Practical Ideas for Teaching Children to Give

 Elementary, Family, Little Ones, Parents, Preschool, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Sep 102011
 

As I mentioned two weeks ago in my post, teaching kids to give is integrally related to their relationship with Jesus.  That’s why Crossing Kids has recently made collecting offering a regular time during preschool large group, just like in our elementary large group.  Christine Simon followed up my post by explaining where the children’s offering goes, so you can talk to your kids about this.  Today, I want to explore where we as parents can begin when cultivating a giving heart in our children.  For this topic, I turned to some trusted resources.

The best solution payday loans

Pastor John Piper was asked the question here, “What have you done to teach your children the importance of giving tithes and offerings?” In addition to some helpful practical examples, he said the main point is to “…intentionally teach the children the bigger picture about money. This is God’s money. God should get the first fruits from it. And then the rest you spend for his glory.”  So, a simple first step in teaching kids to give is explaining who God’s Word says the money is from and for.

This is God’s money. God should get the first fruits from it. And then the rest you spend for his glory. 

- John Piper

Secondly, we need to look at our own lives and example we set.  If you’re like me, you’re cringing a bit because you know your own shortfalls in this area.  Randy Alcorn explains it this way:  “The holy habit of giving is like the holy habits of Bible study and prayer and witnessing and hospitality. These things need to be integrated into our lifestyle. Those not raised in a home where they learn this are at a great disadvantage later trying to develop new habits as adults. Children raised in giving families would no sooner stop giving than brushing their teeth.”  Here’s a brief practical article with more from Alcorn about how to teach your children about money.

Children raised in giving families would no sooner stop giving than brushing their teeth.

- Randy Alcorn

Although there is much more to say on this topic, I will leave you for a few examples of ways one family I know and trust cultivates a giving culture in their home.  I’ve seen these parents’ hearts.  They love to give and bless others.  As a result, their kids are learning to love to give. My hope is that their example might spur your own ideas of ways to sow seeds of generosity in your kids’ lives.

- When our children get new shoes or clothes, we try to stop and pray for the kids who don’t have such things.  Then I ask them to find a pair of shoes they’ve outgrown that we could take to someone in need.

- We’ve implemented the piggy banks with the 4 categories entitled, “save, spend, invest, donate” found here.  When they are given money, we help them divide it in to the appropriate categories.  Then when their “donate” sections are getting full, we have a conversation with them about where that money should go.  Often, they just want to bring it to large group at church.

- We have always had them involved in the buying for Granny’s House backpacks or Christmas gifts.  I don’t mean just picking out the name.  I mean, taking them with me to do all the shopping.  Even though it would always be easier on me to go alone, I think there is tremendous value in them seeing our money spent on others.

- I sometimes say yes to “donate a $1 to Children’s Miracle Network” and other such things that you’ll see at checkout locations in local stores.  Again, it’s a tangible way of showing our kids that we want to bless others because God has so greatly blessed us.

- We also say yes to things at preschool – whatever fundraisers they are a part of.  Last year it was St. Jude’s research hospital.  I want my kids to recognize that we care about things outside of church, too.

- When we are together as a family, my husband will often buy a homeless person a meal.  We go back and deliver it to the man/woman with the kids in the car.  There have been a handful of times when my preschooler, specifically, will see someone and ask us to stop and get them some food.  It’s really pretty fantastic!

One last necessary thing to add to this post:  Let’s pray for ourselves and our children in this area.  As with all the training and teaching we do as parents, we need God’s help and his grace.  He alone is the one who changes hearts.  Without Him, all our efforts are for naught.

Our Partnership with Pistis School

 Elementary, Family, Parents, Preschool, Sunday Morning, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Sep 062011
 

Keith and I had the privilege of meeting Ben and Christi Byerly this past July when they were in Columbia visiting our church from Kenya.  Christi works closely with the school named Pistis which means “faith” in Greek.  She shared with us her heart for the children in Nairobi and the education they are receiving as part of what our children give through Crossing Kids. You can read more about our desire to teach kids about giving on Sunday morning from Rachel’s blog last week.

