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KidSpring Blog

Sunday at KidSpring… (February 28, 2010)

02.28.10

Today was the seventh week of The Great Sky Bridge Showdown where preschoolers are pretending to be a part of a construction crew building a great bridge that connects two tall buildings, and elementary schoolers are learning how to become wise builders who follow Jesus’ blueprints for their lives! SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

Need to Know: God Wants Me To Help My Friends

Today we saw how God Wants Me To Help My Friends just as Moses’ friends helped him in Exodus 17:8-13. In this Bible story, God’s people, the Israelites, were at war. Moses, Aaron & Hur went to watch the battle on a hill. They discovered that when Moses held his arms in the air, the Israelites would be winning the battle. And as soon as Moses would put his arms down, the Israelites would begin losing! Moses tried very hard to hold his arms up by himself, but he would get too tired. He needed the help of his friends, Aaron and Hur. His friends helped him by holding up his arms until the battle was over and the Israelites won!

Just like Aaron and Hur were helpful friends to Moses, God wants us to be helpful friends too! How can you and your child help your friends this week? Today your child may have drawn a picture of a friend he or she would like to help. Come up with a plan to help this friend or any other friend this week.

Practice the Remember Verse this week. If your child knows it by next week, he or she will win a prize! Here is the verse and the motions we do along with it:

“This is why we work hard (pretend to hammer). We trust (cover eyes with both hands) in God, (point up) who loves (cross arms over chest) all people (arms open wide) - 1 Timothy (hold up one finger) 4:10 (hold up 4 fingers)

ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

Need to Know: Keep On Serving God!

There are many choices we make each day, from what to eat for breakfast to whether or not to pay attention in school. Another decision we have to make each day is to serve God. Serving God means doing what He tells us to do. Sometimes it’s hard to serve God by doing what He tells us to do, but today we Need to Know to Keep On Serving God, because it is the best thing we can do.

Three of the people we’ve read about in the Bible during this series show us what it means to keep on serving God.

  • Noah kept on serving God even when people were making fun of him for building the ark in Genesis 6-8.
  • In Nehemiah 1-6 Nehemiah kept on serving God and did not give up doing the good thing God asked him to do even when people threatened to hurt him.
  • And in 2 Kings 4:8-17 the woman in Shunem kept on serving God by sharing with Elisha even though it took hard work and money to fix him meals and build a room for him at her house.
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    Serving God is not always going to be easy, and you may have to give some things up to serve Him, but God promises that serving Him will be worth all the effort!

    Each morning this week, pray with your child, asking God to give him or her the strength to keep on serving Him. Each night, ask your child how he or she served God that day, and encourage him or her to keep on serving God.

    And don’t forget to finish memorizing our Memory Verse. If your child has it memorized by next week, he or she will win a prize!  Here it is:

    “Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock” - Matthew 7:24-25

    Motions for younger elementary kids: “Anyone who hears (cup hand around ear) and obeys (swing arms in marching motion) these teachings of mine, (hold Bible) is like a wise person (point to head) who built a house (hammer) on solid rock (pound fists on top of each other). Rain poured down, (wiggle fingers from up high to down low) rivers flooded, (palms up; lift hands from down low) and winds beat against that house. (sway side to side) But it did not fall, (stand/sit up straight and firm) because it was built on solid rock (pound fists on top of each other).” - Matthew 7:24-25 (hold up seven fingers)

     

    Sunday at KidSpring… (February 21, 2010)

    02.21.10

    Today was the sixth week of The Great Sky Bridge Showdown where preschoolers are pretending to be a part of a construction crew building a great bridge that connects two tall buildings, and elementary schoolers are learning how to become wise builders who follow Jesus’ blueprints for their lives! SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

    Need to Know: God Provides For My Needs

    We all have things that we truly need, and today we Need to Know that God Provides For My Needs. We learned this as we saw how God provided for His people, the Israelites, as they traveled through the desert in Exodus 16. When the Israelites needed food and water, God provided for their needs—He sent food from the sky and water from a rock! We know that God provides for our needs because we have food to eat and water to drink when we need it!

    Sometimes we struggle with knowing the difference between what we need and what we want. Some things we need include food, water, clothing, shoes and people who love us. We do not ever have to worry about having these things because God provides for our needs. Sometimes God does bless us with things we want, but we should always be happy with what we have, because God makes sure that we have what we need.

    As you feed, bathe and clothe your child throughout the week, ask him or her who provides us with these things we need (food, clean water, clothes, etc.). Remind your child that God provides for your needs!

    Keep practicing our Remember Verse. Here is the verse and the motions we do along with it:

    “This is why we work hard (pretend to hammer). We trust (cover eyes with both hands) in God, (point up) who loves (cross arms over chest) all people (arms open wide) - 1 Timothy (hold up one finger) 4:10 (hold up 4 fingers)

    ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

    Need to Know: Share With Others!

