Today is the perfect day for me to blog! It’s a snow day! I wasn’t feeling so great in the afternoon/evening yesterday, so I actually prayed for a snow day. The Lord is good and knew that I needed a day of rest. Parts of Pennsylvania also need a day or two not to rest, but rather dig out of all of this snow!

If you’re a parent of a 1st or 2nd grade Sunday school student at Stewartstown Baptist or a follower of my blog, you may be wondering what our class did last week (Sunday, January 23, 2011).

…so what did we do?

Introduction to the Lesson:

During this time, the children were given a blank sheet of paper and markers to draw a picture of a good choice that they made during the previous week. It was also during this time that we were able to listen to a new compact disc. We enjoyed listening to Dianne Hart. Dianne spoke at our church’s women’s conference early this month. She has made a children’s compact disc that she sells to raise money for children’s missions. As a young adult with a passion for children’s ministry, this was a must buy for me! The children and I love the music! We can’t wait to listen to it again this Sunday. Let’s just hope my dancing doesn’t get out of control! The children enjoyed me dancing around the table to see what good choices they made last week. Okay, maybe they didn’t enjoy it, but I sure did!

After the third song on the compact disc, the children and I discussed the good choices that they made. We also discussed what would happen if they didn’t make these good choices.

Snack:

During this time, the children shared their verses that they wrote down in their Bible verse journals at home. I enjoy listening and discussing these verses each week!

The Lesson:

We read Daniel 1:1-20. I always stop throughout the text, and ask the children comprehension questions. At the end of reading the passage, they always enjoy a “mini quiz.” I find that the children really do try to pay attention to the story, just so that they can answer all the questions correctly at the end.

Lesson Extension (This is where I wished that I actually took more pictures than I do. I need to get on that if I want to make a real blog.):

The children and I worked together to make “how to make choices card holders.” These were a suggestion from the leader’s guide that our church purchases. I find that on occasion I am able to use their suggestions. On other occasions, the crafts require expensive materials, so I have to modify them to fit my budget.

The “how to make choices card holders” were made of 1.5 paper plates. I had the children take one whole paper plate and half of paper plate. Once they lined their 1.5 plates up to make a pocket, I went around and stapled the plates together. Inside the pocket, the children placed colored index cards. Each of these index cards contained a step that the children would need to take in order to make a God glorifying decision. The children enjoyed this project, and talking more about making decisions. I am excited to hear about some good decisions that they made this week!

What Did We Do Today?

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Introduction to the Lesson

The children watched me write the list of occupations/hobbies below on the whiteboard. As they were watching me write, they were reading the occupations/hobbies. When I was finished writing the children were instructed to draw one of the occupations/hobbies on the whiteboard.

The list: deep-sea diver, astronaut, firefighter, police office, missionary, mountain climber, race car driver

After the children were given a brief period of ten to fifteen minutes, they were then asked to share their pictures with each other. Each child took time to share and explain their picture. It was so neat to see all of their creative ideas! When all of the children were finished sharing, I asked them what all of these people (the deep-sea diver, astronaut, police officer, etc.) needed in order to do their job. The children were had great guesses such helping others, but one child was rather quick to shout out that each needed to be brave. We then talked about how being brave does not mean that you aren’t afraid of anything. The children and I also discussed different items that these people may be afraid of.

Prayer Request Time

We have a time each week where children are able to share their prayer requests or praises. One child is responsible for writing the requests or praises on the whiteboard. At the end of the time of sharing, I pray over the requests.

Snack Time

The children ate fish just as those that brave deep-sea diver might encounter! :)

During this time, the children were also able to share the Bible verse that they wrote down this week at home. It’s always exciting to see the children digging into the Word while they’re at home.

Bible Lesson Time

The lesson this week focused on being brave. We read from the book of Esther! The children were able to learn how Esther was brave.

We then talked about how we can remember to be brave and to pray in the times that were are afraid. The children and I discussed situations in which we or someone we may know could be afraid.

Lesson Extension/Craft Time

The children made double sided posters. On the one side of the poster (small sheet of poster board), the children wrote “I will remember God is with me.” “I will pray.” On the other side they wrote “when I am afraid of…” The children then had to fill in a time that they might be afraid and draw a picture to correspond with it.

What Can I Do At Home This Week?
If you are a parent, and looking for a way to extend this lesson into your home….look no further!

Ideas:
-Re-read about Esther with your child
-Have your child retell the story of Esther
-Have your child list sometimes people may be afraid
-Further discuss what it means to be brave
-Pray with your child
-Read the Bible with your child

Next week we will enjoy learning about making good choices!

Yesterday

What was the first and second grade Sunday school class up to on Sunday, January 9, 2011?

Introduction to the Lesson: Each of the children created a picture. Their pictures demonstrated how we can do the “right thing.” The pictures ranged from sharing a teddy bear with an upset friend to making new friends.

Bible Lesson: 1 Samuel 24- “David Spared Saul’s Life”- As soon as I said the title of the lesson, one child immediately asked what the word “spared” means. I told the children that they needed to carefully listen to the scripture to see if they could figure out what the word meant. Sure enough, all of the children were able to learn the meaning of this “new word” before the reading was over.

Reinforcement of the Lesson: I always ask the children the review questions from the end of our unit of study. The children get excited for “question time.” It is exciting to see that the children are anxious to learn and understand God’s word.

Craft/Activity Time: Our church purchases a leader’s packet for each of the children’s Sunday school classes. This week I used the “Mitten Match” cards from the packet. The children had to match the mittens. One of the mittens would have an example of doing something right that would have to be matched with another mitten containing a Bible verse. Although some quickly caught on to the idea that the mittens were color coded, it was still fun making matches! After the children made their matches, they were given a blank pair of mittens. They were instructed to pick their favorite match, and create their own pair of paper
mittens!

Next week we will enjoy learning about being brave!