Crossing Kids began a partnership in 2007 with Pistis School to help educate the children of students working on ministry and theology degrees at NEGST Seminary in Nairobi, Kenya. Our goal with this partnership is to also help children in Crossing Kids gain a heart for the world and learn that their giving and serving can be a part of what God is doing in the world.  Over the years, we have helped Pistis with many different needs including the purchase of a photocopier, books for their library, school supplies, and money to create a better learning environment for the children. We have also sent hand written letters, book bags and fleece blankets that were made with love at one of our family events.

Below is a brief overview describing the school. We will have hard copies of this available in the Crossing Kids area starting this Sunday. We would love for you to have conversations with your children at home and pray for what God is doing at Pistis School.  I’ll post more updates from Kenya in the coming weeks.

Official name

Pistis (Faith) Christian School

Background

Pistis Christian School is for children of parents attending Africa International University/Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. Many of the families are living on tiny student stipends. Some are studying at the seminary with no extra money for food or their children’s tuition. In addition, Pistis offers education to 9 needy children who do not pay fees. This is considered a tithe given by the school.

Teachers

The seven teachers employed by Pistis receive their salaries exclusively from school fees, which are paid monthly. One huge answer to prayer is that all teacher salaries have been paid on time for almost 2 years running.

Mrs. Jedidah Njuguna is the head teacher. She has been working at Pistis since 1985. She is supported by the school board, which is elected by parents. When there is a budget shortfall, which is nearly every month, Mrs. Njuguna does not take a salary. In addition to Mrs. Njuguna, the school employs seven other teachers.

School Board Function

Christi Byerly, an American, is the chair of the school board. Her three children attend Pistis. She holds monthly meetings with the board, which includes teachers and parents, to ascertain the urgent needs of the school and to develop future direction and strategy.

The policy is that school fees must cover the basic operating costs of the school (such as salaries and rent), to avoid dependency. Christi loves to fund-raise for special projects, such as the school library, the photocopier, new classrooms, and upgrades to the facilities, supplies and curriculum.

Children

Each term, the number of students, and their demographics, changes. Usually, there are between 65-75 students from a range of countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, North Sudan, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, United States, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Liberia, and Benin.

School Cost

Each year, the school costs about $25,000 to run. This money is raised through school fees, which range annually from about $200 for the pre-school to about $800 for the Accelerated Christian Education program in elementary and high school. The teachers are paid about $100 a month.

 

 

 

Crossing Kids: Sunday September 4, 2011

 5th Grade, Elementary, Family, Little Ones, Parents, Preschool, Sunday Morning, Volunteers  No Responses »
Sep 042011
 

Little Ones

Basic Truth: God Made Me

Key Question: Who made the world?

Bottom Line: God made the world.

Memory Verse: “God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1, NIrV

Bible Story: God Made the World, Genesis 1:1-19

Monthly Song: “My God is So Big” from amberskyrecords.com and “Big God Story” from Forever/Home

Bible Story Summary

God made the light and dark, God made sky and water, God made land, plants, and sea.  God even made the sun, moon and stars!

 

Preschool

Basic Truth: God made me.

Key Question: Who made the world?

Bottom Line: God made the world.

Memory Verse: “God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1, NIrV

Bible Story Focus: God made light and dark.

Day 1: Light and Dark • Genesis 1:1-5

Dinner Table Discussion

Discuss the following questions as a family during dinner this week.  They’re meant to prompt further conversation about what was experienced on Sunday morning.

I wonder…who made the whole world and everything in it?  God did!

I wonder…how many days did it take for God to create the world? Seven

I wonder…what did God make on day one of creation? Light and dark

I wonder…what are some things that we need the light for?  What are some things that we need the dark for?

