AWANA

AWANA is in full swing again this school year.

We participate in an AWANA club that offers everything.  It is a very large, well-ran program.  They offer groups for ages 2 through high school.  It is incredible.

This year, we have 2 girls in T&T (Truth & Training), 1 Sparks (WingRunners), and 2 Cubbies.  

...and I took the plunge and joined on as a leader this year.  I am an assistant leader in Cubbies.  In the past, I was always on site, but I would float around from class to class, assisting each week.  This year, I figured I would be hanging out with my Cubbies most of all anyway, so it was a good year to be a leader.  So far, so good.  I am not much of a fan of wearing polo shirts, but otherwise I am having a good time.  Those adorable preschoolers are fun to hang around with.  

I love AWANA.  It is such a fun program.  There are many aspects that remind me of Scouts, such as the uniform, earning badges, eating snacks, and making crafts.  I like all those things, and it is great social fun.  But, the part of AWANA I love the most is the book program.  The kids recite Bible verses each week to earn badges for their uniforms.  In addition to the verses, they have many activities to complete, relating to the verses and themes being learned, ranging from crossword puzzles, bible studies, looking up verses in the Bible, and decifering secret codes.  There is usually some form of activity involving learning about missionaries, each year, as well as service projects.  As much as I like the Bible curriculum AWANA offers, I especially appreciate the way the kids are learning to apply those biblical principles in their day-to-day life.  THAT is the part of Christianity I want my children to take to heart--the love of Christ is an action verb.

Our children all appear to be over-achievers.  They get a double dose of that, as The Referee and I are both guilty of having high standards for ourselves.  Pushing ourselves too hard can lead to many frustrations, so I try to halt the kids before they go that far.  My rule for AWANA is that the children may complete as many sections of their books as they want each week, but they must do it thoroughly and cheerfully.  Memorizing the Word of God should be a positive thing.  The moment the tears start to fall, or the whining begins, because they are trying to do more than they can handle, I put a halt to the amount they are allowed to attempt.  So far, it has only taken 1 incident each, of me halting their plans, before they realize that I am not going to budge on the happy heart requirement.

Jersey #1 set a terribly high standard in her achievements, and her siblings are using that as a baseline for their own efforts.  As a result, Jersey #1 and Jersey #2 are trying to complete in 1 week, what is expected to complete in 1 month.  Recently, they have both been talking about ways they can go even further above that goal.  Part of me thinks they are crazy, and part of me is just fascinated by their determination.  Their ability to memorize...and then never forget....is incredible.    

When he puts his mind to it, Jersey #3 can memorize very quickly.  He has an advantage in that he has listened to his sisters go through these verses for a couple years now.  He has already heard it all before.  Some things he can already recite, even before he gets to that section of his book.  Another component to his personality is that he is much more disciplined to study every day.  He also uses the CD that is in the back of his book that is similar to a read-along book format.  He listens to the stories and readings over and over again any time he is asked to clean his room.  We also have some of the CDs that puts the verses to music.  It appears that Jersey #2 and Jersey #3 both learn well with the audio tools and rhythm.  Jersey #3 is enjoying this year of AWANA so much that his book achievements are almost as exciting to him as snack time!  That says a lot, coming from the child who rates every activity based on what was for snack. 

Cubbies learn a verse a week, all together.  There is also an extra section of their book, Under the Apple Tree, that is not required.  Some of the kids completed that section the first week.  It is done at home with their parents.  Well, Jersey #4 caught wind that there was more work that could be done, and that a sticker is awarded for it, so she has now insisted that she complete all of the Under the Apple Tree sections too.  If she is already starting out this determined while in Cubbies, I am nervous to see what she tries to accomplish when she is in the older programs.

Jersey #5 is our laid-back child.  He just goes with the crowd.  He is excited about the Cubbies vest, and excited about the snack.  If he has to recite a verse to get those things, that works for him.  Other than that, he is just happy to go along with the activities and have fun.