PUTTING IT TOGETHER. Components of the Large Group/Small Group Program. SERVICE SCHEDULE Explore:: Welcome & Engage minutes

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1 PUTTING IT TOGETHER Components of the Large Group/Small Group Program SERVICE SCHEDULE Explore:: Welcome & Engage minutes Discover & Respond:: Large Group minutes Respond & Bless:: Small Group minutes. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

2 The 10 Environments (Overview) The Holy Spirit is God s chosen leader. He s the one who makes spiritual growth and formation happen when and as He chooses. Our role, as ministry leaders, volunteers, and parents, is to create space for the Holy Spirit to meet with our children. So, how do we do that? Dr. Michelle Anthony spent time praying and combing through God s Word to see the kinds of ways He s interacted with His people throughout history. What emerged were 10 distinct ways or, what we ve begun calling Environments, that God clearly uses to form His followers. The Environments are basically ways God uses to meet with us. What does that look like in a church service? Each Tru lesson has been written with a certain environment in mind. Each Inspire, Equip, and Support section comes out of an experience with the lesson s environment. Each activity and Bible story has been written through the lens of the same environment. Because the environments are Biblical and overarching, it s easy to look at a story through many different environment lenses without becoming deductive in the study or trying to make the Scripture say what we want it to. The 10 Environments are Storytelling, Identity, Faith Community, Serving, Out of the Comfort Zone, Responsibility, Course Correction, Love and Respect, Knowing, and Modeling. For a more in-depth look at each environment, check out the Resources on the website. The Environments are also a great way to help the church and home truly partner together as they seek to place children in the path of the Divine. Creating environments in the home is what Spiritual Parenting is all about. If you haven t had a Tru Spiritual Parenting class at your church, be sure to check out the website to learn more about it. We love how the promise of the Savior keeps coming through, and the message of salvation is always mentioned in some way even in the blessing! I feel that this curriculum not only gives foundational stories, but it allows us to go deeper in God. The storylines are not just surface, but they are surrounded by a deeper truth; a truth that is very foundational and really connects the hearts of our kids to the heart of God. I can see the Holy Spirit is moving each week and doing great things! 1st Baptist Church of Hemet Mt. Paran North Church of God NOTES: 2

3 Inspire The Inspire section of the lesson is where the Tru Team shares some of our own personal stories of how God has worked in our lives. The Inspire for that week will help illustrate the Ponder Point, or truth statement about God and our relationship with Him. We hope you find these to be inspiring and encouraging as you begin to prepare for each week s lesson. Equip Flowing out of Inspire, the Equip section is designed to give you more insight into the segment of The Big God Story you will be exploring with the children that week. In addition it offers fresh perspective and shares context on the Bible passage. The philosophy behind this is to equip you with the biblical framework of the lesson and enhance the learning experience. Support The Support section is intended to provide personal reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and personal spiritual transformation in God s Word. The role of the Spirit is primary here as we look to Him for wisdom, comfort, and guidance to prepare your heart to present each week s lesson, and seek the spiritual formation of both you and the children. Always appreciate the Inspire, Equip, Support time wonderful preparation for me before leading the little ones. The Beacon Inspire/Equip/Support is wonderful for teachers to read ahead of Sunday morning. Such a help! Maple Valley Presbyterian Church NOTES: 3

4 Sample Service Timing Outline This sample outline is based on a 60-minute service (the short end of each window) allowing an additional 10 minutes for parents to pick up their children. If your service is longer or shorter, you can add or remove a couple of minutes from Explore Stations and Connect or Create as needed. You may also find it helpful to open the Explore Stations before the start of the hour (as an early check-in option). This will allow children to get the full experience if you need to shave a couple of minutes from the stations to balance your service schedule. Sample Service Timing Minutes Experience/Lesson Section 9:00 9: Explore:: Welcome & Engage (Check-in) Explore Stations 9:10 9: Discover:: Large Group** Chloe s Rules Mail Time Wardrobe of Wonder The Big God Story 9:30 9: Respond:: Large Group** 9:40 9: Respond:: Small Group Connect Create Wonder Questions Programming Note: You can adjust the time frame within each of the small group Respond and Bless experiences. The time frames given are ranges and may change depending upon the lesson for the week and the dynamics of your group. 9:55 10:00 5 Bless:: Small Group Blessing/Remember Verse HomeFront Weekly ** For detailed information on the large group program, see the Large Group Production Schedule Sample/Template under the Resource Tab. 4

