November in kidSPACE

Here's what your child will be learning about in kidSPACE this month!

Preschool:

November continues October's theme of "David's Story." David's story is a part of God's Big Story, and we are a part of it too.

This month's David stories teach preschoolers that, "God gives me good friends." The first two weeks of the month, children will learn of David and Jonathan's amazing friendship. Then, they will learn that David was such a good friend to Jonathan that he sought out Jonathan's remaining family and cared for Mephibosheth. During these first three weeks, preschoolers will talk about what it means to be a friend, how to help and serve those around them.
Finally, preschoolers will celebrate God and His friendship in the last week of the month. They will dance and sing and praise their heavenly Father. Be prepared for lots of noise and crazy preschool fun on this day.

Verse: “Two people are better than one. They can help each other in everything they do.” Ecclesiastes 4:9, NIrV

Elementary:

God can do ANYTHING. There is literally nothing God can’t do. He knows everything and He sees everything and He is powerful enough to make anything happen.

Even though God is completely self-sufficient, He doesn’t work alone. From the very beginning, God looked for a way to work with the people He had created to accomplish His plan. God worked with Noah to build the ark that saved both people and animals. God worked with Moses to bring the Israelites out of slavery. And when Jesus stepped onto this planet, He worked with His friends and disciples to share the message of God’s love with the world.

Just like God doesn’t work alone, God doesn’t want for us to work alone. God wants for us to work with others. Because COOPERATION is working together to do more than you can do alone. God wants us to seek help from others, and be ready to offer help to others. When we don’t cooperate with others, we will always be limited in what we can accomplish.

But we aren’t made to only work with other people. We are also made to cooperate with God. And it’s when we learn how to work with God and others that, in His strength, we can do incredible things.

This month, let’s think about how:

(1) God is omnipotent. He can do anything.

(2) God still chooses to work through us, and use us according to His purposes. He chooses to cooperate with us—even through He doesn’t need to.

(3) If we cooperate with God, and if we cooperate with others as God has designed us to do, we will see His power at work in our lives to do more than we could ever imagine. 

Verse: “Two people are better than one. They can help each other in everything they do.” Ecclesiastes 4:9, NIrV

Parent Rap

Here's a little something to make you smile and celebrate the weekend. Enjoy!

 

http://www.dump.com/parentsrap/

September in kidSPACE

Here's what September will look like in kidSPACE!

Preschool:
We will start this month with a short creation lesson that emphasizes that God made each and every one of us. We will then return to the story of the lost sheep to emphasize how much God loves us. He loves us so much, He will always search for us. We then visit Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to learn that not only does God love us, but He will help us. Finally, we learn that Jesus is our good friend in the story of calming the storm. God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to be our friend forever. The final week will be spent on a very fun review of all the stories ensuring that the preschoolers hear all three basic truths one more time.
Verse: "Nothing can separate us from God's love." Romans 8:9 NIrV


Elementary:
Our God spoke into the darkness and created the entire universe. He is big enough to control the wind and the rain, yet able to meet the needs of the smallest sparrow. God knows all things and still desires to hear each of our prayers.
As we learn more about who God is and what He does, respect becomes a natural response to God’s character. But not only does God have all authority, according to the Bible, He also sets up governing authorities on earth. So showing respect to those in authority over us is an extension of showing respect to God.
This month’s memory verse is a quick and easy reminder of exactly that: “Show proper respect to everyone.” (1 Peter 2:17a, NIV) Proper respect acknowledges what is appropriate given the situation and position of the person. The person in authority over us was made by, is loved, and was placed in authority by God. We show them respect with our speech, actions, and attitude.
But what if we disagree with our authority? Sometimes respect means we won’t get our way or that our idea won’t win out. It might mean swallowing our pride in a very humbling moment. Or choosing our words very carefully when it would be easier to lash out or say something hurtful or defensive. When we stop and remember to respond with words and actions that show our authorities they are important, that they are made by God, and that God has given them their position, we show respect to our authority and to God.

