Sewing Is A Great Kids Craft

Sewing is a great kids craft. Kids love to sew and show what they accomplished. They are very proud of their sewing projects and other creations.

Whether it is sewing or any other craft that you teach or share with your child, even if it is coloring, drawing, cutting and pasting, it is time well spent.

If you want to really spend some quality time with your kids and grandkids, turn off the TV and do some kids crafts or sew with them. It is great therapy for all ages. The added bonus is the treasured memories that you create for both of you.

Whether you are planning a kid party or homeschooling, babysitting, teach a Sunday School Class or just want to keep the kids entertained, there are a number of sewing and kid craft resources to help you be successful and make a real "hit" with the kids.

Kids sewing and kids craft books are a great gift idea, too.

Check out a few suggestions on the website at 1st Step To Sewing Success. You will find them at: http:/www.1ststeptosewingsuccess.com/recommends.html

Sewing and kids crafts are a sure-fired way to bond with your kids. Sew or make something together today! Have fun!

It just makes sense!

Church Crafts - Two Ways to Get Creative in Sunday School

Sunday school activities are supposed to be fun, creative and exciting. A lot of the time, though, you may have a difficult time coming up with interesting church crafts that your children's church will enjoy. Here are two Sunday school crafts for your students to enjoy.

Stained Glass Bible Activity

For this Bible craft, you'll need the following supplies:

*wash-out markers
*coffee filter
*construction paper
*spray bottle filled with water
*clear contact paper

Hand out a coffee filter to each of your children's ministry students, and advise them to color it as they please with the markers (it's imperative that you bring markers that are washable). Next, have the kids spray the coffee filter with the spray bottle.

After the filter is dry, cut a cross out of the construction paper for each of your children's liturgy students (I would advise having these pre-cut before class, or allowing your kids to do it themselves if they are old enough). Now help the students glue the colorful filter to the construction paper and cover it with clear contact paper to ensure it lasts as long as possible. The students will love having something to bring home to their families, and it will prove to be a great addition to your curriculum.

Sandpaper Sunday School Craft

This is a great church craft to do if your current Sunday school curriculum incorporates Egypt. For this craft, you'll need enough pieces of coarse sandpaper for each student to have one as well as a lot of crayons.

Instruct your children's church students to draw an Egyptian scene on the sandpaper. Encourage them to draw pyramids, a sunset, and people. Tell them to be sure that they press hard on the crayons to get the best results.

This Bible craft will give your children's ministry students something to bring home to their families, which will spur conversation about the lessons they learned during Sunday school.

These two church crafts are great ways to get your students to tap into their creative sides while also reinforcing other lessons that you teach.

How to Teach Preschoolers to Memorize the Ten Commandments

Children need to learn the Ten Commandments. It says in Deuteronomy 6:7 "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them."

Preschoolers are very visual. They learn better by seeing things as well as being told. If you want them to memorize the Ten Commandments just saying them over and over is not going to do it effectively. You will need to create visual representations for them to remember them easier.

Flash Cards Help Teach the Ten Commandments Create some flash cards for your preschoolers. On one side put one of the Ten Commandments. On the other side put a picture representation. Teach the preschoolers the picture representation and say the commandment that goes with it.

You shall have no other gods before Me. God should be Number One. Draw a 1st place ribbon.
You shall not make yourself any graven image. Do not bow down to anything or any one but God. Draw a person kneeling before a statue.
You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain. Do not use your lips to dishonor God. Draw some goofy looking lips.
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. Do not neglect the things of God. Draw a Bible.
Honor your Father and your Mother. Dads and moms are special people that God put in charge of you for teaching and to care for your physical and spiritual needs. Draw a picture of a mom and dad.
You shall not kill. This is wrong. Draw a cartoony bomb.
You shall not commit adultery. Adultery leaves a heart broken. Draw a heart ripped in two.
You shall not steal. Stealing is wrong. Draw a cartoon robber.
You shall not lie. Telling lies can lead to a very bad habit. Draw a "lying" number nine.
You shall not covet. Do not long for what others have, and forget the blessings that you have. Draw a fancy ring with a man reaching for it.

Singing Helps Teach the Ten Commandments Another way to teach preschoolers to memorize the Ten Commandments is to sing them. If you know the famous children's song count of "Ten Little Indians" to provide the music to the words of the Ten Commandments. This, in combination with flash cards to remember the pre-school children are the Ten Commandments in no time.

An example of a verse would be: Hon-or your Fath-er and your moth-er, Hon-or your Fath-er and your moth-er, Hon-or your Fath-er and your moth- er, this com-wonder-ment after five.

Storage of the Ten Commandments should not be boring and difficult. Make it funthe preschoolers and they will memorize them without even knowing it.

Make Learning the Ten Commandments Fun Print out some coloring pages of the Ten Commandments and have the preschoolers color them. The time they spend coloring the picture will put that picture in their heads with the commandment attached to it. It may seem simple, but works very well with this age group. Perhaps that is why there are so many places to print free coloring pages on the web, eh?

Another method uses the child's fingers:

#1 - Have no other gods (God is #1, hold up one finger)

#2 Do not worship idols (two fingers "bow down")

#3 Do not misuse God's name (three fingers over your mouth), etc.