5 Navigating This Lesson These are descriptions of the terms found throughout the lesson. Tip, Note, Suggestion, and Helpful Hint: Suggestions for programming and classroom management. Optional: Suggestions of ways you can adapt the activities and games to best fit your own church and group of kids. Host: The Host offers the same spirit of hospitality, generosity, and inclusiveness to the children that the host of a party would offer to the guests in her home or gathering. NOTES: Throughout each lesson, in the margins, you ll find open fields labeled NOTES.These are places for you as the ministry leader to leave instructions or ideas for the ministry partners who will be using the lesson in the upcoming week. Offer suggestions or even just notes of encouragement in these areas. Small Group Leader: The Small Group Leader shepherds the children through questions about the story and biblical Truth, engages them in community-building activities, helps them create a remembrance of their experience, and blesses them before they leave. Ideally Small Group Leaders work week after week with the same group of kids, giving them the opportunity to develop lasting relationships with each child. Worship Leader: The Worship Leader facilitates individual and corporate worship by listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit and inviting others into the worship experience. Storyteller: After active involvement with the Scriptures and the lesson, the Storyteller recounts the Bible passage for the kids in an engaging way. He leads out of an overflow of his own life, telling personal stories as prompted, and guiding the children into a time of natural worship response. AV Technician: This person facilitates the behind-the-scenes aspects of programming, including music, lighting, drama, sound, PowerPoint, etc. The AV Tech makes sure things run smoothly and is willing to help with anything including stepping into any of the other leader roles. 5

6 Small Group Explore:: min. SECTION Host/Small Group Leaders Exploration stations create space intended for wonder to pique children s curiosity and allow them to engage in hands-on experiences as they begin their time in worship. Straight Talk Separating from Mom and Dad can be tough for a little one. To help lessen the stress a child may feel, invite parents to stay long enough to lead their child into worship at a station. Small Group Leaders will also be involved, engaging in the activity alongside the child and parent. As parents say good-bye, acknowledge their departure while remaining focused on the activity with the child for the smoothest transition possible. [Explore] went really well. The kids had fun playing with the telephones. It was an easy way to show them what praying is like direct communication with God. The Rock Church The Vision for Explore As children come into the classroom, they re invited into a place where they will explore the mysteries of God within the faith community. What could be better than welcoming them into this atmosphere with an experience to pique their interest and immediately draw them in? This is what Explore for preschool/kindergarten is designed to do. The activities offered during this time will not necessarily be overtly connected to the Bible narrative because we want to spark curiosity and engage the children before revealing the whole story. Have fun with this time and be sure to connect personally with the children. Remember to model the activities for the kids so they know what to do, but then let them venture out on their own. Ask open-ended questions as you go. This time is a great opportunity to welcome kids into a safe atmosphere where people care, where there are interesting things to do, and where there is space for them to be intrigued by God. Explore Stations: During this time of check-in and welcoming, children will engage in exploration stations. Each lesson suggests a Focus Station, as well as at least one optional station. If you only have time or resources for one station, be sure to set up the Focus Station for your children to experience. If a station clicks with your children, feel free to bring it back for an additional week of exploration. The stations offer an activity for small groups that subtly introduces concepts related to the Ponder Point or the upcoming portion of The Big God Story. Parents are invited to stay long enough to lead their children into worship at an exploration station. By initiating participation, parents will lead by modeling as they engage in worship together with their children. Small Group Leaders will also be involved in this time of exploration, partnering with the parents to make the transition as smooth as possible. Small Group Leaders should participate with the children at the stations, exploring the materials and engaging in open-ended questions about their observations. This will encourage them to explore and form questions on their own throughout the lesson. As the Small Group Leader, be sure to sit at the table (or on the floor) with the children as you facilitate this time. Kids will follow your lead. You ll be better able to engage the children by participating in each aspect of the small group experience with them as you guide this time. Small Group Size: For an optimal small group experience, each small group should be no larger than 8 to 12 children plus the leader. Classroom and age-group size will vary from church to church. Adjust the size of small groups according to the number of children and leaders you have in each age group. 6

7 The kids loved finding the pennies in the cornmeal and could have done this all day so tactile at this age. Preschoolers are really smart and we like how the curriculum treats them like they are. NOTES: The Beacon 1st Baptist Church of Hemet Open-ended Questions: Asking open-ended questions about their activity encourages children to describe what they are doing, thinking, or processing through. There are no right or wrong answers. Asking questions in this format allows us to be a part of the process and helps us to see the internal journey through the thoughts and feelings expressed by the children. Examples of open-ended questions: Can you tell me about the colors you are using? What else can you do with the water, a straw, and wind? What do you think would happen to the pepper if we blew lots of bubbles in the water? How could we do this differently? Classroom Set-up: Create a sensory area of the room. Provide plenty of items to explore and engage each of the senses of young children. Suggestions include a water table, blocks, sand, beans, play dough, bubbles, sea shells, and even cotton balls. It will be important to provide supervision of these potentially messy materials, but the fun and benefits to children are enormous. Play in a sensory area will help them develop social skills, creativity, and fine-motor skills. Signals: A fun way to cue children that it s time to move to the next activity is to use a signal. Signals create predictability and channel energy as you transition from one experience into the next. Signal ideas: Energetic music or audio clip. DVD with countdown and music, or a clip from a fun movie. Replace the audio from the movie with energetic music of your choice. Verbal rhyme and lights off and on. (For example, flip lights off and say, One, two, three everyone look at me. Turn lights back on and give directions.) 7

