Adapting Seasons of the Spirit ENCORE Resources for Virtual or At-Home Use

Some Ideas for Adapting Seasons of the Spirit ENCORE resources
for Virtual or At-Home Use

See PDF version here

We are not able to revise our lessons and still meet deadlines for providing them. We hope that these tips on how to adapt our regular in-person format will be helpful.


Suggestions for Churches and Teachers
Virtual/Online Classes

  • Run virtual classes on zoom or a similar platform.
  • Set a regular meeting time for each class so that families can schedule around church school.
  • Don’t run all the church school classes at the same time. Many families won’t have a computer/tablet for each child.
  • Consider combining classes (6-8 and 9-11, or 12-14 and 15-18, etc.) This would make it easier for families with several children to coordinate the use of electronics.
  • Send craft instructions to families ahead of time so that they can prepare the materials and the kids can do the craft as part of the class.
  • Create a bag with all the craft supplies needed for each week, or for the whole quarter. Deliver them to the children’s homes or have parents pick them up ahead of time.
  • Incorporate as much movement as possible into each lesson, especially for younger children, so that they’re not sitting the whole time.
  • Actively engage with the children, as you would if it was an in-person class. You want the children to feel that they are part of the experience and not just watching it. Encourage discussion and be sure to give each child at least one chance to speak during the lesson.
  • Distribute and / or post the Living the Season at Home pamphlets for each quarter as found on the Library page. For Adults you may want to draw attention to the Personal Reflection section on the Season At a Glance sheets found on the Planning page.


At-home church school

  • Give families the full resources for each lesson – lesson plans, biblical background sheets and the unit introduction.
  • For Ages 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, and Multiage: Be sure to distribute the Letter to Families at the start of each season, as it provides an excellent overview of the quarter. It can be printed, emailed, or posted on your website. Bookmarks can be printed and made available for pick-up or delivery.
  • Create a bag with all the craft supplies needed for each week, or for the whole unit. Deliver them to the children’s homes or have parents pick them up ahead of time.
  • Ages 3-5 resources: The “Priscilla” conversation is a highlight of each week for many children.
  • Arrange to video this conversation well in advance of each week’s session and then send the video, or a link to it, to families using the Ages 3-5 resources. (This could be a fun project for two youth group members to take on, or for two older children in a family.)
  • Ages 12-14 and 15-18: Set up a class Facebook group or other group chat platform so that the students can talk outside of class time about the lesson themes. Give them a discussion prompt/question once or twice during the week. Be prepared to oversee or moderate the discussion.
     

Suggestions for Families

  • Create a family church school class. All the lessons are based on the same biblical passages.
  • Choose activities from different levels to create an all-ages lesson that suits your children.
  • If you are part of a “bubble” with another family that has children of a similar age, run your church school together. Have the parents take turns teaching.
  • Ages 3–5: Any puppet can be used for the “Priscilla” conversations at home. This could be a fun way for a parent and older child to engage with younger members of the family. Two people from one family could even video the Priscilla conversation well in advance each week and then forward the video to other families using the Age 3 materials.


Keep the conversation growing!
These are just a few starting ideas for your consideration. If you’ve been actively using the resources,
please share your tips with those who are just starting with this new way of ministering to children and
families. What worked? what didn’t?

Post your ideas to our Seasons of the Spirit Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SeasonsoftheSpirit


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