Schedules – Page 4 – Family Faith Companion

Cool Disciples Schedule: May 2012

Posted on May 3, 2012May 3, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

Don’t miss a chance to learn about how to bring faith conversations to your family! Easily read future posts (only one or two a week) by subscribing over on the right. Enter your e-mail address to have posts sent directly to your inbox. Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader. Let’s travel our faith journey together!

On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our “Cool Disciples” experience Bible stories through kid-friendly multimedia workshops via Workshop Rotation Model™ Christian education. It’s hard to believe we are almost at the end of another school year! As we’ve done in the past, we will be mixing it up in May.

Sometimes there will be a workshop to attend…such as Puppets on a Saturday night.

Puppets are used to tell the story

And other times, instead of the usual focus on a Bible story, we’ll be participating in a variety of activities such as playing a great big review game or going to Youth-led Worship.

Grade groups of kids ponder the answer to a question

Last year at the big game “Are You Smarter Than a Sixth Grader?”

Youth Worship Sunday in 2011

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for May:

Date	Workshop	Activity
5/5	Puppets/Creative Writing Workshop	One last workshop on Nicodemus. Explore the mystery behind Nicodemus’ visit. Discuss and write some questions they might like to ask God.
5/12	Games Workshop	A large-group game-show-style review of Bible stories studied this year.
5/19	To be announced
5/26	No Workshop	Worship with your family.

And for Sundays at the downtown location…

Date	Activity	Additional Notes
5/6	Worship with your family. Note: No Communion this week.	Lots of music at this worship service!
5/13	A large-group game-show-style review of Bible stories studied this year: “Are You Smarter Than a Sixth Grader?”	Join us as we honor our graduating sixth graders!
5/20	Youth Worship Sunday	All children are encouraged to attend worship – see where they will be in a few years!
5/27	On Memorial Day weekend, if you are in town (and not at Family Camp) attend worship as a family.	Note: Register now for Family Camp on-line.

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

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Other photos from the archives. The Youth Worship photo by Peter DeHart © 2011. Used with permission.

Cool Disciples Schedule: April 2012

Posted on March 29, 2012April 12, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

Want a way to easily read future posts (one or two a week)? Over on the right, enter your e-mail address to have posts sent directly to your inbox. Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader. Thanks for visiting. Comments are always welcome.

On Saturday nights and on Sunday mornings at FUMC our Cool Disciples experience Rotation Model Christian education, as they learn about Bible stories and concepts through kid-friendly multimedia workshops.

In April, we are studying Nicodemus. “Nic at night” might be a way to subtitle this one, for Nicodemus visited Jesus in the dark of night. Or was it that Nicodemus himself was “in the dark”? Nicodemus had questions for Jesus.

Read about our story in John 3:1-17.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for April…

Date	Workshop	Activity
4/7	A special workshop	Children will sing during the worship service and then will head downstairs for a special lesson on Easter.
4/14	Science Workshop	Do experiments to discover the difference between changing on the inside vs. changing on the outside.
4/21	Art Workshop	Create an individual banner to help remember “the Gospel in miniature” – John 3:16.
4/28	Games Workshop	Play a life-sized board game to review story details.

For Sundays at the downtown location, here is the schedule of workshops…

Date
4/1	No workshops. Enjoy Palm Sunday worship & Communion as a family.
4/8	No workshops. Enjoy Easter worship as a family.

	Games	Newsroom	Science	Art 2	Puppets/Creative Writing	Art 1
	Room 211	Room 215	Social Hall	Pine Room	Room 204	Room 212
4/15	2nd grade	5th grade	3rd grade	6th grade	4th grade	1st grade
4/22	1st grade	4th grade	2nd grade	5th grade	6th grade	3rd grade
4/29	3rd grade	6th grade	1st grade	4th grade	5th grade	2nd grade

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Art Workshop students will create individual banners to remember “the Gospel in miniature” – John 3:16. Two Art workshops will run concurrently.
In the Pupptets/Creative Writing Workshop students will explore the mystery behind Nicodemus’ visit. They will discuss questions they might like to ask God and create question books.
In the Games Workshop students will play a life-sized board game to learn story details.
In the Newsroom Workshop students will create and videotape commercials that sell the desirable qualities of a “New Life.” Watch for videos!
In the Science Workshop students will do experiments to discover the difference between changing on the inside vs. changing on the outside.

