imago dei community
Motorcyclist Tom Peil shows our kids his bike which lead into a discussion about passions and giftings and how we can use them to best glorify God.
elementary curriculumages: kindergarten - 5th grade |
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learning labssample of a past learning lab |
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contact leaderselementary leaders |
family devotionslast handouts |
Welcome to Elementary!
Kids aged Kindergarten through 5th grade are part of our community of Imago Dei kids on Sunday mornings.
Learning in a lab environment
What does it look like for kids to lead the way in us understanding the Kingdom
of God
better? Is it possible that they get it better than we do? Do they
really see a clearer, broader, more holistic picture of God than we do?
It’s true that children are more uninhibited than we are. Christ
repeatedly calls children to himself and points out to His followers that
unless we become more like a child…we’ll miss something. We might even
miss Him. So in an effort to put this into practice, we’re working out an
idea called Learning Labs into the world of children and are trying to watch,
listen and see what they have to teach us.
Through the exploration of basic life
processes, Learning Labs provide a platform that allows children to think. As they work out
their thoughts, creativity, questions, and revelations, our hope is that they would begin to
become aware of who they are and who those around them are, as well as learn who the God
of the universe is, how He relates to us, and how we should respond to Him.
We have a team of educators that work together with the director to write meaningful curriculum that helps kids connect what the Bible teaches to what they see and experience in life. The goal of the curriculum is to urge children to think and to wrestle with the ethics and heart issues that the Bible presents.
Adult mentors guide children through the learning process throughout class by answering questions, posing questions, and relating what they are learning to their own life. Children break up into smaller groups at some point during class to process and journal with their mentor and to talk and pray together. Mentors also spend time getting to know their kids individually throughout the school year. They may send them a Christmas card, call or e-mail them to see how they are doing and offer to pray with them, and intentionally spend time with their family.
Different people from within our church community come in and set up the lab environment. The goal is that the people presenting the lab would learn as much or more as the kids do. Each week children are exposed to things like: gardening, pottery, preparing food for the poor, looking through microscopes at how cells divide and develop into life, meeting and interacting with Sudan refugee children & their parents, hearing their mentor’s testimony, or studying trees down at the park. The lab therefore appeals to the whole child, rather than just their mind. As children are freed up to explore and question and create all the while they are learning to connect their experience to the gospel. The dream is that our kids would grow up learning about science, astronomy, gardening, literature, arts, etc in a way that connects it all to the Kingdom of God, so that they may go out into their schools peer groups, neighborhoods, and have no doubt who Christ is and how He relates to people and creation!
Family Devotions are given out at each class and posted on the web so that parents are informed and also encouraged to learn together with their child as they go about the ordinariness of their life. Click here to view Family Devotions.
Our class is structured out of the values of our church and it is within these that our kids learn core biblical truths, to see God in all of life, what it looks like to authentically worship and create, and how to give themselves to community and allow others to speak into their lives.
We are looking forward to getting to know each of your families better this year and to journey together in faith as we continue to see God change lives.
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