Respect is truly a question of how we respond to our authorities. Will we assume that everyone has something they can teach us? Or will we stubbornly work to get our own way? When we choose to elevate our attitude and think a little higher, we show others they are important because God has given them their authority.

A Little Thing Called Worry

Below is a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago but saved for a later date. With the start of school and Michael's message this past Sunday on worry, I think this is the right time to post it!
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Sometimes it's hard not to worry about my kids. I often find myself wondering "Will they have good friends as they grow up? "Will they be good friends to those around them-not just the popular kids, but the kids that are hard to love?" "Will they be leaders or followers?"

These questions can be good to ask. But they can also lead to worry. What I have discovered is that worrying about my kids usually stems from a feeling of helplessness when I realize that they are their own little creatures, and I can't control much of what they do. I try, believe me I try, but I get constant reminders of how independent they are becoming.

So I am learning to take those feelings and RELEASE them to One who loves and knows my children even more than I do. The One who created them and designed them to be just the way they are.

If you ever worry about your children, or struggle with trying to control who they are and what they do, here's some encouragement for you. If we had even a glimmer of the perspective that God has, all of our worries would be gone!


Psalm 139:13, 14  

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

John 14:27             

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Psalm 55:22           

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Isaiah 44:24           

This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
                                  I am the Lord,
                                  who has made all things,
                                  who alone stretched out the heavens,
                                  who spread out the earth by myself

Psalm 46:10           

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Back to School!!

School supplies are everywhere, which means it's that time of year again! Talk of school is everywhere, so I thought I would join in on the banter. This year I am beginning the journey into having a school-age child and have been doing a lot of reflecting. I can't say I haven't shed a few tears (I'll blame it on the fact that I just had a baby) but all in all I'm excited about starting the journey. If your family is getting ready to make the transition back to school, here are a few tips on how to start off the year on the right foot.

1) Pray for your child-This may sound like common sense, but I challenge you to pray specifically! For your child's friends, experiences, academics, etc.

2) Pray for your child's teacher-Having been a teacher before taking on my current role, I may be a bit biased, but teachers have a lot of responsibility and unique pressures. They could use your prayers!

3) Establish routines-At least a week before school starts, begin your schooltime routines. Talk with your child about when they will complete homework and get them used to going to bed a little earlier and getting up earlier. It will make the transition that much easier. And you might want to do the same for youself, too!

4) Deal with Anxiety- Some kids have an incredible knack for adapting to situations. Others do not and need some extra love and support. If your child is having anxiety about starting school, have some friends over the week before school starts. Being with friends who will be at their school might take away some of the tension. Also, be available for your kids during the time leading up to school. Even if anxiety is not expressed, your extra presence will be a comfort.

5) Stay Positive-Children very quickly pick up on our feelings and tend to copy and many times magnify them. Talk about the beginning of the year in positive terms. Instead of saying "you have to go back to school" say "you get to go back to school soon!"

6) Start fun traditions-The night before school starts, sit down together and share hopes and fears about the upcoming year. And then pray over them! On the evening of the first day of school go out for ice cream and share about your day. Make it fun and a time to connect.

As the school year starts I'll be praying for all of our kidSPACE kids and families as you adjust to another school year. May your year be full of blessings!

Have Patience

Here's a post written by a blogger that I thought provided some great perspective/tips on patience. Something we all seem to struggle with at some point with our children. Hopefully it helps you today!