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

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
A painting by Crijn Hendricksz, Christ talking with Nicodemus at night, is in the Public Domain (via Wikimedia Commons).

Cool Disciples Schedule: December 2011

Posted on December 1, 2011January 24, 2017 by Carol Hulbert

New here? Easily read future posts by subscribing over on the right. Enter your e-mail address to have posts sent directly to your inbox. Or click on the orange RSS icon to subscribe in a reader. Thanks for visiting.

December’s Rotation is about, you guessed it, Christmas! Since Christmas comes every year this allows us the chance to, each year, focus on a different aspect of the story. We’ve done Christmas Rotations from the point of view of Shepherds, of Wise Men, and even from Isaiah’s eyes. This December we’ll take a look at the overall birth story of Jesus. All of the different parts of the story: Who received a message from an angel? Why travel to Bethlehem? Where was Jesus born?… Our target is to ensure that kids know the sequence and timing of story events surrounding Jesus’ birth. Our story is found by interweaving the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

A crèche scene

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for December (and a little bit of January 2012)… And for Sundays at the downtown location, here is the schedule…

Schedules have been removed. They were sort of out-of-date 🙂
Check out some pictures of workshops here.

Here is what we did in each workshop:

In the Drama Workshop students will enact the story. What a great way to learn the story details by participating in the story!
In the Games Workshop students will play a quiz game to see how much they really know about the story. We’ll run two Games Workshops so that everyone gets to participate in the fun.
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the animated video The King is Born from Nest Entertainment while enjoying some popecorn. (Can’t have a movie without popcorn!)
In the Cooking Workshop students will create a nativity snack bag with items to represent story elements. Don’t eat this snack until you’ve had a chance to use it to retell the story to someone!
In the Art Workshop students will help tell the story using various colors of felt, creating a “stain glass window.” Then they will create stained glass votive holders using colors to represent the characters in the story of Jesus’ birth.

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

Photo credits:
Photos are from my archives.

What’s happening in November? Here’s the schedule

Posted on November 4, 2011November 3, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

November’s Rotation is about two sisters in the Bible, Mary and Martha. These two have different priorities about hospitality – how their house guests should be treated. Things quickly come to a head! Whose priority is a better choice? Read what Jesus has to say about this question in Luke 10:38-42.

Why is this story so important? We all lead busy lives. Boy, do our kids have full schedules! What is one to do when faced with a list of numerous “good” activities? Do we place certain pursuits higher on the to-do list, while others wait in the wings? It’s a tricky process often requiring last minute juggling. The story of Mary and Martha speaks to this balancing act and urges us to be sure to include one critical item: spending time with God. A great topic to discuss with your family! Ask your kids about it.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for November…

Date	Workshop	Activity
11/5	Video Workshop	Watch a video called Martin the Cobbler to see a different sort of hospitality – welcoming God into our lives! Discuss how we invite God.
11/12	Cooking Workshop	Discuss hospitality and be hospitable! Make something yummy to give away.
11/19	Drama Workshop	Experience the story of Mary and Martha by acting out the story.
11/26	Games Workshop	Play a quiz game that has no right or wrong answers but demonstrates listening and choices.

And here is what is happening on Sundays at the downtown location…

Date	Cooking	Games	Games	Art	Drama	Video
	Social Hall	Room 204	Room 211	Room 212	Room 215	Pine Room
11/13	2nd grade	5th grade	3rd grade	6th grade	4th grade	1st grade
11/20	1st grade	4th grade	2nd grade	5th grade	6th grade	3rd grade
11/27	3rd grade	6th grade	1st grade	4th grade	5th grade	2nd grade

What’s happening in each workshop?

