The Children’s Corner
Children are love, valued, treasured, adored, celebrated… let’s see, how else can we say it? We love kids at Custer Road UMC! And this blog is the space where you can find out the latest going on with our children’s ministry. We hope you’ll check in often!
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This year for Holy Week, we are providing daily Scriptures, a photo scavenger hunt, and simple activity for you to read with your family to help you connect with God and each other. You can read all about it here.
READ
As a family, read Mark 16:1-7- the story of the best day ever! Questions you may want to ask your family:-How would you have felt if you were the first one to find the empty tomb? What would you do?-How do you think people felt when they knew Jesus had risen?-How do you share the story of Jesus’ resurrection?WATCHCLICK HERE to watch Ms. Wendy read the story of The Empty TombCLICK HERE to watch a Preschool Telling of the Easter StoryCLICK HERE to watch The Mystery of Easter- for all ages!FINDToday’s Scavenger Hunt is for something empty! Maybe an empty Easter Egg? An empty Resurrection Roll? Get creative! Once you spot something empty, take a fun family selfie and post a picture in the comments of the Best Day Ever thread on our Facebook page or email to hhammer@crumc.org and we’ll post for you! Or- just post a selfie of your family celebrating Jesus today!DOCelebrate Jesus with your family! Pick an activity from the ones linked below, like a Resurrection Egg Hunt or Resurrection Rolls. OR- just enjoy spending time together celebrating- thanking God for the gift of Jesus and your many blessings!- We can’t wait to worship with you on Easter morning! Our 9:45 modern and 11:00 traditional services will be on Facebook or at crumc.org. We will also have a Sonrise Service at 7:00 on our Facebook page only.
CLICK HERE and HERE for some Resurrection Scavenger Hunts and CLICK HERE for a Resurrection Roll Recipe!
LOOKING FOR MORE?We understand that the demands of quarantine may mean that you can’t wrap your brain around doing anything else. And that’s ok! But if you are looking for some additional activities, we’ve pinned some of our favorites HERE. The one our family is really looking forward to is making Resurrection Rolls, but there are lots of fun options 🙂The Quiet Cave- Holy Week 2020
This year for Holy Week, we are providing daily Scriptures, a photo scavenger hunt, and simple activity for you to read with your family to help you connect with God and each other. You can read all about it here.
READ
As a family, read John 19:38-42. It looks like the weather might not cooperate for a walk outside today. Maybe you’d like to read today’s story from your own cave blanket fort! Questions you may want to ask your family:-How do you think Jesus’ friends felt after he died?-What makes you feel better when you are feeling very sad?-Jesus’ friends took care of Him- even after he died. Do you think that God wants us to take good care of each other too? How could we do that?WATCHIf you haven’t had the chance to watch the videos posted earlier this week, today would be a great day to walk through Holy Week in preparation for tomorrow!PALM SUNDAY
WASHING FEET
THE LAST SUPPER
GOOD FRIDAY
THE EASTER STORY FOR PRESCHOOL
THE MYSTERY OF EASTER- A GREAT STORY FOR EVERYONE!
FINDToday’s Scavenger Hunt is for items that bring you hope. Where do you see hope both in light of our current pandemic and also on this Holy Saturday where we wait in the space between tragedy and triumph? Is it in flowers blooming? Music, art, dancing? In the smiles of the family around you? Every time you spot hope today color in another section of your cross and post a picture in the comments of the Good Friday thread on our Facebook page or email to hhammer@crumc.org and we’ll post for you! Or simply comment on the thread to spread that hope to our church family!DOWere you able to make a cross yesterday? If not, maybe you’d like to do it today! Here is a picture of how ours turned out. Watch the video below for a fun folding trick!
Today as you look for God and the hope that is all around us, color or paint in a section of the cross each time you spot it! Your final creation should be a beautiful reminder that God is good and with us always! We’d love for you to share your completed crosses or just a list of what you found on the Quiet Cave post on our Children’s Ministry Facebook Page.
- We can’t wait to worship with you on Easter morning! Our 9:45 modern and 11:00 traditional services will be on Facebook or at crumc.org. We will also have a Sonrise Service at 7:00 on our Facebook page only.
LOOKING FOR MORE?We understand that the demands of quarantine may mean that you can’t wrap your brain around doing anything else. And that’s ok! But if you are looking for some additional activities, we’ve pinned some of our favorites HERE. The one our family is really looking forward to is making Resurrection Rolls, but there are lots of fun options 🙂This year for Holy Week, we are providing daily Scriptures, a photo scavenger hunt, and simple activity for you to read with your family to help you connect with God and each other. You can read all about it here.
