Resource: Kid's Time.
Published by: Gospel Light.
Publisher:
This resource is published by Gospel Light and does not associate itself
with any denomination.
Children’s
Worship
As
stated in the leader’s guide, children need informal worship opportunities and
their own level of understanding. The
worship experience is designed to meet the children’s needs, help them respond
with love, and praise to their heavenly Father.
The
Resource Kit Contains:
-
A poster pack (14 large posters to go with lessons)
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Big Book of Bible Games
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Big Book of Bible Puzzles
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Bible Verses Coloring Pages
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Music Video sing-a-long
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Fun Songs for Kids (CD and cassette)
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Leader’s Guide (very large book with every lesson inside)
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Fun carrying case
Structure
and Organization
-
The lessons are carried out through learning centers that the teachers/leaders choose.
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Celebration Story Center with Object Lesson, Active Game Center, Celebration Art Center, Worship Center, Bible Verse Coloring Center, Bible Game Center, or Bible Puzzle Center.
Worship
Content
Children
worship in the worship centers by singing, praying, and reading scripture
Time
Frame
The
time spent in the learning centers are not assigned a time frame.
The
resource follows the church year and incorporates the Hebrew calendar. The
lessons are organized by holidays (Church, Hebrew, and Seasonal)
Age
Levels
The
resource is designed for grades 1-6 but more appropriate for younger children
(some special questions add information for older kids). The broadly graded age
levels used in this resource could be difficult with several children at each
grade level, but could work well with smaller churches that can group children.
Bible
Interpretation
-
Because this curriculum is intended for ecumenical use it intentionally avoids a particular denominational theology. An Independent or Baptist congregational setting could be most appropriate given that issues concerning baptism seem to be focused towards making a responsible choice, but could be used in any Protestant congregation.
-
The resource uses Bible stories to draw/illustrate eternal truths (forgiveness, salvation, etc.) The resource pushes beyond the Bible stories to gain insight into their lives and the world around them.
Leaders/Teachers
Needed
-
It seems that each center needs at least two leaders for up to seven centers. A coordinator and guides are also needed to allow the children to move smoothly through the stations.
-
The amount of preparation seems to depend on the center.
-
The leaders will be teaching all ages of children so should be comfortable with a variety of developmental abilities.
-
The leaders need to be content with teaching the same lesson for several weeks.
Distinctive
Features
-
The resource uses American Sign Language in the story-telling portion during each lesson.
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The resource is centralized in one reproducible book that includes student and teacher lesson plans.
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The lesson plans are very flexible and adaptable in terms of material and time allowances.
Weaknesses
-
Lack of inclusive language
-
Requires a significant amount of coordination in terms of people, time, and material ($) resources.
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Theologically, the resource is a bit shallow in taking a stand on potentially controversial issues in order to appeal to a wide spectrum of beliefs.
Strengths
-
All age levels study a similar theme at the same time
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Understands the uniqueness of individual learners which is demonstrated through a variety of activities the teachers may choose to use
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Incorporates Hebrew festivals
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Uses sign language as a learning method
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Reproducible book is centrally located
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Flexible and adaptable in several denominational situations
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Center plans are easy to understand with a user-friendly layout (font is big and easy to read and follow)
Recommendation
-
This resource is recommended for use with Learning Center, Workshop Rotation Model©, or traditional Sunday school methods as all the activities seem to relate well to any use of Biblical truths.
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We would recommend this resource for use during children’s worship time mainly with younger children.
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Teachers need to be able to adapt this resource to the church’s particular denomination.