Art Workshop: Create a symbol from clay, using time-honored “rock art” techniques (carving rock) to remind us to balance our busy lives to include time with God. Display this creation where it will be noticed!
Cooking Workshop: Discuss hospitality and be hospitable! Make quick breads to give away to Alpha House and the Ronald McDonald House.
Drama Workshop: Experience the story of Mary and Martha by acting out the story.
Games Workshop: Play a quiz game that has no right or wrong answers but demonstrates listening and choices. (All groups of kids will be visiting Games this month, one room for 1st-3rd and one room for 4th-6th.)
Video Workshop: What would happen if someone famous were coming to your house for lunch? How would you prepare? Watch a Claymation video called Martin the Cobbler to see a different sort of hospitality – welcoming God into our lives! Discuss how we invite God.

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

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Painting by Johannes Vermeer entitled “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” obtained via Wikimedia Commons [Public domain].

Cool Disciples Schedule: September 2011

Posted on September 15, 2011November 9, 2015 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. NOW our kids on Saturday nights at our Green Wood campus are also using Rotation!

At a prayer station

In both locations in September, we are studying the Lord’s Prayer. Prayer is talking and listening to God – any time, any place, and about any thing! God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. Prayer provides a means of fostering that relationship. As we study about the Lord’s Prayer, we’ll be talking about prayer in general. Be prepared for questions!

Read about Jesus teaching his followers how to pray in two of the four Gospels: Matthew 6:9-15 and Luke 11:1-4.

For Saturdays at the Green Wood location, here is the schedule for September…

Date	Workshop	Activity
9/10	Cooking Workshop	Find out about the connection of pretzels to prayer. Create some yummy pretzels and discuss the Lord’s Prayer.
9/17	Video Workshop	Watch portions of two videos to see different renditions of Jesus teaching his followers about prayer.
9/24	Drama Workshop	Discuss how to portray various parts of the Lord’s Prayer. Then put on your drama disposition! How would you act out “we’re sorry”?

For Sundays at the downtown location, here is the schedule of workshops for September…

Date	Cooking	Prayer Walk	Video	Art	Drama	Art
	Pine Room	Social Hall	Room 204	Room 211	Room 215	Room 212

9/11	2nd grade	5th grade	3rd grade	6th grade	4th grade	1st grade
9/18	3rd grade	4th grade	1st grade	5th grade	6th grade	2nd grade
9/25	1st grade	6th grade	2nd grade	4th grade	5th grade	3rd grade

What’s happening in each workshop?

In the Cooking Workshop students will be following the same lesson as the Green Wood kids: Making prayer pretzels! I am sure that some eating will ensue.
In the Prayer Walk Workshop students will be doing multiple activities including experiencing a personal prayer walk with various stations (such as giving God your worries, asking for forgiveness, thanking God for his love..) While waiting for a turn to go through the prayer walk, students will write prayers to be used in worship on 10/30 and work on creating a prayer “book.”
In the Video Workshop students will watch portions of the live-action video The Visual Bible: Matthew, and The Animated Stories from the New Testament: The Lord’s Prayer. Play a game to teach about the meanings of portions of the Lord’s Prayer.
In the Art Workshop for 4th-6th graders, students will create a braided prayer rope with “tails.” They will Write prayer “starters” on the tail ends of their rope, which allows the rope to serve to instigate prayer.
In the Drama Workshop students will use a form of readers theater to explore the Lord’s Prayer. As the meaning in the Lord’s Prayer is discussed, they will create a “layered lines” rendition of the Lord’s Prayer. Will it make an appearance on YouTube?
In the Art Workshop for 1st-3rd graders, students will personalize a prayer pillow rock. I wonder how a rock will prompt them to pray? (My son who created a prayer rock 9 years ago, still has his!)

If you are in the area please join us for the fun learning!

Photo credits:
Photo from my archives.

Are you seeing ads? They are not from me! They are placed by WordPress, who otherwise offers a free platform from which to share lots of good-ness. If you see an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Include the URL, the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.