    Every day we have things that we need, and we need others to share with us. Every day we also have something that we can share with others in need. Today we learned to Share With Others as we read about the woman in Shunem who shared her food and her home with Elisah in 2 Kings 4:8-17. When she shared with Elisha she did not expect anything in return. She shared because she loved God, and because of this good attitude, God blessed her beyond her wildest dreams by giving her a child!

    Ask your kids how it makes them feel when others share with them. Remind them that they can make others feel that same way by sharing. Remind your child that EVERYTHING we have is something God has shared with us, and that because God has shared everything with us, we should be happy to share EVERYTHING we have with others.

    One thing you can share with others is God’s word. It’s always good to memorize God’s word in case you want to share it with somebody and you do not have a Bible nearby. Practice and share our Memory Verse with someone this week:

    “Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock” - Matthew 7:24-25

    Motions for younger elementary kids: “Anyone who hears (cup hand around ear) and obeys (swing arms in marching motion) these teachings of mine, (hold Bible) is like a wise person (point to head) who built a house (hammer) on solid rock (pound fists on top of each other). Rain poured down, (wiggle fingers from up high to down low) rivers flooded, (palms up; lift hands from down low) and winds beat against that house. (sway side to side) But it did not fall, (stand/sit up straight and firm) because it was built on solid rock (pound fists on top of each other).” - Matthew 7:24-25 (hold up seven fingers)

    Kids Singing on Stage (March 7th)

    02.15.10

    We are excited to tell you about an incredible opportunity coming up for your child!  On Sunday, March 7th, K-5th graders will have an opportunity to lead worship on stage during the adult service your family attends!  They will be singing “Take it All” (Hillsong) and “Rise and Sing” (Steve Fee).  Both songs are available for download on iTunes if you would like to purchase them for your child to practice.

    In order to make this Sunday worship experience a big success, we need your help with the following:

  • Please talk with your child prior to this date to determine if he or she wishes to participate.  (Any children who do not wish to participate will remain in their environments for normal Sunday programming.)
  • Arrive to the service you normally attend at least 20 minutes prior to service start.  This will ensure that your child can participate.
  • Before checking your child into KidSpring, please make sure that your child goes to the bathroom.
  • Check your child in as usual at one of our START stations.
  • Following the performance, we will take the children to their normal classrooms where they will remain until you pick them up as usual at the end of service.
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    Don’t forget to invite your family and friends! 

     

    Sunday at KidSpring… (February 14, 2010)

    02.14.10

    Today was the fifth week of The Great Sky Bridge Showdown where preschoolers are pretending to be a part of a construction crew building a great bridge that connects two tall buildings, and elementary schoolers are learning how to become wise builders who follow Jesus’ blueprints for their lives! SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

    Need to Know: God Gives Me Rules to Follow

    Today we put our construction crew rule-following skills to the test as we learned about the time God gave Moses & his people the Ten Commandments in Exodus 19:1 - 20:17 and 34:32. We should follow these same rules just as Moses and the Israelites did. Today we focused on these seven commandments:

    1. Worship only God.
    2. Worship God and rest on the Sabbath.
    3. Love and obey your parents.
    4. Do not hurt other people.
    5. Do not steal.
    6. Tell the truth.
    7. Be happy with what you have.

    We should always follow the rules God gives us in the Bible.  When we follow God’s rules, things will be better for us and for everybody else!

    This week, bake cookies with your child using a recipe or instructions. As you are enjoying your finished cookies, discuss all the ingredients and steps you had to follow to make your yummy creations. Talk about what would have happened if you had left out an ingredient or skipped a step in the instructions. Discuss how God gives us rules to follow just like you had to follow the recipe and instructions for baking your cookies. Pray with your child each morning, asking God to help you both follow His rules.

    Don’t forget to practice our Remember Verse. Here is the verse and the motions we do along with it:

    “This is why we work hard (pretend to hammer). We trust (cover eyes with both hands) in God, (point up) who loves (cross arms over chest) all people (arms open wide) - 1 Timothy (hold up one finger) 4:10 (hold up 4 fingers)

    ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

    Need to Know: Keep God Your Priority

    Many things are important to us, but today we talked about how God should be the most important thing in our life—our priority. In the Bible story of the Rich Man (Luke12:13-31) we saw how our things can become more important to us than God. If our things are most important, God cannot be most important. In this story Jesus also tells us why we should not worry about having more and more things. Just like the birds do not have to store up food and the flowers do not have to fuss with their appearance, we do not have to worry about what we do not have because we are more important to God than birds and flowers. He will take care of us and do His best for us! These stories Jesus told in Luke remind us to Keep God Your Priority!

