Making the Room Work

    I am an interactive teacher who loves creative interaction. For me, a classroom holds opportunity and promise...but also a great challenge. The room is a first impression that can either intimidate or welcome..it can inspire or stifle. Preparations for a lesson always include making the room work for me; getting the right setting for engaging every aspect of a child and sparking their interests.
    First consideration: what's available? Tables and chairs? Open floor space? Shelves or a sink? Some classrooms are equip with toys or books. Along with the available elements, layout is important. If I share a space with another ministry then I need to be mindful about the set up. Knowing the elements that already exist and how they are arranged help me set my mind to the next order of business.
   My next consideration: What do I have at home? Basic art/craft supplies, paper goods, and some toys can easily be toted back and forth. Cookie sheets and magnets, rice in a tub, simple every day items can be creative avenues for little hands. It is amazing what house hold goods have traveled with me to aid in the lessons of the day.
   Another question on the list: Do I have help? This helps me determine how far apart to set creative stations, not to mention some activities are just easier with a few more hands.
   When a child enters my classroom there are tables or corners of activity waiting for them... a kitchen set up, a table with water colors, a reading corner and maybe a dress up nook. Each area relates in some way to the lesson at hand..this sparks conversation that prepares for the lesson and gets them engaged in the learning process. If the children are young, then plenty of open space is left for music and movement - getting those wiggly bodies some relief from quiet activities.
   Carpet on the floor and paint on the walls really don't matter when it comes to welcoming a learning environment. I prefer a simple room that allows me the freedom to tote things in and change the objects as the need calls for it. It warms my heart when a little one enters the classroom asking 'what's in the box today'.. they know me..and know we are going to learn, grow, and engage our hearts. There in I know I have made the room work for me.

"Just"...A Beginning

   I was young..just starting to sort out my life, my faith, and where things would lead me. The church I was attending asked me to consider volunteering in their children's ministry. Concern struck me at once..I wasn't prepared..I didn't know enough..how can I share what I am not sure I understand. Let me just say, I do not recall what I was wearing or the color of the carpet..or even very much of the conversation, but there is a part of that conversation burned into my mind that haunts me to this day...it is just the nursery.
   Over the years of serving and loving my Lord, that particular phrase has reared its ugly head...it is just... God has used that conversation and that reoccurring phrase to spur me on over the years..because the reality is..to Him..nothing is just. It isn't just a nursery, or a home visit, or serving a meal. It isn't just singing, or praying, or even a hospital visit. It isn't just vacuuming a floor or scrubbing a toilet. It is something so much more.
   When I accepted that time in the nursery those many years ago it was a serious step for me and a definite time of growth. Those moments in the room with precious souls was an open door..an opportunity to share God's grace and love and abundant mercy. I was giving worn out parents time to refresh and renew..I was giving children love and affection and compassion. There were days I walked the floor with a fussy baby so that a mother could attend service and find the grace to face the afternoon. Rocking a baby and changing a diaper isn't the only purpose though.
   My heart churned with deep desire to teach and to share. During the week my mind would race with ideas and notions to share with the little ones. Plastic fruits to touch and see..learning God made these wonderful things for us and gave us the eyes to see them and hands to touch them. Little stuffed animals to talk of His creation and their relationship to us. Every week I served totes of 'stuff' came along with new items to learn with..an 'object lesson' for little minds to grasp. These efforts did not always meet with favor, but my obedience to my Lord is so much more important to me than the opinions of others.
   The nursery was only the beginning. I have cleaned the church, gone on mission/ministry trips, sang at convalescent homes and taught Bible studies. With each opportunity God has granted me, He also granted me the conviction that it is never 'just' anything...it is His divine opportunity..and it should not be wasted.
   During the past few months God has been working on my heart restoring my focus..my gift from Him..teaching. With this renewing came a deep burden to share my journey, my heart, and my process. I hope you will join me weekly as I dig deep into my 'tote bag' and pull out the tid-bits and lessons learned along the way. In addition, I invite you to share your heart as well..share your projects, ideas, and experiences..we are all in this together..and learning from each other is a wonderful gift.