a wee little man

The story of Zacchaeus is a classic Sunday School lesson. Our littles enjoyed pretending to climb up and down a tree yesterday, and took turns telling Zacchaeus to climb down from the tree.

This "tree" was fairly simple to create, and could be used in a variety of lessons. I started with a paper towel tube, and drew lines and knots to create a woodgrain look. Four "squares" of green tissue paper are twisted and glued inside the top of the tube. Two layers of magnetic tape (long strips) are adhered inside the tube and a piece is on the back of the Zacchaeus figure. 
  ***Craft Tips:
1) Be sure to flatten out the magnetic tape before adhering it into the tube.
2) Place a dowel inside the tube on top of the magnetic tape, and rest a phone book on top for a few days to be sure the magnetic tape sticks.
I also placed a bit of magnetic tape on the back of the Jesus figure, and I used a bookend to support the scene. (The tree can be attached to the bookend with yarn or more magnetic tape.) The children took turns retelling the story and making Zacchaeus slide down the tree. 

going fishing - part 2

In my previous post, I promised you a fun snack idea to go with the "fishers of men" lesson... and here it is! 

You wouldn't think these flavors go well together, but I found the snack to be surprisingly tasty! It was such an enjoyable snack to share in class... we will be having this one again soon!

going fishing - Part 1

More than once in the Bible, the metaphor of "fishing for men" is written. This past Sunday our pre-schoolers listened to Luke 5:1-11. We talked about living the way Jesus wants us to live, and then about praying for our friends, and inviting our friends to church. Then we played a fishing game! 

These cute fish came with our Sunday School curriculum, but you can easily make your own at home. You can print fish images onto card stock, or simply cut fish-shapes out of construction paper. If you are using construction paper, you could also add an extra activity (great for these really cold days) of decorating the fish with markers, stickers, and even sequins! 
On each fish, write a name - your pre-schooler, friends, family, etc. Attach a small piece of magnetic tape to the back of each fish. Create a fishing pole by taping yarn to the end of a straw, and tie a paperclip to the end. Spread the fish out on a table, the floor, or even in a bowl, and "fish for men."
***Variation for older children: Sandwich each fish between two layers of clear Contact Paper. Leave a border around the edge when you cut the fish out, and be sure to seal the edges firmly. Then add the magnetic tape. Your child can now go fishing in a bowl of water, a water table, or even a baby-sized swimming pool (you might need a longer fishing pole for this). 

I also have a free printable for you today:

Print the fish onto card stock, write your little one's name in pencil, and help "write" the name again using glitter-glue. FUN!!

Be sure to come back on Monday... I have a really fun snack to share with you that fits perfectly with this Bible story (Luke 5:1-11)!

Jesus grew like me!

Our pre-schoolers had fun yesterday in Sunday School. We are learning about how Jesus grew up (just like them) and read important lessons to learn about God (just like them). He even sometimes made people angry with him.
To add some movement to the lesson, our little ones got to take a walk around the inside of the church. They were asked to picture Jesus walking right alongside them. They could tell Jesus whatever they wanted. How wonderful to help these eager, young learners develop a personal relationship with Jesus!
Returning to the classroom, the children were asked to think about foods that perhaps Jesus ate when he was growing up. So, for snacktime we had flatbread, grapes, and Feta cheese. 

I knew the grapes would be a winner, but to my surprise, the flatbread and cheese were gobbled up, too! Of course I'll never know, but I wonder if the lesson and activities preceding snacktime influenced their willingness to try the new foods. Just a thought in case you have a picky eater at home!
My next post will have a snacktime prayer for this snack. So add flatbread, grapes, and Feta cheese to your grocery list and meet me back here on Thursday!

the guiding star

On Sunday, our little ones will continue to talk about the star that guided the wise men to Jesus. And we will discuss how Jesus grew from a baby, to a toddler, to a young child. Our lesson will focus on how Jesus changed, and grew, and learned... just like us! 
Here's a simple song you can sing at home with your little ones (to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star) -

My Bible

On Sunday, our little bitties will be working on the "vocabulary words" scroll and Bible.  Just like people long ago reading from a scroll to know how God wanted them to live, today we read our Bible so we know how God wants us to live.
We will also introduce a new song:

Psalm 86:11

The Bible verse that the remARKable friends will be working on for November is: 

Solomon Builds the Temple

This past Sunday, our Pre-School classroom listened to the story of how King Solomon built the Temple. Inspired by today's rain and most children's love of building, I thought I'd share an indoor activity today. 

The next time you and your little one are building with blocks, why not try making different church buildings. As you work, you can talk about how church buildings can be very different from one another. Share with your little one that Solomon prayed to God, and God told Solomon how to build the Temple. You could even try to build what you imagine the Temple looked like, including the two very important rooms: the "inner holy place" with an altar, and the "most holy place" which contained the ark of the covenant.

BIG & little

Throughout October, our toddlers have been learning the story of David and Goliath. Part of the lesson yesterday in our Sunday School class was a sorting game. The poster pictured Goliath on one side, and David on the other. The objective was to sort the picture cards of small things onto David's side, and pictures of very large things onto Goliath's side. 
Today I'd like to share an even more active game for playtime. You will need two tubs, baskets, boxes... some sort of container. One should be much larger than the other. You will also need some toys and stuffed animals, or pictures printed onto cardstock. Young children are pretty concrete thinkers, so if you are using printed pictures, try to print them so that naturally large items print larger on the page than naturally small items.

