Advent Activity Wikki Books

I am SO excited for the new Advent Activity Wikki Books that I have created!  I started off by finding various activity pages that had or could be modified to have a strong Advent.  Because these would be out before Christmas, during Advent, it was important to me that these were more focused on the anticipation and preparation  of the season.  After finding activity sheets that were free for use, I imported them into  Publisher where I could add words. I also created a few pages of my own with the use of clipart. After I had all the pages ready, I printed them off, laminated them, and put them in a 3 ring binder with an instruction page.  A small pencil pouch was also put into the binder to hold the Wikki Sticks when not in use.  I LOVE the way they turned out and can't wait to see and hear how children engage with them this Advent season.

To the right is a sample of one of the pages I created.  Using images, I created a page asking children to circle with Wikki Sticks the pages they do to prepare for Christmas.

Mazes and dot to dots are great activity pages to do with Wikki Sticks.  Here I found one of an angel on the way to share the news with Mary.  I liked that this one focused on the early part of the Christmas story and had more of an Advent feel.

What would an Advent activity book be without an Advent wreath.  Children will have fun "lighting" the candles week by week.

I do NOT own the rights to any of the activity pages or clipart used throughout the project but did borrow them all from sites that said they were free for use.

For the success of the activity books, I felt it was important to educate people that these books exist and their purpose.  I wrote up the following for our December church newsletter:

BEYOND BUSY BAGS: Introducing NEW worship materials!

Education experts have known and practiced for decades that learning happens best through hands-on experience and play. Enter any preschool classroom and you will see learning manipulatives, activities and games galore!  A few years ago, I decided to capitalize on my education experience and bring some of these same best practices into the worship center.  I began developing and creating materials for young worshipers that would not just keep them quite and busy, but also help them learn more about the liturgical season, scripture lessons, and other key aspects of worship.  Over the last few weeks I have been back at it and have created a host of materials for young worshipers (birth-elementary) to enhance their worship experience.  On the shelving unit outside of the worship center, you will find an array of worship materials intended to be brought into worship for children’s use. Among the materials you will find a magnetic nativity set to use in retelling the Advent and Christmas stories, magnetic nativity themed tangram puzzles, and Wikki Stick activity books centered on the Advent season and later the Christmas and Epiphany seasons.  Inside the busy bags, our youngest worshipers will find nativity themed lacing cards and finger puppets.  Please encourage children to use the materials.  Please be patient with children as we all learn how to make the best use of these materials.  Please help children clean up and return materials for continued use.  I look forward to hearing how these materials shape your child’s understanding of the upcoming Advent and Christmas seasons and worship experience.

Walking with you,

Billie Jo Wicks

Director of Youth Ministries and Diaconal Intern

I can't wait to hear what this sparks for you and how you might make use of these ideas in your context!

Pairing Up

A week or two back, the text was about the mission of the seventy.  I decided to focus in on the idea of Jesus instructing the disciples to pair up as they set out to share the Good News.  In my children's sermon, I talked about pairs, where we find pairs, etc. After telling them that this was how Jesus wanted them to go, we wondered why.  The kids had lots of great ideas (safety, courage, easier, friendship, and so on).  We then paired up and took a short little journey of our own to the Prayground, specifically the sensory table.  Inside the sensory table, I had a mix of socks from big to little in all sorts of colors and fabrics.  I invited each child to find a pair of socks and put them on their hands.  We pretended the socks we puppets and practiced sharing the Good News of God's love with others.

Psalm 23

Clearly we have gotten full swing into fall and the programming year, and clearly, I have not kept up my end of the bargain to blog and chronicle my creativity regularly.  Oops.  It's a good thing I'm big on grace.  ;)

But in all seriousness, I do want to do better at keeping up on this.  That is why I have wrote one of my learning goals in regards to my blog for my Christian Public Leadership course that I am taking.  It is my goal to blog at least three times each month.  And seeing as October is nearly over, I better get busy!

We started our Sunday School year on September 27th and our elementary kiddos had Psalm 23 for their first rotation.  Our theme for the whole SS year is "Light!" and with that in mind, my uber creative sidekick, Lisa, did a super fun opening idea that I feel is worth sharing.

