Lessons from children...

This last month we've been working a lot with children. You may have noticed a strain of my love for children...hehe...well it's true. I do love children and Trini children none the less! You can learn so much from them! Here are some thoughts and pictures of some sweet little babies....

Children are always watching you. And copying you, and thinking about how you do things in relation to themselves.

-Children cannot learn if their basic needs are not met-

(food, drink, attention)

-Children learn fast-

-Children are bright!-

Children see beauty in unusual things, places and people. Why do adults lose their eyesight?

Kids will always say what their parents say. No matter what it is.

Children are what their parents are by default, until the age of accountability.

It's incredible what a difference even just a little attention and discipline will make in a child.

Even just a little!

Polite and well-mannered children are a joy!

And you can start when they are babies.

-Children of all walks of life are capable of respecting their elders.-

Kids don't need the latest technology to be happy and entertained. Have you ever seen a 7 year old boy walk on his hands for 6-8 feet?

Or played Mother May I with 10 little kids?

~Children sing from their heart~

~Children are a blessing from God~

I didn't "learn" that this month, but this little guy was such a joy, I had to include his picture!!

You can expect more than you think from children.

Sometimes little girls are better at making things like crafts, etc. But you haven't lived until you hear the sincere prayer of a little boy thanking God for a snack.

Children love Jesus. It's so simple!

-Children can memorize scripture-

Children understand that if Noah had used coconut wood, or any other wood except Gopher wood, the ark would not have worked. It's about simply obeying God's word to the letter. Why do adults complicate the Scriptures?

"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. "

Luke 18:17

"Ah miss, I remember Eli! He de judge with de bad sons!"

Today marks 6 weeks of teaching the R/I (Religeous Instruction) class at a primary government school here in Trinidad. I teach about 6 girls, ages 9-11, my sister Anna teaches a similar number of 8-10 year olds and my sister Emily teaches a class of 5-7 year olds!

It has been such a good experience teaching these young children. There has been the challenge of culture, a little language, and disciplinary differences. But they are eager to learn the Bible and soak up the stories and truths like little sponges. Some listen well, other take a little more work!

When we moved we brought a few visual aids for teaching; space was limited but the few we brought are fairly versatile. Mom's felts are great! But even so, I needed something for the story of I Samuel 26- Saul chasing David, David sneaking into Saul's camp, sparing his life and stealing Saul's spear, to sum it up!

One rule I've found- Children don't have to have fancy stuff for the story to come alive to them!

So here is what I made- I used just a yellow card stock paper 8 1/2 by 11, white scrap paper, sharpies, coloured pencils and tape. I drew and cut out the pieces, rolled tape on the backs and carried them to class on the back of one of my other laminated visuals. I then taped them to the yellow paper as I told the story. The tape was just un-sticky(from all the handling) enough that the moving around part of the story worked ok. Ideally I would cover these in contact paper and make magnets so it could be used again. (I may do that still!) The children loved it and listened the best yet!

The Word of God is powerful even when teaching children. It's good to help the children really see and understand the Bible truths through tasteful visual aids. But they simply don't have to be productions. A little creativity, a little simple art and some work can go a long way, especailly if you live in a place where that's necessary. (Just a little note, if you're not good at art, then brush up on it! You would be surprised how much it would help in a number of ways!)

I'm sure there are lots of ideas and helpful sites online, plus there are several websites and stores within the brotherhood to help too. Let's take advantage of all our resources and instill in our children, and those we come in contact with the wonderful Word of God.

And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. II Timothy 3:15