I made for this month:

This is for the second & third stanzas which obviously I have not written out yet. The first pumpkin is at church, so I was not able to take a picture of it. The song I am using is about giving thanks.

Thanksgiving Craft

This is a picture I found on the internet not from my class.

On Sunday for Children's Church I had the kids make paper chains. We used fall colors and on each link they wrote something they were thankful for. I wasn't sure how this craft was going to go over, but they all really enjoyed it and some had fun seeing how long they could make their chains.

"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."

-Jim Elliot

From my bookshelf...

I am almost finished reading Counsel for Christian Workers by Charles Spurgeon. This is the first book of Spurgeon's sermons that I have read. I was surprised by how down to earth and practical he is. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is involved in Christian service. Here are a couple of quotes from the book:

"Spend and be spent in your Master's service."

"The danger of every Christian worker is that of falling into routine and self-sufficiency."

I borrowed this book from the college library but am definitely planning to purchase a copy of it for myself.

"You cannot go forth yourself to your class and do your work vigorously if you have lost inward vigor. You cannot minister before the Lord with the unction of the Holy Spirit if that unction is not upon you. If you are not living near to God and in the power of God, then the power of God will not go forth through you to the children of your care." - C. H. Spurgeon

Scripture Memory: Part 2 - Review Games

Here are several games from "Children's Church Ministry" website:

Bible Verse Burst -- Write your entire memory verse onto balloons and pin or tape them to the board. After teaching the entire verse using the IPEAR method, pop one of the balloons with a push pin and have the kids repeat the verse, including the missing word (you repeat it with them, but shush on the blank). Continue to pop one balloon at a time until they can recite the entire verse.

Guess Who -- We select a volunteer who must go stand by a teacher with his back to the group and the memory verse visual. Whoever is teaching the verse quietly points to a word in the verse and instructs the group to read the verse inserting a *clap* for the appointed word. The volunteer then has to guess what the missing word was.

Crazy Voices -- Put several different types of voices on index cards for the kids to draw: British accent, frog croak, mouse squeak, cheerleader yell, Southern accent, football player voice, underwater, etc.

Quote the verse if you... ate breakfast this morning, took a bath last night, have brown eyes, like broccoli, made your bed today, have a sister, are wearing red, etc.

I have tried some of these games or variations of them except for the first one. I think that would be a fun one to try. You can also find more ideas by visiting their website. Here are some ideas of my own, most of which are not original:

Chalkboard: This is always a tried and true method. Write the verse on the board and then let the kids erase a word or a phrase at a time. You can also have races by seeing who can write the verse out first on the board. For a larger group you can turn this into a relay game, each person writing one word at a time and passing the chalk to the next person on the team.

Pass the ball: Pass a ball around and have each person say one word. To make it more challenging, time them to see how fast they can do it. For variation have the students toss the ball to whoever they want and he/she has to say the next word.

Hot potato: Play hot potato and when the music stops whoever has the "potato" must quote the verse.

Word scramble: Write each word/phrase on a piece of paper and have them put it in the correct order.

Puzzle: Write verse out on a poster board and cut into shapes to create a puzzle.

"Your aim as a teacher is to set each pupil on fire to translate what he has learned into an ardent Christian life." ~ Guy Levitt, from Teach with Success

WHAT IS IN THINE HAND?

by Dr. Paul Chappell

Exodus 4:1-5, "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me,
nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto
thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A
rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it
became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto
Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his
hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe
that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee."


God doesn't measure our usability by our talents but by our willingness to
be used.

Have you ever heard the name of Bertoldo di Giovanni? If you are a fan of
art, you might be surprised to not recognize him. Giovanni was the pupil of
Donatello, arguably the most gifted sculptor of his time. Giovanni possessed
unimaginable talent and skill, yet he is not remembered for any sculptings,
paintings, or art pieces. He is remembered as the teacher of Michaelangelo.
At age 14, Michaelangelo approached Giovanni and requested his help in
training his artistic abilities. Realizing Michaelangelo was gifted beyond
his age, Giovanni agreed.

