Resource Bags
Don’t open your bag until the whole family is together. Use this waiting time to create curiosity and expectation for the coming month. Parents: read through your curriculum to get an overview of the monthly themes before you open the bag with your children. You can find the curriculum on the website and in the bag. Read the content list as you open your bag. Your excitement will do wonders for engaging your children in this. Look for a few of the following items each month:
- Curriculum pages to place in your Growing Families ring binder – this same information can be found on the Growing Families website with links to more reading.
- Some months you’ll find a book for parents or children that connects with the monthly theme.
- Props in a gold bag to help you tell God’s Story (keep these in the bag they come in and use only when supervised by parents because you will continue to tell the story each month).
- A family snack to eat while you open your monthly bag or during a spiritual conversation around your table.
- Learning tools to grow in faith together and fun ideas to help you play together as a family.
- Over the 9 months, you will collect 9 wooden blocks. Keep these in the bag or display them in a place for children to see. Use these often as a family but let your children know these are your special blocks for telling God’s Story. We hope they will be a keepsake for many years.
- A worksheet for the parents or family from Dr. Steve Stratton or Dr. Russell Hall, professors from our School of Counseling at ATS. Place these in your ring binder for use after you watch the Parent video on the Growing Families website.
Store these items in your garden tote. If you have small children, allow them to work with these items under your supervision. Keep them for times of guided play only. Parents, we want you to be a part of what your children are discovering about God so play with them.
For further reading on the importance of Catechesis and Discipleship in handing down the faith, this article is a great read:
- Curriculum pages to place in your Growing Families ring binder – this same information can be found on the Growing Families website with links to more reading.
- Some months you’ll find a book for parents or children that connects with the monthly theme.
- Props in a gold bag to help you tell God’s Story (keep these in the bag they come in and use only when supervised by parents because you will continue to tell the story each month).
- A family snack to eat while you open your monthly bag or during a spiritual conversation around your table.
- Learning tools to grow in faith together and fun ideas to help you play together as a family.
- Over the 9 months, you will collect 9 wooden blocks. Keep these in the bag or display them in a place for children to see. Use these often as a family but let your children know these are your special blocks for telling God’s Story. We hope they will be a keepsake for many years.
- A worksheet for the parents or family from Dr. Steve Stratton or Dr. Russell Hall, professors from our School of Counseling at ATS. Place these in your ring binder for use after you watch the Parent video on the Growing Families website.
Store these items in your garden tote. If you have small children, allow them to work with these items under your supervision. Keep them for times of guided play only. Parents, we want you to be a part of what your children are discovering about God so play with them.
For further reading on the importance of Catechesis and Discipleship in handing down the faith, this article is a great read:
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