READ
As a family, read John 19:16-18. Maybe you’d like to download a Bible app to your phone and read it while you take a walk outside! We understand that the story of Jesus’ death is a sad and scary story, but it is so important for our kids to understand the fullness of the Easter story and not rush right to the empty tomb. You may choose to paraphrase the story yourself or use one of the story videos below to help tell the story. You know your child and family best! Questions you may want to ask your family:-How do you feel about what happened to Jesus?-Why do you think they call it Good Friday?-Jesus’ love for us is so big. He lived a life that showed us what it meant to share God’s love with everyone and died on the cross because He loves us and wants to be our friend forever. How can we remind someone else that they are loved today?WATCHIn the video above, Ms. Heather shares a story from Easter Love Letters from God called The Darkest Day. Today’s story is a sad one, but Easter is coming!The Easter Story linked above is especially appropriate for our Preschoolers and explains Easter in an age appropriate way!In case you missed this one on Wednesday- I love the explanation of Easter found in the Mystery of Easter. You can also download a free PDF of the book HERE if you’d like to read it yourself!FIND
Today’s Scavenger Hunt item is a cross. You might find a cross somewhere in your house. Or maybe on your walk you’ll find sidewalk cracks shaped like a cross or someone’s beautiful chalk art. If you can’t find a cross, maybe you could make your own out of sticks or other nature items you find on your walk! Once you find your cross, take a picture and post them to The Good Friday thread on our Facebook page or email to hhammer@crumc.org and we’ll post for you!
DO
Today’s activity will tie into tomorrow’s activity! We’d like to encourage you to make a paper cross with folds in it. You can use the video below for a “magic” paper folding technique that will turn into a cross. Or you can cut your own cross out of plain paper and then fold it at different angles, making sure to leave a crease on the paper. Then take a black or dark colored marker and trace the lines you created. You should be left with shapes that are outlined in a pattern similar to stained glass. Hang your cross today somewhere you will see it as a reminder of how much Jesus loves you!Stay tuned tomorrow for part 2 of this activity!LOOKING FOR MORE?
We understand that the demands of quarantine may mean that you can’t wrap your brain around doing anything else. And that’s ok! But if you are looking for some additional activities, we’ve pinned some of our favorites HERE. The one our family is really looking forward to is making Resurrection Rolls, but there are lots of fun options 🙂
The Last Supper- Holy Week 2020
This year for Holy Week, we are providing daily Scriptures, a photo scavenger hunt, and simple activity for you to read with your family to help you connect with God and each other. You can read all about it here.
READ
As a family read Luke 22:14-20. Maybe you’d like to download a Bible app to your phone and read it while you take a walk outside! Questions you may want to ask your family:-Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone that you really loved? How did that make you feel? How do you think Jesus felt saying goodbye to his friends, the Disciples?-What does Jesus want us to remember every time we take communion?-What can our family do between now and Easter to remember Jesus?WATCHYou can watch Ms. Veronica share the story of the Last Supper from her Spark Story Bible HERE. If you have your Spark Story Bible, you can follow along on page 364. Or, you can watch an animated version of the story HERE.FINDToday’s Scavenger Hunt item is a place where you and your family can share a snack or meal together. Maybe you’d like to take a walk to find a great picnic spot. Or maybe you’ll want to take a walk to the dining room table. Maybe it’s somewhere where you always share meals together- or maybe today you eat together some place different! Once you find a spot for your meal or snack take a picture and post them to The Last Supper thread on our Facebook page or email to hhammer@crumc.org and we’ll post for you!DOOne of the greatest blessings of this quarantine is the ability for families to gather around the table together daily- even multiple times a day! We know that there is something powerful and beautiful about sharing a meal together, so it is no surprise that Jesus chose a meal as his goodbye to the Disciples and as the imagery for the communion ritual that followers of Jesus have been participating in ever since. So, today’s activity is simple:- Share a meal together! Thank God for each member of your family and thank God for Jesus!
- Looking for more? Use play-doh to make a pretend meal. Serve your family your delicious feast!
- Or use play food to make a feast and set a table for your distinguished guests- the Disciples as played by your favorite stuffed friends!
- Don’t forget to tune in at 7:30 for our Maundy Thursday service on Facebook or at crumc.org.
This year for Holy Week, we are providing daily Scriptures, a photo scavenger hunt, and simple activity for you to read with your family to help you connect with God and each other. You can read all about it here.
