Kids love nature!

I have to take an environment class at my school to graduate. It actually got me to start thinking about getting kids involved now. I am going to start working on a nature activity with my kids. I am debating exactly what to do with 2 year olds, so if you have any ideas let me know. But I really want to get the kids more involved outside. They love going outside and keep asking me if we can. I might have them help plant some flowers outside  the building.
I really want  the kids to get involved more at the church to show them that they are never too young. It is really important to me to show them that they are never too young to do things for God. They are just as important as their parents and they can do amazing things too. Have a great day.

Kids need attention

It is really easy foe us to forget that we have to pay attention to children's needs sometimes. I mean we play with them, but we miss the red flags that could warn us that there is potentially something wrong.
Children show signs of abuse and disorders, that if we don't notice it when they are young, then a child could go unnoticed. I'm not saying confront the parent directly about it. I would talk to someone else first. More importantly try talking to the child. I have seen when people thought a child was autistic because she didn't talk. In reality she spoke a different language and no one bothered to get to know her. Knowing each child is really important. I make sure I spend time with my kids individually so that I can get to know them, and they know they can trust me.
Once kids have your trust they will be more open, and listen better. Kids just want to know you care. Hope you have a great day.

Change is coming!

So after 3 weeks of me working on my door and finally getting it all nice, I get a new door to my room. It's really nice I just wish someone would have told me so that my stuff didn't get destroyed. But I fixed it all so it looks just as nice. Besides just getting a new door I'm adding a lot more ark like things in my room. I want the kids to have fun and feel like they are on the ark. Only problem is everybody, including me, rather just have a new building. Our rooms are trapezoid so things get a little weird when it comes to where things can go. But we work with what we have. That's why I'm not doing any big projects unless I know it will be there a while. 

I'm getting more kids it seems like each week. I still remember the days when I had only one. It's amazing to see God working in my class with kids so young. 

Hope you had an awesome weekend! Have a great week. 

Stressed filled life!

Every day can be filled with stress. New stress, old stress, it can seem like a lot is piling up up on you sometimes. I have to remember to let God take a hold of my stress and give it all to Him. I know that not everything is perfect in life, and sometimes you get a curve ball that you never saw coming. On my worst days I find myself coming to God more than ever. I look towards Him for guidance and I thank Him for each moment He has given me. I decide to make each day great because that is how God has planned it. We may not see it at the moment but there is a bright future planned for you.
Hope you guys have a great week!

Relaxing

So today I took a break. I didn't go to work, I just stayed home and caught up on some homework. It was nice, and was needed for sure! It also has helped to relax and get some energy back so that I can be well rested for the next few weeks. I have to make it to spring break before I can "rest" again. Have a great day! 

Wild Child

We all get the one child who is crazy and tears everything apart in our room. They dump and run as I like to say. It can be so difficult sometimes and honestly I use to dread that child coming in. But then I came up with a plan. I made that child responsible for everything they destroyed or dumped out. Amazingly the child realized it wasn't fun to clean up something they didn't play with. The fact that it worked was amazing to me
I've done the same thing with one year olds and it works too! Kids understand more than we think. Once they know how it makes us feel they will understand that they shouldn't do it causes  they don't like it either.
In high school I used to hang up posters for drug prevention. I would spend hours hanging them to make words and pictures. Literally it would be up for an hour during school and someone would tear it down. I started getting people involved and they realized how much work it was. Some of the kids who torn down the posters no longer did, and they made sure their friends didn't either. It gave them the realization that it took someone time to do this and it wasn't fair that someone would rip it down in seconds.
It works for every age so just try it out! Have a great week!

We "bee"long to Jesus.

I finally finished my door to my room. The kids loved it! Only thing left is to finish the bees to hang from the ceiling. 

The kids have become really hyper lately, which could be from the full moon a few days ago. But I knew they needed to get some energy out so we played outside for a little bit. We don't really have a play area so I try to keep them as contained in the grass as I can. But they had fun. It was something new and different. I can't wait for it to get warmer so that I can make some sidewalk chalk paint for them. Hope everyone had a great weekend, enjoy your week! 