 

Kindergarten-4th Grade 8:00 & Kindergarten-3rd Grade 11:00

Bible Passage:  Genesis 6-9  (Noah)

Big Idea: God is both just and merciful.

Follow-Up: Reread the story of Noah in Genesis 6-9 or p. 38-47 of The Jesus Storybook Bible.  Ask:

How did God protect Noah and his family?

What is a promise?

What is the rainbow a sign of?

 

Kindergarten-4th Grade 9:30

Bible Passage:  Exodus 16; Exodus 20  (God Provides for the Israelites)

Big Idea: No matter how hard we try, we can never be good enough.

Follow-Up: Reread Exodus 14-15 or p. 100-107 of The Jesus Storybook Bible.  Ask:

How did God provide for the Israelites?

How did the Israelites respond?

How are we like the Israelites?

 

5th Grade and 4th 11:00

Grapple Question: Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Kids Learn: God’s Plan For Handling Family Conflict

Dig Into the Bible: Genesis 4:1-12; Psalm 133; Colossians 3:12-15

None of us is perfect—and how quickly our preteens can point that out to us! Kids at this age have a huge need for fairness and are quick to point out when something isn’t fair—at least in their eyes. And, they’re starting to see they can do things more independently; they’re testing their abilities.

There’s no way to avoid conflict, especially with those you live with daily. However, you can try a biblical approach to conflict to help you and your preteen build an understanding and help you both navigate this interesting time in your lives. Read some of the following verses with your preteen to open up discussion about conflict in your relationship. Use these verses to talk about ways to deal with conflict in a manner that would please God. Read: Colossians 3:1-2; 1 Peter 3:11; and James 3:13-18.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

 Book Review, Parents  1 Response »
Sep 022011
 

Growing up, my parents had high expectations for how my sister and I spent our time. Homework always came first, then sports and music practice, then playtime. My dad felt strongly we should always be involved in one sport and one musical activity, so we would be well rounded and “successful” kids. For many years my choices were gymnastics and piano. I was expected to practice both every day for thirty minutes after I finished my homework. At the time, I thought my mom and dad were so strict! After all, many of my friends were home playing Super Mario and watching Saved by the Bell after school.

Compared to Amy Chua, my parents were very laid back. I just finished reading Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, a memoir about the extremely high expectations a Chinese mother had for her two daughters. It’s a fascinating book that raises some important thoughts on what “successful” parenting looks like. Just read how her memoir begins.

A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids…Here are some things my daughters were never allowed to do:

  • attend a sleepover
  • have a playdate
  • be in a school play
  • watch TV or play computer games
  • choose their own extracurricular activities
  • get any grade less than an A
  • not be the #1 student in every subject except gym and drama
  • play any instrument other than piano or violin
  • not play the piano or violin

Sounds pretty extreme, doesn’t it? When I first read this list, I thought it sounded so controlling, even cruel. I wondered why any parent would choose to raise a child under such strict expectations. As I read further into the book, I thought about the benefits of setting such high expectations. Clearly Chua believes the benefit is to raise “successful” children. But what makes a child successful?

If a child gets straight As, is the star goalie on the competitive soccer team, and 1st chair violin in orchestra, do you consider that child successful? Chua would say “absolutely.” Most parents would say “definitely so.” But what does God say? What is his standard for success?

In Matthew 22, Jesus says, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Jesus is telling us that the most important thing to do in life is to love God and to love others. This is God’s standard for “success.”  When we follow His commands for our lives and experience His abundant grace and love, we live rich lives as children of the King. This is much harder to teach a child to do than teaching them to excel in school and sports. This level of “success” is dependent on God’s grace and seeking after Him with all our hearts. It has nothing to do with how hard we practice, how many hours we devote to it, or our level of skill. All of us are invited to seek God with our whole hearts, minds, and strength and to fall on our knees in worship, no matter our skill or ability.

