This year, we have embarked on a journey of writing our own curriculum for kid's church. We just could not find material that
a. fit our budget
b. fit our group size
and
c. was interesting!
Curriculum was either boring, flaky, made for a group 3 times our size, or waaaay out of our budget.
We began writing several months in advance. We wanted to come up with something the kids could relate to, something fun and hands on.
Thus, the There's an App for That series began!
Every kid seems to either have an iPhone, smart phone, or has a parent that owns one. When I'm not sure about how to use one of my apps, my 7 and 12 year old daughters usually can help me out. Kids have been born into this era of technology, while most of us parents have been "grandfathered" (ugh) in.
So, how do you do something so high-tech without a budget? Well, I can't purchase an iPhone for each child, I just got one myself not too long ago. So, we did what we've learned to do best. Be creative with limited resources.
First, we built a giant "i-type phone" out of cardboard. Basically a refrigerator box painted black. I used an old t.v. (Not even a flat-screen! Seriously, we had one still laying around. Hard to believe, I know.) and cut out a square to fit the t.v. I use this to play videos during station times before the opening of the service. Then, I printed some "app buttons." Pictured here with only the first button.We have been using different apps every 4-6 weeks to illustrate our lessons. For example, our kids love to play the app, "Temple Run." So we talked about the Temple of God, or our church. How we behave, what we should do in church, how a church functions, etc, were some of the topics covered.
Angry Birds: good and bad anger, Where's my Water: Water for the thirsty, or missions.
Our kid's church has been blessed with a projector. So I use my laptop from home each week to project the lessons, pictures and videos to go along with the lesson. I don't have PowerPoint on my laptop.
I use a free version of PowerPoint from Open Office. It's called "Impress." It is compatible with PowerPoint, so if you download my Impress file, just right click and choose "open with" then choose "PowerPoint." and it will open. If you want to download Impress, go to www.openoffice.org.
Here's a sample lesson to personalize and make your own. I just ask that you let me know if you use it and what changes you may make. Shoot me an email if you'd like a copy of the Impress/PowerPoint file sent to you. Enjoy!
Temple
Run
Decorations:
Create your own totem poles. Make vines, think Indiana Jones.
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Worship/Offering
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Week one theme:
What is the Church?
Memory Verse:
Psalm 26:8 Lord, I love the house (temple) where You dwell, the place where
Your glory resides. (Holman Christian Standard bible, parenthetical added)
Powerpoint game: Unique
buildings. Which is a church building,
and which is a business or home? Have kids vote by standing or sitting when the
pictures are shown.
Small group time:
How do you think we build a church? How longs do you think it takes to build a
church building? How could a builder use a tool belt? What kind of tools might be found in a tool
belt? Is church just a building? What makes up church?
Object Lesson: Temple
Race: Use small to medium boxes. Split up into even teams. Kids will work
together to build the tallest Temple wall. They can only run to get one box at
a time, and the wall must stand on its own.
For the second race, they must build a temple that can house
one of their teammates. The temple must have four walls and a roof. It can also
be judged as the best looking temple. Give them 3 minutes for each challenge.
Bible Story:
Solomon had been the king for four years.
He was a good king and he loved someone very special. Who do you think
that was? It was God! Solomon liked to
talk to God by praying to him. God asked
Solomon to build a temple for him.
Solomon obeyed. I will build a temple where people can talk to God and
worship Him. God said, If you build the
temple the way I have told you to and obey My Words, I will live with the
people of Israel. I will not leave them.
Solomon’s workers
worked hard to make stone blocks for the temple. They carried blocks to where
the temple was being built. After a lot of hard work, the stone blocks were
ready to use to build the temple. The
workers also cut wood to use for the temple.
The workers put the blocks and wood together. They stacked the blocks then
fastened wood to the roof and walls.
Finally, after seven years of building the temple was done! Solomon was so happy that the temple was
complete. He was happy the people had a place to come to talk to God and to
worship him. And God was pleased with
Solomon!
We have a special place where we can come each week and
learn more about God and His love for us. People have worked hard to make our
church, just like they worked to make the Temple many years ago. We should take
care of our church, and be thankful for a special place to come and worship
God.
Closing: We come
together to a church building to worship God and to talk to God. The real church is the people, not just the
building. We make up the church. It is our responsibility to take care of our
church. We should be respectful when we come to worship the Lord. God has
blessed us with a place to come and learn more about Him. In many countries,
people aren't able to meet in a nice building. We are blessed!
Prayer: Thank God
for the freedom of being able to worship in a church like ours. Ask God to help
us to be respectful and responsible in His house.
Station Time:
Craft Station: Create Totem-type poles using construction
paper, glue and toilet paper or paper towel rolls. Ask kids to create pictures
of things they may find in church to glue onto the rolls. This can serve as a
reminder to be respectful and responsible in God’s house.
Restaurant Station: Use paper plates. Ask kids to write or
draw a picture of their favorite part of being in church. Use these when they
play in the restaurant station each week during Temple Run.
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