Love is imporant!

Loving a child no matter how much they annoy you can actually help them to listen to you more. I have had children that would not listen to a single adult, but when I would sit and talk to them and show them love they actually would listen to me when I spoke to them. As kids would say, love is a super power. Some people have a difficult time loving kids who are "always causing trouble". Those are normally the kids that I like to target. When they see that someone care and they don't have to act out to get attention, they calm down. Most times it is caused because they live in a sad house where their parents don't pay much attention to them. With me loving them it shows them that someone in the world cares about them.
God loves us even if we do something stupid that we know we are not suppose to do. But "love covers a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8. If God is willing to love us when we act out, then we need to be willing to love kids who do the same.
Hope you have a Happy Valentines Day! Have a great weekend, and don't forget to follow. Talk to you on Monday!

Falling behind

As some people may have noticed I have not been posting as much. It basically comes down to, if I don't schedule it and write when I have time, I will completely forget. School has gotten crazy, and in order for me to keep up and do the nursery, my blog may slack a little. I will still post on Mondays for sure. If I find other things to write about when I have time, then I will, but I do not think that I will be able to post every weekday.
Hope you guys have a great day, don't forget to follow to get more updates.

Please Listen to me!

The struggling question of how to get a child to listen. Well it is a lot easier then most people want to believe. Most parents would hate to hear this, but honestly if it works do it. I can have children sit nicely during lesson, in the bathroom, and have them walk nicely in a line. My secret is I bribe them with marshmallows.
Yes they are sugary, but I only give out a max of 5 per child on a good day. It is amazing what kids will do for a marshmallow. If I say I am giving out marshmallows for whoever cleans up the block, at least half of the kids will run over and pick them up and put the away nicely. I mean not everyone has to do it but it works in my class. The main reasoning for marshmallows is it works for all ages. If a child chokes it will dissolve fast enough that nothing bad will happen. I don't have to worry about getting different treats when I have brand new two year old's in my class. It is up to you and what you are allowed to do, but it works in every situation.
Have a great week, and don't forget to follow.

It's the little things.

God works hard in everyone's life. That includes children. The sooner we can get God into a child's life the more likely they are going to live for Him through their life. Every little detail matters, including a child.
When planning a lesson you have to think of all the small details. Everything that might happen needs to be thought out. Kids can be unpredictable so you have to be prepared. Each day is a learning experience and we just have to take it as it is.
When I decide to paint with my kids I have to expect that they are going to get paint on themselves and the table. But I am will to clean it so that they can have awesome art projects!
One little thing that you leave out could be detrimental to your class. Don't forget the small details, and especially not the little children. Each of them is important to God! Have a great day!

Beware of the snake!

As we all know Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden for eating the forbidden fruit. The snake caused all the problems! 

So that is the story we learned yesterday. I had the kids make a snake using pantyhose. It was probably their favorite craft so far. I also made a sign, which scared most of the parents walking in cause they thought there was an actual snake. But it was fun and the kids loved their little snake friends. It was fun and exciting day and totally worth the mess that the poly fiber made. 

It's all about your look!

Dressing right is very important! I always want to wear a dress to church, but knowing I am going to be on the ground I choose against it. Sometimes I like to play Mrs. Frizzle and match the theme. If I'm teaching light and dark I'll wear black and yellow. The kids probably don't notice but if they do it might help them remember! It is important to look nice but also appropriate so that you can work with the kids. Don't look like a slob but also don't look like you are going to senior prom. There is a happy medium. Obviously if you have older kids you could wear a dress but make sure it's long enough. The older the kids the harder it could be to dress nice. 

Hope you had a great week! Happy Friday talk to you some more in Monday!

What to do?