8 Discover:: min. Host/Worship Leader/Storyteller Children move into a large group setting and participate in discovering God s Word through storytelling, worship, and interactive experiences. The consistency of the large group time helps the kids know what to expect. They love Chloe, Mail Time, and Wardrobe of Wonder. They love it all! Tip Transitions can be a great tool to eliminate awkward empty space and help give context for what is to come. Set up your Mail Time with some simple interactions between the Host and the Worship Leader. For example: Megan, did you know God gave us letters that tell us about Him? I sure did, Joey! And, I m so excited to see what part of His letter is in our mailbox today. It s a letter from the Bible, God s true story. Let s check it out! Mountainbrook Community Church Large Group SECTION The Vision for Discover After transitioning from small groups, Discover is a time for the children to meet as a large community to connect, pray, participate in traditions, and learn together. In preschool/kindergarten, the children get to know the rules of their classroom with Chloe, find and learn their Remember Verse during Mail Time, and discover the What sit in the Wardrobe of Wonder. Then they transition into The Big God Story. This is the time when a storyteller retells a passage of Scripture always keeping the smaller story in the chronological context of God s grand narrative. Ponder Point God Is with Me The lesson begins with and is centered around a Ponder Point about God. Although the Bible passage may be familiar, the Tru approach is unique. How does this part of The Big God Story show how God relates to me, and further show how He is going to fulfill His promise to redeem mankind? Chloe s Rules Host/Worship Leader Clear guidelines are foundational to respectful and loving relationship. In order for preschoolers and kindergartners to fully engage in relationship within community, clear expectations must be established and shared with them. Each week children will begin their large group Discover time with the rules of the program. Chloe s Rules is made up of a few simple reminders about how we can all be part of a loving community through the words we speak, sitting with our small group, and sharing during the program. (Note: You may already have established rules for your program. You can customize this time to fit your individual expectations for kids using Chloe for added variety.) Who is Chloe?: Chloe is a puppet (or person) that is the mascot, so to speak, for the rules and traditions of your preschool large group program. She shares the rules and traditions with the children each week either live or by video (see the Resource Tab for videos or scripts). If you choose to run Chloe live you can choose any puppet you would like, and name it whatever works for your style and program theme. The name and look of the puppet are simply suggestions. Introducing Chloe: Introduce Chloe to the children the first time she appears in your large group Discover time. If you re going live with Chloe, share who she is and why she visits each week. Encourage the leader to interact directly with the children and the Host and/or Worship Leader on Chloe s behalf. You may choose to customize time with Chloe for your large group experience (e.g., having her reappear throughout Discover in times of transitions between segments or during the final dismissal to small groups). 8

9 EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS Mail Time Host and/or Worship Leader Each week children will receive mail in the mailbox you ve created. Written on the mail is the month s Remember Verse from the Bible. It s important for children to associate the message written on the mail as words from the Bible. Be sure to have a Bible visible for reference. The children really enjoy the Mail Time and Wardrobe of Wonder part of the lesson. NOTES: Peninsula Covenant Church Even though this was a passage kids have heard many times, they seemed to respond more with the understanding that God wants everyone to be a part of His family. Good Shepherd Church How Mail Time Works Invite two children to come up front and help with Mail Time. Choosing visitors is a fun way to welcome them into community. The Hider will retrieve the mail from the mailbox and hide it somewhere in the room while the Seeker will close her eyes. Meanwhile, the other children should pay close attention to the hiding place. After the Hider has hidden the mail and returned to his seat, the Seeker will attempt to find it using the hot and cold game. All the children will help the Seeker find the hidden mail by calling out hot and cold as clues. Once the Seeker has found the mail, the Host will invite her to see what s inside. The Host will then read the enclosed Remember Verse with the Seeker. You can talk about the meaning of the verse while interacting with kids and other leaders onstage with you. This will give context and meaning to the children as they prepare to memorize the Scripture. The Host will lead the large group in reciting the Remember Verse several times using a variety of fun methods. (Using hand motions and/or different voices and characters is a great way to engage kids and help imprint the Scripture to memory. It may be fun to include the Hider and Seeker in this time as helpers for the hand motions to the Remember verse.) Remember Verse With Tru, we view Scripture memorization as a spiritual discipline and have carefully selected verses we feel disciples of Christ, even children, should understand and memorize because of their contribution to our spiritual maturity. So, year after year, kids, parents, and leaders will be building a core of Scripture that will help to define their faith, memorizing one verse per month in order to allow kids to effectually know 10 core verses, rather than not mastering dozens more. In addition, the Remember Verses have been carefully selected to reflect the unifying theme of the 10 environments, which are primarily taught at home through Spiritual Parenting and the HomeFront Monthly, providing even more connection between what is being taught at home and what is being heard on the weekend. 9