Our opening began in the dark as we talked about how David would have spent a lot of time in the dark while he cared for the sheep.  He may have even done a lot of his thinking and Psalm writing in the dark.  We read through the Psalm, already written out on sheets of construction paper, line by line.  We then spread the children out in small groups with one of the sheets to work on illustrating a verse of the Psalm in the dark.  After letting them struggle for a bit, we offered light, in the form of a single glow stick.  The glow stick did help some, but the task was still a challenge.  We then gathered all the glowsticks (plus a few more) and said that God gives each of us a light to shine, and that by itself is pretty cool, but when we bring those lights together, look how much brighter they become.   That is why God gives us our church family.  When we come and share in our church community for worship, learning and serving, our lights shine brighter together. 

Here are some of the illustrations our kiddos did partnered with some fuzzy little sheep from our art rotation. 

WOW: Armor of God part II

Belt of Truth was the theme for our 2nd Sunday in our three part worship series on the Armor of God.

Our activity sheet station did not change, but we did swap out the craft.  Today we had this cute Belt of Truth craft that can be purchased from Oriental Trading.  Kids had a lot of fun decorating their own belts and I added one to each of our two "knights"

We had a new game at the Hands-On station.  I like to call this one "Liar, Liar, Big Pants on Fire." I began by talking about Paul's writing and wondering aloud what he meant about a belt of truth.  I then asked if any of them knew the phrase "liar, liar, pants on fire."  I explained that I didn't have any pants on fire, but I did have big pants.  When we aren't being truthful, or are telling lies, or even surrounding ourselves with untruthful people, it can be a big problem.  I then held up the pants, "Kind of like these big pants.  Today, we are going to play a game with these big pants that will remind us that lying is a big problem and can make our lives a lot more complicated.  It can be a lot of work hanging onto these lies and keeping them up can make it hard for us to do everyday things.  Today we are going to try this simple obstacle course, but while wearing these really big pants." 

After letting a few sets of volunteers give the course a go in the big pants, we paused to talk about how the really big pants made the obstacles more difficult to navigate.  I then brought out a set of yellow jump ropes.  "Paul tells us to arm ourselves with the Armor of God.  He says to put on the Belt of Truth.  I think what Paul means is that like when we put a belt around ourselves, we should also surround ourselves with truth.  That includes being honest, surrounding ourselves with honest people and learning more about God.  The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Truth.  The more we learn about Jesus and closer we are to Him, the better.  Do you think this course would be easier to navigate if you wore this belt instead of the really big pants?"  Tying a belt around volunteers, I let them give the course another try.

We then closed with a prayer thanking God for truth and asking Him to help us surround ourselves with Belts of Truth everyday.

We had a few minutes left so students could be excused to go to another station, or the option of trying the course again was offered.  As you can see, they had fun trying some challenging one another in some creative ways.

WOW: Armor of God

August was a crazy, busy month but that doesn't mean I didn't have ministry in the works!  Back last January, we did a unique hands-on style of worship with our congregation.  Surveys were sent out and it was well received by many, especially at our 10:30 "contemporary" service.  We are offering another taste of it this summer!

We began our 3 week WOW interactive worship series on the Armor of God this past Sunday, August 26th.  Our big idea of the Armor of God will be used all three weeks with an element of the armor being highlighted each week.  8/26/15 we focused on the Sword of the Spirit and used the lectionary reading from Ephesians 6.  8/30/15 we will focus on the Belt of Truth and use the lectionary reading from James 1:17-27.  On 9/6/15 we will focus on the Shield of Faith and use the Mark 7:24-37 lectionary text.  We will somewhat conclude our overall theme on 9/13/15 in a more traditional service but tying in the concept of going out with whatever we have on our feet to serve.

We begin each worship service in a very traditional sense.  When we get to the Word, that's where you begin to notice some differences.  We try to present the Word in an engaging way.  This past week it was done with a voice reading in conjunction with a slideshow to help illustrate the reading.

Following the Word, people are invited to move to learning stations. Our stations include the following options:
Pictorial slideshow mediation-a slideshow of images coupled with Bible verses is projected for personal reflection or small group dialogue based on the day's theme right in the Sanctuary.
Faith 5-we created a Faith 5 brochure using our Chapel windows as a topic for conversation/reflection in our Chapel area.
Activity Sheets-a grab and go station near the front of the Sanctuary where anyone make take word searches, mazes, color sheets etc to do on their own.
Hands-On-an active learning station that often involves a game or sensory experience just outside of the Sanctuary.
Discussion-a pastor led discussion/study on the day's reading in an area just outside of the Sanctuary.
Craft-a self-led craft experience right in the middle of the Sanctuary space.

