Kid's Stuff Newsletter
May/June 2008

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
for Children & Youth

A rich Sunday morning educational program that explores the Christian faith for all ages is presented every Sunday morning. All classes are begin at 9:45 a.m. and run for one hour.

Nursery and Childcare:  The nursery for infants through 5-year-olds provides childcare on Sunday mornings from 8:15 a.m. through the 11:00 a.m. service of worship.  It is staffed by professional, paid caregivers and volunteers from the congregation.  A beautiful new tot lot adjacent to Heritage Hall provides a safe and attractive outdoor play area for pre-school children.

Two Year Olds: Bible-In-A-Box: A new Sunday CE program this year for 2 year olds. Bible-In-A-Box is a Montessori style class where 2’s “play” their way through a Bible story in centers set with toys that relate or help the child reinacte the story. The children will also hear the story told to them through storybook presentations and fingerplays and respond to the story through art. Each month the 2’s will explore a different Bible story and a different set of “toys” will be pulled “out-of-the-box”.

• 2007-2008 Schedule of Bible-In-A-Box Stories:
  • September-Creation/Adam & Eve
  • October-Noah’s Ark
  • November-Abraham’s Family
  • December-Jesus’ Birth
  • January-Moses
  • February-David & Goliath
  • March-Esther
  • April-The Easter Story
  • May-Daniel
  • June-Jonah

To Register your child for Bible-in-a-Box, click here.

3-5 Year Olds: Godly Play: A Sunday CE program for preschoolers ages 3-5. Godly Play is a Montessori-based program that helps children experience God while learning about God. It uses storytelling as a primary means for encountering God, so God is experienced, not just learned about. It enables young children to bring their lived experiences into dialogue with God in the Biblical stories. And it provides a way for young children to tell the stories of God to others. The key to this approach is a worship context for telling and working with Biblical stories, instead of a school environment. CLICK HERE for the 2007-2008 Schedule of Godly Play Stories

To Register your child for Godly Play, click here.

Elementary Grades: Workshop Rotation Model (W.oR.M.): A Sunday CE program for grade school children Grades 1-6. The Workshop Rotation Model is an approach to children’s Christian ministry that teaches the stories of the Bible through workshops that tell and reinforce the stories in a variety of ways. This approach is based on the belief that children learn by doing: listening, acting, singing, drawing, play games, etc. The model recognizes that children have different learning styles, ability levels, and interests. Telling the story in various ways increases the likelihood that a child will remember, respond to the story and gain a deeper understanding of the story. CLICK HERE for the 2007-2008 W.o.R.M. schedule

6th Grade: Hey 6th Grader! Are you tired of learning that same old Bible story stuff in Sunday School? Done that...been there! Are you tired of being lumped in with “those” little kids? You’re tooooo old, right?! Well, welcome to the 6th grade workshop! Here’s your chance to move away from the “little kid stuff” that
you’ve been experiencing in Sunday School since….well, forever, and now learning what it all means for you and your life. This workshop answers that big question:
What does this Bible stuff have to do with MY life? Each Sunday will start with everyone in Fellowship Hall and the Opening of Rotation and then the 6th graders
will go to their own workshop to explore the Bible story in a whole new way, as older kids who are looking to find out how this Bible stuff relates to this world, this
time and this place! Join Us!

To Register your child for the Workshop Rotation Model, click here.

Middle Schoolers:  Youth in grades 7 and 8 meet at 9:45 a.m. in room 203.  Using the Wild Truths Series from Youth Specialities, they study people from the Bible who exemplified solid character through some pretty wild adventures and discuss Jesus' in-your-face teachings about sacrifice, trouble, greed, prayer, and more.

A Confirmation Class: Youth in the 9th grade meet for Confirmation at 9:45 a.m. in Room 104. CLICK HERE for complete information on our confirmation program!

Senior Highs:  Youth in grades 10 through 12 meet at 9:45 a.m. in the parlor.  The youth themselves choose the weekly topics and lead the biblically-based discussions; everything from anger, to music, to respect.  There is an adult mentor for the group who attends at least twice a month, not to lead but to offer a different perspective in the discussion and provide resources as needed.  At least once per year, the youth participate in an intergenerational module (6 weeks) with parents and other adults. This year's intergenerational module begins September 16 and will be a study of the controversial documentary entitled "Jesus Camp" led by Darrin Raaum and Haley Campbell. Excerpts of the film will be viewed and discussed.