A Widow Gives; Luke 21:1-4

Here is another story with suggested activities centered around four words from the story. 

This can be used as a mini-preschool, with one word per day, or with a Bible club for children. (Illustration by Richard Gunther, Lamb Songs.)

Watch/see

·       Play “I spy with my little eye” also known as “I see something” or “20 Questions”(Ik zie ik zie wat jij niet ziet). One person sees something. Everyone else tries to guess what they see. The person who “sees” something can only answer “yes” or “no”.

·       Leader leads the group in “seeing” by asking questions like:

• What do you see that is ___________ (a certain color, such as green; red; etc.).
• What do you see that is  _________ (a certain shape, such as round, square).
• What do you see that is __________ (living. Answers might include a tree; a bug).
• Can be made into a team game. The two teams take turns answering the questions & naming what they see. The team that “sees” the most (has the most answers) wins.

·       Scavenger hunt. (Being aware of your environment; watching) See Davar Start Game: Spot the Shapes.

• Let’s find something that is a circle . . .
• Let’s go find something that is . . . heavy
• Can you find something that is . . . smooth

·       Any game from Davar Start Games: Visual Skills.

·       Play Red Light/Green Light or similar game.  Players have to watch to see if someone is moving. The game is also about self-control, because players practice controlling their own bodies.
One person is the caller or “traffic cop”. They stand at the end goal. Everyone else stands behind the starting line. The goal is to get past the caller.
The caller stands with their back to the rest of the group. When the caller says “Green light,” everyone can run towards the goal.
When the caller says, “Red light,” everyone freezes. The caller immediately turns around. If they see anyone moving, that person has to go back to the start line.
Children do not need to be familiar with traffic lights to play this game, as long as the words for moving & for freezing in place are explained to them.

Give

·       Make something & give it to someone else (put a plant in a pot; bake something; make a card; make flowers . . .). Doesn’t have to be physical things. Could also be helping to pick up for other people. (Davar Letter Games: E3 and E5)

·       Discussion:  what can we give? See what kids come up with. Time, possessions, praise (songs, to God), being nice, pat on the back . . ..
Giving, not keeping for yourself.
Also discuss: How do you give? How did the widow give? What was good about how she gave?

·       Give compliments. Discuss what a compliment is. Model giving compliments. Then have the group practice this. Go around the circle and take turns giving the person next to you a compliment. Or turn to the person next to you and exchange compliments. Model this.

·       Find a Coloring page of woman giving the coins. Everyone colors the picture, then gives it to someone. Reinforces that the children are doing the same thing that the woman in the story did. (Many fun coloring sheets available on Lamb Songs, www.lambsongs.co.nz.)

·       Affirmation. You can give a handshake or a pat on the back. Might do this as a group with each other.

Coins

·       Davar FUNdament Thick, Thin, Thickest: 6.7 

·       Learn the names of coins in local currency. Show kids different local coins & teach them the names for them.
Or find worksheet online which teaches local currency.
OR Practice counting with the coins.
Might demonstrate that 5 of this coin = 1 of that coin, etc.

·       Stacking coins—see how high we can get them without tipping them over. (Could be done in teams.) Shows that the more coins you have, the better material standard of living you have.

·       Playing store. Set up small store with, among other things, healthy treats (apples, etc.) which the children can ‘buy’. Each child has same number of “coins.”
Have some items cost 2 coins. That’s what the woman gave—she gave all that she had to live on.
With the coins you can get something—food, what you need to live.
(For an older group, you might make a sample budget.)

Extra/all

·       Dramatize the story (“Jesus”, “widow”, 1 or 2 “rich people”; everyone else “disciples”). First give a visual of all vs extra. Give the person playing the widow 2 “coins” (blocks, nuts, buttons, play coins); give the rich person a lot more coins. Have the group count the coins that each person is given.

