Carol Hulbert

Workshop Schedule for March 2011

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

On Sunday mornings, our Cool Disciples (our 1st – 6th graders) experience Rotation Model Sunday’s school, as they learn about Bible stories and concepts through kid-friendly multimedia workshops.

In March, we are studying the Parable of the Sower.

Read about our story in Mark 4:1-9.

Here is the schedule for the next three weeks…

Date	Art 1	Art 2	Cooking	Newsroom	Games	Video
	Room 212	Room 211	Pine Room	Room 215	Room 204	Social Hall
3/13	2nd grade	5th grade	3rd grade	6th grade	4th grade	1st grade
3/20	1st grade	4th grade	2nd grade	5th grade	6th grade	3rd grade
3/27	3rd grade	6th grade	1st grade	4th grade	5th grade	2nd grade

What’s happening in each workshop?

We’ll be running two Art Workshops – one for younger students and one for older students. (This must mean we’re doing a really neat project!) Yep! Students will use clay in a unique way to create a “sowing scene” with which they can re-tell the story.
In the Cooking Workshop we will continue our theme of using items in unusual ways; students will be playing with their food! They will listen to music and the story being re-told, and formulate a visual interpretation of the Parable of the Sower… using snack foods! (Some eating will be allowed.)
In the Newsroom Workshop students will create (and videotape) ads selling products or services that might help us be more open to God’s Word. (Anyone need a Sunday-Morning-Bed-Launcher?)
In the Games Workshop students will use their bodies (both to answer questions and to move as game pieces) on a life-sized game board. They’ll hear situations and decide which sort of soil applies.
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the live-action video The Visual Bible: Matthew. They’ll also explore the meanings of the different soils by voing in a unique manner.

All sorts of curiosities happening this month! Don’t want to miss these workshops!

If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI

Photo credits from Flickr: Banner photo (not visible in readers or email) by Pink Sherbert Photography.
Stain glass sower by Jonathan O’Donnell. Both licensed under: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Daniel and the lions – a story told with pictures

Posted on March 11, 2011February 6, 2017 by Carol Hulbert

We’ve just finished our Rotation on Daniel and the lions. Show this post to your kids. Can they tell you the story? Discuss the questions too. Enjoy!

The other administrators in King Darius' court, ponder what to do about Daniel Daniel seemed to pray a lot; what sort of strength did prayer give him?

Why do you suppose the king’s other administrators were jealous of Daniel?

When have you done something that you’ve been proud of, but it made someone else jealous?

King Darius thinks about a new law What do the other administrators decide will be the only way they can trap Daniel?

How do they persuade the king to accept their idea?

If you were Daniel, how would you have reacted when you heard about the law?

Daniel is caught praying! We knew this would happen! Daniel did too. Why do you suppose he prayed in front of an open window where he was sure to be caught?

Why do you suppose he was willing to risk his life to continue praying to God?

When is a time that you’ve had to stick up for your belief? What happened?

King Darius finds out about what he's done to Daniel How did the king feel when he found out that Daniel would have to be sent to the lions’ den?

Do you suppose some of Daniel’s faith in God had rubbed off on the king? (Read Daniel 6:16)

Daniel is thrown into the den of lions Do you suppose that in the lions’ den Daniel asked God to get him out, or to get rid of the lions?

But that wasn’t what God did! What happened to the lions?

Does God always answer our prayers in the way we’d like?

Photo credits:
Photos by Evans Koukios. Used by permission.

Wednesday’s Weekly Blessing on Ash Wednesday

Posted on March 9, 2011February 26, 2022 by Carol Hulbert

ashes on forehead Ashes on the forehead… in a way it’s like being marked.

But in a good way.

It says: “I am Christ’s daughter (or son).”

Say a blessing on your child. Say their name and…

On your journey towards Easter, may you remember whose you are.

Click on a box if you would like to…
Satisfy your curiosity about why you should bless your child.
View other suggested blessings.

Copyright photo is from my archives.

A Family Dinner “Game”

Posted on March 3, 2011March 2, 2017 by Carol Hulbert

A way to talk about faith with your kids is to make family dinner a priority.

But don’t just eat. Play games.

