Playgroup is booming!

It's hard to believe that in the middle of 2009 we were wondering if persisting with Playgroup was a waste of energy - it was very tiny, and though we had lots of visitors, they rarely came back a second time. The two co-ordinators discussed it, prayed about it, and decided to give it one more term - but with some changes. We decided to have 'activity stations' around the room, for example, a playdough table, a mat with cars and trucks, a kitchen corner, a rug with toys for pre-walkers; and we introduced a much more structured program, so that every week there is a craft, a story, and singing time, and to choose themes that suited the time of year.

And Playgroup hasn't looked back. It's a Christian Playgroup, that's open to anyone; what that means is that we do say thank you to God before we hoe into the fruit and water for morning tea; and we do sometimes play Christian children's songs in the background, and now and again the story book will be a story from the Bible. We

don't expect everyone to be a follower of Jesus, and we don't push people - parents or children - to talk about God.

One of the big hits has been the craft - we always have a craft that involves parent and child working together, and it's great to be greeted at the door by small children asking, "What are we making today?" Great also to be greeted by mums saying, "Look what we made at home this week - we thought you might like to do this one at Playgroup sometime!"

And I love the end-of-term get-togethers! One of the mums suggested that we could book a table at one of the many terrific, very reasonably priced restaurants in Carlton, for a late-ish dinner - leave the littlies at home with spouse, and just enjoy a bit of grown-up time. Her idea was very well-received, so we've had dinner out once a term ever since!

And Playgroup just keeps growing. Four new families have visited this term, and it looks a though they are all planning to stay. With 37 people last Wednesday morning, we're looking nicely full!

So now I reckon it's time to think about starting a second Playgroup!

(For more info about St Jude's Playgroup, click on the button in the right hand column)

Toolbox Parenting Seminar - A first!

On Sunday 10th October after morning services finished we had our first Toolbox Parenting Seminar.

Toolbox is a brilliant course; written in New Zealand by Christians who were working with troubled youth, it encourages parents to see themselves as coaches, training their children towards the independence, values and self control they will need in adult life, providing a a secure base for exploring and developing life skills, and creating great family memories.  What particularly impresses me is how encouraging it is - it's about understanding what kind of parent you are, then choosing what kind you want to be, and what sort of family you want to have, then equipping with 'tools' - strategies to choose from.

Beth Barnett, Children
 & Families Facilitator
for the Baptist Union
 of Victoria

Usually the Toolbox course is presented in 6 informal small group sessions, over six or twelve weeks. Presenting it in seminar format was a new venture for us, and it turns out it's a new venture for the course as well! We wanted to make the course more accessible for busy parents, and especially to make it easier for both parents to attend - both parents agreeing on values and strategies is always the ideal.

So 20 parents arrived at St Jude's, and we gathered around coffee tables in the hall where Beth Barnett took us through the Toolbox approach and selections from the course. Later in the program Beth and our own Emma Baillie facilitated small groups in discussing strategies and issues specific to 6-12 year olds or 0-6 year olds respectively.

It was a terrific afternoon - parents commented that they learnt a lot from the seminar, and were keen to experience the rest of the course. We were made very comfortable with tea, coffee and delicious home-made treats available throughout. Kids were contentedly occupied with a great program organised by our very gifted leader, Jo, and her volunteers, at no cost to parents.

With such a successful beginning, we're planning to run a Toolbox Seminar each term next year, covering the remainder of the course, but also offering the main principles each time so parents who missed the first one don't have to wait a year to get started with this really useful course.

Film & Pizza Night 11th September

It's astonishing how the term flies by - where did it go? Maybe it was all the colds and flus and tummy bugs that have been interrupting - it just seems as though we've settled into the routine and it's almost the end of term! But end of term is great, cos that means it's time for a Film & Pizza night!
Kids in Grades 3-6 invite their friends along, we all bring our own beanbags, sleeping bags and cushions; and we have a great social night together - without mum & dad!
This time we're watching 'The Tale of Despereaux' - which is a very quirky tale indeed, full of mice with unusually large ears, rats that DO like sunlight, gourmet soup, distressed princesses, and unlikely heroes with swords and courage and chivalry...
And because we love to eat together, there'll be plenty of pizza, and we're going to make fairy floss too - yum - maybe we can experiment with a bit of food-colouring...
Film & Pizza night is for anyone in Grades 3 to 6 - if you'd like an invitation, leave a message for Katie Peken on 9326 1556.

School Holiday Program Vibe! only 7 days away!

This time next week, I'm looking forward to hanging out with a whole bunch of kids, learning about Peter the fisherman, playing games, learning songs, getting to know each other, and eating great food - mmmmm. We've got a great team of leaders, rearing to go, the program is coming together and looks fun and exciting - with some space for reflection and processing too - and the menu is firming up as well! Right now we're working on decorating - with a fishy theme, of course!
Get your registration forms in this week, and I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!

Vibe! will be full of fishy fun!

Less than two weeks 'til Vibe! Our theme will be 'Peter: Totally Hooked!'

Peter was a fisherman until he met Jesus, running his own business on the sea of Galilee. When he met Jesus, he became his student first (that's what a disciple is), and then his friend. He travelled around with him, heard his teaching, and saw the amazing things he did. We're going to learn a great song about him - one of my favourites!

Peter and Jesus spent a lot of time close to water and boats. So there'll be lots of activities about beaches, fishing, and all sorts of water creatures - but no swimming, you'll be glad to know - not when it was -1 degrees yesterday!

Even without swimming, you'll have lots of fun and learn good stuff as you hear fish talk, enjoy the fishy buzz words, hear stories told from under water and lots more!

Vibe! School holiday program is only 3 weeks away!

It's hard to believe the term is nearly over! The weather has turned chilly at last, and we're all thinking about the winter break. Maybe you're wondering, what are the kids going to do while I'm at work? Or maybe you're thinking, it'd be great to schedule in some fun activities with other kids to mix it up.
Well, look no further! Vibe! is a full two-day program, designed to fit around your working day. Kids arrive at 8.30am, we provide all the activities, and even the food, and pick-up is at 5.30pm. What could be better?
Click on the title to go to a page of information about Vibe!; you can also view a pdf file of the daily program and download the registration form there.

Getting Better at What We Do!

Kids matter, and we believe the time we spend with them has significance, for now, for the rest of their lives on this earth, and on into the next life too. We want to make the best of the time we spend with kids, on Sunday mornings, in religious education classes, at Film & Pizza nights, over morning tea, on church camps, and everywhere else. So last weekend four of our members went along to the Ministry to Children conference, out at Mount Evelyn, which is about an hour to the east of St Jude's - a bit less when the traffic is good! It was good fun meeting lots of people from other churches, and we heard some really inspiring talks from Wes Stafford, who is the President of Compassion International; there were lots of great electives to choose from, I wanted to be in two or three places at once - connecting with boys, how to create experiences for kids, how to manage classroom behaviour, great storytelling techniques, and lots more. There was a 'marketplace' of excellent resources, too.
One of the highlights for me was hearing from two primary school children, a brother and sister, who visited Cambodia recently and were inspired to raise funds for children there who can't go to school because they have to work to help feed their families, so they are trapped in poverty. Those two kids stood up and explained what they are trying to do, and how, and they invited us to help them help Cambodian children. You can find out more here. I had a lump in my throat, being challenged by such young ones to be more generous, and to try to make a difference in the world. It reminded me that Jesus said we need to be like children, to be his kind of people.
Now to put what we've learned into practice!