Then have the group watch and count as each person gives into the treasury (a box or something). The rich person gives a lot, but not all of their coins.
Which person gave all?
Which person just gave extra? (if give 50% of what you have)
Compare & contrast the idea of all and extra. Everybody gave—but who gave all and who gave extra (had extra for themselves)? How much does the rich person have left? (Count as a group.)

·       Discuss a team game the group is familiar with that only has a certain number on the team (football, baseball, cricket). If we play this game, can everyone play? Can all the people in the group play this game? Or do we need some to sit out as extras?
Which games can everyone (all) play? (example—Red Light, Green Light).

·       Dress up. Have a set of oversized clothes so that the children can easily put these on over their own clothing; make sure to have one extra of something that there should only be two of. Have a volunteer put on all the clothes. Maybe have 3 shoes instead of 2. That would be an extra. You can’t put on 3 shoes (if you put on all the shoes, you’d have to put them on your hands).

·       Play a relay game with oversized clothes.  The teams run to one end of the playing field where the runner has to put on all the clothing (maybe just mittens & a hat? A large t-shirt & a scarf?), then take it all off & run back.

 We look forward to hearing feedback when you use these four words with this story!

Suggestions by Crista Smidt & Mary VanRheenen

4 WORDS: FLEXIBLE BIBLE LESSONS/EDUCATIONAL LESSONS

People who work with Romany children need to be flexible. Sometimes 30 children come; sometimes only 3.
Sometimes most of them are preschool-age; sometimes half of them are preteens. These suggestions are also flexible.

Four concrete words have been chosen from each Bible story. These words aid in remembering the story.

There are suggested activities to go with each of the 4 words. These Davar: Bridging to Literacy activities also practice school-related skills and help people of any age be more ready to read and write.

Each leader chooses how to tell the Bible story. Perhaps existing Bible lessons are used. Perhaps the leader has to make up their own Bible lessons. Perhaps the leader simply tells the Bible story. Every leader will change and choose from these suggestions for their own club.

Here is one example. Feel free to contact us for more information or more suggestions!

Esau and Jacob are born – Genesis 25:19-28

Nothing  - Rebecca had no baby, nothing happened (prayer)

Twins  -  Rebecca had twins, two babies (answer to prayer)

Different  - the boys were totally different, with different futures.

Tent - Jacob stayed home, in the tents, and helped his mother.

Suggested activities:

Nothing

FUNdament 11 Missing/Gone. Give everyone a folded paper, some have a little sweet in it, others have nothing.

Nothing, a bit, enough, much, too much. Explain the meaning of these words. Have each word written on a separate piece of paper. Put these at one end of the room. Also have smaller pieces of paper for everyone in the group with one of these words written on it. Hand the papers out, so that each person has one.
At a certain signal, everyone runs to the word on the floor that matches the word in their own piece of paper.

Nothing, something. Use words for amounts in both school language and home language. Everyone can increase their vocabulary.

Cook something together. Together, measure the right amount of ingredients. Or together feel/stir/taste and see if there is enough or too much.

Twins

FUNdament 9 Two - activities

Nice name? Parents choose names for their children. Discuss which names the group like. (This gives insight into the way the group thinks, and what they find important.)

Have each person make a paper hat with one of their favorite names written on it. Talk about a letter in that name.

Letter Game B8, variation 4. Everyone with an “A” in their name goes . . . (over by the window or stands by the red chair or . . . ). Everyone with a “J” in their name goes . . . .

Different and the same are words used in education, We need know these two ideas in order to do well in school. We play games to teach or practice both words in the school language and the home language.

Start Game B3 Mosaic, B5 Statues.  Are all the statues (or mosaics) the same?

FUNdament 10 The Same.  Make it fun, choose one person to do everything DIFFERENT while the others do the same

Draw differences. Everyone draws their own human figure. Then they draw another one which if very different than the first drawing.

Do a “see the differences” worksheet (Example with 2 houses, available via link).

Tent

Make a tent out of cloths or blankets. Eat a snack in the tent.

