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children's ministry cartoons K! Magazine Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine teaching

The Magic of Flannelgraphs

Cartoon of a teacher and a boy attached to a wall. The boy says, "You're right, Mrs. Slocum. Flannel graphs are fun when you are part of the story."
Published in "K! Kidzmatter Magazine."

One of the challenges of being away from children’s ministry for several weeks is missing the quirky things like flannelgraphs. This cartoon reminds me of the many Bible stories I heard as a child and the little paper illustrations that the teacher would place on the board as she told the story. As a visual person, those flannelgraph illustrations probably had as much of an impression on me as the story itself.

I remember wanting to be part of the story. So this cartoon was a natural one for me to come up with. Like the boy on the flannelgraph wall, I would have loved to be in the middle of Jesus, the disciples, a loaf of bread and a fish.

To all the parents and teachers that are trying to keep the kids entertained and educated, It may be the simple things like a flannelgraph that will keep a kid’s attention over the latest, wifi-powered technology.

Cartoon of a teacher and a boy attached to a wall. The boy says, "You're right, Mrs. Slocum. Flannel graphs are fun when you are part of the story."
Published in “K! Kidzmatter Magazine.”
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K! Magazine Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine Parenting Cartoons

Does Anyone Remember Separation Anxiety?

Cartoon of a crying mom clinging to a boy. The caption says, "It's been hard for Chloe to serve since she began experiencing separation anxiety."
Published in "K! Kidzmatter Magazine"

When my wife took a sabbatical from ministry in 2014, she spent a lot of time at home. Our kids were in their teens and twenties, so it was basically her and the dog when I was at work and the kids were doing their own thing. The dog started to get used to having her owner at home. Separation anxiety was nowhere in sight.

But when she went back to the church, the poor dog had a nervous breakdown. When we came home, we would find her hiding and shaking. When we went to bed, she would bark until we took her upstairs and into our bedrooms. Before, she was quite content to be in a downstairs bathroom.

We took her to the vet to be sure she didn’t have a physical problem. The vet confirmed she was just fine, but experiencing separation anxiety. He suggested we could give her anti-anxiety medicine. I thanked him and said we would wait and see. Eventually, the dog got used to being the queen of her castle once again.

We live in Ohio today and are entering the third week of staying in place. I really feel for the parents who have had to figure out how to keep their kids busy when school was canceled. Many of us are working from home too. Separation anxiety may be the last thing on parents’ and pet owners’ minds these days.

But there will come a day when things get back to normal again. We will get to venture out to work and school one day. Let’s look forward to the day when separation anxiety may be the biggest concern on our minds.

How have you made the best of being at home? Let us know in the comments.

Cartoon of a crying mom clinging to a boy. The caption says, "It's been hard for Chloe to serve since she began experiencing separation anxiety."
Published in “K! Kidzmatter Magazine”
Categories
K! Magazine Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine motivation

How Is Your Reality TV Show Going?

Cartoon of a student and a Sunday school volunteer. The student says, "You'll love serving in the fifth grad class. It's kind of like being in a reality TV show."
Published in "K! Kidzmatter Magazine"

There are some days when I think the last couple of weeks have been a twisted reality TV show. People have been sequestered in their homes with whatever they could scrounge at the grocery and instructed to live within the confines of their home with the kids while they attempt to work from home and homeschool their kids. Whew!

It has reminded me of a time or two when a class could get unruly and devolve into an out-of-control reality show atmosphere. Oh, how I long for those days! 

They will be coming soon. Sometime late spring or in the summer, Sunday school classes will be back in session. It may take some time for students and teachers to get their bearings again. In the meantime, hold on for today. If you are feeling you are in a bizarre reality show, see if you can ask the director for a raise or bonus. Just beware of that added twist that those shows like to add just to make things interesting.

Cartoon of a student and a Sunday school volunteer. The student says, "You'll love serving in the fifth grad class. It's kind of like being in a reality TV show."
Published in “K! Kidzmatter Magazine”
Categories
children's ministry cartoons K! Magazine Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine worship

Kids Worship in Mysterious Ways

Cartoon of two adults watching a dancing boy. One adults says "I didn't know you could breakdance to 'Amazing Grace.'"
Published in "K! Kidzmatter Magazine"

One of the things I will miss this morning is the unique ways kids will sing and dance with worship music. I’ve seen kids do The Worm. Others are experts at The Floss. The creativity flows when the music plays. I’ve heard some adults complain that it could become less of the worship experience and more of aerobic activity. That’s fine with me. Keep the kids engaged.

When I drew this, I thought of the many times adults try to make kids behave like little adults. Sure, Amazing Grace is a wonderful hymn and is rich in its meaning. But it is difficult to get a seven-year-old to sit still and sing all six verses slowly and solemnly. Sooner or later, one of the kids will break out into dancing.

Cartoon of two adults watching a dancing boy. One adults says "I didn't know you could breakdance to 'Amazing Grace.'"
Published in “K! Kidzmatter Magazine”
Categories
K! Magazine Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine motivation

Books and Batteries

Cartoon of a teacher and a boy with an electronic tablet. The boy panics and says, "Help! My Bible's batteries ran down!"
Published in "K!: Kidzmatter Magazine"

The first time a student brought their tablet into the Sunday school classroom was quite a sight. The child claimed it was her Bible. But for some reason, all the kids gathered around her and they weren’t asking to see her Bible. They were interested in what games were on her tablet. It took some time to get the class back into some semblance of organization.

Since the schools are all closed right now, I imagine the tablets and smartphones are getting quite a workout. I’m sure there are some times when a crisis may emerge because a device’s batteries are running on empty. Keep calm and find a charger! It will be all right eventually.

Find some time to recharge your devices as well as yourself this week. Step away from the laptops, tablets, smartphones, and televisions for a few minutes, if not hours. You’ll be glad to get some time to step away from the news and let yourself have a break from it all.

Cartoon of a teacher and a boy with an electronic tablet. The boy panics and says, "Help! My Bible's batteries ran down!"
Published in “K!: Kidzmatter Magazine”