But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Luke 18: 16

Trinity Kids provides spiritual guidance, education, & community for children from infancy through 5th grade. For Preschool through 5th grade, the “contemplative model”; of children’s ministry is used to provide the framework for learning about the stories of the Bible, with a focus back to the gospel & salvation of Jesus Christ. Lessons and discussions are hands-on, reflective, and open-ended. Please contact Julia Guy (julia@trinityanglicanmission.org) with any questions or to learn more about Godly Play and the contemplative model.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Lunches with Kindergarteners

    Over the past several years, I have had the incredible pleasure to join many of Trinity’s elementary age children for lunch at school during the week. As I sit and chat with them in their daily environment, I am always amazed by how much I can learn about them in such a short, 30-minute timeframe. Frequently, their classmates are equally excited to have a special visitor to share with. Our conversations commonly begin with a long interview by the children at the table to assess who I am. “Are you her mother? Her auntie? Her babysitter?” Many times, the child I am visiting will simply explain, “She’s my friend.” What a blessing it is to hear those words!! 
     It is so important to me to truly know each of the children that are a part of our community here at trinityKids. My desire is to know them authentically- what interests them, what worries them, and what brings them happiness and joy. On Sunday mornings, there are any number of children that divide the attention of myself and the volunteers. It is our hope to provide each child with uninterrupted consideration at some point each morning, but it isn’t always possible. My time with them at school allows for some one-on-one conversation and the opportunity to peak into their world outside of the church walls. 
     One of the most magnificent aspects of this one-on-one time is the bonding and trust-building that takes place. The child feels “known” and special. They are given space to share and be the center of attention. Also, I am able to ask intentional leading questions that help them to process things going on in their life. For example, I often ask, “So, do you like your new teacher?” This simple question may yield a simple “yes” or “no,” but sometimes it yields a long discussion about the classroom environment and discipline, how students treat one another, and what they are learning about. With younger children, I might ask, “What’s your favorite thing to do at recess?” I once enjoyed a 10-minute conversation with a Kindergartener about the merits of playtime and why recess should be a protected part of every school day. “Don’t you think running around makes it easier to learn later?” they asked. It was a perfect illustration of that child’s capacity for problem solving, analysis, and justice. I am so glad that I had the chance to see it! 
     Looking forward to joining these fantastic kiddos soon! 

Teaching Kids to Be Kind

Richard Weissbourd, a Harvard psychologist with the graduate school of education, who runs the 'Making Caring Common' project, aims to help teach kids to be kind. He wrote about his work and chose to share some of his insights with others. 
About 80 percent of the youth in the study said their parents were more concerned with their achievement or happiness than whether they cared for others. The interviewees were also three times more likely to agree that “My parents are prouder if I get good grades in my classes than if I’m a caring community member in class and school.”
Weissbourd and his cohorts have come up with recommendations about how to raise children to become caring, respectful and responsible adults. Why is this important? Because if we want our children to be moral people, we have to, well, raise them that way.
“Children are not born simply good or bad and we should never give up on them. They need adults who will help them become caring, respectful, and responsible for their communities at every stage of their childhood,” the researchers write.
The five strategies to raise moral, caring children, according to Making Caring Common:
1. Make caring for others a priority. Why? Parents tend to prioritize their children’s happiness and achievements over their children’s concern for others. But children need to learn to balance their needs with the needs of others, whether it’s passing the ball to a teammate or deciding to stand up for friend who is being bullied.
How? Children need to hear from parents that caring for others is a top priority. A big part of that is holding children to high ethical expectations, such as honoring their commitments, even if it makes them unhappy. For example, before kids quit a sports team, band, or a friendship, we should ask them to consider their obligations to the group or the friend and encourage them to work out problems before quitting.
Try this
• Instead of saying to your kids: “The most important thing is that you’re happy,” say “The most important thing is that you’re kind.”
• Make sure that your older children always address others respectfully, even when they’re tired, distracted, or angry.
• Emphasize caring when you interact with other key adults in your children’s lives. For example, ask teachers whether your children are good community members at school
2. Provide opportunities for children to practice caring and gratitude
. Why? It’s never too late to become a good person, but it won’t happen on its own. Children need to practice caring for others and expressing gratitude for those who care for them and contribute to others’ lives. Studies show that people who are in the habit of expressing gratitude are more likely to be helpful, generous, compassionate, and forgiving—and they’re also more likely to be happy and healthy.
How? Learning to be caring is like learning to play a sport or an instrument. Daily repetition—whether it’s a helping a friend with homework, pitching in around the house, or having a classroom job—make caring second nature and develop and hone youth’s caregiving capacities. Learning gratitude similarly involves regularly practicing it.
Try this
• Don’t reward your child for every act of helpfulness, such as clearing the dinner table. We should expect our kids to help around the house, with siblings, and with neighbors and only reward uncommon acts of kindness.
• Talk to your child about caring and uncaring acts they see on television and about acts of justice and injustice they might witness or hear about in the news.
• Make gratitude a daily ritual at dinnertime, bedtime, in the car, or on the subway. Express thanks for those who contribute to us and others in large and small ways.
3. Expand your child’s circle of concern.Why? Almost all children care about a small circle of their families and friends. Our challenge is help our children learn to care about someone outside that circle, such as the new kid in class, someone who doesn’t speak their language, the school custodian, or someone who lives in a distant country.
How? Children need to learn to zoom in, by listening closely and attending to those in their immediate circle, and to zoom out, by taking in the big picture and considering the many perspectives of the people they interact with daily, including those who are vulnerable. They also need to consider how their
decisions, such as quitting a sports team or a band, can ripple out and harm various members of their communities. Especially in our more global world, children need to develop concern for people who live in very different cultures and communities than their own.
Try this
• Make sure your children are friendly and grateful with all the people in their daily lives, such as a bus driver or a waitress.
• Encourage children to care for those who are vulnerable. Give children some simple ideas for stepping into the “caring and courage zone,” like comforting a classmate who was teased.
• Use a newspaper or TV story to encourage your child to think about hardships faced by children in another country.
4. Be a strong moral role model and mentor. Why? Children learn ethical values by watching the actions of adults they respect. They also learn values by thinking through ethical dilemmas with adults, e.g. “Should I invite a new neighbor to my birthday party when my best friend doesn’t like her?”
How? Being a moral role model and mentor means that we need to practice honesty, fairness, and caring ourselves. But it doesn’t mean being perfect all the time. For our children to respect and trust us, we need to acknowledge our mistakes and flaws. We also need to respect children’s thinking and listen
to their perspectives, demonstrating to them how we want them to engage others.
Try this:
• Model caring for others by doing community service at least once a month. Even better, do this service with your child.
• Give your child an ethical dilemma at dinner or ask your child about dilemmas they’ve faced.
5. Guide children in managing destructive feelings
. Why? Often the ability to care for others is overwhelmed by anger, shame, envy, or other negative feelings.
How? We need to teach children that all feelings are okay, but some ways of dealing with them are not helpful. Children need our help learning to cope with these feelings in productive ways.
Try this: 
Here’s a simple way to teach your kids to calm down: ask your child to stop, take a deep breath through the nose and exhale through the mouth, and count to five. Practice when your child is calm. Then, when you see her getting upset, remind her about the steps and do them with her. After a while she’ll start to do it on her own so that she can express her feelings in a helpful and appropriate way.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2014/07/18/are-you-raising-nice-kids-a-harvard-psychologist-gives-5-ways-to-raise-them-to-be-kind/