Ask your kiddo to sort the large items into the large tub, and the small items into the small tub. It might be easier to hold up the two items you are comparing at the same time. For example, hold up a large firetruck and a small car while asking which one is a giant like Goliath, and which toy is small like David. 
As your little one cleans up, remind him/ her that even though David was little, he knew God would help him defeat the giant Goliath.

Psalm 23:6

Wow... it's October already! And that means we will be working on a new Bible verse. 

We will be listening to several Bible stories and working on a variety of activities, all to teach the littles that God's love is with them every day.

1 Samuel 3:9

Each month our little remARKable friends are introduced to a new Bible verse, which we practice in our Nursery and Pre-School classrooms. Throughout the month of September, we are working on 1 Samuel 3:9. 

Feel free to print out this scripture and hang it on your fridge. This scripture has been a good reminder for me to spend more time listening and being open to opportunities.

Jesus is My Best Friend

Hello friends! Today I felt inspired to share a song with you. I think your little ones will enjoy it... 

Jesus Is My Best Friend  --  sung to the tune of Are You Sleeping?

Our new Sunday School year starts this Sunday. There are classes for all ages, where everyone can learn more about their best friend, Jesus. If you have questions about our Sunday School classes, please call us at 423-9711. Hope to see you there!

A friend loves at all times

Our Sunday School lessons for the month of August have been focused on friendship. What a great topic to continue discussing at home!
With older children we might discuss standing up for our friends, not gossiping, the issue of bullying, etc. But these concepts are difficult for younger children to understand. 
While we often remind our "littles" to share with their friends, we can do more to help them understand this amazing gift of friendship God gave us.
For example, when a friend is coming over for a play-date, you can pray with your little one that God will help all of you show friendship. Then help your child set out toys that are conducive for sharing. Be sure to offer positive praise when you catch your little one being a great friend! Before bedtime, pray together again, thanking God for gift of friends. 
For a rainy day activity, help your child create a hand-made card and mail it to a friend - just because.   :}  
Encourage your child to invite a friend to Sunday School! Friends share God's love with each other. 
Teach your little one from an early age to speak words of encouragement to their friends. Some of my proudest "Mommy Moments" have been catching my sons telling a friend "good job" or "way to go" or "you can do it!" while they were bowling, playing at the park, etc. 
I'm sure you can think of tons of other ideas and activities for little ones to show love to their friends... feel free to share your ideas in the Comment Section! 
Have a wonderful day, friends  :}

I just LOVE the Sunday School curriculum that our church uses. It's very engaging and really speaks to the children on their level. My boys usually talk about their Sunday School lesson all week! 

Did you know that Grow, Proclaim, Serve has a website with tons of useful information for parents? For example, a recent article - The Running of the Boys - really spoke to me... on my level!
It's a great article, and I think you'll find some good ideas in there. I'd like to offer up a few of my thoughts after reading it... 
The spare set of clothes... I wouldn't stop at just packing them for each "young" child. Children spill, get sweaty, and fall down. We could also say that some older children do not handle dental impressions very well, and extra clothes would be super helpful. A spare set for each child is just a good idea. 
Baby wipes are your best friend... even when they aren't babies anymore.
We do have a small stash of "special toys," and I didn't go out to purchase them. You know all those delightful toys that come with the kid-meals when you have to hit the drive-thru? After my boys have their three seconds of fun with the chunk of plastic they "needed," I throw them into an old, spare diaper bag. The bag stays in the van until it is needed for a long car ride, T-Ball game, etc. If something gets left behind... oh, well.
If I loaded everything on the Be Prepared list into the minivan, I might not have room for the kids! An old towel can not only perform it's usual job, but can also stand in for a blanket, pillow, and picnic blanket if needed. And if I stopped to pack a cooler each time we headed out, we would never make it anywhere. For longer trips, a small water bottle is sufficient... most places have drinking fountains if you are just running errands. For my traveling snacks, I've found that the squeezie-fruit-pouch-thingies (next to the fruit cups in the grocery store) are awesome. They aren't messy (unless your kids "get creative") and they don't make the kiddos thirsty. Plus, they don't turn into a crumbly mess at the bottom of your purse.
Something I keep in my minivan at all times: a giant Cooler Bag. It folds flat and stays out of the way, and keeps groceries cold for a long time. I've used it so many times (in fact, it needs to be replaced right now)! Why? Stopping for a few more errands I forgot about, or pulling over and watching some neat construction equipment, or the kiddos have been super fabulous all day and I wanted to stop at the park we were driving past.

One last comment... Grow, Proclaim, Serve also has a free App. It's very handy to have the videos, music, and scripture from the recent Sunday School lessons while we're "on the go."
If you have any super "on the go" tips for parents, please feel free to leave a comment. God be with you!  :}

welcome July!

It's hard to believe that July is here already! Are you wondering what the remARKable friends are up to this month???

Our Toddlers & Twos who stay for Sunday School will be learning about loving their families.

We will be reading the book of Ruth and talking about all of the wonderful families God made for us.


Kiddos between the ages of 3 and 10 will be learning about how God gives us courage. During Sunday School on July 7th, the children will be exploring the book of Esther.

And don't forget... play-time at the park!!