That’s right. To extend your time together as a family, add a “game” to the end of your meal. Here’s a game suggestion that ties to our current Rotation on Daniel and the lions. Make the story come alive! Tell the story dramatically, involving everyone at the table. All you need is a Bible.

Find Daniel 6:3-23. (If you want an easy to read version click here.) One person can be the story teller and everyone else… the characters in the story. To make it easy, there doesn’t have to just be one Daniel and one king – everyone can be Daniel and everyone can be the king. And everyone gets to be lions!

The reader can create voices for the different story characters. How would the bad guys sound? Sort of whispery? (You do this when reading regular books to your kids; why not apply it to reading the Bible.)

For example, in verse 11 it says…
 Some of the other royal officials went to where Daniel was staying. They saw him praying and asking God for help.

Ask your family to pretend to be the bad guys. How would they act when they discovered they’d trapped Daniel! Encourage everyone to use their body to tell the story. (The bad guys were probably giving each other high-fives. Yes! We caught him in the act!)

How did Daniel look when he was praying? How did the king react when he heard what he’d done to Daniel? How did the lions look before Daniel was thrown into their den? How did they look when Daniel was among them? (Mouths closed!)

Finish up your “game” with a prayer. (It’s what Daniel probably did.)

Photo credits:
Daniel with lions a photo of a painting by Robert Edward Weaver (c. 1952), is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Kid being a lion by Nathan, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 License.

Wednesday’s Weekly Blessing

Posted on March 2, 2011March 1, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

Blessings for your children (or for adults in your life, including yourself!)
can be found in the Bible. This one is from The Message, 1 Corinthians 16:23.

Say your child’s name and…

Jesus has his arms wide open for you.

Wondering about my focus on blessings? Read about it here.
There are other blessings here.

Photo credits from Flickr:
Banner photo (not visible in readers or email) by Pink Sherbert Photography. Wide open arms by Nolan O’Brien. Both licensed under: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Wednesday’s Weekly Blessing

Posted on February 23, 2011February 22, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

Some of you may be on break this week. Whether you are in town or far-flung… take time to look for God.

A red berried bush covered in ice

And remember to bless your children.

Say your child’s name and…

May you be open to whatever ways God uses to speak to you.

This blessing doesn’t work for you? There are others to select from here.

Photo credits: Banner photo (not visible in readers or email) by Pink Sherbert Photography on Flickr. Licensed under: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
Other photo: From my archives.

Daniel’s prayers: Giving thanks

Posted on February 22, 2011February 6, 2017 by Carol Hulbert

Let’s say a law gets passed that says you can’t pray. How would you feel about such a statute? Last week a 4th grader answered this question with…

Not being able to pray would be like not being able to eat.

I never thought of it like that!

Here’s what Daniel did when he heard about the decree…

Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Daniel 6:10

Daniel was having a bad day, and yet he chose to be thankful.

Always showing gratitude, regardless of your circumstances, isn’t easy. You know what helps: practice.

The best way to practice is to keep a list.

A page from my gratitude list Start a gratitude journal with your family. Talk about what you’d add to your list over the family dinner table.

I’ve been recording thankfuls. Yes I am counting them. I’m going for one thousand, but now that I’ve started, I probably won’t stop.

(Update for Feb. 2017: I’m up to #4,853!)

Here are samples from my gratitude journal:

Skating around the lake 541. Sunshine.

549. Riding-in-the-car games.

551. Ice skating on the lake.

557. Chocolate mousse pie.

568. The crunch of boots on snow.

576. Kindhearted health care providers.

581. A flock of robins in February!

588. The frosty sparkle of morning light.

Photo credits:
Photos are from my archives.

Are you facing a den full of lions?

Posted on February 17, 2011February 6, 2017 by Carol Hulbert

If your kids are like most kids, they will experience good days and not-so-good days. They will have “glads” and they will have “sads.”

Spend time as a family with everyone sharing one glad and one sad for the day. (Don’t try to fix anything, just listen and celebrate and commiserate.)

A lion stuffed toy animal
After the sharing of glads/sads bring up the story of Daniel in the den of lions. In the days of Daniel, being sentenced to be thrown to the lions would count as a not-so-good day. It would have been a major sad!

Daniel got thrown in with a bunch of lions because he broke a law – he openly prayed to God rather than to King Darius. What did Daniel do about his situation?