3. Sunday Morning Sam’s Sampler
Have you ever purchased a container of yummy little cream puffs from Sam’s Club or Costco? If you’re like me, your decision to buy started with the friendly sampler. “Have you tried our cream puffs?” he or she asks. The sampler knows it’ll take only one experience before you’re hooked.
Before the taste of the sweet cream leaves your tongue, you fill your cart. You rationalize all the ways you’ll be able to use these delicacies. Samplers grab your attention, whet your appetite, and convince you to explore further.
Children’s Ministry Samplers
What if children’s ministries capitalized on this concept? Imagine someone standing behind a little cart in the foyer or hallway in your kids’ department, greeting and capturing kids’ attention with something that activates the senses. Someone who whets the appetite for learning and motivates kids to explore further?
“Would you like to try some roasted locusts and honey?” tempts the Sunday morning sampler. “We’re studying John the Baptist this morning, and this is what he ate.”
Kids sample the offer as others gather in disbelief. And the kids proceed to class with soaring expectations.
Sampler Summer Ideas for Kids
By following a curriculum’s scope and sequence, you can feature multisensory experiences at a Sunday morning sampler station. And you don’t have to always offer food (or roasted locusts). Just activate the senses. Get started with these ideas:
- Jesus turns water into wine. Provide a taste test of grape juice watered down in stages.
- Doctor-disciple Luke writes about Jesus. Take kids’ blood pressure and temperature.
- Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Have kids light and blow out candles.
- Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” Serve fresh bread that’s baked at church for the aroma.
- Mary Magdalene brings spices to Jesus’ tomb. Grind cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, or coriander in a hand mill.
- Jesus tells a kingdom story about seeds. Serve a variety of seeds, such as sunflower and pumpkin.
- Soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothes. Have kids draw straws and roll dice.
- Jesus tells a kingdom story about yeast. Provide bread dough in various stages of rising.
With the help of a Sunday morning sampler, your children’s ministry can build anticipation for learning in a fun and truly memorable way. Then your kids will get in the habit of “trying” — and “buying” — too.
Victor Bennett
Grand Rapids, Michigan
4. Walking Maze
Using red yarn and your imagination, take kids on an exciting journey through the desert with the Israelites.
Age Level: 6 to 12
You’ll need:
- red yarn
- various props
The Activity
Before class, set up learning stations in different rooms or different sections of your room. They should represent what the Israelites experienced as they journeyed through the desert. Then place red yarn from the starting point of the journey to the ending point, creating a pathway for kids to follow. Wind the yarn around obstacles such as tables, overturned chairs, and partitions. The pathway should meander and be a little mysterious to kids.
Here’s how we designed learning stations for these summer ideas for kids:
Daily Life
The yarn first took kids into a tent where an adult discussed daily life in the desert.
Daily Food
Kids were led into the “quail room” where they learned about desert birds and constructed simple paper gliders.
Mount Sinai
A third room held a tripod covered by a tablecloth to represent Mount Sinai. An adult talked about a yellow ribbon that kept children back from “Mount Sinai” as representative of God’s commandment not to touch the mountain or go near it.
Manna
A fourth room held a quart jar filled with oyster crackers covered in melted white almond bark to represent manna.
Rock of Horeb
The fifth room had a stack of chairs barring the kids at the entrance. This was the rock of Horeb where the children of Israel begged for water. Moses struck the rock with his rod. Behind these chairs were several pitchers of ice water and plenty of paper cups.
In each “room” we had an adult leader, an activity or craft, and discussion questions. The red yarn led kids back to our central classroom where we celebrated what we’d learned and praised God.
Rose Goble
Winamac, Indiana