Use your imagination. Preschoolers love finger games. This is a good way for them to memorize the Ten Commandments and in numerical order.

It is also important for preschoolers to learn the Ten Commandments and what they mean, not just memorizing them. You can put each commandment into an easy to understand format for a preschooler to understand. Have them repeat the meaning back to you. Making this into a rhyme works great, and easy for preschoolers to remember.

God gave us the Ten Commandments so we would live our lives growing closer to Him. They are an important part of knowing right from wrong. Preschoolers are at the perfect age to learn and practice right from wrong. With your role as a Sunday school teacher, you can accomplish this in a memorable and imaginative way.

5 Ways to Minister to Your Preteen Sunday School Students

Preteens, or "tweens," are at sort of a crossroads in their lives. The alarming fact is that they are exposed to so much more than we were at that age. Evil influences are everywhere, and wrong behavior is often glorified by their peers. More than ever, we need to make our ministry life-changing and relevant to their lives. Many of us only have about an hour Sunday morning to do this. Here are some suggestions to help you get started

1. Know them by name.

This might sound obvious, but our church is very large, with approximately one thousand people in attendance every Sunday. My Sunday school class averages twelve to fourteen children each week, but they're not always the same kids. And I only see them for that hour. So I have to make a special effort to remember their names, first and last. Nothing makes a person feel less important than when you don't know his or her name.

2. Spend time chatting with them before class starts.

As the students are arriving and you are waiting to start the lesson, sit and talk with them. Try to say something to each student, even if it is brief. Ask them how their week went, how school was, if anything special happened during the week. It's not hard to draw them out, especially the preteen age - or any age for that matter. Kids love to talk about what's going on. They need to know you care about them.

3. Correct gently.

There are always going to be children who are noisy, rowdy, or even undisciplined. Try to deal with them in such a way as to not discourage them from coming to Sunday school. Don't yell at them or speak rudely to them. You are the role model. If one child is disrupting so much that the other children are not being able to learn, it is more serious. Of course, the child can't be allowed to hit or hurt the other children if he or she is aggressive.

You might try talking to your pastor or children's director about the problem. You could start asking parents to take turns sitting in on class to help out. Make sure that the problem student's parent is one of the first ones to come in. Pray a lot about this. You don't want to lose the child who is the discipline problem, or any of the other students either.

4. Make your lessons interesting and engaging.

Preteens get bored very quickly, and they don't hesitate to let you know. Mix things up a bit. Make sure to include Bible stories, real-life stories applying the lesson for kids their age, skits, games, and crafts.

5. Pray for them every day.

This is so important. You may be the only person in the world who is praying for them. Make a list of your students and pray for each one by name, including any special needs or situations that you happen to know about in their lives. Pray also that they will have hearts to receive God's instruction, that they will accept Christ, and live godly lives. Pray for them to resist all of the evil influences that abound today.

Preteens are in a unique age of life. Keep a pleasant, kindly attitude towards them. Let them know you enjoy being with them. Remember that our actions speak louder than our words. Reap the benefits of serving the Lord in this important ministry.

Sunday School Activities - Thanksgiving Craft for Elementary Classes

With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, it is important to teach the children in Sunday school what it means to be thankful. This time of year is a good reminder to be thankful for God and give thanks for all He does for us. Using Psalm 107:1 and this Thanksgiving flower activity, the children can go home for the holiday and share the spirit of thanks.

The Bible Verse

Start Sunday school class by asking what everyone thinks about when they think about Thanksgiving. Possible answers will include pilgrims and Indians, turkey, football, parades, and spending time with family. We definitely associate a lot of different things with this holiday, but it is important for us to remember who we should be thanking!

Next, share Psalm 107:1, "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever." Explain that we can give thanks to God by praying, taking care of what he created, and being nice to everyone. Have the children discuss how God is good and what they want to thank Him for.

The Craft Activity

For this activity, you will need:

A piece of construction paper for each child to use as a base
Pre-cut construction paper stems, leaves, and petals
Glue or glue sticks
Markers or crayons
For a more personalized craft, a Polaroid camera or digital camera with printer

Have the children glue the pieces onto their construction paper to make a flower. If you have a camera with instant printing capabilities, take a picture of each child and cut a circle around their face to use as the flower's center. If this isn't possible, you can use construction paper circles, jewels, or fuzzy balls for the center of the flower.

For each flower petal, have the children write one thing that they are thankful for (or, if they are too young, write it for them or have them draw a picture). Have the children decorate the rest of the paper with their name and pictures of all that God has created.

Wrap Up

Once the children are done with their flowers and the glue is dry, have them share with the rest of the class what they decided to be thankful for on each petal. Before taking them home, have the children spread their flowers on the table or floor so they can see what everyone made. Talk about the beautiful field that God has clothed in such splendor!

Finish off the Sunday school class by giving a Thanksgiving prayer. Thank God for each person in the class and ask him to bless each petal of their flowers.

Quilting Color Theory For Beginners

One of the most important elements of a successful quilt can often be the most challenging. Selecting a color scheme to complement the pattern you have selected for your project takes time and practice.