READ
As a family read Mark 14:32-42. Maybe you’d like to download a Bible app to your phone and read it while you take a walk outside! Questions you may want to ask your family:-There are many ways to pray. You can fold your hands and say or think words to God. You could sit quietly with your eyes closed and listen for what God wants you to know. You can take a walk and notice the beauty of God’s creation around you. How do you pray? Where do you pray? When do you pray?-Jesus was scared so he prayed to God to help him. What do you do when you are scared?-Do you think there were flowers or plants in the garden with Jesus? Flowers and plants start off as a patch of dirt and grow into something beautiful. How does Jesus bring new life to us like He does to flowers?WATCHWe didn’t have a book about Jesus praying in the garden. But we thought that this was a great book to help you get ready for explaining Easter to your children. Easter is a difficult and violent story to explain- especially to young children, but the language and imagery in this book does a beautiful job explaining it in an age appropriate way. CLICK HERE to watch the video. You can also download the PDF of this book free HERE.You can also read the story of Jesus in the garden from the Deep Blue Story Book Bible- Jesus Prays Deep Blue Bible.FIND
Today’s Scavenger Hunt item is plants or flowers. Take a walk around the block or a walk around the living room and be on the lookout for plants or flowers. Can you find a garden? A patch of flowers? Oooh- maybe bluebonnets? Maybe a picture in your house with flowers in it? An outfit hanging in the closet with flowers on it? Once you find them take a picture and post them to the Jesus Prays thread on our Facebook page or email to hhammer@crumc.org and we’ll post for you! If you create a prayer space as referenced below, we’d LOVE to see that too!!
DO
Jesus knew how important it was to talk to God. It is important for us to talk to God too! Creating a prayer space in your home to intentionally connect with God, especially when we are unable to be at church, will help your family be reminded of His presence in your home!- Pick a space. It could be a small closet that is not being used, a corner of a room, or even your coffee table! Make it cozy by adding a chair to sit in or floor pillows to sit on.
- Add prayer items to your space. This might include a small lamp if there is no light, and a battery operated candle. (We have been teaching the kids to use these in their prayer practice!) You may also want to include a cross, a Bible, pictures of your loved ones that you’d like to pray for, or a bulletin board to put prayer requests on.
- If you don’t have a space in your home that will work for this purpose, consider putting together a prayer box that family members can pull out and use during their prayer time!
- This space can be very simple- don’t overthink! If you’d like some inspiration you can view our Pinterest board HERE.
- Holy Week is here and it feels different for a million reasons. But one thing is certain, now more than ever, we need the hope of Jesus! So as we began thinking about what Holy Week would look like for our kids this year, we began asking ourselves what was essential about Easter? What is the heart of the message? What is the thing that we want to celebrate now that we’ve been given permission to put aside the busyness?We think this year that less is more. That the heart of the Easter message isn’t found in intricate details or big events. But in quiet moments- shared with your family and Jesus.So our prayer this year is that the blessing of this mess will be that you and your family get quiet moments to connect with Jesus in ways that might not have been possible in the midst of “normal” life. An opportunity to connect with each other without worrying about what’s next on the schedule. To laugh, and have fun, and remember that Jesus loves you so much that he wants to be your friend forever!We’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled social media schedule to bring you a daily Holy Week experience. The concept is simple:
- Read/Watch a Scripture story for the day
- Take a fun family selfie with a Scavenger Hunt item that relates to the story. You can take a walk outside together or simply look around your house.
- Do an activity together that relates to the story.
We’ll send you an email each morning with the day’s Scripture as well as post information to our Facebook Page and Children’s Ministry Blog. Follow along in real time or simply do the activities when you are able.We pray that your family will be blessed this Holy Week and look forward to seeing how God works through your family’s faith journey in new ways!