After a period of 10-12 minutes for people to engage with the Word in one of these unique ways, we reconvene for a short wrap up by one of the pastors.  We then finish out our service with prayers, peace, offering, Holy Communion and rest of worship.

This past week, we centered our learning on the Sword of the Spirit.  The three stations that I headed up were the activity sheets, craft and hands-on.  Here is what I did at each.

At the activity sheet station, I set up a cart with various activity sheets and puzzles for people to grab and take back to their seats.  I try to get a variety of kinds of activities like mazes, word puzzles and coloring.  I also strive to have different levels of difficulty so all ages and abilities can find something to engage them.  I also have some small puzzles in boxes that can be taken to do in a pew on the cart.

In addition to grab and go activity sheets, I also added a sensory table experience.  Little Armor of God finger puppets from Oriental Trading in green shredded paper.  (If someone has better filler idea that shredded paper, I would love to hear it!  I really struggled to think of something to tie into this theme.  A whole bunch of little swords just didn't seem appropriate ;) )

The craft station was easy to set up with another purchase from Oriental Trading.  Participants at this station could choose between a Bible bookmark or a sword decoration to hang up to remind them to spend some time daily in the Word. 

The Hands-On station was the one that took the most thought and creativity, but it also turned out to be my favorite and a success with many participants.  We began by talking about what the Sword of the Spirit is/means.  After discussing that the Sword of the Spirit is God's Word, we talked about ways we can experience God's Word.  5 foam swords (purchased at Walgreens in the summer clearance area) were distributed.  One one side of each sword, "Sword of the Spirit" was written.  On the other side, an idea of how you experience God's Word was written.  These were shared with the group and included hearing God' Word, reading the Bible, singing scripture, daily devotions and reflecting on a passage.  We talked about how doing one or more of these things daily helps make us closer to God and stronger in our faith.  

One person was armed with a sword and placed in a tape out box on the carpet.  Small golf size wiffle balls were rolled to the person as different temptations and sins were said out loud (i.e. fighting with sibling, swearing, lying, being rude, rolling eyes, etc.)  The person in the middle used his sword of the Spirit to defend himself from the the everyday things.  After a successful round of playing this way, I told the group that we can be even stronger when we band together as a community.  5 defenders used 5 swords to defend a larger taped out square.  When they had played for a few minutes, we stopped, put the swords down, said a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of the Sword of the Spirit and to ask God to help us keep our swords sharp with regular use.

Swords were then exchanged to allow others to play and a fun, safe time was had by all :)

Bread of Life

The next few weeks we will be using texts in church. I decided this was a good opportunity to plunge in a little deeper and even spent a little money on materials that can be used for the next few weeks and stored for future use as well.  One of the items that I ordered and am anxiously waiting for is a bread play set to put in the sensory table.  There were much nice sets, but the price on this one pulled it ahead.

It add a little more diversity to the mix, I also went on a photo hunt and found some varieties of bread from throughout the world, a flag of origination to match and printed them in color on cardstock.  I printed flags and bread back to back to add into the sensory table.  I also added magnets to a set and put on a tray so an older child can try matching the breads to the flags.

While on Amazon, this little gem popped up in my items I might like and I couldn't resist.  This book , Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris, has great photographs and can open the door to conversations about diversity and God's love encompassing and providing for all people, all over the world.  I will have it on the table in our prayground during the series and relocate it the children's library.

I have a few more ideas that I would like to get added to this area so check back and hold me accountable for getting it done!

Family of God

On Sunday, July 12th, we read the beginning of Paul's letter to the people of Ephesus.  Paul writes about God's love and our adoption into the family of God.  I knew I wanted to do something in the Seasonal Sensory table with people.  My first thought was to fill the table with some adorable multicultural counter people that I had when I taught preschool, similar to the rainbow colored counting bears that many people are familiar with.  Google, Amazon, and several other sources failed to find what I was looking for and I didn't want to drop money into something that wasn't what I wanted.  I considered re-purposing the little gingerbread figures from the healing service a couple weeks back, but couldn't find any darker paper to add to the diversity of the group.  I was really scratching my brain trying to think of just the right approach when it came to me.  Use real people.  Real faces of real people the children see every Sunday.  Use the children's faces too!  We had a photo church directory come out this year so I went to the office to get a spare copy.  I cut apart photo from photo, ran them through the laminator because these are something I can envision using more than once, trimmed one more time and viola!  A sensory table full of familiar faces to sort, count, compare and more with!  I added a sign that reads: "We are ALL part of God's family"

