apPARENTly blogging

The kids in my family enjoy playing with the word magnets on the refrigerator. They often come up with sentences that say things such as "My brother eats hot dogs on the floor" or "Once upon a time the princess runs in the cornfield."

Though there are a lot of word magnets in those store-bought sets - why not make your own word magnets?  Buy strips of adhesive-backed magnets at your local hobby store. Write (or have your child write) the words of the verses on a paper and cut into pieces - one word on a piece. Cut a small square of magnet, attach to the back and put on the refrigerator. Mix them up on the front of your refrigerator and encourage your child to put them in correct order. You could continue to do this with several verses. You will probably be using many of the words over and over again.

One mom takes turns appointing a kid sous chef to help with supper.

The child has the opportunity to help choose and make the meal - and to have a good time of one-on-one conversation with Mom. (Though Dad could do this, too!)

Other children are NOT ALLOWED in the kitchen during supper preparation time - so the conversation is truly private. Doing something with your children while you talk, often encourages more personal conversation than you would get otherwise - because you aren't simply sitting at a table staring at each other.

This one-on-one time while making supper can be particularly rewarding with kids going through adolescence.

Are you looking for an activity to do with your child EVERYDAY of the week?

Check out the new Day Light Calendar.

This is a new feature on the HomeBase portion of our Website, providing fun ways to learn about God's Word and enjoy life together as a family.

The November calendar is already posted and the December calendar should be up in the next couple days.

Is your child having difficulty learning the books of the Bible?

Do you have a lot of unused books at your house - perhaps an old set of encyclopedias that aren't used anymore?

Put your child to work, labeling (on the spine) each encyclopedia volume as a different Bible book.

When you have a complete set of 66 (or you could separate Old and New Testaments), mix them up and allow your child to stack them in proper sequence.

After your child learns the order and you know longer need the game - donate it to your Awana Club. (But recognize that not all clubs will have a place to store so many books.)

We know that repetition is the best way to teach a child (or an adult)  - but sometimes we forget and don't take advantage of what we can do through repetition.

If you're teaching your child a verse, look for ways to apply the concept during the day.  For instance, if you are teaching your child Genesis 1:1, keep repeating the words as you see different instances of God's creation.

At the breakfast table as you serve an apple or scrambled eggs - "In the beginning God created ..."

As you walk outside and see the multi-colored leaves - "In the beginning God created ..."

As you spot a tiny bug or a fluttering butterfly - "In the beginning God created ..."

After you do this several times, start the verse, but allow the child to finish it ...

Of course, Genesis 1:1 is an easy verse to apply, but what about more difficult verses?

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Let's look at Ephesians 6:18 -  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

As you say grace at breakfast - As your child leaves for school - "I'll pray for you today because "Praying always with all prayer and supplication ..."                                          

On a note in a child's lunchbox - "Praying always with all prayer and supplication ..."

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Use your imagine. Make it a fun activity. You may be surprised how quickly your child can repeat the verse back to you.

How are your kids doing in their books? Hopefully, they're still experiencing that beginning-of-the-year enthusiasm for learning God's Word.

Encourage them to pass sections now before the holiday slow down.

Some ideas for encouraging verse memory -

*Write down the first letter of each word in the verse on a review sheet.

*Listen to the verses on CD as you drive your child to school, the grocery story or Grandma's.

*Make cupcakes/cookies. Write each word of the verse on a cookie/cupcake and put them in correct order. (When your child eats that cupcake/cookie, he'll need to remember that word.)

Kids enjoy writing on chalkboards - or on sidewalks with sidewalk chalk.

Why not purchase an indoor sidewalk - an indoor/outdoor carpet mat? These can be found fairly inexpensively at home improvement stores. Give your kids some chalk and let them write out the verse. (You could also have them illustrate the words.) Let them have fun AND learn the words as they're writing them.

When your children are done - simply vacumn up the chalk and they're ready to go with the next verse.

 Is your child having difficulty learning a verse? Here's a memory tip that may help.

1. Ask your child to write each word of the verse on a separate piece of paper or card (this is a good use for the back of junk mail).

2. Instruct your child to put the papers in different papers around the house. But, put the verse in order. Perhaps word #1 would be on the couch, word#2 on the rocking chair, word#3 on the dining room table, #4 attached to the refrigerator, #5 IN the refrigerator, etc.

3. Next, guide your child in walking around the house, reading the words of the verse. Have him do this several times - and then say the verse without looking at the words.

Leave the words in place as long as it's convenient. Your child will begin to associate the words with the location and eventually be able to say the verse. Or, if he forgets a word of the verse, he can think of the location and perhaps pull the word to mind.

(Here at Headquarters we know this works. We're required to learn specific passages of Scripture each year and many of us do our memory work during our commute or while walking. We can tell you exactly what house we were walking by or what stoplight we were at when learning a particular phrase or word.)

 Recently I had opportunity to talk with a family therapist. This lady wasn't a Christian (or at least gave no indication of being one), but she is extremely concerned about families.

When a child is in a lot of trouble and has totally frustrated the school system and the next step is foster care - the courts call her. She is the family's last hope. If the kids/parents don't listen to her and get back on track, the children are taken away from their homes.

She mentioned how disappointing it is to travel maybe a hundred miles to meet with parents - only to have them NOT be there because they "forgot."  (Even though this could be a life-changing visit for the children.)

But I thought the most interesting thing she said was "I have never seen a family get to this point IF the parents spend time with their kids."

Time.

Time is free. (None of us pay for time.)

Time is equal. (We all have the same amount of time.)

Time is can be used wisely or foolishly.

How much time do you spend with your kids each day?

