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Sunday School Curriculum Suggestions?
Hey folks,
We've been using Faithweaver for years and years. The teachers loved it till it started looping. They're ready for something that allows for the same (or more) hands on interactivity. We're fairly traditional in that we still want to be teaching Bible stories and scripture basics during the hour... but we're more than open to multimedia and various teaching methods.
What Sunday School Curriculum would you suggest?
Thanks in advance.
We've been using Faithweaver for years and years. The teachers loved it till it started looping. They're ready for something that allows for the same (or more) hands on interactivity. We're fairly traditional in that we still want to be teaching Bible stories and scripture basics during the hour... but we're more than open to multimedia and various teaching methods.
What Sunday School Curriculum would you suggest?
Thanks in advance.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael VanGilder on -
grapple is great for your preteens and jr high
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Permalink Reply by Diane Runge on -
You gotta check out Orange (ReThink Group) and 252 Basics. It's got a strategy for preschool, elementary and students that's genius. I used Faith Weaver (and other stuff too) before starting 252...and NEVER had kids pestering their parents on Monday about going to church again on Sunday or saw the life change that happened in the lives of kids and whole families until this. 252 teaches the Bible as the source of truth and wisdom. Each month one trait of God's character and how He wants to build that virute in them so they can reflect and impact the world around them. It's written in a way that appeals not just to Christians but is welcoming to any family...worship teaches kids how to really worship...focusing on why God can be trusted no matter what and then responding to that by giving Him praise. Small groups is all about relationships, engaging the 5 faith skills and applying the truth learned to life. All of it is appealing in style, engaging and interactive, funny...and there are materials included for a corresponding environment for parents and kids to attend together so parents have a shared experience with their kids...so they know what was learned at church and can apply and talk about it home in real life. It revolutionize our church, families, kids and the community. It's been around for a long time so they know what they're doing and have a conference, regional conferences and training so you can "succeed", plus a team of former children's directors at your call to help. When whole families are getting baptized together...and parents were the ones to lead their kids to Christ...and kids have deep real life faith and friends.... this is the strategy that puts it all together for God to do that?! No brainer for me.
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Permalink Reply by Shaila Swartz on -
Would like to add that making the switch to 252 Basics was the best and hardest decision I have made as CM Director. Wouldn't go back to what we were doing - I see the vision and this is so much more than a curriculum - it's a strategy!
Diane Runge said:You gotta check out Orange (ReThink Group) and 252 Basics. It's got a strategy for preschool, elementary and students that's genius. I used Faith Weaver (and other stuff too) before starting 252...and NEVER had kids pestering their parents on Monday about going to church again on Sunday or saw the life change that happened in the lives of kids and whole families until this. 252 teaches the Bible as the source of truth and wisdom. Each month one trait of God's character and how He wants to build that virute in them so they can reflect and impact the world around them. It's written in a way that appeals not just to Christians but is welcoming to any family...worship teaches kids how to really worship...focusing on why God can be trusted no matter what and then responding to that by giving Him praise. Small groups is all about relationships, engaging the 5 faith skills and applying the truth learned to life. All of it is appealing in style, engaging and interactive, funny...and there are materials included for a corresponding environment for parents and kids to attend together so parents have a shared experience with their kids...so they know what was learned at church and can apply and talk about it home in real life. It revolutionize our church, families, kids and the community. It's been around for a long time so they know what they're doing and have a conference, regional conferences and training so you can "succeed", plus a team of former children's directors at your call to help. When whole families are getting baptized together...and parents were the ones to lead their kids to Christ...and kids have deep real life faith and friends.... this is the strategy that puts it all together for God to do that?! No brainer for me.
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Permalink Reply by Sharon on -
I would recommend Living Inside Out! We used FaithWeaver for many years, still loved it, but wanted a change and tried Group's Living Inside Out! WE LOVE IT, both kids and volunteers! It's a large group/ small group model. Lots of energy in the large group with music, multi-media, memorable teaching and great relationship building in small group. One of our favorite things is the Bible themes - each module is 4-5 weeks long . You can do some fun decorating if you choose. It's like a mini VBS - a themed adventure! Preschool, lower and upper elemntary all come in a module. We used it for 1st-6th grades until Grapple came out and then moved 5th & 6th grade to that - so now use it with grades 1-4. It's reproducible and all the learning styles are addressed throughout a module. Gotta love the tag line, Where Kids Dare to Live Their Faith 24/7! The theme song is fun - it took us few months to really get the actions down - but just ask some kids who love to dance to lead the way. There is a take-home student piece (Inside Out at Home) - great way to connect with families. And kids love the daily challenge and the Bible memory maker (a cool thing they use for the 4-5 weeks and then it goes home as a reminder of what they learned). It's flexible - enough material for 45-90 minutes. We have 4 people who serve on our large group team so each person is the presenter only once per month - a great sell for volunteers! And serving as a small group leader instead of the teacher is welcoming to the rest of your volunteers. Living Inside Out has revolutionized our children's ministry. Check it out - try it for month! That's what we did and we're so glad that we did.