Take turns acting out some task that is done in the house (cooking, washing, etc.) The rest of the group has to guess what is being acted out. 

Connect the dots to draw a tent.

Marleen Schonthaler and Mary van Rheenen

 

 

 

Teaching . . . and Learning to Teach . . . at Home

How many kids live in your house? Enough to start a club?

A couple we know have that many in house, though they only have two children themselves. We'll call them Silvia and Eduard. Before Eduard married, he helped in his own Romany village with the first field trial of the Parent-Child Club. Now that he is a parent, he and his wife have started doing Parent-Child Club activities . . . in their own house.

This house has three rooms. A different family lives in each room. All together, there are 9 children roaming around, ages 13 to infant (Eduard & Silvia have two, under the age of 2.) So Eduard and Silvia were very open to trying out Parent-Child Club activities in their own home. Eduard's sister Aliona helps.

And in between the Friday afternoon activities, the children go on playing the games themselves!
Interested in learning more? Check out the Parent-Child Club activities in English or Romanian. (Dutch language version available upon request.)

Toys library

Another project welcomed in Rroma communities is „toys library”, which offer a warm environment for children to explore new toys, new games and new ways of spending time.

These „libraries”  offer a warm environment for children to explore new toys, new games and new ways of spending time.

Through this project children can experience different roles through play. They can also socialize in a positive environment with children of the same age or different age. The children and their families can observe how to keep toys tidy and organized at home. Part of that is learning rules, like each time when you finished playing with something, it needs to be  put back, properly. Children also learn how to handle things respectfully:  toys are never thrown;  we can harm others by doing so (and destroy the toy!).

By playing, children can learn all sorts of different problem-solving strategies. Play facilitates  language development. Play leads to developed social skills. The toy librarian can increase the complexity of playing. The librarian can help children to move beyond simple and repetitive ways of playing, through his own intervention and example of using the toys.

The program can be implemented in Rroma communities following some concrete rules:

-        the families have to book their time to play inside the library, before they visit it.

-        only those families which proved, while their children were playing there, that they can handle the toys responsibly may take them home for a limited time. This is similar to checking out a book at a regular library.

-        the number of families that can visit the library at the same time should be limited, perhaps to no more than 4 or 5. This will help the librarian to keep in charge and under control the activities inside of the „toys library”.

To have a clue how this works, follow the link below: Playing as a Gateway to School and Inclusion.

ambulatory library

An ambulatory library can take many forms.  

We are happy to see this practical example  from Columbia:

(https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p063zy12/biblioburro-the-amazing-donkey-libraries-of-colombia).

 Children have a special day of reading books, when the librarian reaches their village! 

Books on wheels

In a time when all mass media is hard to enslave us as long-time watchers of TV, computer games, or social media, in a time when Rroma parents are out of country for weeks or months, trying to provide the daily bread for their children, who will guide Rroma children?

Is there a chance to reach these children with the love for reading books?

A book can be a bridge between a child and the world he dreams about. A book can transport a child to different places. A book can introduce child to unknown places, unsearched territories, cultures and traditions. A book can be a bridge between today and the past, between today and the future.

 A book can comfort a lonely soul; a book can inspire; and, most importantly, a book can give hope and life.

    But how can books reach children in remote areas, where a colorful magazine is the most precious treasure they have?

    How can these children learn to be kind with the books?

We can be the legs of these bridges to reach the souls of lonely children. We can create a traveling library that brings books to these children.

 First, we can read them stories and show them how to treasure and handle a book.

Second, we let them read these books in small groups, while we are there.   We can encourage them to read.

Third, we can lend them these books for a limited period.

We can awaken in them the appetite for knowledge. We can encourage them to write their own   stories and create their own poems. 

We are looking to have more stories, poems, articles written in their mother tongue, preserving in this way their own culture.

We are looking to bring to them the book of life and teach these children who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Would you like to be part of it?