10 EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS Our leaders really like that there are motions with the Remember Verse! Impact Christian Church The actions for the verse are a wonderful addition to the lessons and really keep the kids involved and learning the verse. NOTES: Olathe Bible Church There are many ways to create excitement around memorizing the verses. We provide hand motions that can be taught along with the words. These are just a guide; feel free to adapt the motions to your program and simplify or emphasize other words as you feel led. Be sure your children understand the words in the verse. Age-appropriate definitions are provided for any unfamiliar words. Don t feel like you need to present them all in one week, but rather take time to go over unfamiliar words with the children in a meaningful way. Have fun by playing memorization games. Try call-and-response with sections of the verse. Start the verse and let them finish it. Recite it incorrectly and see if they catch you. Sing it to them. Sit in a circle, rolling a ball back and forth with each person saying a word to the verse. Make simple bookmarks and assist your readers in locating the verse in their Bibles. Help them own the verse for themselves! It s important to help plant this biblical truth, in the form of the Remember Verses, in the lives of the children. The verses are promises from God that the children can draw upon as they build a relationship with God they will carry with them throughout their lives. Creating Your Mailbox Here are a few suggestions to help you create your own mailbox for Mail Time. Purchase a mailbox from a hardware store. Mount it to a square wood beam measuring three feet in height. Create a base for the mailbox by filling a container with cement and placing the wood beam in the center. Once the cement is dry, paint the wood beam and base as you choose. Purchase a simple wall-mounted mailbox. Secure it to a visible wall on your stage. Create a mailbag and have your mail delivered each day by a mail carrier. The envelope art provided fits best on an 8 x 11 envelope. Laminate theenvelope and you ll be able to use it week after week. Wardrobe of Wonder Storyteller/Host/Worship Leader The Wardrobe of Wonder is a fun and interactive entrance point into The Big God Story. Each week a new object called a What sit, which is connected to and sometimes used within the story, is hidden within the wardrobe. Together as a community, children will discover the identity of this object as they begin to ask questions from their observations and experiences. 10

11 EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS Suggestion The Worship Leader/Host/ Storyteller should take a couple of minutes to set up the storytelling within The Big God Story using the What sit as an object of anticipation. Ask the children questions about the What sit to engage them in the story, even before it has begun. Example: Today s story has to do with a rainbow. Now, when I think of the word rainbow, I realize there are two words inside one word: rain and bow. The first word, rain, makes me think that maybe this story has to do with Can you guess? (Children respond.) Rain! What is a rainbow, really? I think that s what we re going to find out today as we learn from The Big God Story! The What sit gold bar helped them to visualize the gold city in heaven. The Beacon Mail Time and Wardrobe of Wonder are big hits with everyone wanting to volunteer. Olathe Bible Church How It Works Invite a child volunteer up front to help find the What sit. Along with the child, choose special thinking hats out of the hat box before looking into the wardrobe. After putting on your silly thinking hats, lead all of the children in putting on their imaginary thinking hats and making their special thinking-hat sound. (This sound can be an audio clip that you play on cue that is a fun, whimsical sound effect, or it can be a sound you establish ahead of time that the kids make each time they put on their thinking hats. This step is completely optional.) Invite your child volunteer to spy on the What sit by peeking into the wardrobe. As the child opens the door, have your AV Tech cue the Wardrobe of Wonder sound effect provided under the Resource Tab (a creaking door). Have her whisper the identity of the What sit in your ear to ensure she knows what it is. Together close the wardrobe and sit at the edge of the stage (or teaching area) or on two small stools. Lead the children in a form of the game Twenty Questions. (You may want to limit this time to four or five questions.) Children guess what the object is by asking yes or no questions of your assistant (child). If the questioners or the questionee have trouble, ask some specific questions about color and shape to help guide them. Once the children have guessed correctly, ask your assistant to retrieve the What sit from the wardrobe and bring it to you. Then direct her to put away her thinking hat and return to her seat. The Worship Leader or Host will then help make the connection between the What sit and the Bible passage of the day from The Big God Story without giving the story away. Asking simple questions about possible reasons this particular object is in the wardrobe will help the kids to wonder for themselves, and engage them in the story from the very beginning. The What sit usually makes an appearance again in The Big God Story, so remind the children to be watching for it while they listen. Put the What sit in a visible location where it can be easily accessed throughout the story. Use this spot consistently week after week. You may choose to play the The Big God Story intro clip after announcing it s time for The Big God Story. As the intro plays, the Storyteller enters and joins the Worship Leader up front. Creating Your Wardrobe Here are a few suggestions to help you as you create your own Wardrobe of Wonder. IKEA has a children s wardrobe for around $ (style name: MAMMUT; colors: blue or pink; Find an old armoire from a second-hand store, garage sale, or thrift store. Paint it a fun, bright, and colorful way that reflects the personality of your program. Build or purchase a large wooden box. Make sure the box has a lid with hinges (suggested box dimensions: 2 tall x 3 wide). Refinish an old wooden toy chest. Add brightly colored doors to the front of a book shelf. 11

