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SSTN - Number 158
February 22, 2001
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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:
1) I feel like quitting
2) I feel like quitting
3) Bible Olympics
4) Games for 4's & 5's
5) Do you edit SSTN?
6) Contests for Kids
7) Games for 4/5 year olds
8) I feel like quitting
9) Games For 4 and 5 yr olds
10) Behavior problems
11) I feel like Quitting
12) I feel like quitting
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1) I feel like quitting
If no one objects, candy is a great incentive. We hand out "bucks"
(little slips of paper) for good behavior at completely random times.
(there are several adults who watch the kids and hand them out). At the
end of the class they can be redeemed for candy. Also, the difficult
children are sometimes calmed just by having an adult sit next to them.
Sounds like you need more help! If all else fails and certain children
refuse to pay attention or cooperate, it's time to send them back to Mom &
Dad because it's REALLY unfair to the rest of the children. MGB, Ontario
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Have A Family Game Night At Home Or Church!
Purchase Christian games such as "Bibleopoly", "Bible Scattergories", or
"Bible Blurt", in The Bible Game Store! Have some FUN!
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2) I feel like quitting
Ask for prayer for yourself in a church prayer meeting - for wisdom and
understanding. Talk with the parents about the situation. Maybe there are
special needs at home.
It sounds like the children are begging for more attention. Try spending
time with them outside the class. It helped us to have a Sunday afternoon
with our class. Pray hard and then go bike riding or take a walk in the
woods or go swimming with them. Afterwards do a "make-your-own-pizza"
party at home. Becky makes square pizza dough. It fits better on square
oven tins so more can be made at one time. The children choose their own
fixings and get to / have to eat what they make! Play a game or watch a
Christian video together. Have them share what is on their minds. Pray
with them. Start a prayer book with a section for each child beginning
with their picture and birth date. Every week, each child writes in how
they want you to pray for them that week. Be sure you do pray and ask each
week about the specific request.
Mark & Becky Bryan in children's ministry in Austria since 1972
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3) Bible Olympics
Dear Friends-The Bible Olympics Jan Term was a huge success and I
appreciate the support and wonderful ideas I got from you. We want it to
be an annual event. The prizes we gave were all the same-
Make your own sundae, and the first place team got to go first in line. I
bought some gold medals and each child got one.
Here is our outline:
January Term 2001- Bible Olympics
Sunday, January 7, 2001 Rules of the Game- The Ten Commandments
Chapel - Viewing of Special Olympic Video 11 mins.
Activity-Team selection-Making of Banners w/ symbols & commandments
Games-Opening Ceremony in Fellowship Hall after Worship "Chariots of Fire"
Sunday, January 14, 2001 Character Building- a Hero & Heroine of the
Old Testament
Sanctuary for Children's Message-Activity: Drama Bible Stories
David, Esther, Games
Sunday, January 21, 2001 Body Building - Paul on Training 1
Corinthians 9:24-27
Chapel Activity: Cooking - Pretzel Making -Muscle men pretzels or regular
Games Sunday, January 28, 2001 Team Building -
Paul: One Body, Many Parts 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
Sanctuary - Children's Message- Games- Ice Cream Sundae making
Closing Award Ceremony in Fellowship Hall after Worship
Thanks again for all your help - I was feeling so much anxiety over the
holidays trying to imagine how this was going to work; your suggestions
really got me thinking and doing, instead of freaking!!! With much
appreciation, Karen Moulton, 2nd Congregational Church, Beverly, MA
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Get KIDZOO-SHUFFLE, a game of strategy and skill, for kids ages 5 and up.
For more info, go to: www.todaysfitnessforkids.com
Click on "Products" when you get there!
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4) Games for 4's & 5's
I've taught 4's & 5's for several years now- and I find when all else
fails- use music! There are all kinds of things you can do- rhythm
sticks, musical bean bags, singing- my favorite CD's are the Heaven Sakes
Kids- they have traditional songs but they are very upbeat and cool- they
are also very reasonably priced- you can usually find a song to go with
your lesson. Good Luck! Kathy G.- Glendale, AZ
--from SSTN: use the search box in the Bookstore at ChristianCrafters.Com
for availability.
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5) Do you edit SSTN?
The following question was asked of me...I thought it
might be useful for everyone to read my response:
> I am curious - do you edit what is submitted on this newsletter? I
> know I have forwarded various responses that have not made the
> newsletter. I am curious as to how it is always at 10-12 items each
> edition.
I rarely edit anything. However, I do reserve the right to. ALL postings
are placed into SSTN in the order received. It's a pretty active
newsletter so that's why I suggest that everyone tries to get their
postings in to me two weeks or more in advance in order to receive an
answer when you need it. Your questions or responses, if received, will
eventually be posted.
As to the number of postings, 10-12, I used to post 7-8, less than that in
the beginning. But there are too many backlogged now, so I recently upped
it to 10-12, yet there is still a backlog. So, I'm left with the dilemma,
do I place more postings three times a week into SSTN, I think it would
make it laborious to read that much info at one time (maybe I'm wrong),
OR...do I send out more than three newsletters a week? Either way, this
would require much more work on my part and since this is a free service
which I JOYFULLY provide, and it blesses me TREMENDOUSLY to serve in this
way, currently I do not receive financial support from any other
corporation or mission and I have only a handful of Ministry Support
partners, therefore, I cannot do the newsletter everyday. As God provides
financial support, as well as hands on support from other people, I will
be able to provide more service to the SSTN community.