READAs a family read John 13:1-17. Maybe you’d like to download a Bible app to your phone and read it while you take a walk outside! Questions you may want to ask your family:-How do you think the Disciples felt when Jesus was washing their feet?-How do you think Jesus felt when was washing their feet?-How does it make you feel that Jesus would wash your dirty feet?-What is Jesus trying to teach us through this story?-What ways can we serve others in humility like Jesus served?WATCH
CLICK HERE to watch Ms. Heather read an excerpt from one of her favorite books- Easter Love Letters from God that tells the story of Jesus washing His Disciples feet!CLICK HERE to watch this animated version of the story!FINDToday’s Scavenger Hunt item is water. Take a walk around the block or walk around the living room and be on the lookout for water. Can you find a puddle? A stream? A pool? A glass of water? A family member washing their hands? Washing dishes? Once your find it take a picture and post to the Washing Feet thread on our Facebook Page or email to hhammer@crumc.org and we’ll post for you!DOHave your own foot (or hand) washing ceremony at home! Take turns washing each family member’s feet, making sure that each person has a chance to wash and be washed. You can use a basin with warm soapy water and a washcloth or even baby wipes or paper towels- although we know that those are a commodity right now. It works best to have the person having their feet washed seated in a chair. As you wash their feet say something like, “Jesus taught us to love one another by being a servant. I love you and Jesus does too!” - Those of you who have experienced Holy Week at Custer Road know that Palm Sunday is a special day for our church! Typically at our services we have the children parade through the worship space waving palm branches while the congregation sings. It is one of my favorite days of the whole year and I’d be lying to you if I told you I wasn’t grieving missing out on this tradition this year. But God is good and we’ve been dreaming up a way to have a virtual parade! Here is what we need you to do:
- Pick a palm branch from the options below! You can craft one, print one, or go into your yard and pick a branch from your tree 🙂 No times for craft or leaf picking? Find a bandanna, a piece of fabric…get creative!
- Take a picture or video of your kids waving their palm branches!
- CLICK HERE to add your picture or video to our Google Drive by FRIDAY MORNING.
- Tune in on Sunday morning to our Facebook Page or website to see your smiling face on the live stream! We’ll use the pictures you provide to put together the most epic virtual palm parade there ever was!!
Click the image above to print and color in or paint your own Palm Branch!
Not in the mood to craft? You can print this palm branch as is by clicking the image above! You could even pull this up on your phone or tablet if you don’t have access to a printer!
Click the picture for instructions to make a hand print palm branch! No paint? You could use green construction paper! No green paper? White paper, notebook paper, whatever paper you have will work!
This one is super simple. Click the picture for instructions. If you don’t have popsicle sticks you could use a straw, a pencil, a wooden spoon…use your imagination! Or- just wave the paper on it’s own!
However your family would like to represent a palm branch is great! Real leaves from outside, a scarf from your closet- it all works! Whatever you use, be sure you post your pictures and videos HERE by Friday morning so that you can be included in our parade!
It’s Worship With Us Wednesday and we LOVE when God speaks in a new way through a song we sing most Sundays- we think the words may resonate with you differently today, too. Take a moment to worship together and be encouraged- you belong to God and He will never let you go!!
I can’t help but feel a little downA little worried when I look aroundThat’s why my hope is in, my hope is in the Lord!My hope is in the LordI belong to HimHe will never let me goAnd if you need an excuse to get everyone up and moving, you won’t want to miss God Made Me Shine! Our preschoolers LOVE to dance and giggle to this one and it includes a great reminder that God made us, God loves us, and Jesus wants to be our friend forever!I’m certain that the sound of your kids worshiping is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world! Soak in that blessing today, friends!We sure do miss worshiping with you in person, but we are so blessed with the opportunity to still be connected! We hope that you will use the resources below to create your very own Sunday School experience at home!
This week our Elementary aged students conclude the series Revealed with a lesson on Forgiveness. CLICK HERE to watch the teaching video, worship with us, and hear from Ms. Veronica! Then you can use the image below to continue the conversation as a family! (Clicking on the document will take you to the PDF with live links!)
Our Preschoolers will be finishing up their series- Follow the Leader. We’ve been learning all month what it looks like to follow Jesus! CLICK HERE to worship with us, watch the teaching video, and hear from Ms. Wendy- and Ollie! Then, you can use the document below to extend your learning at home!
Have you been worshiping with us online at 9:45 and 11:00? Even if you can’t join us live, you can always access the service through our Facebook Feed or at crumc.org. You can also view this week’s Children’s Sermon here.
We are praying for your family as we head into another week of physically distancing, but take heart in knowing that we are all connected by our good, good God who is always with us! Have a great week!
Scientific Saturday with Ms. Wendy- What Lies Beneath?
Happy Saturday, CR Kids! It’s Scientific Saturday and we have a fun activity for you to work on today or save for the upcoming week!Can you find a rainbow in a black marker? Join Ms. Wendy for an experiment that will remind us that God looks at our hearts rather than our outward appearance! The only supplies you will need are a coffee filter, a black marker, and some water! Check it out HERE!
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- March 17, 2020