It came to me that some of the boys might think that being a peacemaker was "sissy" or cowardly. I remembered that United Nations troops are called "peacekeepers" when they go in to help prevent violent situations during elections and such, and that they distribute supplies to refugees. I went to the UN website and got pictures of them, in their own country's uniforms and the UN blue helmets or berets, and printed them out for the kids. The 2nd and 3rd grade kids in my small group loved it, and told me they had never heard of the UN before! They wanted to take home the pictures of the soldiers.

In addition, we had the K through 3 kids make badges of posterboard circles colored blue (like the peacekeepers hats) with the words "I'm a peacemaker" on them, finished off with a sparkly dove and olive branch sticker. We put stick-on pin backs on them, and the kids wore them home. My group marched around the room chanting, "peacemakers!" and when asked what "peacemakers" did, answered, "We stop fights!". So now my guys are all officially "deputized" peacemakers. It was great fun.

Thanks for your feedback. For the Storm Chasers module, we chose to use the Beatitudes as the basis for the lessons, but we tried to make the God at Work Points more age-appropriate, and sometimes they were in response to the Beatitude.

For example, We Go to Jesus in Hard Times is a response to God blesses those who mourn for they will be comforted. We Humble Ourselves Before God is in response to God blesses those who are humble for they will inherit the whole earth. Since Living Inside Out is all about giving kids the opportunity to demonstrate and live out their faith we felt like the lessons would be stronger if we gave kids an action to live out as the result of the Beatitude. As you work through the lessons, we would love to hear how this works for you and your kids. As far as the Storm Chasers theme, it's a little more subtly woven through the lessons than Music Camp. I think as you dig into the lessons you'll see it used in the gizmos and Bible Memory Makers and in the individual small group lessons. I hope this module is powerful and life-changing for your kids. Please continue to send your feedback; it's incredibly important!

Amy Weaver
Editor, Living Inside Out

We've just begun the storm chaser unit and like a previous poster, I too am having difficulty understanding this overall theme.  I've read through all the materials, but I still don't understand the significance of "storm chasers"  Could you enlighten me?  The leaders/children want to know!

Thanks so much.

Thank you for bringing your questions about the Storm Chasers theme to our attention. Here is a quick run down of how you can tie the theme to each lesson. I hope you find this helpful.

Lesson 1: We go to Jesus in hard times. Hard times are like storms in our lives, and Jesus is always with us through any storm.

Lesson 2: (God Heals Naaman's Leprosy) After the storm, God is there to heal and give us a fresh start.

Lesson 3: We want what is right in God's eyes. When we focus on God, he will get us through any storm that might come our way.

Lesson 4: We help make peace. In the midst of the storm, God can bring us peace and show us how to make peace in the lives of those around us.

Lesson 5: God wants us to do right no matter. No matter what storm may come into our lives, God still calls us to be obedient and to follow where God leads.