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.

Little Green Men

This coming Sunday we begin the long green season of Ordinary Time.  As I was prepping for this week's readings, I found it very timely that our Gospel reading involved Centurions given that it is Memorial Weekend.  This gave me a springboard for a great sensory table and Children's Sermon idea that I hope will not prove too controversial.

Let's begin with the color green.  Ordinary Times is marked with the color green and I think it is great to explain to our youngest worshipers that this helps remember this is a growing time.  We don't have the fanfare or excitement of some other celebratory weeks, but we know we are growing in our faith and understanding.  For this reason, I filled the sensory table with lots of piece of green ribbons, fabric, rick rack and the like.  I have found adding lots of soft material like this helps keep the noise level low.  When there is too much clinky stuff in the sensory table, we have more volume issues.

Now to connect this week's Gospel reading and Memorial Weekend.  Given that this week's reading is about a Centurion, or soldier, and it is also Memorial Weekend, I decided to add little green army men to the bins.  In an effort to keep the violence level low, I did sort through and remove any of the guys with big machine guns.  I hung onto the ones with the metal detectors and walkie talkies.  I was able to cut the guns out of the few fellows as well.

Students will be invited to search through the green bins to hunt for the  soldiers and when they find one, they are encouraged to say a prayer for our soldiers.  They will also be invited to take home one soldier as reminder to continue to pray for our soldiers.

Here are the activity directions:

 We are now in the “Ordinary Season” part of the church year.  This is a season where we hear stories to help us grow in our faith.

Today’s story involves centurions.  Centurion is an old word for soldiers.  A centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant, and Jesus did!

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Weekend.  It is a time when we remember people who have died, especially soldiers.

Look through the green in the bin to find a solider.  Think about how Jesus helped the solider in today’s story.  Pray for our soldiers.

Take home a solider to remind you to keep praying for our soldiers. 

Lent Book for Kids

A couple of years ago I took my love for reading and writing predictable easy reader booklets for kids and applied  it to the Lenten season.  The product is this great little easy readers that you can print off, cut, staple and have available for kiddos to take with them into worship to read and color!

You can access a pdf version of my booklet  by clicking here.

Hope this is helpful for some :)  Happy Lenten season!

MORE Worship that Sticks!

Back in July, 2015, I created some magnetic worship boards that allowed children to play out what they were seeing and hearing in worship.  You can read more about them in the Worship That Sticks blog entry that I wrote about them.  Children (and adults!) have loved these magnetic play boards and it got me thinking of other ways  I could utilize the concept.    After lots of brainstorming and lots of little ideas rolling around in my head, it all finally came together this week and I have brand new magnetic worship boards awaiting Sunday!

The first thing I did was sit down and make a list of things a child may see, hear, say or do during most worship services and create a worship bingo board.  Using a bulletin (or bugging a co-worker) could be great resources for this part of the process.  (Or you can just email me and I'll send you what I came up with!)  Once I had a pretty good list, I created a table with 20 of the items and then using copy and paste, as well as switching some items for others and a lot more copy and paste, I came up with 6 different versions of the Worship Bingo card so there could be some variety for the kiddos. 

Wanting to have the boards be able to be used in more than one way, I remembered some cool finger prayer labyrinths I had come across before and decided that would be awesome on the backside of the bingo cards.  I laminated the back to back labyrinths and bingo cards.

I now needed some type of magnetic markers that the children could use to keep track of their bingo game.  Bonus: if there was another way to also use these magnets for a third activity!  Bum-bum-bum-BUM! Magnetic Poetry!  Using scrap strips of magnetic sheeting left over from a different project, I wrote words of songs, verses and so forth on strip after strip of magnetic sheets.

 

I cut the words apart so they can be arranged to make new phrases, poems OR used as bingo markers!

 While everything I had done and made was perfectly logical to me, I decided that some children (or more likely their parents) would want to know what to do with these magnetic worship boards, so I created the following "directions" and adhered them to the top of the cookie sheet with clear contact paper.

And TA-DA! Magnetic worship boards ready to help kiddos engage in worship in a whole new way!

Preschool Pray and Play event

This past Sunday we celebrated our Preschool Faith Milestone event and it was a big success!  This event is always one of my favorites and the families always seem to enjoy as well.

