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The preschool to children’s worship transition book is in the final stages of the publishing process. It won’t be long now!

In my early childhood lesson plans each week, I have illustrated children’s books to help teach each lesson and go along with each theme. I have an awesome theme lesson on apples where we learn about different kinds of apples, make applesauce, learn about Johnny Appleseed and even pretend to be Johnny Appleseed by wearing pots on our heads and scattering grass seed in the backyard of the school (Johnny scattered apple seeds, but I think my school owner would prefer we do grass seeds.)

I have books to read each day during the apple theme. I have books to read for almost every other theme planned at school, too.

That made me think about something in my children’s worship lesson plans. I don’t have very many books to read along with those plans. Books are great for preschool children. Often even the most active and rowdy preschoolers will express an interest in hearing stories from books. Why not use story books to go along with the theme of the week?

So with that in mind, next up in my publishing notebook:  Noah and the flood.

I have written out the text for an illustrated children’s book on Noah and the flood. The illustrations are in process. Check out this image — and it’s only a rough sketch. Just think what it will look like finished and in color!

Tags: Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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Young children learn something from all activities: from learning how to tie their shoes to learning how to help cook dinner. Here are ways to help them learn. Click here for learning opportunities.

Tags: Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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Are you looking for activities to do with your children when it is too hot to play outside? Check out these online activities: games, books, stories. But remember to teach Internet safety. Check out this Internet Safety tool.

Have fun together and learn something, too.

Tags: Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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We are always looking for new and fun games to play with groups of children. Here is an excellent list of games. Outside games. Relay games. Team games. Inside games. Hand games. Click here for game entertainment.

Tags: Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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I wrote a post a few months ago on learning styles from information I learned from the 4MAT book. Here is that post.

Here is an interesting article with questions to test your knowledge on what kind of learner you or your children are. Knowing your learning style will greatly help others in how to prepare lessons and structure classroom settings.

As a teacher, I am often asked:  ”Does he work better in a group or individually?” There are benefits to structuring the classroom so that students can work together in groups and work alone. In my early childhood classroom, I have both kinds of learners. Therefore, I offer both kinds of learning adventures.

Tags: Educational by Brenna Phillips
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Here is an interesting article on lower divorce rates tweeted by Larry Shallenberger. The research discussed in the article found that divorce rates are lower if men help out with household jobs and chores, regardless of the woman’s employment status.

Check out the article by clicking here.

Tags: Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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A study completed on the use of pesticides on fruits and vegetables revealed a link to ADHD in children. Read the article here. What to do now? We need healthy fruits and vegetables for our healthy eating habits. To avoid these harmful pesticides, we can wash our food thoroughly, eat fruits and vegetables that can be peeled, and buy locally grown foods that doesn’t have to be preserved for travel distances.

Tags: Educational by Brenna Phillips
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I found this article recently. Many supervisors and people in upper-level positions should follow this supervisor’s example and go back into a classroom for a day or even for a week to be reminded of what it is like to work hands-on in a field, any field.

Many people work their way through the educational process and earn the highest degrees they can earn, then land a ‘desk job’ in a supervisory position. They often forget what it is like to work in the classrooms. Cultures and generational characteristics change so quickly, too, that these supervisors get out of touch with the current hands-on issues. They can read books all day long, but they will never know exactly what they need to know until they spend a day in the ‘real’ world.

The idea of supervisors spending a week or a day doing the jobs of the people with whom they supervise can be applied to people in any field or position: from classroom education teachers to denominational ministry leaders. Supervisors and denominational leaders will never know how to lead their employees or the local church leaders until they spend time working in their positions on a continuous basis. It doesn’t work if they are former classroom teachers or former church leaders. Cultures and generations change too quickly. They must be continuously involved in the hands-on daily routines of the field.

So, come on, principals, superintendents, denominational presidents, and whoever else is leading a group of people in any field. Get out there in the real world. Get out from behind the desks. Get your hands dirty.

Tags: Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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Forget leadership training. We are not leaders; we are followers.

Jesus is our leader; we are His followers. Our fundamental identity is to be a follower of Jesus. He called us to be followers. The first follower said to “follow me as I follow Christ.” Just as the disciples followed Jesus, so should we, and invite others along on the journey to follow Christ as well.

Tags: Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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David and I were invited to go to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with one of his former doctoral classmates to see and hear our good friend Len Sweet. We jump at the chance to hear refreshing information and soak up all the knowledge we can from him. He is so very encouraging and a great friend.

He always talks about the Gutenberg world and the Google world. The current young generation lives in the Google world where cell phones fit in the palm of their hands and ‘text’ is a verb. The Gutenberg world generation lived BC: before cell phones and ‘text’ was a noun.

He explained a metaphor between an apple and an orange. In the Gutenberg world, the symbol for learning was an apple. If the student liked the teacher and wanted to give her something, she gave her an apple.

How do we eat an apple? Generally, we hold the entire apple in our hands and bite off chunks of it; we eat it whole.

The symbol for learning that we should use is an orange. How do we eat an orange? We hold the entire orange in our hand, then we peel it; we take it apart piece by piece, not whole. We experience it as a whole then we take it apart.

When we read a passage of Scripture, we need to experience it as a whole then we need to ‘peel’ it piece by piece, not ‘bite’ off chunks all at once.

Tags: Educational, Ministry by Brenna Phillips
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