12 EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS Our storyteller had a helper and they acted out the part of the narration with the helper giving the leader a real coat and mittens, etc. That worked very well a great visual, rather than just talking about it or using pictures. Maple Valley Presbyterian Church We had the kids be the waves during the storytelling and used a water bottle to spray them was very effective with the sound effects and storm visuals. Good Shepherd Church We saw some aha moments when they realized the connection of Ruth and Boaz to Jesus. It no longer became just another storyline in the Bible, but a connecting point to God s great plan. Good Shepherd Church Dressing up as a traveler to tell The Big God Story engaged the kids very well. Storytelling videos are available for two lessons per quarter. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may access these resources on the My Lessons page under Extras > Storytelling Videos. The Beacon The Big God Story Storyteller This time during the large group gathering is when the Storyteller vividly relates a passage of Scripture always keeping the smaller story in the chronological context of God s grand narrative. This portion of Discover is the perfect time for your team to pull out all the stops in creating a cool atmosphere for children to really engage with the story. Whether it s dimming lights, incorporating sound effects, grabbing props, flashing photos on a screen, using movie clips, or just being a lively storyteller, children can be affected by God s Word in an exciting way. Storytellers should make the story their own and be intentional about preparing and teaching from an overflow of what God is doing in their own lives. Every person is uniquely gifted to storytell. What a great opportunity to impact the next generation with God s transforming words! The Big God Story is the core of the children s time together, showing them God loves them and wants to know them. It is in this time that the Ponder Point is further explained through a portion of God s big story from the Bible. Teach from a Bible so the children understand what they re hearing is from God s Word and is true. Using the chronological Scope and Sequence, preschoolers and kindergartners will learn from early in the Bible, through the creation story, on through time in an clearly linked, sequential way, that God has been working throughout history. And the great news for them is that He is still working today! The lessons are written in an interactive and engaging manner to explain concepts on the children s level. As you first dive into TruWonder lessons, you may be uncertain how your children will handle the occasionally longer storyline, or the framing of Biblical content in a unique way. Give your children a chance to interact with the storylines and resist the urge to rework the lessons. A longer lesson about David the shepherd that includes his anointing prior to defeating the giant lends a new perspective David defeated the giant with the power of the Holy Spirit in him. Give your kids the opportunity to hear and grasp this wonderful truth from Scripture! When storytelling from Tru, take the time to familiarize yourself with the lesson so you ll be able to share it with confidence. The text provided is meant as a guide for what to share with your children and will be much more engaging for them if the storyteller is freed from reading it to them. Invest in preparation so you can share naturally and with enthusiasm. Feel free to adapt your storytelling to the needs of your program. Add props, adjust lighting, and move around to keep children engaged with your sharing. Encourage all your leaders to model an interest in what is being shared; the kids will pick up on an atmosphere of excitement. After all, this is God s big story! 12

13 Respond:: min. Worship Leader Children have the opportunity to respond to God and to what they have heard and experienced through His Word. Special attention should be given to create space for the Holy Spirit to minister to each child. Kids had a great understanding of different ways to respond to God s voice. We had kids dancing and singing, some drawing, and others just sitting, quietly praying. Good Shepherd Church Our kids really like it when they get to stand up and say something to God. We had some really sweet and heartfelt responses from them. Everyone else was respectful during this time of talking to the Lord. Mt. Paran North Church of God Respond was amazing. We had a few kids actually come up and pray when they put their pictures on the wall and asked Jesus to meet them in their special place. One child shared that they like to look at their Bible in the closet so their little brother can t bother them. Good Shepherd Church Large Group SECTION The Vision for Large Group Respond Large Group Respond is all about letting children interact with God after learning an amazing truth about Him. Whether it s through silence, prayerfully putting a shape on the Response Wall, singing and dancing with instruments, or speaking Scripture out loud, this is their time to respond to God in a personalized but communal way. And this is when the Holy Spirit really gets to transform His kids. As children think about how the story they ve heard has impacted them, the Spirit has space to move and touch each child. The way the children reach out and respond to God allows them to truly meet with Him. It s about the encounter not just the information. The worship response time in large group varies from week to week. Some weeks children will respond in worship through music, while other weeks are designed for more specific interactive expressions of response. This time is intended for children to freely express their worship as God s Spirit leads them. As your team plans for Large Group and Small Group Respond, try to create an atmosphere of space. This may mean pausing for what feels like an uncomfortably long time after you ask your preschoolers a Wonder Question. It may mean spontaneously prolonging a time of singing or carrying on a discussion that seemingly has little to do with your curriculum notes. Be flexible and sensitive to how the Holy Spirit is moving in your group. You will most likely be blown away by what He does with and through your children even these little ones! Response Walls: One of the means for response is through Response Walls. Children are encouraged to spend a few moments in thought and prayer. Then they pick a shape and a magnet from a bucket and place them on the wall. They might linger for a moment in prayer, hand on the shape. Play music as an alternative for those who prefer to remain worshipping silently at their seat. Give verbal cues and reminders to the children to help guide their interaction with the Response Wall when they are ready. As children finish at the wall, they return to their seats and continue worshipping. These verbal cues can be made throughout the song within the flow of the music. The leader s tone should remain the same as it is when singing and praying, and does not need to transition to that of a directive voice. Help the children understand the freedom they have to choose how they are going to respond, while at the same time they are being encouraged and led into participation. (Detailed Response Wall construction notes and photos can be found on the following page.) Our response is our answer back to God. We acknowledge who He is. 13

