I love this time of year as things wind down for summer. The first thing we've wrapped up is AWANA. Gunnar just "graduated" from Sparks. He's finished all three of his books, twice, and - in this photo - is about to receive his trophy. That means he has memorized over 160 verses, learned the books of the Bible, and completed several projects, hence all the gizmos and gadgets on his vest. Which is getting much too small, so good thing he's done!
Grampa and Gramma Grasshopper joined us for a special dinner and dessert. Gunnar got to choose the menu.
Here he is with his trophy and his favorite dessert...
peanut-butter cup brownies!
We're all very proud of you, Gunnar!
Because you asked...
AWANA stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (2 Timothy 2:15).
AWANA is a weekly club for kids, hosted by churches, and organized a little bit like scouting. You can find out more about AWANA, and find a club near you, by clicking HERE, (though most are probably finishing for the summer - as it's usually run along the school year.)
Kids are grouped by age, (preschool, K-2, 3-6, etc.) and work at their own pace through handbooks. They earn awards by completing activities and memorizing verses - and the main emphasis is on the verses. I'm sure there will be some variation from church to church, but the program will be basically the same wherever you go. Each time the club meets they'll have three main activities - a small-group handbook time to say their verses or display their projects to their leader, a larger group gathering (by age) with singing and a short talk (devotion, missionary, etc.), and game time.
For the kids it is fun, fun, fun. They often come home rather... carbonated, shall I say. All the boys have loved it, especially at the K-2 age. They love the theme nights (like crazy hair and wheelie -dealy, when they all ride their bikes in the parking lot) and the games.
My kids happen to be really motivated by rewards (even little plastic jewels in a little plastic crown)
so they've been very enthused to learn their verses.
However, they do see beyond the sparkly plastic to the greater good of
hiding God's Word in their hearts,
and that is what we celebrate with them.
Because you asked...
AWANA stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (2 Timothy 2:15).
AWANA is a weekly club for kids, hosted by churches, and organized a little bit like scouting. You can find out more about AWANA, and find a club near you, by clicking HERE, (though most are probably finishing for the summer - as it's usually run along the school year.)
Kids are grouped by age, (preschool, K-2, 3-6, etc.) and work at their own pace through handbooks. They earn awards by completing activities and memorizing verses - and the main emphasis is on the verses. I'm sure there will be some variation from church to church, but the program will be basically the same wherever you go. Each time the club meets they'll have three main activities - a small-group handbook time to say their verses or display their projects to their leader, a larger group gathering (by age) with singing and a short talk (devotion, missionary, etc.), and game time.
For the kids it is fun, fun, fun. They often come home rather... carbonated, shall I say. All the boys have loved it, especially at the K-2 age. They love the theme nights (like crazy hair and wheelie -dealy, when they all ride their bikes in the parking lot) and the games.
My kids happen to be really motivated by rewards (even little plastic jewels in a little plastic crown)
so they've been very enthused to learn their verses.
However, they do see beyond the sparkly plastic to the greater good of
hiding God's Word in their hearts,
and that is what we celebrate with them.
6 comments:
What is AWANA?
Great job, Gunnar! We might do AWANA next year, though Matt would be in Cubbies (December birthday, so he'll be 5, but in Pre-K). Technically, Nolan will be able to do Cubbies, too- so I get a 2-for-1 deal, lol.
What comes after Sparkies?
After Sparks comes T&T (Truth and Training) which goes 3-6th grade.
Our local AWANA group (through the church that does MOPS and Matt's preschool-I'm there more than I'm at my "home" church) is really good- I held off doing it this year because it goes from 6-8 pm (Matt needs to be in bed by 8 or he's a bear the next day). Since he'll be almost 5 next year, he'll probably be able to do it.
I'm coming out of lurkdom to say "CONGRATS!!" We are an AWANA family & very few kids did what your son did. To go through all 3 books TWICE in the three years is amazing and a job well done!
Way to go Gunnar!! Isn't it great when they enjoy hiding God's Word in their hearts!?
Blessings!
Deborah
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