We begin our time together with an opening lead by me.  I intro the idea of prayer, teach a song and explain the stations.  We then break the group up into three small groups and send each group to one of three stations.  Our three stations include:

Fun with Forgiveness-at this station children learn a little bit about how when we mess up, God forgives us with the help of bubble popping and dry erase market demo.

Prayer Pouches Make and Take-at this station the children get to make a prayer pouch and select pictures to put inside that they would like to thank God for.

Prayer Posture-After playing some dress-up, children learn that there is no right or wrong way to pray.

Hands up,

Hands folded,

Spoken, sung, standing, kneeling, God hears our prayers all the same!  We also share the story of the prayer pretzel and have a snack at this station.  And of course, we make sure to take a picture for their milestone memory books!

 

After all the stations, we come back together for a closing led by me.  At our closing we learn about the word "Amen" and play an Amen game.  We wrap up by making one last project, a prayer bracelet.  Selecting a bead for each member of their family and stringing them on a pipe cleaner, the children make a tangible prayer reminder that they can take home.  We finish off the bracelet with a jingle bell to represent Amen!

Daily Devotions

Daily devotions are hard.  Especially with kids.  Over the years I have tried a lot of different tactics to get them done.  But every once in awhile, you catch a glimpse of why it is all so worth it.  Two year old Theo took the Bible and devotion book from me last light so he could "read" to us.  His devotions went a little something like this: "Jesus, Jesus, water, walk, Jesus, love. Love you Jesus.  Amen."

Here is a little piece I wrote in 2014 to give some ideas of ways you might make daily devotions work for you.

Daily devotions with children are something that you know are a good idea, but sometimes the idea of how can be so intimidating.  Here are few ideas that maybe you can your child can incorporate as you begin your new daily routine this fall.  Try one to start a great new daily habit.

·        Read in the car.  When I realized my oldest child was old enough to read out loud to myself and his brothers, this was a lifesaver to us.  We did daily devotions in the car every morning.  It helped smooth out any rough starts we may had to the day, minimized in route bickering, and focused everyone on what was important.  Round this out with a younger child choosing a favorite song “Jesus Loves Me”, “Awesome God”, etc. and it’s like your own mini worship service to start each day!

·        Use Daily 5 at dinner.  Sit down as family over a meal and share your highs and lows.  Pray for one another.  Consider incorporating scripture.

·        Make us of the Daily Devotions booklets available at church.  It can be very overwhelming to know what to use for daily devotions but you don’t have to purchase a fancy book.  We have daily devotion booklets available by the main door for your to take and use at home.  They change out seasonally.

·        Use your child’s Bible.  At baptism, each child is given a Beginner’s Bible.  In 3^rd grade, each child is given a more grown up Bible.  Make use of your child’s Bible to read a Bible story before bed each night.  Reading minutes-check.  Devotions-double check!

·        Download a free Bible app.  I recently downloaded one called Bible app for kids with several stories and games.  This is available through both apple and android markets.  I look forward to playing with this one soon.

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!

Worship that Sticks (literally!)

A coworker of mine was sharing about some dolls she once saw made to look like pastors.  It sparked an idea for me that has been peculating for some time now and I finally have it completed and ready to share!

I began by asking the pastors and inter pastor to pose for me with their arms outstretched.  Somehow I managed to convince all three.  I then went around and took  pictures of various things children may notice in worship like the altar, the pulpit, the Christ candle, Communion chalice and paten, and so forth.  Using my computer, I cropped the photos to size to coordinate with one another and fit on a metal cookie sheet that I purchased at Walmart.  The photos were printed in color, trimmed, laminated, re-trimmed and backed with a magnetic strip.  Now children can play worship as they observe what is happening in front of them with their very own magnetic church play set!

Piece Be With You

My blog today isn't a how to worship with children so much as it is a why to worship with children.  The other day my two-year-old had gotten his hands on a box of crackers.  Not only did he manage to get into the box and dump many of the crackers out onto the counter, in typical toddler fashion, he was in the process of breaking the crackers into little pieces.  I was covering the space between the kitchen doorway and him to put a stop to these shenanigans when he looked at me with a sweet smile, offered a broken piece of cracker to me and said, "Piece be with you, Mom!"  I laughed and he stood there with his open hand, offering me peace with his piece of cracker.  "Piece be with you, Mom, eat it."  I took the broken cracker, and he leaned to kiss me and said again, "Piece, Mom, peace."