Giovanni was different than many teachers of his day in that he didn't allow
talented students to simply coast through classes. He was known as a strict
instructor who pushed his students no matter their ability level. One day as
he entered class, he noticed Michaelangelo working on a sculpture that was
below his abilities. Giovanni marched over to Michaelangelo's station,
grabbed the piece of pottery, and smashed it into a thousand pieces. He then
made a statement that Michaelangelo never forgot: "Michaelangelo, talent is
cheap; dedication is costly!"

Our world seems to value talent. Kids are scouted at young ages for sporting
talent, people are elevated for their talent in different arenas, and those
with the most talent seem to climb the corporate ladder the fastest. Talent
has become something that parents hope to see in their children. But just as
Giovanni stated, talent is cheap but dedication is costly.

In Christianity, talent is sometimes too highly regarded. People are praised
for their fine singing voice, musical talent, ability to teach, or witnessing
finesse. Yet God doesn't desire to simply use talented people; He wants to
use every one of His children.

Our verses show us another one of Moses' apprehensions and excuses for not
being able to face Pharaoh. "They will not believe me, nor hearken unto my
voice" (vs. 1). God then asked Moses what he held in his hand. In essence,
God wanted to prove to Moses that it wasn't his ability, talents, or finesse
that God was interested in, but his willingness to be used.

God didn't ask Moses to acquire some object so that God could use it; God
used what Moses already possessed-his rod. Likewise, God doesn't require that
we become skilled or talented in some area so that He may use us. He wants to
use what we already have-what He has already given us.

Have you ever seen the talent of others and felt God couldn't use you? God
doesn't measure our usability by our talents but by our willingness to be
used. Do you want to be used by God? Then don't worry about mastering a skill
or becoming better at something; simply submit to God's plan and allow Him to
use you how He wants to.

What is in your hand today? How can God use you? Don't compare yourself with
other people, but allow God to use you according to His perfect plan.

Link for leaf template

Click here

Thankful Pumpkin Craft

Scripture Memory: Part 1 - Practical Appliction

I decided to break this into a couple of posts. I don't like it when posts get too long.

First of all, I am going to share with you what ideas Jackie has for applying scriptural truth to the lives of the children:

I don't know about teaching a group of kids that you don't REALLY know personally, but in our family, we use the memory verses in every day life. As they are learning I try to simplify it for them and say, what is thy word? (The Bible), etc. But when we are in every day life we use them, for instance, when they disobey we go over Ephesians 6:1-- Believe it or not my 1 yr old knows the verse. Just the other day my 2 and 4 yr. old were fighting over a toy and my 5 yr. old said be ye kind one to another... I was shocked.

So, if you don't know the kids so personally like they were your own, but you know they have siblings just think like a child, what will children fight over? Dolls, trucks, then when you teach verses about being kind bring up if you and sissy were playing and she wanted to trade dolls, or "Be the nursery worker (in play)" if you would follow the Bible verse, be ye kind one to another, you would let her have the favorite doll.

Thank you Jackie for your participation.

I believe the biggest key to seeing if children understand is of course by asking them questions about the verse. This goes along with what Jackie said. You can take part of the verse and turn it into a question so that another part of the verse is the answer. I do this and then turn the answer into a question. If you have them answer it exactly as the verse states then you are helping them memorize it as well as understand it. For example:

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."

What does the fool say in his heart? there is no God

Who says in his heart that there is no God? The fool

This helps emphasize key points but does not necessarily mean they understand. It is important to also ask questions like "what does this verse mean to you?" or "how does this apply to your life?"

It is important to apply verses to situations that the children deal with every day and make it practical for them.

Four keys to understanding are:

1. Illustrate

"A good visual aid properly used will pique the students' curiosity, stimulate their interest, catch and hold their attention, and lead to life-changing learning." - Ed Dunlop

2. Discuss

3. Allow questions

4. Define words

Just a reminder...