    Here are some ways we said we can all keep God our priority by having a “God First” attitude:

  • Praying for ourselves and for others every day when we wake up.
  • Reading the Bible every day before we do other things.
  • Coming to church each week, even if it means skipping something else.
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    Try to implement these things into you and your child’s everyday routine. Thinking about God is not something we should only do at church. One day our toys and clothes will get old, our friends might move away and we may decide to play a different sport. God is the only thing that will last forever, so He should be our priority, the thing we think about and care about most.

    Another way you can keep God your priority is by memorizing His word. Practice memorizing our Memory Verse for this series!

    “Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock” - Matthew 7:24-25

    Motions for younger elementary kids: “Anyone who hears (cup hand around ear) and obeys (swing arms in marching motion) these teachings of mine, (hold Bible) is like a wise person (point to head) who built a house (hammer) on solid rock (pound fists on top of each other). Rain poured down, (wiggle fingers from up high to down low) rivers flooded, (palms up; lift hands from down low) and winds beat against that house. (sway side to side) But it did not fall, (stand/sit up straight and firm) because it was built on solid rock (pound fists on top of each other).” - Matthew 7:24-25 (hold up seven fingers)

    Sunday at KidSpring… (February 7, 2010)

    02.07.10

    Today was the fourth week of The Great Sky Bridge Showdown where preschoolers are pretending to be a part of a construction crew building a great bridge that connects two tall buildings, and elementary schoolers are learning how to become wise builders who follow Jesus’ blueprints for their lives! SpringTown & Treehouse (Preschool)

    Need to Know: God is Powerful

    With God’s help to obey, Moses went to rescue God’s people, the Israelites, from mean Pharaoh and the Egyptians. When Pharaoh would not obey and let the Israelites go, God showed him how powerful He is by sending a plague of frogs (Exodus 8:1-15)! God also showed His power to the Israelites by parting the Red Sea, saving them from the chasing Egyptians (Exodus 14:5-31). In these two stories we learned what we Need to Know today: God Is Powerful.

    We also talked about how God is powerful enough to help us any time—when we are scared or mad or happy or sad—God wants to show us His power every day!

    Next time you are washing dishes in the sink, have your child help you. Make washing fun by taking turns trying to part the water with your hands and other kitchen utensils. Once the dishes are clean, talk to your children about how only God has the power to part the water in the Red Sea. In that moment thank God for being so powerful!

    Don’t forget to practice our Remember Verse!. Here is the verse and the motions we do along with it:

    “This is why we work hard (pretend to hammer). We trust (cover eyes with both hands) in God, (point up) who loves (cross arms over chest) all people (arms open wide) - 1 Timothy (hold up one finger) 4:10 (hold up 4 fingers)

    ImagiNation, Jump Street & Shockwave (Elementary School)

    Need to Know: Praise God Instead of Yourself!

    So often we all do things to receive the praise of others. But God teaches us through the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9 what we Need to Know today: Praise God Instead of Yourself. In this Bible story the whole world had one language, and the people were starting to feel very proud of themselves. The Babylonians wanted to build a tower that would make them famous. God knew that if this tower made them famous, they would think they were so good they did not need God anymore! To show the people they could not be great without God, He made them all speak different languages so they could not work together to build the tower.

    We are all great at doing certain things, but since God is the reason we are able to do great things, we should praise Him instead of ourselves!

    Have fun playing a joke on your kids to teach them how we should praise God instead of ourselves. Get your kids to help you cook dinner and clean up for your spouse or another close family member or friend. Be sure to fill the person you are cooking for in on your joke ahead of time. After cooking and cleaning, try to take all the credit for the meal and cleaning. Boast and exaggerate about having done it all yourself until the kids begin to clamor for some of the credit. Acknowledge the truth that you could not have done it without their help. Use this to explain how we do the same thing to God. We try to take credit for the work He has allowed us to do.

    Today we learned the second half of our Memory Verse for this series. Practice putting the whole thing together so your child can win a prize in a few weeks.  Here it is:

    “Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock” - Matthew 7:24-25

    Motions for younger elementary kids: “Anyone who hears (cup hand around ear) and obeys (swing arms in marching motion) these teachings of mine, (hold Bible) is like a wise person (point to head) who built a house (hammer) on solid rock (pound fists on top of each other). Rain poured down, (wiggle fingers from up high to down low) rivers flooded, (palms up; lift hands from down low) and winds beat against that house. (sway side to side) But it did not fall, (stand/sit up straight and firm) because it was built on solid rock (pound fists on top of each other).” - Matthew 7:24-25 (hold up seven fingers)