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SSTN # 93 - October 18, 2004


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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE SSTN e-NEWSLETTER:


--> "His Name Shall Be Called..."

1) Wildlife craft ideas?
2) Christians and Halloween?
3) Praise Streamers
4) Find what God created

--> TELL TWO - SPREAD THE WORD!

5) Pumpkin Prayer
6) Sunday School Decor?
7) Harvest or Halloween sermons
8) CD Ideas

--> Holiday FUN-draising

9) Thanksgiving lessons for 2-5 year
10) Adult Teachers
11) Happy Birthday Party for Jesus
12) Help with boys?


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--> "His Name Shall Be Called..."

The God of the Old and New Testament is known by many names. These names
help us to understand his nature and reputation. They define him as
Protector, Defender, Friend, Advisor, Judge, and Savior to name just a
few. The Third Commandment says, "Do Not Misuse God’s Name". It is my
desire that this study will help you to teach respect and honor for God to
the children in your ministry. Free USA shipping!

To learn more, go to this page:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html 
(you may need to copy and paste this address to your browser)


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1) Wildlife craft ideas?

This upcoming SS quarter, we will be doing a forest preserve theme. I am
looking for multi-age (ages 3-11) wildlife craft ideas - particularly
using beavers, owls, moose, eagles, skunks, bears, squirrels, and rabbits.
 Any other wildlife craft ideas would be welcome, as well as other
"outdoorsy" type crafts.

Thanks in advance!!
Kari
1st PC
Ages 2-12


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2) Christians and Halloween?

>why Christians don't celebrate Halloween.

If you have the answer please let me know, because I am a Christian and I
lOVE Halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays. I don't believe in
witches and ghosts...it's just supposed to be a FUN holiday.  It's a shame
that all the fun has gone out of it.  When I was a child we were not
afraid to go door to door trick or treating...now the children only go to
people they know, or their schools trick or treat to their classrooms, or
the churches have trunk or treat.  It certainly hasn't hurt my faith.  I
have been a Sunday School teacher for 26 years, a Sunday School
Superintendent and Christian Education Director.  One day we were talking
to our class about Jesus being our light and we had them make laterns with
glow sticks in them, so they would be safe when they went trick or
treating.
God bless,
Joni

--from SSTN: previous discussions on this subject can be found in the
archives: http://christiancrafters.com/archives.html 


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3) Praise Streamers

A very simple and easy way to make praise streamers
is to use strips of different colored crepe paper  and
staple the strips to a plastic straw.  The children choose
their own color paper and help me push down the staple.
This gives them the feeling of making their own. 
And then we dance for Jesus!
Mary Louise in Baton Rouge


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4) Find what God created

Here is one for the young ones. I recently went to a reading night at my
son's school and got a wonderful idea from a activity that a kindergarten
special education teacher did that night. She used a large solid colored
tote and magnet letters and numbers and had them dig through the sand to
find them and then you put them up on a magnetic surface and make words.
Well what I did was this....
 
I have two large semi circle tables in my classroom and every week I try
to have some table top activity on each table that they will play with as
I read the bible story to them and this helps keep them in their chairs
and makes for great questions as they play.
-I bought 2 very large about 1 ft tall clear totes with lids.
-one bag of sandbox playsand ( Lowe's or Home Depot)
- a bag of plastic dinosaurs
- a bag of plastic jungle animals
- a bag of plastic farm animals
- 2 bags of streachy sea creatures & fish
- a bag of small plastic army men ( use the ones without guns or bombs in
it you have to dig through them but they are in there.
(all my other supplies came from walmart toy section ($1 or less section)
and the home organization section.)
 
Fill one tote to the ridge with sand and burry all the plastic animals,
creatures, and people in the sandbox tote.
Fill the other tote with about 2 in.s of water and place the streachy sea
creatures and fish in it.
I placed one on each table and allowed the children to play in the sand n
water tables as I read the bible story on creation. They were able to show
me all the wonderful things god created. We had a sun hung from the
ceiling and glow n dark stars and moon on ceiling and I waited to see who
remember that he created these too. We all had a blast and I got to be a
kid with them again. This activity cost less than $20 total !!!
 
Hope you enjoy!!!
Miss Elizabeth
& The Lighting Bug 3's
at Rocksprings Church in Georgia.