If you have any great ideas for teaching memory work, please send them to me by tomorrow afternoon. Thanks!

Teaching Scripture Memory

Now is time for involvement. This is pretty simple. I often feel like I often get stuck in a rut when teaching memory verses. What are your ideas? I am interested in not only ways to teach memory verses (games) but ways to help them apply it to their lives. Suggestions for review would be great as well. Please either send your suggestions to my email for this site or leave a comment. (If you leave a comment, it will be posted in the next post instead of as a comment). I will also be sharing my own ideas as well, so hopefully everyone can gain some new ideas.

Ideas will be posted one week from today.

Teaching Seminar

Today at church, we had a teacher training seminar with Kerby Richmon as the speaker. He is the director of Master Ministries (Master Clubs). The sessions were very challenging. I have lots of new ideas and improvements to make in my Children's Church class. I received plenty of information to keep me busy for awhile. If you are interested in getting the sessions on cd, you can email me and I will see about ordering them for you.

I thought I would share a few challenging quotes, but will try to share more in detail over the next several weeks.

"We must teach more than facts, it must be applied to the life of the student."

"As a teacher, you are to shepherd your class."

"Your lesson is only as good as they understand."

"Never underestimate the potential of a child."

"As a teacher, when you have stopped learning, you are done."

"The teacher's personality is the most important piece of instructional equipment in the classroom."

10 Commands for Effective Communication

1. Thou shalt simplify.

2. Thou shalt listen.

3. Thou shalt remember.

4. Thou shalt speak unto others as thou wouldst have others speak unto thee.

5. Thou shalt clarify hard-to-understand Bible terminology.

6. Thou shalt use stories and illustrations.

7. Thou shalt keep a sense of humor.

8. Thou shalt practice what thou preachest.

9. Thou shalt be creative.

10. Thou shalt have patience.

Taken from Accent Bible Curriculum, Spring 2009

I think everyone should be constantly striving to become a better communicator. Those who fail to communicate effectively are those who fail to evaluate themselves and seek improvement. Some of the best teachers I have had were those who were always looking for ways to improve.

The Eternal Impact

One key, I believe, to effective teaching is realizing the eternal impact that you are making. When you are doing the same thing week after week, you don't always see the immediate effects. If you are a teacher, one thing is certain, you are making an eternal impact for better or for worse.

Even more important than what a person teaches or says, is the example she is setting for her students. One does not often realize how she is influencing those under her. There are many people in my life who have influenced me, as I am sure the same is with you. Most of those people probably have little or no idea of the impact of their influence. The Bible calls us sheep. We look up to those we admire and often follow their example. Right or wrong, I have often found myself saying, "well this person does it, so it must be ok."

While students should be looking to Christ, the ultimate example, you cannot escape the fact that they are looking at you, their teacher. God will hold you responsible for the example that you set. It is easy to say, "well, I'll just give in to this sin one time. It won't matter." The truth is that one wrong choice does matter. Just consider the wrong choice that Abraham made thousands of years ago. Who would have known the impact on the entire world by just one wrong act?

Just remember that you are influencing eternal souls. You are influencing the choices that will be made by your students for the rest of their lives. God will hold you responsible and you will be called in to account for the example you have set. The choice is yours - what example will you be?

The Purpose of this Blog

Being a teacher, it is often easy to stuck in a rut. Whether a school teacher, music teacher, or Sunday School teacher it is easy to just keep doing the same old things week after week.

I have set up this blog with the purpose of hopefully inspiring others, as well as gaining new ideas myself. I intend this to be a reader written blog. I hope that many of my readers will get involved in sharing ideas, writing articles, helpful quotes, book reviews and the list goes on. You can email all submissions to teachingforeternity@hotmail.com. All submissions will be subject to review and editing before being posted. As editor, I reserve the right not to publish any submissions that I think will not benefit readers.

I hope that this blog will be a blessing and encouragement to you!