September Community Night!

Trinity Kids Community Movie Night! 


Friday, September 12th      
6:30- 8:30 pm

Come watch ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with us!
Pizza will be sold for $1 a slice.

Friends are welcome!

Please sign up so we can be sure to have enough for all to enjoy.

Rising Kindergarten- 5th grade students only, please. 

The Story of Joseph (August 24th)

Season of the Church Year: Common Time “Great Green Growing” Season (Liturgical Color: Green)
Story in Scripture: Genesis 37:1-31; 49:1-6
The story of Joseph is such a beautiful illustration of redemption, forgiveness, and God’s presence in our lives (even when things are really really tough!). When sharing this lesson with the children, sibling rivalry and jealousy are often a strong connecting point to their own lives. Joseph confused and frustrated his brothers and their father’s obvious favoritism didn’t help. God shared many things with Joseph in his dreams and reveals a lot about what is to come in Joseph’s life. As the Bible relates, Joseph’s brothers allow their jealousy to get the better of them and they sell Joseph into slavery, lying to their father about what really happened. God continues to reveal truth about the future in his dreams and also, Joseph is granted wisdom for understanding the dreams of others. While still a slave, Joseph helps the Pharaoh to understand dreams. The Pharaoh is so thankful for Joseph and his wisdom that he gives him important jobs and a better life. One day, Joseph’s brothers come to beg the Pharaoh for some grain in a time of famine. They don’t recognize their long-lost brother, so they are surprised when he eventually reveals himself to them. Because of his job with the Pharaoh and because he loves his brothers and father (even though his brothers did something terrible to him!), they all come to live and be happy together in Egypt. This is not a “happily ever after” story, however, as God’s people continue to struggle throughout the coming generations. But this story is a wonderful reminder of the ways that God redeems our relationships, brings the lost into a place of being known, and allows his great work to be revealed in our obedience to him. Joseph stayed true to his calling from God and restored his family through his love. 

Guiding Questions for Discussion:
(Note: These are the usual questions that are asked after Old Testament character studies.) 

Now I wonder which part of the story you liked best? 
I wonder what part is the most important? 
I wonder what part is about you…. Or what part was especially for you? 
I wonder what the story of Joseph and his family might be teaching you? 