Sometimes I will sit and look up ideas that I can use for a lesson. Some are easy, but others are like pulling teeth! Some of the lessons I have are so confusing to me, that I can't possibly teach it to a 2 year old! I look up ideas and crafts but I end up with nothing. Most times if that happens, I'll just skip the lesson. This then gives me a couple of weeks where I have nothing. No I don't just sit there with my kids doing nothing, I plan it out to where around Halloween and Thanksgiving we do mini lessons on them. Last year for Halloween I read the book "The Pumpkin Gospel." We talked about pumpkins and we even carved one for Halloween. For Thanksgiving we talked about being thankful. We also did a little bit on the Pilgrims, but not too much. It's when we go outside the box of what we are told we have to teach that kids have fun.
My mom is a Kindergarten teacher. She is given a unit of stuff she has to teach by a certain time. But when she doesn't follow the exact steps, and goes away from the same boring videos, her kids start to learn. I've said it before but it is true, kids learn in the weirdest way, we just have to figure out how they will learn. Never stop learning yourself. Keep expanding on what you have. Make something new and exciting. If the kids see you having fun they will want to join you! Have a great day!

Connections

Getting connected to other people working in the same field is important. I am always bouncing ideas off of someone. I want to make sure what I am doing sounds fun to others and is also appropriate for my kids. I also go to conferences where I can talk to other people who are a lot more experienced in kids ministry. It is okay to ask for help if you need it. People love if you ask for help, or ask to use something of theirs. As I have learned from my teaching classes, beg, borrow, and steal. As long as you are willing to give credit, people really don't care. Just look on pinterest, that's my source of creativity. Most times I take stuff I see on their and modify it. Nothing has to be perfect, especially if you are working with kids. When it looks like a kids made it, then it is done right. I use to be about making each craft perfect and exact, and the parents didn't seem to like it as much. Like I said yesterday, let the kids be messy. That way the parents know that the kids did it, not you.
A good example is when I did the trees. I wanted the kids to rip the paper into small pieces and make a puffy tree. Some of them ripped long pieces and theirs looked like palm trees instead. The only one I fixed was the one that the child covered the whole trunk (You couldn't tell it was a tree).
I encourage you to find at least one person you can work with, and places you can get ideas. That is when you will see a change in the kids! Have a great week!

Getting started and Having FUN!!!

Getting started can be the hardest thing. I never thought that I could work with a 2 year old. But really all it takes is going in with a smile on your face! All kids really want is.to know that someone loves them. I always put a smile on before I walk through the door. The kids know that they are going to have fun if I look like we are going to have fun. No child wants to see a grinch when they walk in.
Making learning fun is th  most important. Switching the routine, or the room, let's kids explore more of their senses. The more movement or involvement the kids have in their day, the more they will remember, even if they are young. It doesn't matter how you do it, give them play doh, let them get up and move, or even build a whale. Kids are going to learn when you make their day fun and different.
Peel have told me that kids need routine, and consistency. I've noticed that the along things stay the same, the more wild they become. When I change the way my room is set up, the kids come in, in awe. It's lime I have a new room with new toys, and I don't. Making things different isn't going to hurt them. Each day is a learning process, not everything is going to work. I take everything I've done and see how I can make it better next time, or how I can be more prepared.
In all honestly a mess that might be made can be easily cleaned up. Are you really going to risk kids learning and having fun because you don't want to clean up the mess? If a kid paints on the table I just clean it up. I will stay after for an hour to clean up if it means the kiss will have fun and learn!
Don't be afraid to get messy. Expand the children's learning by changing.the way you do things. Every activity helps a child learn, even if you don't physically see it. Kids learn through play, so have a little fun! Have a great week!

God made the animals and me!

Another great Sunday! We learned how God made the animals and people. We talked about how God molded Adam out of clay. Since I didn't have clay I used play-doh, but I gave each kid a piece and let them mold it while I talked. It helped them get hands on and understand more when I came to creation. It wasn't an easy process! We started painting for our peacock, which I know is a bird, but I didn't want to do a lion because we talk about lions later. I love that the kids actually remember what they are learning. As they get older I can see it click and they can tell back the story. 

Well I hope your Sunday was as good as mine, I'm not even gonna talk about the Super Bowl. Have a great week!