Lent 2015 Carving out space for the spirit to resound.

4:30 Prep

4:45 Meet & Greet kids and check in with Parent/Guardians.

5:15 Gather for Circle Time

5:20 Music & Dance

5:30 Pass the Peace & Go Around

5:35 Solidarity Prayer

5:40 Snack, Reading & Dialogue

5:50 Craft, Game & Building Centers

Gathering Time suggestions: Think of a fun way to round up the kids (sing a song, clap your hands in a call and response, flash the lights). Show and tell kids how and where to gather.

Music Suggestions:  Consider adding a Christmas Carol each week. Check in with the music leader for this week to see if you can grab a few ideas from the. You can also find links to our new COH albums and COH music log to the right on this blog.

Pass the Peace & Go around suggestions: Take a moment to have kids pass the peace to each other. Maybe think of a fun way for kids to do that (high five, elbow bumps, etc.). Ask a simple, fun question to help them settle in.

Solidarity Prayer: This season lets find regions to pray for on the MCC website. Click HERE to find a topic. 

Reading & Dialogue Suggestions: Here is a reminder of what the season of Lent is.

1. Ask the kids if they have heard of Lent before. 
2. Ask them to tell you what they know.
3. Fill things in with this short kid friendly explanation:

• Lent follows Jesus from his adult ministry, through his journey to the cross during Holy Week, to his crucifixion and death on Good Friday, and then resurrection on Easter Sunday. 
• There are 40 days from this coming Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) until Easter Sunday. The Sundays in between are not included, since Sundays are always the weekly anniversary of the Resurrection and exempt from fasting.
• Lent is about making life simpler so that we may be more focused on Jesus and his journey. Often fasting a meal or specific food, or giving up something that we would consider a luxury is a way to simplify thing and help us focus. Other consider adding things, like more prayer time or volunteer work to serve others.
• Ask kids what they think about this, and if they would consider giving something up. We of course do not require that they give something up, but I think the conversation is worth having. www.sundayschoollessons.com 
• For Ash Wednesday many of the adults will be coming to Circle for a special gathering time called Ash Wednesday. We put ashes on our heads to remind us that we came from the ground and will go back to the ground. Our ashes are the burned palms from last year, as is tradition. 

Feb. 22nd -Introduction to Lent (use information posted above)
March 1st - Luke 4
March 8th - Luke 5:1-11
March 15th - Luke 5:12-39
March 22nd - Luke 6:24-42
March 29th - John 12 You can probably find a shorter version of this story. 
April 5th - Mark 15 & 16 You can probably find a shorter version of this story.

Remember that our job is simply to create a safe space for dialogue. Some fun ways to do this are by:

• having them take turns drawing parts of the story as you read the sections to them.
• having them act out the story, or creating a song about the story. 
• having or creating props or visual aides. 
• asking them what they think the characters were feeling in the story.
• asking them what they think happened before the story, or what may happen next.

Suggested dialogue questions: Can you think of a time when you ________? What are some ways we can remember to ________ this week?

Craft, Game & Building Centers:

You can find links to craft ideas on our sidebar under "Favorite Art Making Links", or you can pull up blog posts from past seasons for ideas.