Cool Disciples Schedule: July 2011

Posted on July 8, 2011July 7, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

During the heat of summer our Cool Disciples continue to explore Bible stories on Sunday mornings! Our teaching tool is the fun (yet transformational) Workshop Rotation Model Sunday’s ~~School~~ Cool. Summer is a bit different in that we combine grade groups. This summer we’ve also got more changes – a different choice for older students. Read more about that choice here.

For three weeks of July, we are learning about a time when some children had an exclusive audience with Jesus! Read the story in Mark 10:13-16. This story entails Jesus allowing children to come to him for a blessing.

What is a blessing? Most of us when we hear the word “blessing” think of a table grace we say before we eat, as in “saying our blessings.” That is one use of the word blessing. A blessing also means a special prayer given to someone, which makes them feel good. We could say that it is a special prayer for the good of a person!

What is the blessing that Jesus desires for you?
How does it make you feel to know how much Jesus loves children and wants to bless them?

Here is the way we’ll be exploring this story for the next three weeks…

Date	Workshop	Activity
7/10	Art Workshop	Decorate a mirror picture frame as a reminder that God loves you.
7/17	Cooking Workshop	Being blessed also includes the empowerment of being a blessing to others. Make something to share at Lemonade on the Lawn.
7/24	Games Workshop	Set up and go through an obstacle course with a different-sort of name: the “Don’t Let Anything Keep You From Jesus” obstacle course.

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

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Stain glass by Janine and Jim Eden who licensed this photo under: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic.

Cool Disciples schedule: June 2011

Posted on June 10, 2011June 10, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

During the summer our “Cool Disciples” continue to explore Bible stories on Sunday mornings using Rotation Model Sunday’s school. What’s different about summer is that we combine grade groups. This summer we’ve also got more changes – a different choice for older students. Read more about that here.

In June, we are learning about the Widow’s Offering. Read our story in Mark 12:41-44. If you’d like to read a children’s Bible version of this story visit this site.

A Cool Disciples class from last summer.

Last summer’s Cool Disciples

Here is the schedule for the next three weeks…

Date	Workshop & Activity	Additional Notes
6/12	Missions Workshop: Make decorations for the church to use during Vacation Bible Camp.	Wear clothes you’d don’t mind getting sloppy!
6/19	Cooking Workshop: Make sugar cookie “coins” to share with Alpha House.	Click here for more info about this homeless shelter for families.
6/26	Art Workshop: Use an embossing technique – repoussé- to create an artistic coin.	Repoussé is a method of decorating metal in which the design is worked from the back of a thin piece of metal; in our case, copper.

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

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Other photo from the archives here.

Summer Sunday’s Cool – that’s different!

Posted on June 9, 2011June 23, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

It is summer – finally! School is almost out Updated: it’s out! Yeah! But that doesn’t mean Sunday morning educational programming quits at FUMC in Ann Arbor, MI – It just looks a little different.

It involves a choice for parents and their children.

What is the choice?

For graduating 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders it’s easy: Just meet with the Cool Disciples in the Social Hall, after the Children’s Moment in the worship service.
For graduating Kindergardeners: they can either go to the B room (and continue with a similar Sunday morning experience that they have had this year) OR move up to join the Cool Disciples in the Social Hall. Typically, kids who have an older sibling or an older close friend, decide to meet with the Cool Disciples. Kids who like to spend more time “playing” should meet in the B room with the younger kids.
For graduating 5th and 6th graders: This summer, we are trying out some new curriculum called Grapple. Grapple is specifically designed to get preteens (ages 10-12) grappling with tough questions in meaningful ways. The first theme is: Why Can’t I Sleep In? (Grapple also comes with a safe, secure online community allowing kids to connect with each other during the week. Read more about Grapple here. This group will be meeting in the Asbury Room.
For graduating 4th graders: They can choose to join the Cool Disciples group or the Grapple group. (It would probably benefit if they choose the same option for the month of June. They can change their mind in July.)
For younger kids (babes and pre-schoolers) see here.
Of course kids of all ages are always welcome to stay in worship if they prefer!