Sunday School~Home School
Make Every Minute Count
By Darlene Schacht
It’s Sunday morning, and you have 60-90 minutes to instill the word of God into children whose hearts are open and ready for God. To light a fire that will continue to burn long after they grow up and leave your Sunday School class. Some of those children will be there for years, but some you only have for a day--make each minute count.
You’re a homeschooling mom, and you see that the kids are growing tired of the same old lesson plans around the dining room table. Step out of the box--make each minute count.
Anybody can throw a match to light a fire, but a truly gifted woman will light a fire that continues to burn long after she’s gone.
Sunday Morning Camp-Out
 Every child loves a camp out; why not host one in your classroom? You’ll have to set up on Saturday night, but the impact you’ll have on Sunday morning will be worth every minute you spent.
Borrow a pop tent to create an outdoor theme, make sure it’s one that doesn’t have to be pegged into soil or nailed to the church floor.
Get a cooler, and fill it with juice boxes, and Smores if you have time to make them ahead of time.
String white Christmas lights around the room to create stars for the midnight sky.
Throw sleeping bags on the floor and take the table and chairs out for the day.
Bring a CD player and play Christian music quietly in the background.
Keep this special morning a surprise, but you may tell them the week before that it will be a special morning that they won’t want to miss.
If you don’t play guitar, ask a friend to join you with theirs, so you can sing songs around the campfire.
Bring a campfire. This one is a little tricky, but with some imagination you can find something that works--a lava lamp, a fiber optic lamp, an electric lantern, etc.
Open in prayer holding a flashlight. Take turns holding the light and praying a little before passing it on.
Allow the children to eat while you’re teaching them. Either follow the lesson as planned, or choose a lesson to go with the theme such as Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness.
After the lesson, have a memory verse game. Sit in a circle around the fire and whisper the memory verse to the person beside you. Have them whisper it to the next child etc. until it reaches the last child-find out what he heard. Continue this game with different aspects of the story whispered around.
Close in prayer and send each child home with a sparkler or a glow stick wrapped in the memory verse.
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This "Make Every Minute Count" article was written
by Darlene Schacht
 In this modern world where chaos is the norm, Darlene's goal for her family is not one of perfection, but rather one of direction as they are lead by the Father--enjoying every step of the way.
She is a quirky forty-something-year-old Christian mother of four whose children range in ages from four to fourteen. She and her husband Michael live in Manitoba, Canada.
Darlene has written over a hundred humorous short stories, some of which have been published in part on her blog site entitled, What Would Jesus Blog? where she has a strong Internet presence.
Darlene has published stories through four papers in Winnipeg—The Lance, The Herald, The Metro, and the Times, and online at A Strand of Three. She is currently the editor and founder of Christian Women Online, and the author of the newly realeased book, "The Mom Complex."
Read her monthly column here:
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