lessons and activities designed to help children make the connection between God's word and our everyday lives.

by Judy and Jerry Brown

The lessons in this collection originally appeared in "TEACH Magazine" published by Sweet Publishing Company and edited by Mary Hollingsworth.

Attention Teachers.

Take out your pencils for a pop quiz. Ready? Question number one: Why? Tough question, isn't it? It's also one of the most important questions our students ask. Children need more than facts. They need connections. Without connections, life would be a jumble of disjointed events, scattered and without meaning. Most connections are easy to teach to children. "Drop a ball and it bounces. Drop a dish and it breaks." "Why?" "Because the ball is made of rubber and the dish is made of glass." It is easy to understand those kinds of "if...then...because" connections, especially when you have a real ball and dish to experiment with!

Teaching connections becomes more difficult when the time between the events is greater. "If I go to work everyday, then we can afford to buy groceries." "Why?" "Because that is how I make money." It seems so simple, but unless a child has experienced them, he might not fully understand these more adult connections.

Teaching spiritual connections may be the hardest of all, and yet it is the most important of all life's connections. If we ask children to memorize rules, to practice behaviors, or follow traditions without helping them make connections, their spiritual lives will be weak and meaningless. They need real-life examples and experiences in order to recognize the spiritual connections all around us.

Just saying the words, "I want you to be nice today." will have little impact on a child's life. When they ask, "Why?", we will have trouble filling in the blank after "because____. . ." Saying, "Your coat is too little for you. If we give it to a child who doesn't have a coat, then we will all be happier." uses everyday events and objects to teach spiritual connections. Take it one step further and go with the child as he gives his coat away and the spiritual connections are even stronger. "I am so proud of you because you showed your love for other - just like Jesus."

To learn and strengthen vital spiritual connections, children need hands-on experiences with everyday objects and caring adults who will help them find God in their everyday lives. Use the lessons and activities in this book as guides in your search for spiritual connections. They will work in the classroom, at home, or anywhere adults and children are trying to find out "why?"

Judy K. and Jerry W. Brown FirstLight Productions, Inc.

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