14 Response Walls MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED (per wall) 3 x 6 sheet of thin metal 3 x 6 sheet of ½ oriented strand board (OSB) (2) 3 ½ -strips of 2 x ½ (approx.) wood (for frame on face of magnetic side) (2) 6 ½ -strips of 2 x ½ (approx.) wood (for frame on face of magnetic side) (2) 4 -long, 2 x 4 boards (2) 2 -long, 2 x 4 boards 2 large pentagons measuring ½ from the base to the highest point; cut out of ½ OSB 2 small triangles measuring 7 from the base to the highest point; cut out of ½ OSB wood screws 4 industrial casters (Note: Casters should be able to rotate 360.) industrial glue (to adhere metal to wood) sandpaper paint or wood sealant INSTRUCTIONS FOR BUILDING Note: Many home improvement warehouses will cut your OSB and sheet metal to size if you ask before you purchase the necessary sheets. 1. Cut all of the pieces to specified measurements. 2. Secure each 4 -long, 2 x 4 board to the backside edges of the 3 x 6 sheet of OSB using wood screws. (These will be the vertical posts.) 3. Glue the sheet of metal to the face of the sheet of OSB. 4. Use the 4 strips of 2 x ½ wood to create the wood frame for the face of the magnetic board and attach to the face of the OSB sheet with wood screws. 5. Attach the 2 -long, 2 x 4 boards to the bottom of the 4 boards using wood screws. (These will form the base for each post.) 6. Secure the large OSB pentagons to the outside of each post base using wood screws. 7. Secure the small OSB triangles to the inside of each post base using wood screws. 8. Secure all four casters to the bottom of the base using the hardware provided with the casters. 9. Smooth any sharp or rough edges with sandpaper. 10. Paint and seal wood as desired. 14

15 EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS Small Group SECTION Respond::15 30 min. Small Group Leaders Children have an opportunity to reflect (within the faith community) on what they have heard, and to respond to God individually or corporately. This time is focused on the wonder of God and the foundational Truth of His Word. The kids loved the big fun and movement of the [Connect] game. Mt. Paran North Church of God It was super easy to make a tie from The Big God Story to the activities. The kids got it, which allowed for some great conversations. Voyagers Bible Church Groups were really sharing heartfelt prayers with each other as they added their hands to the [Create] poster. Kids loved the giant ink pads! I can t wait to hang up the posters so kids can see and remember their prayers. Mt. Paran North Church of God The Vision for Small Group Respond Here, children can share openly their personal thoughts and experiences in a relational setting. Some children will be more responsive when they re engaged in something creative or artistic. Others will be more open once their bodies get moving. Whatever their preference, space is created for them to discuss ideas while playing games or creating a meaningful piece of art, each a part of their response to God. Connect (Optional Game: 5 10 min.) After a time of responding to God on a personal level, increase the energy by allowing time and room for children and leaders to connect with each other in a lively large-motorskills activity. Fun challenges foster unique opportunities for conversation and help to develop your faith community. Create Designed to allow children to work on a piece of art or worshipful artistic expression, it s more than just time to make a craft. Create is a hands-on experience in creating a meaningful reminder or physical expression of what God is doing within them. These may be individual pieces, but often are projects completed as a small group to further enhance community. Display these projects in your Create gallery during the Remember & Celebrate weekends as a physical reminder of time spent responding to God. Wonder Questions Discuss the provided questions with the children. They re meant to prompt further conversation about what they just experienced in large group Discover, as well as invite them to ponder the truth and dwell with the wonder of God. Be sure to pause long enough after each question to allow the children time to wonder. Encourage them to share their unique perspectives. Although the questions may seem challenging on the surface, given time and space to ponder them you may be surprised at the depth at which the children are processing (even at a young age!). When talking with and listening to young children: Connect at eye level; kneel or sit at a table to join them. Ask open-ended questions with no particular answer in mind. Respond to what they have said. If you don t understand what they mean, ask a follow-up question to clarify. Try to restate what you think the child means. Allow her to expand on her thought or to simply let it go. Oftentimes a child will revisit a conversation or question a few moments later once she has time to process on her own. Engage in activities with the child, encouraging and affirming his participation in all aspects the colors he is using, a story he told, how well he is sharing. Be specific in your affirmation rather than making value judgements. I like the green you used there, rather than, That s a great picture. Allow children to answer questions first; avoid answering for them. (Watch for verbal 15

16 EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS I really like the Wonder questions. I felt like we got some thoughtful answers from the kids. I like that they were thinking about how God made them feel and expressing that. Mount Paran North Church of God We were able to ask the children about why the think God is amazing and their responses were amazing as well. 1st Baptist Church of Hemet cues and suggestions.) Allow children time to process before moving on. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users can find a quarterly TruWonder Timeline and images of people corresponding to each week s lesson on the My Lessons page under Extras > Small Group Enhancements. These additional images are provided for each week s lesson and include discussion questions that will assist you as your small group goes a little deeper in its exploration of The Big God Story. As you place the weekly people squares on the timeline, invite children to help you storytell. The provided questions will prompt further conversation about what children have been experiencing. They ll enjoy watching as the timeline fills week to week and their knowledge and perspective of God s big story grows. Additional Tools Creating your Box of Tricks You may want to consider building a box of tricks for each of your classrooms. These activities are for the days when you need an additional way to engage the children. We encourage you to complete Create, Wonder Questions, and Bless before using any additional games and activities. Suggestions for the box: Play dough, sensory dough, books, and index cards with quick games for preschoolers and kindergartners printed on the front. 16