Choose a project, then choose the fabrics. Color delights the eye and speaks to the heart. But how do you decide among all the wonderful color selections? You might look outdoors to the colors of nature in all the seasons. You will find everything from earth tones to flamingo pink and brilliant turquoise. Butterflies, rocks, tress, and flowers can inspire you. Let nature guide you; then use the information below to help you express yourself.

The Color Wheel

Use the color wheel as a starting point for creating your own color combinations. Primary colors are red, blue and yellow. Halfway between the primary colors are the secondary colors: orange, green and violet. All the colors between the primary and secondary colors are intermediate colors.

Terms

Pure color is undiluted, intense and brilliant. The use of pure color creates excitement and energy.

Tint has white added. Pastels are tints. A tinted color conveys a feeling of softness and delicacy.

Shade has black added. Shades have depth and richness. They include the warm hues of autumn and the and the deep blue tones of night.

Tone is pure color, a tint or a shade that has been grayed. Tones are subdued, subtle colors. Tones enhance the colors around them.

Intensity refers to the degree to which a pure color has been tinted, shaded or toned.

Value refers to its darkness or lightness. The contrast between the values of colors can be very strong, such as black to white, or very subtle, such as yellow to white.

Color Schemes

They can be combined in endless ways. Certain types of combinations will always produce pleasing results. Deciding on a scheme depends on your project. Home décor items usually are based on the colors in the home. Wearing apparel often is based on the preferences of the person who will be wearing it. Choose colors you love and have fun finding new ways of combining them with other colors.

Decide what mood or feeling you want to convey. Warm colors such as red, orange and yellow suggest heat. They can be fun and exciting to work with. Cool colors convey a wintry mood, relaxing and subtle. Choose the type of color that will enhance the feeling you want: pure color, tints, shades, or tones. Allow one type to dominate. The next consideration is value. How dark and light the colors are in each project affects the feeling of the piece. Strong contrasts in value are dramatic. Low contrasts in value are calming.

Monochromatic schemes use colors from the same "family." Choose one from the wheel and use different values, tints, tones, and shades to create a scheme. Monochromatic schemes are cohesive and sophisticated.

Complementary colors are opposite each other on the wheel. Allow one of the colors to dominate. For example, if red is the dominant one, use a touch of green to complement it.

Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel. Choose three to seven colors that are side by side. Include tints, tones, or shades with intense colors for a dynamic color scheme. Vary the values of the colors you have selected to add interest to your color scheme.

Split-Complementary schemes use an analogous combination of colors with an added twist: a complementary one. Your complement will be opposite the middle color of your analogous group. If the analogous scheme is made up of red, red orange, and orange, the complement would be blue-green. Split-complementary schemes are among the most beautiful.

You will find that your quilts are quite different simply by changing the scheme. Choosing quilt fabrics is so much fun and can be done in so many different ways even with the same block designs to produce different quilts and feelings associated with them. Whatever scheme you use for your quilting projects, you will have fun playing with the colors.

Should Teaching Sunday School Be Easy? An Encouraging Word for Sunday School Teachers

I have the privilege of offering teacher training workshops to hundreds of Sunday School teachers and children's workers every year. I love what I do, but sometimes I don't like what I hear. Take, for example, this question: Do you have something easy I can do for Sunday School? If I am honest, when I hear that, it's like hearing fingernails being scraped on the chalkboard. On one hand, I know we are all busy and life is more hectic than ever. But on the other hand, it is essential that every Christian is aware of child workers, teaching the children about God could be a major task that will ever have. major projects take a lot of work. They are not easy and requires a lot of preparation and passion.

Preparation:

There is a saying which reads as follows: The teacher who fails to prepare, prepare to fail. I'm just preparing for Sunday Schoolon Saturday night, you are not putting the time and work in that God and your children deserve. All the elements of a good Sunday school class should be well thought out and completely prepared. Have you read and meditated on the Bible story you will share? Are you ready to present the story in a creative way that will keep your children interested and engaged? If doing a craft, do you have all the items ready for each child? Are your worship songs ready to sing? Make sure each and every part of your class time is completely ready to present.

Passion:

On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited do you get about waking up on Sunday morning to share what God has given you with your kids? Now before you start thinking I'm some kind of saint, I have to tell you that I have my Sundays where my energy level is not very high. On the other hand, I can definitely attest to the fact that there are many Sundays where I can't wait to to my class. I'm really excited to share what God has given me to share every child. Ask my husband says is true. Really prepared with my Bible study and Bible songs and games of revision increases my excitement. Pray and ask the Lord, each of the children this week, bless my engine roars. There are many children in Sunday school classrooms in the world, just waiting for someone to share with them the love of God Yes.This is even true of kids from Christian homes. As a Sunday school teacher, you have the unique opportunity to pour into your 6 or 7 kids (or whatever your class size is) and lavish on them God's wonderful and life-changing truths. That is pretty incredible!

Bottom line - Being a Sunday school teacher is not easy and it takes good hones work. You should see being a Sunday school teacher as one of the greatest things you get to do each week. Your kids deserve it.