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Permalink Reply by debbie on
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We used FaithWeaver for many years, too, and felt we needed a change. We're using Buzz for 1st-3rd Grades and Grapple for 4th. We love it! Buzz is so EASY, but still teaches deep truth. I actually had to let a couple of volunteers go to another ministry because I didn't need their help sorting, counting, packaging all sorts of materials. Buzz can be taught with minimal supplies. It's engaging since it unfolds like a game in the classroom. I think Buzz and Grapple are both worth a try.
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Permalink Reply by Joe McAlpine on -
I haven't used it, but BUZZ looks pretty neat
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Permalink Reply by Mark Smith on -
Curriculum, teachers and boredom
The choice of a curriculum is the most ('the' should be interpreted as "THE" and yelled very loudly!) important decision you need to make as a church leader. The second pillar of that decision is the right teacher. Both are incredibly important but only because both will be handling the Word of God. Why? God's Word is what God, Holy Spirit uses to save people and to grow us as children of God.
When I hear the complaint, 'my teachers are bored' (in this case 'teachers loved it till it started looping') there is a fundamental breakdown in two critical areas. First, the concept of a curriculum is not matured within the teaching ranks. Curriculum by very definition is a race course of instruction that you walk students through. This course is repeated again and again. An illustration from public school should suffice. If I teach 7th grade math and I notice after 5 years of doing this that its always the same math year after year and I'm getting bored teaching it...you get my point which is my second point. We teach for the students and not for us! Every year new 7th graders come in who have no idea what 7th grade math is all about and they need to learn it. New students come in and the curriculum has not 'looped' for them because its brand new! If our teachers are tired of the 'looping' nature of curriculum then they need to be encouraged with the truth to press on or go do something else in the church. Last time I checked, the Bible only had 66 books and after reading it over and over each year from cover to cover I noticed that it is starting to 'loop'. Curriculum and the bible should be fresh every time we touch it. The Holy Spirit is always working to bring the light of the scriptures to our dark, sinful hearts. I substitute taught the 3/4th grade class this past Sunday and the story was Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. I knew that story and studied it a least 100 times and the kids had heard it many times as well. But, it was fresh and exciting as God lifted the story off the pages and encouraged us with His gift of faith, a substitute offering and a promise to Abraham and to us in 2010. It had all the earmarks of a boring 'stuck in the loop' lesson until God begins to move.
Since curriculum does loop by very definition and intention then a church needs to be absolutely certain that the curriculum they have chosen is the right one. That is another discussion which I wrote about in December's INCM e-mag. Refer to http://ow.ly/WB1i
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Permalink Reply by Aanna Smalley on -
We use Elevate curriculum from Creative Pastors. It is incredible. It's a DVD-based curriculum that can be used only in DVD format, as a live person/DVD format, or all live (meaning actors perform the skits etc.). The kids have stopped complaining of boredom and are excited to come to church. It's a large group/small group format that allows for interaction between elementary grades followed by small group connections with kids their own age. Our teachers love it and we've seen great things come of our switch to Elevate.
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Joy Deter on -
I actually use Kickrickulum for one of my Sunday School hours and have really liked it. You can learn about it at kickrick.com They have different topics such as Psalm 23 or The Lords Prayer that they break down into 13 lessons. The kids have loved it so far especially because they have alot of great object lesson ideas with it. We also do the skit each week which the kids really enjoy..we just had to change it up a little bit. I would check it out.
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Permalink Reply by Melinda Madison on -
Your curriculum needs will depend somewhat on your set up, needs, volunteer base, strengths of your leaders, and # of children you minister to. Ultimately, it has to be Christ-centered and scripture-rich with a great scope and sequence. It's also important for bridging between preschool and student curriculum so that by the time your "regular" kids move through all 3 ministries, they have been thoroughly equipped. Your leaders may tire of teaching the same things over again, but they must be reminded that it is NEW to the kids who are hearing it. There are some things out there that seem to have no rhyme or reason, are completely media based, or watered down. I would caution against using anything that is completely media driven. It may be easier to use, but can't take the place of relational and interactive teaching.
We made a switch to 252 Basics while we were still in self-contained small groups (knowing that when we moved into a new building we would use a large group/small group format). Initially, it meant a lot of work on me to adapt it to our needs, but worth it once we made the move. It also gave leaders a chance to get familiar with the orange concept and material (so much about casting the vision for where you want to go and why). The things that make 252 right for us is a focus on the heart of a child, empowering parents to be a part of that process, Bible teaching through virtues and godly character traits. The Bible becomes more than just a history book, it is HIS story and still applicable to our lives today! You can add/take away from lessons to fit your needs and there are several media pieces you can add to your teaching, should you choose. Rewriting at times means more work but I think it's worth it! It also allows you to use your leaders' strengths in the best places. Downside for some is that lessons must be printed from website. Bonus is you have more activities to choose from than you even have time for. Some leaders don't mind leading a small group but really don't have the gift of teaching and visa versa. Leaders are now taking more ownership because they are serving in the right place for them.
I have always been drawn to a lot of Group's materials. We have used Grapple and Hands On in the past. I haven't used Faith Weaver so I can't offer any advice on it, though I liked some of what I saw when I previewed. We are currently using "Children Desiring God" curriculum at a different time. It is great, solid, teaching, but we do add some of our own application activities to spice it up a bit.
Praying that God shows you exactly what He wants you to choose to draw the kids in your ministry closer to Him. Hope this helps!
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