To have an idea, about what it would look like, we invite you to watch a retired teacher from Italy:

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p06l4h3h/is-this-italy-s-smallest-library- .

Questions, comments, suggestions, and reports of your own practical experiences are welcome!

Intergenerational Learning—Roma literacy across Europe

An initiative for basic education of Roma is aimed at Roma adults and families (for intergenerational learning) in Europe. It consists of manuals in the different national languages of a number of countries, that will assist those who want to help Roma people learn to read and write. The use of the local language that Roma people speak is encouraged, although it is not clear how much practical help for that is actually given in the manual.
The presentation of the Romanian handbook/manual took place in Targu Mures.  https://ec.europa.eu/epale/en/blog/bera-basic-education-roma-adults

Marianne Fast

The Roma: A Storied People Write a New Chapter in Mission

Melody Wachsmuth has been living in Croatia since 2011 and was instrumental in helping to organize the “Roma to the Nations” Conference in 2014.

She wrote:

“For those interested in reading about the possibilities, challenges, and the different ways God has been working among the Roma in Europe, browse through the new Mission Frontiers magazine that I had the privilege of guest editing. The title of the edition—The Roma: A Storied People Write a New Chapter in Mission— is significant in that it shows a movement of the Roma as objects in a story to the Roma as subjects writing their story. The fact that there are both Roma and non-Roma writers reflects this shift, and they are coming from a wide variety of perspectives and contexts.

It was good to read articles by several familiar people, like Miki Kamberović and Sasa Bakić from Serbia, Shane McNary (CBF in Slovakia), and Sharon Chan from Great Commission Centre International.

I enjoyed the article written by Gustav Puporka, who wrote ‘Identities and Cultures’. He identifies as: a Christian Hungarian with Roma origins. From his section on Education I copied the following: Many people think education will help the Roma to integrate into mainstream society. I don’t believe this is true—education without the gospel will not change hearts.

He also shared some good insights into how to minister to Roma people.

You can read the magazine at the following link:

http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/archive/the-roma”

Mission Frontiers is a bi-monthly magazine of Frontier Ventures. Mission Frontiers has been in circulation since 1979, providing subscribers with innovative insights on a wide range of topics from the most creative minds and well-known thought leaders in missiology.

It is the most widely read and cited publication of its kind, entirely focused on serving Bible-believing followers of Jesus Christ throughout the world to bring the gospel to every people and nation as found in Revelation 5:9 and 7:9.

See http://www.missionfrontiers.org/about/about-us for your free subscription or for reading more.

 written by Marianne Fast

Cum sa pastrezi disciplina in clasa:

1.       Mai intai, prezinta si fa clar copiilor regulile clasei:

·       La semnalul tau – suni dintr-un clopotel sau incepi sa intonezi un cantec sau incepi sa canti la un instrument muzical, toti copiii devin atenti la comanda ta.

·       Nimeni nu paraseste clasa fara permisiunea ta.

·       Daca vreun copil are nevoie de ajutor, indiferent de natura lui, trebuie sa vina la tine. (nu li se permite sa se lupte cu un alt coleg, care intentionat il supara/ sau nu li se permite sa ia lucruri cu forta  sau ranind pe altii).

·       Cand un copil doreste o carte sau o jucarie de la un alt copil, el/ea trebuie sa o ceara in mod politicos, iar daca este refuzat cere ajutorul liderului/profesorului.

·       Nu se duc jucarii sau obiecte ale clasei acasa, nu se distrug jucarii, alte materiale sau carti; daca se intampla, liderul clasei ajuta copilul care a distrus sa repare ceea ce s-a stricat sau cel putin explica acestuia consecintele distrugerii bunurilor si cum ii afecteaza aceasta pe ceilalti copii.

·       Informezi copiii ca exista in clasa un loc/ un scaun special, unde ajung doar copiii care nu asculta si nu vor sa colaboreze, in ciuda ca li se ofera sanse.