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to have high expectations for our kids. Nor am I saying it’s bad to encourage excellence. In fact, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Being excellent at something for God’s glory is where true joy lies, not in doing it for ourselves. We should pursue excellence for God’s glory and teach children to do the same in school, sports, and music.

However, I think we need to be very careful to not teach kids that being a good student, a good athlete, or a good musician is what makes them successful. Rather, we want them to believe that seeking to have a heart that loves God more than anything else will bring eternal joy. Maybe our main objective for our children should be teaching them to live their lives so that one day they will hear God’s voice say, “Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21).” This is success.

Listen to Amy Chua talk about her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother on NPR.

What we have loved, others will love…

 5th Grade, Elementary, Family, Parents, Preschool, Reading  No Responses »
Sep 012011
 

“What we have loved
others will love
and we will teach them how.”
~William Wordsworth~

As a teacher, the words above became somewhat of a mantra.  I hung them up as a reminder about what I wanted the students in my classroom to experience.  They were words that also caused me to pause and consider people whose passions helped me to develop my own.

This is my Grandma Eva.  In this picture we are doing one of our favorite things…reading.  More than any other person in my life she is responsible for awakening the learning-reading-thinking-writing-loving-language part of me.  Don’t get me wrong, I grew up in a home surrounded by books, a Kindergarten teacher for a mom, and have a long line of Language Arts teachers I’m also grateful for.  I’ve been influenced by many people in this department, but none so tenderly and so significantly as the woman in the rocking chair above.

My grandparents lived a few blocks away.  Daily trips were the norm, not the exception.  The Palmyra Public Library was easily one of my childhood favorite places, in part because it usually included Grandma.  We’d walk down Main Street, head to our separate shelves, take our time browsing for selections, and find the other person when finished.

When we left, she’d have her stack and I’d have mine.  I think that’s part of what made my Grandma different than some of my other early literary influences.  I had many people in my life who read to me, but not nearly as many who had an open, honest, real reading life themself.  Her books were huge and watching her devour page after page made me hungry to do the same.  I sort of considered returning books that you read in their entirety a badge of honor, but I always felt that my accomplishment paled in comparison to the stack my grandma placed on the circulation desk.  I vowed many times that someday my stack would look like hers.

When we returned home from our trip, the words on the page were brought to life through my Grandma’s voice.  It started simply enough.  Classic fairy tales with long-haired princesses and peas under mattresses.  Patricia Polacco’s Thundercake followed by a chance to try out the recipe for ourselves.  Together we plowed through Laura Ingalls Wilder pausing only when my Grandma shared her own experiences of preparing for winter on a farm in the 1920s and 1930s.

More recently, I was reminded of my Grandma’s language loving legacy.  Now in her 90s, her vision is significantly impaired.  Turning pages is no longer an option so she enjoys the audio version instead.  One afternoon, I found her laying down with her eyes closed while the book played.  I teased her about taking a nap/resting her eyes.  To which she replied, “Oh.  I’m not sleeping.  I’m picturing what the words would look like on the page.”  Most of us visualize what’s taking place in the stories we read.  Yet, my book loving Grandma took it a step further.  She not only enjoyed the story, but the act of reading in and of itself.

During the month of September, I plan to share a list of children’s literature recommendations along with a rationale of why this is especially significant for those who desire to leave a lasting spiritual legacy in their family.

Yet, don’t miss the significance of Wordsworth’s words or my Grandma Eva when it comes to an even greater story and an even greater love.  A while back, a friend pointed out that Wordsworth’s words sound a bit like the Great Commission.  Yet as my Grandma’s example illustrates, sharing a genuine love for something only comes from loving it yourself.  I was taught to love books by watching an example that was impossible to fake.  I was taught to love language not through one trip to the library, but through what happened day in and day out.  I was taught to love reading, not just from going to school, but from seeing it modeled intimately next to someone I was close to.  What my grandma loved, I now love, and her example taught me how.

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