Written by Judy Gattis Smith.
Published by Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1983.
-
What is the aim, purpose, or goal of this particular study?
To bring children closer to God through their five sense. To help children become more aware of God's love for them through their five senses. - How does this resource define spirituality?
What terms does this resource prefer to use?
Spirituality is experiencing (with all five senses), practicing, and concentrating upon the truth and presence of the spirit of God; all of this leads to the children's personal knowing of their Christian faith tradition. Terms used included spiritual growth, spiritual leaders, spiritual thinkers, and spiritual models. - Do you see any particular theological perspective or
agenda within this material? If so, what is it?
This resource is published by a Baptist publishing house that is intentionally ecumenical. We found no denominational emphasis. However, we did find a couple interesting things about the language used. First, there were no gender references to God. There were no sentence structures that required the use of a pronoun or the replacement of a pronoun. Another interesting element is that the Bible is always referred to as "God's Word" or "Scripture", never "The Bible'". The resource stresses the importance of private study within the context of the community. Everyone studies the same passage then shares their insights with the group. - Which spiritual disciplines, if any, are included in
the resource? (such as fasting, meditation, lectio divina)
Worship of God Reading of Scripture Praying of Scripture such as the Psalms Meditating on Scripture and multisensory experiences Singing praises to God Contemplating with thought and reflection Scripture and experiences Moving with one's body in response to the movement of God's spirit within Sharing a meal of "daily bread" with children or fasting - For whom is this resource intended? (age
group, interests, etc.) In what settings? (classroom, home,
etc.)
This resources could be used in weekly Sunday school classroom or outside, children's retreat or camp settings, sessions in church or in homes, children's sermons, or elementary afternoon fellowship. Smith recommends the resource to be used by children in third through sixth grade. Smith explains that the experiences do not follow a set pattern or age range. The experiences may be modified for younger children (ages three to eight years old). The resource has experiences for most of the liturgical calendar events, such as Holy Week. - What is included when you purchase this resource?
(books, teaching aids, etc.) What is the cost of this resource?
Just the one book, Developing a Child's Spiritual Growth. This resource is not longer available for sale, but can be checked out from the Media Resources Center at Union-PSCE or possibly borrowed from a presbytery resource center. - Is the Bible used as a resource in any of the
sessions? How is it referred to?
Each experience is grounded in a Scripture passage or verse. The Bible (witnesses to) points to God's identity and activity through the stories and writings in the Old and New Testaments in the lives of people living in the past and in the present. - What type of learning activities are included in the
lessons? For instance, is there group work as well as individual
reflection time?
There are a large number and variety of learning activities in this resource. Learning activities include: Drama Pantomime Group discussion Individual study and reflection Dance Drawing and writing Cooking Experiencing different postures - Is
there a teacher for the study? What does the teacher need to know/do
prior to each lesson?
The resource is intended for the teachers or leaders of children. The teacher is provided with 52 different experiences or activities. The necessary teacher preparation depends upon each activity. - What
is your overall evaluation of the resource? (strengths and weakness,
etc.)
Smith provides a variety of ways children can experience God with their senses. A strength of this resource is its attention to the size of the group of learners and the differences between various age levels. Also, the sheer number and diversity of activities that are all developmentally appropriate is a positive aspect of the resource. While these activities are a strength of the resource, it is difficult to imagine using a single activity as a lesson. Some suggestions on how to connect or combine the activities from the different senses into one lesson would have been helpful.