Some Cool Treasures for a Hot Summertime!
Freshen up your classrooms
Summer might be the perfect time to freshen up—or even redo—some of your workshop or classroom spaces. We have an entire forum full of pictures of creative "workshop" spaces waiting to inspire you! It might be something as simple as creating new signage for your space. Or it might be a complete renovation, like these pictures from Zion Baptist in Alberta, Canada. We would love to see some pictures from YOUR spaces!
What stories do you teach during the summer?
A few years ago, we did a survey to see what stories were frequently taught over the summer, when attendance often fluctuates. Here are some of the more popular choices, in case you are still looking for ideas for your summer curriculum:
- Psalm 100 - Joyful Noise
- Armor of God
- The Fiery Furnace
- Stories about Elijah and Elisha
- Joshua and the Spies
You can find lessons for these stories Rotation.org's SEARCH PAGE (or the magnifying glass icon on our blue toolbar at the top of the page).
Speaking of Psalm 100...
This lesson set from First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI has the kids learning the psalm by running a relay race with remote control cars. Sounds like a joyful noise!
You could even make "assorted Psalm lessons" the focus of your whole summer with these Writing Team lesson sets (available to our Supporting Members) on Psalm 8 and Psalm 23.
I love the idea of using “hands in” Mystery Boxes to explore Psalm 23. Students insert their hand into the box, feel what is inside, and try to figure out which verse is represented by what is in the box. And a bonus benefit is that these boxes can be reused for other stories!
Van Gogh’s famous painting of “Starry Night” has always been one of my favorites. And it is featured in the Starry Night Art Workshop for Psalm 8. The students use a combination of crayon resist and watercolor to create their own masterpieces focusing on phrases from the psalm.