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TELL TWO - SPREAD THE WORD!

Are you finding SSTN helpful to your ministry? Then, this week tell two
friends, coworkers, pastors, or family members about our Christian
e-Community. Point them to the following page to join us:

http://www.christiancrafters.com/page3.html 

Help spread the WORD!


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5) Pumpkin Prayer

This is in regards to Leona about Halloween story's.  I have used the
"Pumpkin Prayer" often.  I found it on a couple of websites.  I'm not sure
where it orginated from but her is the prayer:
Dear God,

As I carve my pumpkin, help me say this prayer:

Open my mind so I can learn about You; (Cut the top of the pumpkin)

Forgive me of  all my sin and forgive me for the wrong things I do; (Clean
out the inside)

Open my eyes so Your Love I will see; (Cut eyes shaped like hearts)

I'm sorry for turning up my nose to all You've given me; (Cut a nose in
the shape of the cross)

Open my ears so Your Word I will hear; (Cut ears shaped like the Bible)

Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near; (Cut mouth in the shape of
a fish)

Let Your Light shine in all I say and do! Amen. (Place a candle and light)

I thought is was a wonderful way of introducing and an alternative to
pumpkin carving.

Erica Johnson
Children's Pastor
Spokane Christian Center

--from SSTN: you can find variations of this prayer in the archives. Type
"pumpkin" into the search box:  http://christiancrafters.com/archives.html 


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6) Sunday School Decor?

I was wondering if anyone has renovated/redecorated/jazzed up their first
grade Sunday School classroom.  I want it to be a fun place to learn God's
word and I can paint or whatever.  thanks in advance for the ideas.


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7) Harvest or Halloween sermons

The Pumpkin Parable is a great one to use. It does not talk about why we
don't celebrate Halloween, but instead you can carve a pumpkin while you
tell the story.
I am sure you can order it through SSTN
 
Teresa
La Marque, TX

--from SSTN: You are right, Teresa. For anyone interested, you can find
this book in the Holidays section of our bookstore:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/bookstore.html 


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8) CD Ideas
 
This month's recycled item is a CD. If you have a craft or activity that
makes use of CDs for children's or youth ministry, then send them to: 
ideas@Christiancrafters.com
Also, if you have a holiday idea that uses CDs...send them in as well!
 
To view current CD ideas and other recycled items, go to the following
page:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/creative_challenge.html 
 


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Holiday FUN-draising

This holiday season raise funds for your youth group or school,
or earn extra cash for yourself by selling Sarah Keith's
popular Christmas crafting book, Chrismon Snowflake Ornaments!   
There is NO financial risk. Learn how on this page:

http://www.christiancrafters.com/fundraiser.html 


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9) Thanksgiving lessons for 2-5 year

You could always make somethings useful for shut-ins.  In the past my
class has made placemats, napkin holders and bookmarks. 
God bless,
Joni

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10) Adult Teachers
 
In the 60's I went to a ladies lunches that had a great Idea. All the
ladies made a hat the related to their husbands job. You should have seen
what they came up with.
 
One hat a really remember was a plumbers hat..it had different things a
plumber use to work with. To use this in a scripture verse ...A workman is
worth his hire. or A good steward
 
Jan from Alabama
 

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11) Happy Birthday Party for Jesus

We had decorated one end wall in the hallway to look like a stable, by
putting up blue paper that you use on bulletin boards, and crunching up
brown butcher's paper to make the outline of a stable, with a star above.
A donated bale of hay was spread on plastic on the floor in front of the
wall.
Placed a rustic manger on the hay. Wrapped the lid and bottom of a box
separately, so the lid could be lifted, and had that box in front of the
manger on the hay.
For the party, had the kids write what they would give to Jesus as a
present on His birthday, and place it in the box. Of course, cupcakes with
a candle, sing Happy Birthday, have the teenagers diligently watch the
flames and the kids.

Sincerely, Karen Young


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12) Help with boys?

I need some more ideas to keep 1 and 2 boys engaged during teach, and
small group!
Thanks, Victoria Peters

--from SSTN: what age? Also, check out the Hands-on Bible lessons in our
curriculum section. There are many sample resources to try out:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/curriculum.html 


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