Have You Considered "Cross Explorations"?

Cross Explorations is a site rotation, large group/small group hybrid curriculum now in its third year of publication. It's a great alternative to our traditional Sunday School material.

• It is designed for first through sixth graders.
• It follows the same sequence of lessons as Growing in Christ (so your preschoolers and junior high students can use that material for a unified weekly experience).
• Up to 30 students could be taught by just two volunteers (but the activities are so varied, you'll probably find lots of eager volunteers).
• In addition to the Engage opening and Explore Bible studies, student can enjoy a variety of Express sessions of lesson related activities: music, drama, crafts, snacks, games, and service projects! Offer the same kinds of activities each week, or alternate among them. Your choice!
• The perfect alternative for congregations looking for something "a little different"!
• Buy the "Starter Kit" and leaflets for each student, or order individual components a la carte!

You can view an explanatory video, explore the starter kit contents, and download samples at cph.org/sundayschool.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

How Many Teachers Will You Need This Summer?

The exact answer, of course, will depend on how many children you expect to reach each week in Sunday Sunday School.

A small Sunday School, though, can probably manage with two teachers, one for each of two age groups. In Concordia Publishing's "H2Oh! God Keeps His Promises," we have pared down summer Sunday School to two levels.

Level A serves non-readers and early readers, generally preschool through grade one or two. Level B serves readers, generally grade two or three through grade six. Both levels share a common full-color lesson leaflet with activities that will intrigue your students and be helpful in class and at home.

The program offers options for creating a site rotation experience each week or teaching the children in same-aged classrooms. And the detailed teacher guides will make teaching easy even for the new teacher.

What is your preferred arrangement of classes during the summer?

Will your regular teachers continue through the summer, or do you recruit new teachers?

How many students do you expect?

God bless you as you teach His children His Word this summer!

Which Sunday School Would You Choose?

• Unified (all classes study the same Bible account)? OR
• Topical (different material at each age level)?

• Closely graded (one or two grades of children in a classroom)? OR
• Several grades (or all grades) in a single classroom?

• Self-contained classrooms? OR
• Children rotate to different locations for different activities during the hour?

• Lessons tied to the Church's lectionary? OR
• Chronological study of the biblical narrative?

• High tech? OR
• As simple as possible?

Sunday School can be about a lot of choices. As I look to the future, I have the opportunity to make some of these choices to benefit our customers. We will be asking our customers about their preferences in several ways. Maybe this blog can be one of them.

Given the five choices above, which would you choose and why? Which would benefit most the children you serve? I'd love to hear from you at tom.nummela@cph.org.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

Cross Explorations, a New Model

Last week CPH celebrated the launch of a new Sunday School curriculum: Cross Explorations. (The material is in stock and is shipping today.) This is the first time in almost fifty years that CPH has published two Sunday School curricula simultaneously. Our customers now have a choice.

Cross Explorations is a hybrid curriculum: part large-group/small-group and part site rotation. It can be used effectively in large and small Sunday Schools. And it will work just fine in a traditional self-contained classroom. Check it out at cph.org/sundayschool.

All leader material for the curriculum is packaged in one convenient kit. Student material is purchased separately. All items in the kits can be purchased separately. The curriculum is designed for children grades one through six and includes an adult component for parents.

The curriculum follows the Growing in Christ scope and sequence, so a congregation can continue to use that curriculum for early childhood, junior high, and high school classes for a unified curriculum.

Cross Explorations uses a simple one, two, three process.

One: Engage
All students meet for a group opening, which can include parents.

Two: Explore
Students break out into age-level Bible study for grades one through three, four through six, and adults. A small congregation may have just two classes; larger congregations may offer more than one class at some levels.

Three: Express
Students rotate through two, three, or four sites to review the lesson and express themselves in drama, crafts, music, or other activities. Material is offered for all four sites each week, but the congregation can choose which sites to offer each week. The number of Express sites offered will depend on the local schedule and the number of students.

Cross Explorations is a new way to teach God's children His Word. And it's from CPH, so you know your students will hear the Gospel every week.

Is your congregation ready to try something new?

Which Express sites sound most likely for your congregation?