Sweet Easter

"Sweet Easter" is a short talk about Easter for children which may told at a school assembly, a church service or shared as a family devotion.
 Link :  Sweet Easter Talk

Also check out the Easter 'pass the parcel' game on the same page above
https://www.eliab.com/sweet-easter.html

AWESOME EASTER IDEAS

Check out these awesome Easter resources for worship or children's programs-

http://sa.uca.org.au/uyp/church-resources/all-age-worship/easter-services

http://request.org.uk/restart/2016/02/03/the-easter-story-pairs-game/

http://lapbooklessons.com/ResurrectionLapbook

http://www.biblestorycartoons.com/easter-story-resources/

http://eliab.com/Puppets/The-shape-of-Easter.html

http://eliab.com/Chants/Easter-chant.html

http://eliab.com/Chants/Easter-march.html

http://eliab.com/Poems/Jellybean-prayer.html

Free Christmas Resources and ideas

Check out my free Christmas resources including the story "My Christmas Pillow" at my website
Eliab.com
Christmas page

Christmas Plus

Please check out my Christmas website ChristmasPlus for many Christmas stories, reflections, Assembly ideas, Christmas jokes plus much more!
Christmasplus.blogspot.com

Free games and quiz generators

Check out this teachers website where you can create free games, quizzes and diagrams for teaching.
http://ClassTools.net

Easter picture series

I found a wonderful series of pictures which tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. They are free to download and use.
Easter Pictures
Biblestorycards.co.uk

Hot Cross Buns

• Hot Cross Buns

  Hold up a hot cross bun and ask the group if they like to eat these buns at Easter. Say that many people all around the world like to eat these buns at Easter time and those that are Christians are reminded of Jesus death on a cross by the cross we find on the top of the bun.
  “Let’s think about the ingredients needed to make these buns. What are some of the things you think might be used? Flour? Water? Fruit? One thing that’s very important in making hot cross buns is yeast. What do we use yeast for? It helps the bun to rise otherwise they might be called “flat cross buns”. The yeast also might remind us that Jesus rose from the grave. He didn’t stay dead after he was crucified and put in to the tomb – he rose again. Dried fruits are also added to the mixture in making hot cross buns. These might remind us of the good things that come from Jesus’ death. Without his death on the cross we wouldn’t be able to enjoy new life.
  As you pass around some buttered hot cross buns for the children to eat. Invite everyone just to pause for a few moments and silently thank Jesus for being willing to die a slow and painful death so that we might have eternal life with him.
  Just in case you wondered about the history of the hot cross bun : We get the word “bun” from the Teutonic equivalent, “boun”, which was an archaic description of a sacrificial ox. The practice of offering animal sacrifices at the vernal equinox became frowned upon. Instead, the goddess in question was honoured with a cake, a sacred ox bun. Imprinted on the cake were the crossed horns of a ox. Christians reinterpreted this as the cross of Christ.
  Puppet script from Eliab.com “Hot Cross Buns“

Worship resources for school assemblies

Worship resources for school assemblies

• cowo.culham.ac.uk/ Collective Worship Resource – from the Culham Institute, in association with the National Society
• www.culham.ac.uk/storykeepers/ These resources are based on the Storykeepers television / video series.
• www.assemblies.org.uk Assemblies Website (SPCK)
• www.blackburn.anglican.org/cw/ Diocese of Blackburn Board of Education – Collective School Worship
• www.ely.anglican.org/education/schools/collective_worship/ Diocese of Ely Education and Training: Schools – RE and Collective Worship Resources
• www.saled.org/worship Diocese of Salisbury Board of Education – Collective Worship
• www.hibbert-assembly.org.uk The Hibbert Assembly – Material provided by the Hibbert Trust.
• www.retoday.org.uk/sfr/ RE Today: Space for Reflection – Assemblies and guidance for collective worship (password required – available to RE today subscribers).
• www.assemblingcitizens.co.uk Assembling Citizens – Secondary school assembly materials on citizenship issues from The Stapleford Centre (subscription required).
• www.angelfire.com/trek/annegordon/ Anne’s Page – Exploring Christian Faith with Children – Includes general advice and some starting points and suggestions for Collective Worship, along with ‘Times and Seasons’, a brief guide to the church’s year, again with suggestions for Collective Worship.
• www.cist.org.uk/ay/ Christians in Schools in the Stockport Area: Collective Acts of Worship – Outlines for Collective Worship suitable for Key Stage 1 children.
• www.schoolassemblies.btinternet.co.uk – School Assemblies for Busy Teachers – Assembly ideas, scripts and other resources contributed by teachers.
• www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/assemblies/ – Teachernet – Assemblies – A bank of over 100 resources written by teachers for teachers.

5 Basic Ways to Make Learning Fun

5 Basic Ways to Make Learning Fun

1. Build good relationships

• Leaders to kids
• Kids to leaders
• Kids to kids

Participate in all activities even if it is from the sideline

Be real with the kids

Set and keep good standards

2. Use action and variety
   • Be well prepared.
   • Use activities that suit the children’s age group.
   • Give the children some responsibility.

3. Create a sense of belonging

•  Know their names and interests.
•  Have a positive and encouraging atmosphere.
•  Have a known strategy for managing your children..
•  Make sure your working environment is as appealing as possible.

4. Study the Bible creatively

•  Sell it by your own walk with God
• Help them to see how God wants to be in communication with them
• Broaden their horizons – social justice, current events
•  Make it visual and involve them

5. Play games with them

•  Always take into account the differences between boys and girls.
•  Have noisy and quiet games.
•  Make sure that it is fun for everyone –including those with special needs.