17 Templates Background templates (see samples below) have been provided for you in JPG format under the Resource Tab. To create your document, simply insert the template as a background picture in your publishing program. Use text boxes to format your text on top of the inserted background. These templates are ideal for creating separate Wonder Questions and Blessing sheets for your leaders. These cards can be posted in the classroom or placed with each Small Group Leader s resources to allow for ease in reference during the small group experience. Sample of TITLED half-sheet Background Templates available for download under the Resource Tab. Sample of BLANK half-sheet and quarter-sheet Background Templates provided under the Resource Tab. These can be used for Blessing cards, Wonder Questions, and more. 17

18 EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS Bless:: 5 min. Small Group Leaders A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, encouragement and guidance. A blessing can be offered in order to ask God s Spirit to overflow from the child s life in such a way that blesses others, while it can also be prayed over a child for the purpose of declaring God s protection, joy, or wisdom. Small Group SECTION The Vision for Bless Every lesson ends with a blessing. This is a time for parents and leaders to speak truth over children s lives. The children have just had the beautiful experience of encountering God and His Word; the idea of the blessing is to transition the child from being blessed to being a blessing. This is the time to remind children they can freely give away the joy, love, truth, and grace they have received from God. The blessing can be done in many ways, but the more intentional you are about it, the more powerful it will be. Encourage the children to hold out their hands, palms up, as a symbolic posture of receiving expecting to hear and receive from God. If parents are able to join in at this time, suggest they put their hands on their child s head or kneel and look him in the eye as they bless him. Leaders, be sure to model how you envision the blessing working in your church so your volunteers and parents feel comfortable with it. Parents should be encouraged to continue to bless their children throughout the week. This time of blessing provides another great opportunity to integrate your use of the Bible into the worship experience, reinforcing to the children that these words come straight from the Word, God s Word. I really like the idea of the blessing each week. As a leader it s nice to be praying specific blessings over the kids. Mt. Paran North Church of God The kids get into praying for each other and sharing their needs. The Rock Church The blessing was very special as they were eager to receive it. They held out their little hands and they smiled as they received it Amazing growth! The Beacon 18

19 HOMEFRONT WEEKLY AND MONTHLY The Vision for HomeFront Weekly and HomeFront Monthly HomeFront Weekly cards are provided as a parent resource with each week s lesson (see the Resource Folder), which can be ed out to parents or printed and cut into half sheets. This resource is designed to help your parents intentionally spend time in God s Word with their children before coming to church each week. The cool part is this: Parents are first to introduce their kids to the Bible content they will hear at church. In this way, the church is supporting parents as they spiritually nurture their child. There are three sections on the HomeFront Weekly: Inspire, Equip, and Support. The first two sections are for parents to read on their own. They give the vision for the Scripture story as well as some background on it. The third section gives parents ideas for a practical setting where they can read God s Word with their kids. HomeFront Monthly is a resource you will receive for parents every four weeks. This magazine-like publication contains great ideas for fostering spiritually-forming times in the home. Articles and activities cover everything from marriage to family, and food time to blessing. This resource seeks to equip parents with practical ideas for creating space for the Holy Spirit to spiritually form their kids. Remember, this isn t about doing more; it s about framing the things parents naturally do with space for God to work. For your on-the-go parents who are iphone or Android users, they can download the free HomeFront Monthly app by searching for Tru HomeFront. The ease of accessibility ensures a greater number of parents will be able to use this resource in their homes. HomeFront Monthly ties to the lessons and HomeFront Weekly through the common thread of the Environment. Therefore, there is only one HomeFront Monthly for both TruWonder (preschool to kindergarten) and TruStory (elementary), with ideas for engaging both age levels. This is also where you will find the children s Remember Verses. They will be learning one verse over four weeks to help them truly hide God s Word in their hearts. The parents who are really using the HomeFront Weekly are having a wonderful time as families. The Beacon We hope you will find both of these HomeFront resources to be life-changing for your parents as they intentionally create space for God to meet with their families in new ways. 19

