Source: https://whosthefarris.com/category/kidmin/
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 15:34:30+00:00

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If You Work with Kids, You’ll Love This–Erasable Colored Pens!
So that’s not quite how the song goes, but I think that if Frixion pens by Pilot had been around back in the days of The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews would have been singing about them.
They aren’t fancy, but they are amazing! Because. . . well, because if you happen to be having trouble making a capital cursive “Z,” and who doesn’t?. . . No worries. Just use the little stylus-like hard rubber eraser tip and Ta-Da! You are, in this one small way like Jesus, making all things new again!
These little gems come in assorted colors and tip widths and well, they are awesome! (Insert angels singing here!) I personally love the fine (.7mm) size in the traditional not retractable style. My current multi-pack comes with black, brown, blue, purple, green red, orange and pink.
Ok, Ms Dawn, is there anything else that makes them awesome??
Why, yes, there is! Did I mention they are refillable??? Because they are. Seriously, what more could a creative, Kidmin loving girl ask for? Ok, several things, but today I’m choosing to be content in all circumstances!
You, on the other hand may be right now wishing you had yourself some Frixion pens! They are available through Amazon and other major retailers. I hope they soon become one of your favorite things, too!
*Thanks to my daughter in law, Jordan, for turning me on to Frixion pens. I am forever in your debt, Jordan!
Jordan and I the day she introduced me to Frixion pens last winter!! Woohoo!
October is here and besides being the month of all things pumpkin spice, it is a month set aside for Pastor Appreciation. Although I work as a children’s pastor, this is not a plea for gifts or appreciation. Instead, it’s just an quick help guide for parents or teachers to help practically model, lead, and teach kids to appreciate their pastors. As we teach our children to appreciate their pastors, we are teaching them to appreciate others in general, and a thankful, appreciative heart is honoring to God who placed these people in our lives.
As we teach children to appreciate their pastors, we are teaching them to appreciate others in general. A thankful, appreciative heart is honoring to God.
Tell them. Words go along way. Simply have your children tell the pastor they are thankful for him/her and why.
Send or give them a card. It can be purchased or hand-made, but have your children write in it and address it (if you mail it). In doing so, you are also teaching your children the life skill of how to address and mail an envelope–a lost art.
Bake something and deliver it personally. Is your child the next Bobby Flay? Then let them have at it, with your help, of course. Make something special and go with them to deliver it to your pastor. This is especially great if you know what he/she likes. Watch out for food allergies or dietary restrictions if you can. Nothing says lovin’ like something from the oven and personal delivery makes it, well, personal–even better!
Draw a picture. I have a file folder and a binder filled with pictures from kids in our church. It makes my heart sing when they bring me their heart-felt art.
Write a poem. Some children are the best at putting their feelings into words. If that describes your child, encourage them to use their words to bless the pastor.
Make up a song, or sing a favorite song and video your child singing it and then send it to your pastor. A little girl from my church once was in my office singing about me while sitting in my chair. It was the most precious thing ever. It makes me smile even today.
Find a super creative idea on Pinterest, but let your child do it. Honestly, Pinterest is filled with great ideas, just be sure you don’t take over for your children and rob them of the opportunity to learn to show appreciation on their own. You can do another pastor appreciation idea yourself. Pastors need lots of appreciation!
Invite them over for dinner or dessert. Having people in your home is a lost art. It not only helps nourish someone, but it also builds community and allows us to show hospitality–a Biblical mandate. Maybe neither you nor your pastor have time for a meal, but what about a dessert night or s’mores around the fire pit? Kids need to see that pastors are people, too, and time together as families can often help make that happen.
Pray for them. Every day. And let them know you are doing so. Encourage your children to commit to pray, every day, and pray with them. Our pastors spend a lot of time in the trenches doing battle on our behalf. Teaching our children to pray for pastors teaches them to not just hear the word of God, but to do what it says.
Then, set a completion date and commit to doing whatever it is you chose before that date. I know late is better than never, but on time teaches our children to be responsible! One of the main reasons people fail to feel appreciated isn’t that they aren’t appreciated, it’s that we just don’t get around to telling them they are.
One of the main reasons people fail to feel appreciated isn’t that they aren’t appreciated, it’s that we don’t get around to telling them they are.
I hope you and your children find great joy in showing appreciation and blessing to the pastor(s) in your life this fall.
“And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love” I Thessalonians 5:12-13 (The Message).
My husband and I ran across this beauty in my hometown of O’Fallon, MO.