Memory verse game

Here's a fun way to help children remember a Bible memory verse. Play "flashlight tag" (or torch tag if you're from Australia). Bring a flashlight and let someone be "it". It tries to shine the flashlight on someone's feet to tag them. If they are tagged, they can be set free by someone running to them and saying the memory verse.

Colours for Easter

An All- Age Worship Activity

You need : Green, Red,Black, White and Yellow balloon bunches or streamers or flags.

Call forward any of the congregation or children's group who are wearing a green top (t-shirt, jumper, sweater...). Give them the green props and ask them to stand in a group on the far left side of your stage or up-front area. Talk about how the colour green may remind us that Jesus came... and on the way he was welcomed into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Ask the green group to practice their phrase. Continue this process with the following colours and phrases.

"Jesus came- and suffered- and died- but came alive again- to bring new life...

GREEN ---- RED ---- BLACK --- WHITE --- YELLOW

Finally invite all those remaining in the congregation wearing other colours to add "for everyone" to finish the phrase. Those holding the balloons can form a rolling Mexican wave of colour as they circle the balloons in front of them as they say their phrase.

Easter Resources from the Web

Easter Resources from the Web

Easter ideas

http://www.gospel.com/topics/easter

Beyond the Easter Bunny

www.just4kidsmagazine.com/april.html

How Easter Works

www.howstuffworks.com/easter.htm

Countdown to Easter

www.christianitytoday.com/cpt/9g2/9g2031.html

Easter Skits

www.christiancrafters.com/skits.html

Easter Crafts

www.kidsdomain.com/craft

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

www.sacredsites.com/2nd56/27376.html

Eliab.creative outreach ministries-puppets, stories, chants...

http://Eliab.com

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Trying to make a Hexaflexagon?

I first discovered hexaflexagons when I was teaching mathematics. I later used the template for making a hexflexagon and used my own art work to put Bible memory verses or Sunday School teaching points on them. Because the hexaflexagons are so interesting to older primary (elementary) aged children I found that they were a great activity to be used in teaching or for a lesson review.

You may be wondering at this point "well what is a hexaflexagon"? They are not easy to explain but the websites below give you some helpful templates and photos so that you get the idea. Once you make one yourself you will see the potential here for using them with children or even creating an evangelistic tool for use with adults or in mission situations. May the 'flex' be with you!

http://www.enarsson.nu//Flexagon/

http://www.flexagon.net/

http://home.xnet.com/~aak/hexahexa.html

Thinking about Pentecost?

Pentecost Rap by Nick Clarke

Pentecost Rap from 77 Talks for 21st Century Kids by Chris Chesterton

Breath and Spirit - children's talk

Ideas for celebrating Pentecost.

Mother's Day on Pentecost- Worship ideas

LaughingBird.net Paraphrase of Acts 2:1-21

Scripture Union "Xstream" LIGHT Sunday School downloads

What a gift!

A simple puppet script I wrote a couple of years ago for an all-age Pentecost service might be of interest to someone who is planning to use puppets.

What a gift ! at Eliab.com

New free resources for children's ministry

Scripture Union continues it's long tradition of producing high quality resources for bible reading and children's ministry. Scripture Union UK have just launched a new website which makes available thousands of resources from their "LIGHT" material archive. Fully searchable and free.

http://Lightlive.org

Child Safe online

A new program of Child Safety training has just been launched by Scripture Union in Australia and New Zealand. This program and resources would be of interest to all those who work with children and are concerned about child safety.

ChildSafe online provides...

"Our aim is to help you create a culture of safety for children and young people. Safety Management Online (SMO) has been built to facilitate this aim within your organisation.

This sophisticated system manages people's appointment and tracks their training. It provides a framework for all of your programs to operate safely. Online training is available, along with a huge range of resources."

Is there a 'boy crisis'?

The August 6, 2007 issue of TIME Magazine featured an article titled “The Myth About Boys,” which alleged that the boy crisis was overstated and that boys were, in fact, not in trouble. There were a number of flaws with the article, which have been eloquently addressed by Dr. Leonard Sax, an expert on gender and learning, and author of the new book Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. Anyone interested in these issues is encouraged to check out Boys Adrift.

To read the article in TIME, go here.

To see the Boys and Schools response to the article, go here.

The Myth of “The Myth About Boys”By Dr. Leonard Sax

Nearness prayers

Give each child a pencil or crayon and a sheet of paper. Invite eveyone to close their eyes and think of a time when they have felt God very near to them. Suggest that each child ask God to help them to remember one of these times. The leader should not give any specific suggestions of when anyone may have felt near to God.

Now, on your piece of paper, see if you can draw or write something to illustrate or describe that special time.

When everyone is finished, invite those who would like to share what they have written or drawn, or talk about their time of feeling near to God. You will find that once one child has shared, it becomes easier for others.

Finish by praying together thanking God for being close and asking Him to be with them during this coming week.

Read Psalm 139:1-12

Generation Z children

Generation Z are possibly the most informed, technologically advanced and socially aware kids of all time. This generation is the first generation born into the digital world. There is some debate amongst the experts as to when this age group began. Some researchers claiming as early as 1995, (so the oldest are now hitting 13), while others contend that 2001 is a better starting point. It seems safe to assume that today's babys to seven-year olds are definitely gen Z, and kids aged eight to 12 are on the fuzzy line between very young gen Y and the oldest gen Zs.

McCrindle, founder of McCrindle Research says that this generation that's "fairly demanding and maybe a bit precocious" with high expectations and plenty of material comforts and toys.

How can children's ministers best engage Gen. Z children? What are the implications of working with children who are "high tech" users, highly programmed lives, and generally having parents who are older than the two previous generations?

Who are Generation Z?

The ten commandments of Generation Z

Get ready, here comes Generation Z