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SSTN # 82 - October 25, 2006


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:


1) Picture Activities?
2) Hanukah Skit Music?
3) Recreating Idols / Buddha
4) Interactive Story-telling?
5) Ant Lessons & Idols

> Bible-4-Life Curriculum

6) Recreating Idols
7) Ant Lessons
8) For the Sake of the Gospel
9) Recreating Idols


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1) Picture Activities?

What kinds of activities have you done that included pictures of your
students?  The pictures could have been using 35 mm film or digital.  Do
you have regular visuals, take homes or displays where you included
their photos?  I may be presenting a workshop over this next spring and
am looking for some additional ideas.

If you have some ideas please e-mail me at therichters@pldi.net

Thanks,
Kim


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2) Hanukah Skit Music?

Looking for songs to accompany the skit, "Jesus Celebrated Hanukah",
from the skits section at  http://www.SundaySchoolNetwork.com
 Anyone have any suggestions?


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3) Recreating Idols / Buddha

Dear Sharon,
I appreciate the various creative ways we have tried as teachers to bring the lessons alive to the children under our charge.  However, I wish to highlight that we should not bring a real idol that is constantly being worshipped by unbelievers to the children.  The idea of buying a cheap buddha to show the children is not good due the the following reasons:
a) Many non-asian are converting to exotic religions and buddhism is becoming increasingly attractive to them.  Hence many children have first hand or have friends that have such idols in their home.  May it be a decorative antique or a sacred 'god' to them, the idol is a medium for evil spirits to dwell in them.
b) We do not know the spiritual condition of the each child who may be badly affected by the exposure to the idol.  Some may not have truly given their lives to Jesus and hence the evil spirit may affect them; whether in daytime, sickness or bad dreams, creating fears in them.
c) Many idol makers conduct prayer sessions in their premises or over the products they make to invite evil spirit to dwell with them or in the products. Beliving that this will prosper them in their business; either to make the buyer buy more or in simple faith naively believing that their 'gods' bring good luck to the buyers who buy them.

We can explain to them the various idols people use to worship and let them name you the idols they had seen in their lives.  Even simple bangles/ ornaments /stones that we purchased and treasured and when good things happen, we attribute to having them and accord them the throne in our lives which made these things as idols.  It begins in Japan and now up till today all over asia, people believe in a statue of a cute and pretty cat with a "waving paw". It is considered as a "good luck charm" where people literally touch and pray before doing anything to ensure good happenings.  Many people buy this as sovenirs and give them to friends.

I hope my sharing will enlighten all readers, I do not profess to know all but will be willing to share what my heart is impressed.  Praise the Lord for your willingness to be a teacher of Christ.



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4) Interactive Story-telling?

I am certain I need to provide some craft activity during my lesson with 8/9 year olds. Especially for 2 boys that are no problem if they have something to do with their hands.
Does anyone use this technique of doing the crafts and lesson at the same time? any thoughts or suggestions please.
Also I want a book that teaches of creative and interactive story telling too please.
Thanks for any feedback
Joyce

--from SSTN: this method of interactive story-telling is employed in all of
our Bible-4-Life Curriculum: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/Bible-4-life.html


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Bible-4-Life Curriculum

Allow us the privilege of helping you teach your children well!

You can trust our active, involved and easy-to-teach hands-on Bible lessons to captivate the children in your ministry. The Bible-4-Life curriculum series is designed to systematically help your children learn about Bible-times and God's plan for their lives today, tomorrow and for all eternity! Each series has been thoroughly kid-tested and teacher approved. For K - 5th Grade.

Bible-4-Life Curriculum from SundaySchoolNetwork.com is a non-denominational publisher. You will find our products distributed to a wide variety of church congregations throughout the world.  To learn more, go to: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/Bible-4-life.html


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5) Ant Lesson & Idols

Sarah, In response to the lady who is looking for ideas on an ant lesson, I
have a f-r-e-e lesson on my web site called "Consider the Ants" from Proverbs
6:6-8.  It has a lot of craft and activity ideas to go with the lesson.

There are also four different songs that go with the lesson.
http://www.daniellesplace.com/homeschool/Alesson.cfm

And I agree with the person who commented about making a golden calf as a
craft.  I don't think that is a good idea.  Instead they should concentrate
on things that we use as idols today.  Instead, they could cut pictures out
of magazines of things they might put before God (idols) such as toys, going
to the movies, television, etc. and make a collage.

Carolyn Warvel



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6) Recreating Idols

>It makes me very uncomfortable to think children are recreating an idol
>(in this case a golden calf) to teach a lesson against idolatry. Do we
>teach kids to steal when teaching "thou shall not steal?"

No, you do not teach kids to steal but you use it in context.  Most of them will have a good idea of what you are trying to do by example.  You don't have to use a golden calf for an idol or have them make one.  American Idol (TV), toys (Pokemon, Power Rangers), or money will work just as well in teaching kids about idolatry.
 
Have them make origami out of dollar bills.



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7) Ant Lessons

One of her other readers suggested making "magnetic ants". I tweaked the idea a bit, to use the magnetic tape and little pieces from the magnet set at the Dollar Store for the wands.
 
I made up the song to the tune "the ants go marching", just played around with the words a bit, and came up with
 
The Bible says, learn from the ants, hurrah, hurrah The Bible says, learn from the ants, hurrah, hurrah
Do what you should without being told, do what you should without being told, 'cause the Bible says we should learn from the ants.
 
I have several books of songs put to familiar tunes (Piggyback songs in praise of God ISBN: 0911019103, Piggyback songs in praise of Jesus ISBN 0911019111), plus some others I can't remember at the moment. They're pretty old, so I'm not sure if they're still in print. Sometimes I get ideas from these books for the verse or idea I want to teach.
 
Another source of lessons I'm using is http://creationkids.5u.com/. They also do ABC animals to teach lessons about God, and these are f-r-e-e. Last week I used the elephant lesson (theme : God wants us to follow the right path). We read the book Grandma Elephant's in charge, then talked about God being "in charge". Our song for that lesson is to the tune "itsy bitsy spider" (which the kids thought was hilarious, by the way, using the spider song to sing about elephants!)
 
"The elephant reminds us to follow God's ways. I will follow God and do what's right and good" (repeat)  you have to toy with the rhythm a bit, but it worked.
 
Linda

--from SSTN: you can find those books in our bookstore by typing the tiotles into the search box at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/bookstore.html


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8) For the Sake of the Gospel

thank you for this rare priveledge (receiving SSTN newsletter),
i believe  this will not only help the kids that will benefit from it but i will also be a beneficiary. i believe i will end up as a supporter not because i am benefiting from it but for the sake of the gospel reaching out to the younger generation.
my little girls will definately benefit.God bless.

--from SSTN: thank you so much for your encouragment.
To learn how to support this ministry, please go to the following link:

http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/ministry_support.html


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9) Recreating Idols

Dear Sam,
I read what you wrote about recreating idols.  I just thought I would tell you I felt the same way, but I didn't want to risk offending anyone by saying so.  I think you made a very valid point.  We teach good by doing good, not by showing the opposite.
 
Misti


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