I've noticed that in a few places there is the "encouragement for leaders" on the last page, which is nice, because then when I tear the pages apart the leaders can get all the pages of their lessons.  I think it would be great if there was an "encouragement for leaders" page at the end of every lesson so that each lesson was separate from the next.  I know that would mean having 5-10 more pages in the book, but I would be more than willing to pay a couple extra dollars for those additional pages.

Thanks for listening!

Keep sharing your ideas. Let me know if I can be of service in any other way. God bless you and your ministry!

Deb Bernard

Curriculum Senior Marketing Manager

 I've been looking into something for children's church that would get people excited to volunteer to teach during Sunday morning service.  We don't really have a curriculum for it, everybody kind of picks and chooses what they'll do.  Probably a reason why nobody wants to do it.

Anyway, I have some questions about Kid's Own Worship.  It looks like a really fun children's church program that teaches hands on lessons about God through music and lessons.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of people on the boards talking about it and I was wondering if it is a popular program?  Since we tend to have a lack of volunteers to teach, how doable is the program with preschoolers and what do you consider preschool...3 and up? I see from the downloads that you can pick lessons to do with both.  How many workers would need to be involved during a morning service?  Does the DVD have motions to the songs like the Avalanche Ranch DVD did?  Is the puppet program intended for preschool only?  I was thinking of using some of the older kids as helpers and puppets.

Also, I read your Faith Statement ...when you say that <We believe people receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life through Jesus.> How do you believe that people receive forgiveness and eternal life? 

Thanks for any information you can provide.

Tallwoman03

KidsOwn Worship is used by thousands of churches around the US and Canada. We just don't get as many comments on our curriculum forums as we do for our Vacation Bible School programs!

The answers to some of your questions depend on the number of kids you have in your program (and even the amount of time you have). I taught KidsOwn Worship one summer for my church (we had fewer kids and volunteers in the summer, so we wanted to try a change from our age-graded curriculum). I had both preschoolers and elementary kids. This program has resources and activities for both. I had everyone (preschoolers and elementary) together for our "Let's Praise God" opening time, then split into a preschool room for the preschool activities (I had another 'leader' to faciliate this part, and then enough 'helpers' with no prep but to be there to help the kids) and an elementary room for the elementary activities. I actually lead the elementary activities (along with some no-prep helpers), but you could ask for someone to be the leader (minimal prep) for this, too. Your number of helpers will depend on how many kids you have. One thing that helped when we did this was to ask the older kids (we had through 5th or 6th grade) buddy up with the younger kids. We started at age 3. For your preschool group (and you could call it "Theo's Pals" or something else if you don't want to say "Preschool"), you can decide if you want to include your kindergarteners in this group, or move them up to elementary. It's been done both ways. And if you have everyone together and don't split into preschool and elementary, then start with a look at the starred activities in your Leader Guide. I like to have one helper for each 5 preschoolers if at all possible. Depending on the ages of your elementary kids, you could have one for each 7 or 8 elementary students. As you recruit, the helper role is a nice intro to volunteering in that there is no or minimal prep. They need to love kids/being with kids, but don't prepare the lesson.

We actually added the Sing-Along Songs DVD (with kids doing the motions and the words on the screen) in response to people asking for something like our VBS DVDs. And the puppet program is part of the preschool program, and really geared towards their age level.

You also had a question about our faith statement. In all of our materials (including the ones you've mentioned that you have used), we try to focus on the basics of the Christian faith from the Bible. We know churches have different practices and traditions for a number of areas, and we encourage you to include your church's teachings in areas that make sense. For example, we include the story of John baptizing Jesus. This is a great opportunity for you to talk about how you baptize at your church. Does that make sense?

I hope this helps. Please let me know if I can be of service in any other way. God bless you and your ministry!

Deb Bernard

Curriculum Senior Marketing Manager

Thank you for your honesty with the faith statement question.  I kinda figured that's the way Group going when I read it, but I wasn't sure.  When it comes to salvation, your programs applies to a variety of faiths. 

Keep sharing your questions, thoughts, and ideas. And prayer requests, too! We're honored to pray for you and your ministry!

God bless!

Deb Bernard

Curriculum Senior Marketing Manager

Also, when does the fall curriculum start?  I know I'm going to have to order soon but I need to know how long I have. 

Thanks!

tallwoman03