Prayer:
“Father, thank you for Joseph. We can learn so much from his life. I pray that you would remind me that you are always with me, even when things are difficult. Even when the people I love the most make mistakes, help my to forgive them, just as Jesus forgave those who hurt him. I know that you are always with me. Help me to be the kind of person that can bring joy to you and who can show the world how powerful and wonderful you are. Amen.” 


The Story of Jacob (August 17th)

Season of the Church Year: Common Time “Great Green Growing” Season (Liturgical Color: Green)
Story in Scripture: Genesis 12:24- 25:11 

In our learning this week about Jacob, drew a connection between he and his father Isaac, Sarah and Abraham’s first-born son. This helps to weave the story of God’s Great Family. We learned about his twin brother Esau and their struggle with wanting to be first. Our storytelling lays out the trick that Rebekah and Jacob play on Isaac so that he thinks he is giving his blessing to Esau, though it is only Jacob in disguise. To protect Jacob from the consequences of this trick, he is sent out to find a wife, but he is tricked too. The long and complicated story of God’s Family reminds us of our human folly and God’s sovereignty. The story concludes with Jacob’s dream about wrestling God and thus being re-named “Israel”. The 12 Tribes of Israel, then are drawn from his 12 sons.  

Guiding Questions for Discussion:
(Note: These are the usual questions that are asked after Old Testament character studies.)

Now I wonder which part of the story you liked best? 
I wonder what part is the most important? 
I wonder what part is about you…. Or what part was especially for you? 
I wonder what the story of Jacob and his family might be teaching you? 

Prayer: 
“Dear Lord, help me to learn about you through the story of Jacob. Help me to understand that, no matter what I try to do to trick others or sneak around, you are always there to know the truth and to help me to follow your path instead. I pray that you will teach me wisdom and trust. Thank you for the stories of the Great Family. I love you and am so thankful that you are in charge. Amen.” 

Monday, August 11, 2014

The Story of Sarah (August 10th)

Season of the Church Year: Common Time/ “Great Green Growing” Season  (Liturgical Color: green)
Story in Scripture: Genesis 12- 23 & 1 Peter 3:6 
This week, we learned about the life of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, father of the Great Family. Much of Sarah’s story centers around her relationship with her husband as they await God’s promise of a family. It’s a bit tricky to explain to children, but we tell the story of Hagar (whom we call a “helper”) and the birth of Ishmael. The fulfillment of God’s promise in the birth of Isaac is celebrated and the sad conflict between Sarah and Hagar is told directly, leaving time for the children to reflect on how each person involved might have felt. Our storytelling about Sarah concludes with the time in which she awaits the return of Abraham and Isaac from the mountain on which Abraham followed God’s call to sacrifice his son, but was redeemed by the word from an angel.

GUIDING QUESTIONS
FOR DISCUSSION
(Note: These are the usual questions that are asked after Old Testament character studies.) 

Now I wonder which part of the story you liked best? 
I wonder what part is the most important? 
I wonder what part is about you…. Or what part was especially for you? 
I wonder what the story of Abraham and his family might be teaching you? 
I wonder how this story might be getting us ready for Jesus? 
How might the story of Abraham be a part of God’s rescue plan for salvation through Jesus? 


PRAYER 
“Dear Lord, thank you for the story of Sarah. I pray that you will help me to understand how this story teaches me something about my life. Walk beside me each day and help me to be patient and trust that you will fulfill the promises that you have made. Help me to wait on you, instead of always trying to fix things myself. Amen.” 

The Story of Abraham (July 27th)

Season of the Church Year: Common Time/ “Great Green Growing” Season  (Liturgical Color: green)
Story in Scripture: Genesis 12:24- 25:11 
This week, we learned about the life of Abram- who became Abraham, the father of the Great Family. This is one of the first lessons of the season focused on the Old Testament “Sacred Stories.” Our attention to Abram’s story begins when God sends he and Sarah in to a new land. We spend considerable time discussing God’s promise fulfilled through the birth of Isaac, and Abraham’s difficult word from God to sacrifice his son (although of course, an angel of the Lord stops him and goes on to say, “God says, ‘I will make you the father of a great family… as many as the grains of the sand in the desert and the stars of the sky. And I will make of you a great blessing, because you obeyed me and trusted what I told you to do.’” 


GUIDING QUESTIONS
FOR DISCUSSION
(Note: These are the usual questions that are asked after Old Testament character studies.) 

Now I wonder which part of the story you liked best? 
I wonder what part is the most important? 
I wonder what part is about you…. Or what part was especially for you? 
I wonder what the story of Abraham and his family might be teaching you? 
I wonder how this story might be getting us ready for Jesus? 
How might the story of Abraham be a part of God’s rescue plan for salvation through Jesus? 

PRAYER 

“Dear Lord, thank you for the story of Abraham. I pray that I would be as obedient to your calling as he was. I also pray that I would wait very patiently for your promises. I know that sometimes I want things to happen quickly, but I know that you will care for me and give me all the things that I need when I need them. I love you and I thank you for all the wonderful blessings that I get to enjoy each day. Amen.”