If we conceive children as only on the way to becoming something,
we rob the present of its value and promise.
David H. Jensen, `Graced Vulnerability’
This week
- ROOTS Revamp
- Early Years
- Faith Family
- Developmental Assets
- The Good Childhood Inquiry
- Off the Bookshelf
ROOTS Revamp
As it starts its 7th year of publication, ROOTS has undergone a dramatic revamp! ROOTS provides weekly, lectionary based resources for churches in two magazines (for Adults & All Ages, and for Children & Young People) as well as an extensive web-site. Both magazines have helpful introductory pages looking at how the material works, the setting of the seasonal and seasonal resources which can be used in any week. The layout is clearer; the cartoons have gone (replaced with photos and artwork) and the structure is much easier to follow. If you haven’t looked at ROOTS for a while, now would be a good time to do so. The website has all the details, and you can also get hold of a free sampler.
Early Years
Nursery World, a publication for Early Years providers, has a website which allows you free access to all its articles! You have to subscribe (just giving your email address and a password) and then you can explore away! 7th July 2005 had several articles about spiritual development, and I also found some very helpful material on the Mosaic Approach (a way of allowing young children have their voices heard in decision making).
Faith Family
Faith Family is a quarterly publication for families who want to explore faith together. It comes from an Australian partnership Child in our Hands, which brings together the Uniting, Anglican, Catholic and Lutheran Churches. You can see the winter edition (!) here (though it takes quite a while to load). There are some useful tips and resources that you might want to pass on to families you know.
Developmental Assets
Developmental what?! Developmental Assets are what the Search Institute in the States has identified as the building blocks of healthy development for children and young people. Faith Family (see above) has been taking these assets and exploring how they can be worked out in a Christian environment to help give children a positive start in life. The Search Institutes’s web site is here. The drop down tab What Kids Need takes you not only to the assets but also to other areas about spirituality. There’s a strong emphasis on the community’s responsibility for helping to care for and nurture children and young people.
The Good Childhood Inquiry
Last week saw the final evidence summary from the Good Childhood Inquiry. This sixth summary was based around values. Children and young people rated values like respect, kindness, friendliness and tolerance, emphasising that these should be shown to others before being expected in return. This helps explain why they also expressed a desire to be listened to by adults and for their views to be taken seriously. To read the rest of the evidence summary click here.
Off the Bookshelf…
BIBLE STORYBAGS
Margaret Cooling has based her latest book on the storytelling methods of Godly Play and story sacks. The 32 scripts (intended for use in schools and collective worship, but with a much wider potential) cover the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The materials for each one are contained in a bag and the story unfolds as the objects are revealed.
Bible Storybags by Margaret Cooling
Pub. BRF ISBN: 9781841 015323 £12.99