I need your prayers,
Sarah Keith - Your Moderator<><
www.ChristianCrafters.Com
"Home of The Sunday School Teacher's Network"
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6) Contests for Kids
I teach 1st & 2nd grade Sunday School at a Baptist church in Indianapolis.
Every 4-6 weeks we play "Bible jeopardy." The categories and questions
are
related to the stories we have studied over the past few weeks.
(Fortunately the materials we use have study questions I can use for this,
but I have also made up my own.) In the end everyone gets a prize. The
prizes are generally school supplies and educational games/toys (math
review, spelling, etc.). The "winner" gets to pick his/her prize first,
but everyone wins. I also let each child keep his/her own score (may as
well learn a little math with the Bible
lesson............................).
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7) Games for 4/5 year olds
A great game the Spirit of God gave to me for my for 4/5 year
old children was musical chairs with praise music. The children got so
into it they were singing along with the music and it worked out great.
It takes about 15/20 minutes and they love it.
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8) I feel like quitting
Response: If nothing else, you NEED to get another teacher and split
this group up into K-3 and 4-6. Even if that only leaves a few children
in each group, at least you will be able to do age appropriate lessons,
crafts and games. This will make your students more manageable and
interested in what is going on each Sunday. God bless you and hang in
there!
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* PRAISE-AMATIONS! (TM) is a fun and unique way for children to praise
the LORD. Click on 'Curriculum' from the home page of
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9) Games For 4 and 5 yr olds
Dear Joni ... I teach 3 to 5 year olds on sunday evenings. and we have
about 15 minutes to kill as well. I enjoy doing quiet games.. I start
usually with the "Quiet Train" you start going around the room going " Shh
shh shh shh" and you form a train with the kids and you then end the train
in a circle. You then could go thru "Faces" which is you ask each one to
show you how their "mad , sad, surprised, sleepy.. etc" face looks. You
could sit in a circle .. a group with yoru husband and a group with you ..
and you sit with backs to fronts like a massage hands on each others
backs and you tell a story.. and the children draw the pictures for the
story on the back of the child in front of them. Torri Liano-Las Vegas
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10) Behavior problems
Hi, I wanted to respond to the posts regarding behavior problems. I teach
SS grades 5 & 6, there are usually around 15 kids. I have found a few
things that help me get through the behavior issues each week.
I have set up 3 rules, which the kids are reminded of and they take
pleasure in reminding each other of. They are:
Pretend you like each other
Pretend to pay attention
Pretend to have fun
It was really set up as a joke, but it seems to help and the kids think it
is funny, of course I explained that they shouldn't have to pretend!
I have also explained that if I have to repeatedly talk to someone for
misbehaving they will asked to leave the room, until I can come get them.
Usually I have them stand in the hall outside the class, if it is a repeat
offender then I banish them to the Pastors office. I have never had to
send anyone to Pastor's office, I guess he is intimidating. The final
threat is that I will call their Mother. I have only had to do this once.
I ask the child to tell their Mom that I will be calling sometime during
the week, this puts the task on the child of explaining why I would be
calling. They hate that. I hope this helps, I don't have a quiet group,
nor do things always run smoothly but they are funny kids. They are my
free entertainment for the week! Jeanne
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11) I feel like Quitting
Dear I feel like quitting, You have described a most disheartening
situation. It is very difficult to plan activities for that wide an age
group! You may want to recruit the older children as "assistant teachers"
- have them do dramas each week to illustrate the story for the younger
ones; or help plan the craft activities, or parties. Many times the older
children will learn more about the lesson if they have to take a more
active part - even writing dramas, plays for the younger ones. You might
try pairing them up - buddy system (this may prove problematic if they are
all related to each other - they may not want to be together!). You might
want to try alternating your classes - one week the younger
kids the next week the older ones. Have the group you are not teaching go
sit with their parents (where-ever they are!). This might help bring
attention to your plight! You may consider using another curriculum
source for the older group that may be more "self-directed". A
second-hand or donated used computer with some simple Bible games or
software is great for something like this. If these children are
not involved in some type of missions program at some other time you might
consider letting the older ones work through some of those type of
resources while you work with the younger ones.
If these ideas are not workable for your situation, you may need to quit
for a while! Take a sabbatical and see what happens? Sometimes other
people will not come in and get involved until they think there is a
crisis - no coverage for the class. You have our prayers - it is really
not a good way to teach to try to combine children of such varying ages.
How in the world are you even doing it? Sometimes it takes more
courage to stop doing something than to continue on! We can empathize
with you though because people who work with kids because they love it and
feel called feel awful if they have to give it up. Let us know how it
works out. Mary Ann in Tallahassee
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12) I feel like quitting
I feel the need to encourage you to hang in there. I too face the same
problems you are facing. I am new at this and it encourages me that even
the most experienced have trouble dealing with this issue. I am constantly
reminding myself we war not against flesh and blood but...... you know the
rest. If you like you can e-mail me at bornagain7581@aol.com. We can swap
ideas and war stories and encourage one another. Sometimes the problem
does not seem so big when you have someone to share it with. your sister
in Christ Kim Cole - Mebane N.C.
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