20 Large Group SECTION Remember & Celebrate:: Host/Worship Leader An opportunity to pause and take a look back to remember all that God has done and who He has been in the past few weeks leading up to this time of celebration. We love the Remember & Celebrate sessions! Make the atmosphere of this weekend one of celebration and excitement. Decorate as if you re having a party. Encourage all your leaders and children to dress silly or wear crazy hats. Have fun! 1st Baptist Church of Hemet min. The Vision for Remember and Celebrate How often do we really take time to contemplate the things God has done, and praise Him for it? How often do we make prayer requests, but not follow up on how God answered them? So many of us live our lives full-speed ahead with little time for looking back. But looking back is actually very biblical and Tru hopes to build that kind of rhythm into the lives of children. The goal of a Remember & Celebrate weekend is to remember God s faithfulness as we take a look back at what He has showed us about Himself from The Big God Story. Every 6th and 13th week in the curriculum we remember together, and we ll pause to celebrate. Children will have the opportunity to share together and tell stories about what God has done in and through their lives. In this spirit of celebrating, children will participate in traditions by connecting with one another and God through music, dance, singing, and art as they worship together. Each Remember & Celebrate weekend, the children are briefly introduced to a traditional Jewish feast or festival. They are told why God s people celebrated it, and why we should do the same. This provides a biblical context for the importance of remembering and celebrating God s goodness to us as His people. The feasts and festivals covered are summarized on the following page. I really liked the idea of stopping and remembering what we had learned about God. I felt like the kids were connecting and they had learned good truth throughout these weeks. Mount Paran North Church of God 20

21 Remember and Celebrate: Feasts and Festivals Further Resources Old Testament Significance Several times a year the Israelites gathered together for a festival. In Leviticus 23, the Lord said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: These are my appointed feasts which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. These seven festivals are: Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Festival of First Fruits, Feast of Harvest, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). In addition, the Israelites would gather weekly to celebrate the Sabbath. These were times to remember what God had done for His people and to celebrate His goodness. They were times for the entire faith community to gather together without the burden of work to simply worship and celebrate. During the feasts, the Israelites ate, danced, sang, played instruments, prayed, and offered sacrifices to God. Equip Read about Jewish Festivals at: jew-hol.htm NOTES: New Testament Significance The Feast of Passover was fulfilled by the death of the Messiah, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was fulfilled by His sinless sacrifice, and the Festival of First Fruits was fulfilled by the resurrection of the Messiah. The Feast of Harvest began with a great harvest of three thousand souls by the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, who continues to harvest souls today. The Feast of Trumpets will announce Christ s return, the Day of Atonement will usher in His judgment of the nations, and finally, the Feast of Tabernacles begins the journey to our new home in a new heaven and new earth. The Seven Annual Feasts and Festivals Passover: During Passover, the Israelites celebrated their deliverance from the Egyptians, as well as God as their deliverer. The Passover meal is symbolic in form and also in the food choices, for each represents a part of telling the story of their escape from Egypt. The meal includes lamb to symbolize the slain lamb whose blood marked the Hebrews doorposts on the night of the 10th plague so death passed over those homes. In the New Testament, Jesus became the sacrificial lamb of Passover to offer deliverance from sin for all people, for all time, for those who receive it. Feast of Unleavened Bread: Beginning the day after Passover, the Israelites were commanded to take seven days to eat bread without yeast and to cease working on the first and seventh days. The unleavened bread represents their quick departure from Egypt, not having time for their yeast to rise. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of yeast (or leaven) symbolically, as sin. Jesus broke unleavened bread with His disciples and said, This is my body. Jesus was without sin while His body was broken during His crucifixion. 21

22 Festival of First Fruits: This festival celebrated God as the provider and offered thanksgiving. First Fruits represents the celebration of the first grain harvest of the spring. One sheath offering of grain was taken to the temple. These offerings were made the day following the Sabbath, which means it would be on Sunday, and it marked the beginning of the two-month spring harvest. In the New Testament, Jesus resurrected as the first fruit offering on Sunday, the day after Passover Sabbath. NOTES: Feast of Harvest: This feast, also known as the Feast of Pentecost or Weeks, corresponded with the nation s harvest season. This feast is preceded by the Festival of First Fruits, during which the barley was harvested, and ushered in the time when wheat was harvested. During this festival, the Israelites thanked God again for His provision for their physical needs. In addition, they also thanked Him for providing a way into relationship with Him. Pentecost was set in motion as a remembrance of when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. Pentecost means 50 days. These 50 days leading up to Pentecost (after Passover) were a season of gladness, abundance, and thanksgiving for God s provision. Feast of Trumpets: This feast is the first of the fall feasts. The Jewish people call this feast Rosh Hashanah, which literally means Head of the Year, as it is observed as the start of the civil year on the Jewish calendar (in contrast with the religious year which starts with Passover). This celebration consisted of a time of rest, an offering made by fire, and the blowing of the trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets would occur at the new moon when only the slightest crescent would be visible. Watchfulness was a critical ingredient of this feast. This need for watchfulness and preparedness with the Feast of Trumpets is echoed throughout the New Testament in connection with the Lord s second coming. Day of Atonement: Atonement was a reflective and often solemn festival each year which involved fasting, prayer, and repentance. During this festival, which lasted 25 hours and is known today as Yom Kippur, the Israelites rededicated the temple to the Lord and repented of their sins. On this annual day, the high priest passed through the veil and entered the Holy of Holies with sacrificial blood to make atonement for the sins of the people. The New Testament significance is found in Christ, who is our High Priest, when He shed His blood once and for all to make atonement for our sins before God. 22