2.         Canta cat de mult poti si chiar canta comenzi pentru acei copii care sunt mai greu de stapanit.  Daca vreun copil ignora comanda cantata de tine, indrazneste sa te apropii de acel copil, atinge-l usor pe umar si canta-i aproape de ureche comanda dorita de tine; poti intampina situatii cand va trebui sa il iei pe acel copil indisciplinat, de mana, sa il ajuti sa se aseze, in timp ce continui sa canti comanda dorita de tine: „ Acum ne asezam cu totii...” David se aseaza de asemenea...”. De asemenea, pot fi copii atat de salbatici incat sa refuze oricare din comenzile tale,precum si variantele mentionate mai sus; in acea situatie este indicat sa scoti copilul din clasa si sa te asiguri ca acesta te priveste in ochi, in timp ce tu ii vorbesti: tu va trebui sa ii explici lui/ei, ca acum e timpul sa stea asezat sau orice alta comanda doresti tu sa fie executata.  Acum poti negocia cu acel copil – ii explici ca daca pe viitor doreste sa fie auzit de urechile tale si urechile lui trebuie sa auda comenzile tale si sa le execute, altfel nici el nu va fi auzit de tine si va trebui sa il lasi sa experimenteze cum este sa nu fie auzit; sau ii explici ca acei copii care refuza sa asculte vor trebui sa se aseze pe „scaunul numit de tine”unde ajung doar cei ce trebuie sa isi regandeasca faptele. (cand au o solutie la a-si imbunatati comportamentul sau isi cer iertare, li se permite sa paraseasca acel „numit scaun”).

3.       Daca observi ca intreaga clasa o ia razna, opreste orice activitate si joaca-te cu ei un joc dinamic sau pur si simplu anunta „ Vom lua o pauza acum si vom dansa cu totii pentru...( fii creativ si fa o conexiune cu activitatea ta), alege un cantec dinamic, ce permite copiilor sa sara si abia cand consideri ca a fost suficient ca sa-i poti aduce inapoi, intoarce-te la ctivitatea ta. Nu uita ca in calitate de lider, tu trebuie sa mentii pulsul normal al clasei.

4.       Fii rabdator cu copiii si acorda-le timp sa se familiarizeze cu regulile clasei, fii bun si plin de intelegere. Nu avea asteptari nerealiste! Invata sa te bucuri de firecare pas mic spre normalitate. Trezirea galeza din 1904-1905, a cauzat incetarea injuraturilor si vorbirii vulgare. Pana si caii minerilor nu au reactionat la comportamentul bland al stapanilor, deoarece au fost obisnuiti cu strigate si vorbire vulgara din partea acestora. Cei mai multi copii rromi nu sunt obisnuiti sa fie tratati cu respect, bunatate si dragoste.

5.       Imi amintesc ca, in calitate de invatatoare de scoala duminicala m-am confruntat cu lipsa de interes si cu lipsa de punctualitate la clasa; Astfel, am decis sa rasplatesc fiecare copil cu puncte pentru fiecare data cand au ajuns la timp, pentru consecventa si pentru realizarea temelor de casa.La sfarsitul a trei luni sau sfarsitul semestrului am deschis un „Magazin”, unde, cu punctele acumulate copiii puteau cumpara, in limita punctajului obtinut, oricare din articolele existente;copilul cu cel mai mare punctaj era primul cumparator. Consider ca a fost eficienta aceasta metoda de rasplatire in a -i determina pe copii sa isi doreasca sa ajunga la timp la clasa, sa vina regulat si sa isi faca temele. Am vazut un sistem asemanator la Casa Laleaua, in Tarnaveni, unde asistatii erau rasplatiti cu monezi special confectionate, pentru a-i motiva sa fie responsabili, consecventi,interesati si gata de efort in ceea ce priveste educatia lor.(tu poti alege acest sistem de rasplatire si aplica, ori de cate ori iti permiti – o data pe luna sau o data pe an).