Honestly, best scarecrow EVER!! I love everything about her. I love her hat, hair, her skirt, and of course her skirt!! What??? She has a skirt made of flowers!!!! Every time I drive by her, I smile and think, “Amazing!” She leaves me with a sense of wonder.
In teaching and leading children, few things make a lesson great the way a sense of wonder does.
When we teach in ways that leave children with “ooo’s,” ahhhh’s,” “woad’s,” and wow’s,” we know we are doing something right.
Wonder causes children to want to explore, question and dig deeper. Wonder is a catalyst for greater learning.
Wonder may come in the form of a story or an object, an experiment or an experience. It may come from seeing, touching, hearing or smelling. Whatever form it takes, it’s desperately needed in our teaching and lessons in order to leave our children hungry for more. Because when used effectively, the sense of wonder a child experiences in our classrooms unveils a wonder for the One who made it possible.
God is the One in their Wonder.
God is the One who made the colors, made the smells, made the flowers, and caused the reaction in an experiment. God is the One we point our children to in moments of wonder.
Whether you are teaching in church, school, home school or you are just hanging out with your kids, take the time to find those moments of wonder together and find the One who makes them possible.
Photo Credit: My amazing husband, Tim Farris. Checkout his pictures on flickr.
Recently I was privileged to speak at a kids camp across country. Seahawks part of the country. Interestingly enough, of the 5 camp directors, at least three of them were Packers fans. I’m not sure any were Seahawks fans, which led to some good spirited conversations about whose team was best.
Most of the 275 kids in attendance seemed pretty set on being die-hard Seahawks fans too, or so I thought.
During the first part of the week, we taught about Jacob and Esau and how Esau had given up his birthright for a bowl of stew. Everyone agreed that was just a dumb thing to do. We understood that you shouldn’t give up something you want right now for something more important.
Until. . . Tuesday night.
On Tuesday night, the camp directors had a contest for the four sections of kids. The section that cheered the loudest would be dismissed first for the night. First for what, you might ask? First to go get ready for bed!
Honestly, I think I would have been quiet. When I was a kid, getting to stay up later was the real prize. But on this night, I think everyone just got caught up in the frenzy of who could be loudest and who would be FIRST!!!!
Because we all know going first is most important!
So when the directors gave the instructions that each group was to yell as loud as they could, “Go Pack Go!” I thought for sure they would be greeted with near silence, or at least cheers of “Let’s Go Seahawks!”or something similar.
But no, I was wrong! So wrong.
These little Seahawk fans began shouting at the top of their lungs, “Go Pack Go!” over and over. Each section determined not to be outdone by the other. Seriously, I didn’t see it coming.
When it came my turn to share, I commented that I thought God taught me to be careful not to give up something important for something I wanted right now. I then told the girls about what I had witnessed and how it touched my heart.
The next day at large group teaching we broke that down a little bit, allowing the kids to see how our lives can sometimes be more like a Bible story than we realize. We discussed how our favorite team isn’t exactly the same as our family’s inheritance, yet, we have to be on guard of the power of the crowd and our own flesh to want what we want now rather than hold on to our convictions.
It was a good lesson for us all to experience and one that would impact the campers for at least a day–until it was time for Real Life Lesson Part 2:The Discount Double Check.
Stay tuned for the rest of the story coming soon.
Nehemiah. He’s one of my favorite characters in the Bible. To be honest, I have a lot of favorites, but really, he’s up there as one of my top 20, or 10 or maybe even 5. . .
To coin a phrase from the Fabulous Bentley Brothers, “He built the wall, y’all!” But he did so much more. He prayed, he wept, he humbled himself, he led, he worked, he encouraged, he persevered and he saw God do incredible, miraculous things in and through the people.
Nehemiah 8 is one of my favorite chapters in his book. In a few weeks, I’ll be heading to the Northwest to speak at a camp, and I found myself digging trough the pages of “his-story” for inspiration and prayer.
We find Ezra, the scribe, bringing out the Book of the Law and reading it to the people. He read it from daybreak until noon, and all the people listened attentively as he read. (Yeah, from daybreak til noon! Sometimes we hope for a good 15 minutes of attention!) While he read, the people all stood. They praised the Lord and lifted their hands and responded with Amen! Amen! Then they bowed and worshiped the Lord.
