Here's the lowdown on our 2008-09 midweek program, which moves to Wednesdays, 6-7:30 pm, and begins September 10.
The new program is called "STEAM". Any student in grades 4-6 is welcome to come. The night will consist of two parts: activities and electives. During the first 45 minutes, from 6-6:45, we will "blow off steam" with a variety of games and fun activities. We will have access (most weeks) to the gymnasium as well as the outdoor yard. Games might include soccer, basketball, kickball, dodgeball, competitive handball, ultimate frisbee, etc. We will also set aside an area for an arts & crafts project for those kids who don't want a highly physical activity.
Midway through the night (at 6:45), kids will transition to their elective. This is where we "gain steam". Kids are divided and will go to different rooms depending on the elective they are in. Some electives are series, like the Young Peacemaker or Stumped by the Bible, and a child registered for one of these would go to that elective every week until it finishes.
How do I pre-register for an elective? There is a registration form and you can download this from our website. The form explains how many weeks each elective meets, the dates, and the cost of materials (which is small). www.northcoastcalvary.org/steam
Is it necessary to pre-register? It may be. It does help us plan by having ordered enough materials. Theoretically the rooms we use can only hold so many, but practically speaking, space should not be a problem.
How do I know where to go each night? When you arrive, you and your child will go straight to check-in, which is in the church's main lobby, outside the sanctuary/gymnasium. Everyone must check in. Because of the size of our campus and its openness, it is important for us to know who has come and what they are signed up for. Please help us with this - always check in. At check-in, a child will be allowed to choose their activity for the night (this is the first 45 minutes). We will give you a colored wristband depending on what you choose. We will also write on your wristband where to go at transition time (6:45) for your elective. Obviously if you've pre-registered for an elective, that is where you'll go every week.
What electives are being offered? For the Fall session, five of them. They are The Young Peacemaker, a class about using Biblical principles to resolve conflict (see last week's post); Stumped by the Bible: Old Testament, a six-week overview of the Old Testament; Stumped by the Bible: New Testament, the NT compliment; How to Draw Bible Good, Bad, and Ugly Guys, in which kids will learn how to sketch different characters from the Bible and at the same time hear the stories involving those characters; and Topical Studies for Pre-Teens, which will be a simple Bible study on some character issue common to 4th-6th graders. The topic will change each week.
Kids can "drop-in" to the drawing elective once without needing to purchase the book. After that, the book is $10. Kids not pre-assigned to an elective will have a chance to choose one at check-in for that night. The Young Peacemaker and Stumped by the Bible electives have start dates (see the registration form) and kids will not be allowed to "jump in" once they've already begun. So, look over the list of electives offered and be sure you're getting your child into the one they want. (The Old Testament elective will be offered twice during Fall, and we do anticipate offering The Young Peacemaker again in the Spring.)
Do you need help? We do - we need registration help each week as well as people to serve as guides with kids (similar to a guide's role at Kids Games) and lead indoor & outdoor activities.
But…
We also hope you'll look at the Parenting 101 series being offered in conjunction with Marriage & Family Ministry and take advantage of the classes and workshops there. Jeff Reinke, Bill & Pam Farrell, and Dr. Achibald Hart will speak on the first three Wednesdays during the kids' midweek program (6-7:30 pm) - and that's just September! As we know that time spent at home is proportionally greater than time spent in church, we believe that parents have the greatest opportunity for spiritual influence over their kids. But, we recognize that many parents, while eager to fulfill that responsibility, feel inadequate or don't know where to begin. So Wednesday nights are also about you.
And, to underscore our belief in the importance of a spiritually nourishing home environment, we've invited back Tim Smith to do a hands-on training with moms and dads and kids, on Friday, September 19. Tim is the author of The Danger of Raising Nice Kids and spoke at NCCC a year ago. In the training on September 19, he will show you how to lead a spiritually beneficial family time. We'll supply the meal, the place (our auditorium) and Tim - you just bring your family. $5/person, with a $25 maximum for families.
So that's some of what we've laid out for families to begin this school year. We hope Wednesdays will become a night of spiritual enrichment for the whole family. Full STEAM ahead!
