Ideas to Grow Your Preschoolers Faith at Home

SEPTEMBER 2013

Cubbies New Look

Over the past two years, Awana has been working hard to update the Cubbies club program to fit the needs of preschoolers, parents and leaders today. The process began in the spring of 2011 when staff from Awana headquarters gathered a team of real Cubbies leaders to ask for their opinions about the existing club what should stay and what could work better. Then throughout the 2012-2013 ministry year, about 90 churches helped out by participating in a first-of-itskind field test of the newly designed resources in their own clubs. Their clubbers received updated handbooks and vests. Their leaders gave feedback to Awana. They told us what worked well and what changes needed to be made. Childrens Ministries staff at headquarters made adjustments until they crafted an excellent program for churches. The resulting update keeps the best of the familiar Cubbies structure and adds helpful, modern and exciting features. The structure of Cubbies is basically unchanged. Beginning with what worked well in Hopper and Jumper, the new

handbooks have fun characters, engaging storylines and Bible lessons that are better suited for ages 3 to 5. All of the lessons are designed to help Cubbies grow in their respect and love for God, His Son and His Word. Each handbook also covers specific events in Scripture. AppleSeed has more Old Testament Bible lessons, including Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and David, says Jenny Jezek, program designer for Preschool Ministry. HoneyComb will have more New Testament lessons, focusing on the works of Jesus and the early church. Cubbies will get a full overview of the Bible in club. Both handbooks come with an audio CD, just like Sparks. Each CD includes the Cubbie character stories and Bible verses for parents and Cubbies to listen to throughout the week. Cubbies will also complete a redesigned entrance booklet now called Apple Acres before starting their
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first handbook. The booklet includes coloring pages and other fun activities to get your child off to a good start. You childs leaders will be using adaptable teaching plans with new ideas and multiple options for crafts, coming-in activities, games, songs and more. Colorful teaching cards help illustrate the Bible lessons. Leaders have the option of using digital Whats New for Parents?

versions of each card, which can be projected to a large screen. The kids really connect with the pictures. They need that visual sometimes, says Rebecca, a leader at Harvest Baptist Church in Oswego, Illinois. They love Lesson Time and the activities, and they like to tell me what they learned. They have a blast with it!

Other materials, including the blue vests and the awards, have been given an updated look to match the handbooks.

All the stories and memory verses are on a CD that is included with the handbooks so that you and your children can listen together in the car or at home. The content of the CD can also be downloaded to a mobile device so you can listen to it almost anywhere. Each lesson in the handbook includes an Under the Apple Tree section with an activity that you can use to reinforce the lesson topic with your children. The CD includes

optional activities that can be used if the activity in the handbook is unsuitable for any reason. The memory verses have words that are in bold and words that arent. As a parent, you can judge the learning level of your own child and decide whether to have him memorize the entire verse or just the words in bold. Throughout the handbooks, there are memory tips to help you help your child memorize and definitions to help you explain difficult-to-understand words to your child.

Inside the Handbooks

Engaging Cubbies Story
A unified storyline carries through both new Cubbies handbooks, AppleSeed and HoneyComb. Cubbie Bears fun-filled adventures lead clubbers to great biblical truths.

Bible Lessons
The Cubbies handbooks have Bible lessons for parents to read and discuss with their child at home.

Audio CD
Handbooks come with an audio CD! Play it in your car or home or put it on your mobile device to teach and review anywhere!

ESV
Beginning this year, Awana clubbers can learn Bible verses in the English Standard Version. Its a great new Bible translation option for Awana curriculum along with KJV, NKJV and the NIV 1984.

2013 Awana Clubs International. Visit us at awana.org.

SEPTEMBER 2013 PAGE 2

Cubbie Bears Corner

Cubbie, draw a picture of your dad/mom reading your Cubbies handbook to you.

Dad/Mom, your turn to draw a picture of yourself reading the Cubbies handbook to your child.

2013 Awana Clubs International. Visit us at awana.org.

SEPTEMBER 2013 PAGE 3

Puggles Page

Look at the picture and point to:

the mommy the daddy the bubbles the bubble toy a striped shirt a wristwatch the grass a pair of eyes a nose a hand a smile a button

2013 Awana Clubs International. Visit us at awana.org.

SEPTEMBER 2013 PAGE 4

Our Club News

2013 Awana Clubs International. Visit us at awana.org.

SEPTEMBER 2013 PAGE 5