Hands-On Healing

Sunday, June 28th, the liturgy the Gospel reading is Mark 5:21-43.  This powerful story of healing is a perfect time for a laying on of hands healing service, which my congregation will be doing as part of worship on Sunday.  Knowing that many people may not be comfortable with laying on hands, or would rather say prayers for healing for others, I have put together this hands-on pray and play sensory station.

In the tubs, I have have cut out "people" from various shades of paper.  I only had ivory and white, but I wish I had darker colors to represent more diversity.  Each "person" has an ailment glued on.  I used broken bones to represent physical ailments and broken hearts to represent emotional needs for healing.  The "people" were then laminated for stability and reuse.  I then added cut strips of self-adhesive bandages and the sticky part of generic post-it notes to be used as bandages.

 Here are pictures to better show the detail, or simplicity rather, of the people cutouts.

Using the "bandages" people are invited forward during the laying on of hands to choose a "person" that may represent themselves or someone else that they would like to pray for.  They can quietly or silently pray as they bandage the cutout.

Following the service, bandages can be removed and the people can be put away for use again in the future.

Sensory Seasons

One of the ways I am trying to keep our Prayground worship space fresh while also having meaningful materials is through the use of what I am calling a Seasonal Sensory Station.  This takes the preschool loved activity of a sensory table and adds a liturgical twist to it.  The sensory table is filled with items to reflect what is happening liturgically in the church.  After I am done with a set of items, I am bagging them up, labeling the theme and storing together for future use.  Will every child who plays at the Seasonal Sensory Station get why the items were selected?  Probably not, but even so, seeds are being sown. Here are some examples of things I have done so far:

Red is for Pentecost

This was my first go at our Seasonal Sensory table and it was a a hit.  Red streamers, strips of red cellophane, red roses, red pipe cleaner hearts, red curling ribbon pieces, and some little red baskets made for a fun, creative activity.  Many of these items may be found in our church art supplies or purchased at a local dollar store.  I spent about $7 to get the baskets, cellophane and fake flowers.  Children sorted, raced to find the most hearts, waved streamers, and peeked through red cellophane.  Add a little sign reading "Red is the color for Pentecost" to clue older kids and parents in on what the fun is all about. 

Holy Trinity Sunday

 White and gold, so pretty and simple.  What little girl, or boy for that matter, could resist pulling out these elegant strips of fabric?  Digging around our Art Cafe, I was able to find many scraps of ribbon and lace in white and gold.  I added a few gold sequins for extra sparkle and fashioned some trinity rings out of gold pipe cleaners and viola!  A Seasonal Sensory Station for Holy Trinity Sunday at no cost to me.  If you don't have the scraps, ask someone crafty.  I'm sure someone has some remnants they would be happy to donate.  Don't forget a sign to remind people that white and gold are the colors we use to celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday.

Green: The Growing Season

 

Here we go into the loooong season of green.  Our first Gospel reading was on the mustard seed, so using that as a spring board, I created this garden.  Trimming pool noodles left over from VBS, I wrapped them in scrap green fleece to create the base of my gardens.  If I didn't have these materials, or if I was going to start over, I would just buy dollar store green pool noodles.

Our garden needed seeds, so I found these cute little envelops in a stash we had and color coordinated beads to put inside as seeds.  Seeds packets or plain envelopes would also work.  Or make your own out of card stock!

Seeds need water to grow.  These adorable little dollar store watering cans with ribbons "streaming" out are a perfect way to pretend water the garden.

Well cared for seeds are bound to produce some type of beautiful plant.  These fun, fanciful flowers are fashioned from pipe cleaners.  Add a child-size plastic shovel, hoe or hand rake and your garden will spark imaginations and sow seeds all through the growing season.

I plan to use our garden Seasonal Sensory Station on and off through out the summer.  As the liturgy sparks ideas, I will swap it in and out.  This coming Sunday, Jesus calms the storm.  What a fun time to have a simple water station if your space allows!