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When I was a kid my mom taught us a song about a snail named Herbert who needed to learn to have patience. Being the awesome big sister that I was, I often sang it to my brother whenever he was getting impatient. Of course, this always helped to bring him patience—not! Soon, this silly song became our way of irritating each other whenever we recognized that we were about to lose our patience.
Several years later, as I was raising four little kids and feeling a little stressed, I would find myself singing that song. As I watched my little girls growing impatient with each other or with that shoe they just couldn’t tie, I would sing them the song about the impatient snail.
When I was a kid, I thought my mom was teaching us that song to help us learn patience. But now that I’m older, I realize she was singing that song to remind herself to have patience.
I have to admit that I’ve lost my patience more than once. I can clearly remember a day at the park. I was there with several mom friends—using my “nice mom” voice. During that time, one of my girls pitched a fit when she couldn’t have the swing, one of them threw their lunch on the ground, one had to go to the potty every five seconds, and then they had a melt down as I tried to drag them across the parking lot to the car when it was time to go.
I falsely kept a smile on face the whole time. Buckled them in while taking deep cleansing breaths as they screeched. And the second I got in the van and shut the door I hollered: “I’ve had enough! I don’t want to hear another peep until we get home.” I yelled so loudly that I shocked them. Total silence for about five seconds. Then they all started to cry. Yep. I’d been pushed to the limit. I’d lost my patience.
I’ve been taught that love is patient. And I love my kids more than life. So, why is it so hard to be patient? Here’s why. I’m not perfect. I’m human. I’ve got a long way to go. I want to be patient . . . but sometimes I’m not. I don’t want to be pushy and snippy and impatient . . . but sometimes I am.

Here are a few things that help me when I’m struggling for patience:

1. I watch my tone. When I’m impatient my tone is short, bossy and snippy. When I choose a kinder tone I seem to be able to communicate with patience.

2. I step away. I know this is not always possible. But I’ve been known to lock myself in the bathroom for a few minutes or go for a walk until I find my happy place.

3. I listen to music. Happy music. I have a playlist of happy songs and when I feel my impatience boiling  up I turn up the tunes. Music has the ability to change my mood.

4. I look into their faces. When I look into the eyes of those kids that I love, it communicates something to my heart. It reminds me that I’m shaping who they will become. It smoothes out my patience.

5. I remember that others are patient with me. There’s a part in the Herbert the snail song that says, “Remember that God is patient too, and think of all the times when others have to wait for you.” Many have been and continue to be PATIENT with me. I’ve been on the receiving end and I know how good it feels.

written by Kendra Fleming             orangeparents.org

kidSPACE in August

Preschool:
This month, preschoolers will be joining Moses on the many adventures his life entailed. As they learn about Moses being found in a basket by Pharaoh’s daughter, his leadership of the Israelites out of slavery, the parting of the Red Sea, and even the manna that falls from heaven, they will be learning that God is always with them. God was with Moses, and He is with them too.

What a powerful statement to tuck inside the heart of a preschooler. God is with him. Always. God is with him on the swing going high in the sky. God is with him at the doctor’s office when the nurse comes in with the shot. God is with him when he’s at home, the park or church. God is always there.

Verse: "God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Elementary:
It seems like we’re bombarded constantly by commercials and ads telling us what we “need” to make our life better. Promises that, with this product, the next time we look in the mirror, we’ll magically see chiseled abs, thick healthy hair with no split ends and a flawless complexion. Or get our dream job far from here. But really, contentment has nothing to do with how you look, what you have, where you are, or what you do.
Think about it.
What if you were absolutely convinced that you were well made by a competent and skilled Creator?
Contentment is about Who you trust.
As Christians, we know that God looks on us as His creation, and that because of His great love for us He chose to send His Son to redeem us and provide a way for us to have an unending relationship with Him. We know that He has promised to meet our needs in Christ Jesus, and that He is immeasurably able to do more than we ask or imagine. We know that He has gone to prepare a place for us, and that because of His grace we can spend eternity with Him.
So, when you think about it, we really have every reason to be content.
Our contentment really is about more than just our personal happiness. It is a demonstration of our daily trust in God. It shows that we really believe that His way is better than our own. It allows us to focus on what God is doing in and around us right now. And when we are content, we allow others to see a glimpse of the peace that passes understanding.
That’s why we think it’s so important for us to help kids Get a Clue on who’s stealing their contentment. After all, contentment is choosing to be happy with what you’ve got.

Verse: "I have learned to be content no matter what happens to me. I know what it’s like not to have what I need. I also know what it’s like to have more than I need. I have learned the secret of being content no matter what happens.” (NIrV) Philippians 4:11b-12:a