How much time do you spend listening to their chatter (and granted, sometimes that chatter is silly)?

How much time do you spend helping them with a homework problem or showing them how to bake cupcakes or build a birdhouse?

How much time do you spend helping your child learn a verse?

Give your child the gift of time.

One way to make a younger child excited about saying their verses is to have him/her say them to appreciative relatives (even when the relative lives far away.)

Of course, you can call and the child can say the verse over the phone - or you can put him on his own podcast.

Here's a brand-new Sparkie saying his very first Sparks verse for out-of-state relatives..

http://www.loudio.com/Podcasts/Society/Religion/Jacob-Saying-John-316.268139

It's the beginning of the year and like many parents of Awana clubbers, your goal is for your child to get through his or her handbook/manual.

Parents can do a lot to help their kids.

1. Promise to work with your child/teen each week. (You could even memorize the verses along with him.)

2. Purchase the verse music CDs (for younger clubbers) and allow your children to hear the verses over and over.

3.Say the verse every night at the supper table. (If you have kids in more than one book - you could say a verse from each of their books.)

Then there is the ten-minute idea. Make a chart for the frig (or you could use index cards). Set up the chart so there are seven boxes per week. Each day your child spends at least 10 minutes on a verse, he puts his initials in the box. (You may want him to work at the kitchen table or in some other visitble spot. That way, you'll know he's not actually watching the game or texting his friend.)  Each box counts for a point. Determine in your family what the points stand for. Thirty points equals a mini-golf outing or lunch at a favorite restaurant or the privilege of staying up two hours later on Friday night.

The amazing result? Ten minutes a day adds up to a LOT of learned verses.

The In-Flight Movie consists of eight short episodes of the Sparks characters in their clubhouse. At this point, we are not planning on doing additional episodes for the WingRunner and SkyStomer years. That's why these episodes fit all three years worth of curriculum.

Here are ten ways to use the In-Flight Movie

1. As something for the Sparkies to watch if they get to club early (in lieu of running around and seeing who can throw the bean bags high enough to get them stuck in the rafters).

2. As something to play at the end of club as parents come pick up their children.

3. As something to play during song time. (The Sparks song is on the CD.)

4. As something to play to help the clubbers learn the books of the Bible. (The books of the Bible song is also on the CD.)

5. To play at the beginning of the Large Group Lesson time - and then expand on the scenario for your lesson.

6. To give as birthday presents to your Sparkies.

7. To encourage parents to buy as a fun, at-home DVD.

8. As a gift for a Sparkie that may be sick or in the hospital.

9. As a gift to a Sparkie-age grandchild, niece or nephew to introduce them to Awana.

10.. As a DVD to play for people as they come to a parents' night or awards night.

Blue sky, sunshine and a refreshing breeze greeted me this morning when I left for work. Even construction  traffic making me sidetrack from my usual route didn't stop me from feeling upbeat.

I ended up driving the back way, the way that takes me down tree-lined roads, forest preserves, a lake - and the quaint, little town of Wayne. (Although this is the scenic route, it is by no means the quick route and so I only go this way on days I have extra time or at the height of the leave color-change in the autumn.)

Driving in the Chicago suburbs is interesting - and speedy. You always need to be alert to what's happening around you. If the speed limit is 40 - people go 50. If the speed limit is 50 - people go 60.

Unless, of course, you're driving through Wayne. Then you go 25. No one tailgates. No one pressures you to go faster. No one does anything. Everyone drives 25. They KNOW. They know if they drive 30 or 35, they WILL be stopped by the police and a ticket WILL be forthcoming.

(One week I saw someone pulled over EVERY DAY, but that was years ago and now everyone I see is GOING the speed limit.)

So, this morning as I meandered through the town of Wayne (at 25mph), I noticed that every other car I passed also meandered (at 25mph). Because the town is so consistent with their ticket-giving, everyone knows what will happen if you break the law.

Consistency.

Isn't that the same as with parents and children? We need to be consistent.

Training children involves:

1. Clearly stating the rules. (The signs tell you the speed limit is 25mph.)

2. Carrying through when a rule is broken. (You WILL get stopped by the police.)

3.  Carrying the rules over from one day to the next. (The rules in Wayne are always the same.)

That's the BIG PICTURE. If we're consistent with what we expect from our kids, they will learn to consistently do the right thing in responding to us.

Just like the cars that slow down and follow the rules as they travel through the quaint town of Wayne, so our children will learn to follow the rules as they travel through life.

1. Your Sparkie listens to the biographies on the CD.

2. You play the CD for your Sparkie in your car.

3. Your Sparkie reads along with it, following the words in the book (though we did leave out some of the he saids, she saids).

4. You listen to the CD with your Sparkie.

5. Your Sparkie  listens to the CD while he is playing.

6. You ask your Sparkie questions about the biography and then have him listen to see if he can find the answers.

7. Allow your child to play the CD while pretending he is the Sparks leader and his younger silblings are the Sparkies.

8. Have your Sparkie play the CD while Grandpa and Grandma are there - and act out what happens.

9. Play the a biography for your Sparkie - and stop at different places - and have your Sparkie tell you what happens next.

10. Play the CD as your Sparkie is going to sleep.

Lots of churches have websites these days.

Recently, I heard of a church that has added a fun page to their site.

Collect pictures.

*Pictures kids draw of the pastor's message

*Pictures of Bible characters drawn in Sunday School or Children's Church

*Pictures drawn in Awana to illustrate a Bible verse

Submit the pictures to an online kids' art gallery. Scan in the ones you want to display.

 TADA! You have an art show representing YOUR kids.

Just remember to get parents permission to include names (use first names only) and ages.