Now there’s something to pray for. As we teach, may our words be clear and give meaning so those we teach can understand.
v. 3 May our campers (and sponsors) listen attentively.
v. 6 May our campers (and sponsors) bow their hearts and worship the Lord.
v. 8 May we make the Word clear and give it meaning so that our campers can understand what is being taught.
v. 10 May we all know the joy of the Lord as our strength.
v. 12 May we celebrate with great joy because we now understand the Words made known to us.
v. 15 May we proclaim the word and spread it throughout our towns.
Nehemiah didn’t just build a wall, y’all. As we read, remember and pray “his-story,” his life, and ours, is building believers! Let us pray. Amen! Amen!
I’ll admit it. I like a good acronym.
Recently, while praying, God put three little letters together to help me remember to pray specifically for three not-so-little qualities that are changing my heart.
In praying for these three things each day, God is opening my heart to areas of pride that need to be removed, and my eyes to areas where I can put humility into practice.
He is showing me what a deeper level of obedience means and reminding me again that the little things are really the big things.
God is revealing to me His wonder. The sometime inconsequential things that are really meant to be appreciated and treasured. In my race to get to the next thing on my to-do list, I have been missing out on the wonder of God around me.
I love Easter. Love it.
And so, I love to make the most of every opportunity to help our lil HiSKidZ see God’s Big Story about Jesus as we draw near to the holiday that is truly a Holy-Day.
Along with 5 reasons I love Easter in the preschool 5 (or more) ways we helped lil HiSKidZ at our church learn about and love Easter, too!
1–We share things we know they won’t completely understand.
We know preschoolers won’t completely understand everything about Easter. But y’know what? Neither did the grown men who walked with Jesus. This month we taught that Jesus loved his friends so much that He tried to explain everything that was going to happen. He told them that He was going to go to Jerusalem, He was going to die and He was going to come back to life. They didn’t really understand at the time, but they would later, and it would mean A LOT when they realized He cared enough to try to explain it them.
2–We teach God loves everyone no matter how small, no matter what they’ve done.
Next, we taught about Zacchaeus. Because on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus met this now infamous man and changed his life forever. Jesus showed us again that He loves everyone–no matter how small and no matter what they’ve done–and that only He has the power to save them and forgive their sins.
We made the fun snack, (Twix bars, Rice Krispie Treats and Teddy Grahams) and our little ones made the craft! In case you needed to know one more thing you can do with a paper towel roll, try making a sycamore tree! Zacchaeus climbs up the tree to see Jesus and when Jesus stops by, down he comes.
This week we will reenact Palm Sunday complete with Jesus in, not on, a donkey and our own interpretation of “palm” branches! You can make a million kinds of animals out of boxes, and be sure to hit up your local home stores for paint sticks–they are great for so many fun things.
My favorite thing this month has been our snack for this week. I saw this idea made with real rocks, (but not for a snack, obviously) which made me think of the verse from the Palm Sunday story where Jesus says that if the people stop praising the rocks will cry out. So, donut holes, candy eyes, some toothpicks, little flags and Hosanna! We are rocking the snack this week!!
4–We get to have real Palm Branches.
As part of Palm Sunday, we always buy Palm Branches! And, yes, I think they should be capitalized. We get them for HiSKidZ of all ages, and they all love them. Several years ago, I almost stopped. I’m not sure why. Maybe they seemed old-fashioned, maybe I wasn’t sure if the kids liked them.
But, then, one of our 5th grade boys commented the week before Palm Sunday, “Next week is Palm Sunday! I love Palm Sunday! We always get those Palm Branches and we get to act like we were there.” ‘Nuff said. I’ve been buying them ever since. When a 5th grade boy tells you that Palm Branches have become a spiritual marker in his life, you buy them forever!
We live in midwest, and our palms aren’t always the best, but this year they are so green, I can’t wait for the kids to see them.
5–The angel rolled the stone away, and Jesus is alive!
Like I said, I love Easter Sunday. I love saying, “He is Risen. He is Risen, Indeed!” I love singing Celebrate, Jesus, Celebrate, Rise and Sing, and Jesus is Alive Right Now with our bigs and Hosanna, 1-2-3 and Jesus is Alive with our littles. I love the power of the day, and the reason we celebrate. I love how God moves as we share who He is and what He has done.
One of the above angel bags will be our craft on Easter Sunday. I’ll let you guess which one!
The picture on the left represents one attempt at an angel bag. I know it looks like a bird–a very surprised bird, but it is an angel. The bag on the right, thankfully, was created by one of our amazing volunteers so our kids don’t think angels are owls, and so their parents will let the come back to church with us!!
What do you love about Easter in your preschool rooms?

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