High-tech lessons
meant to attract kids

UM Publishing House
offers new curriculum
for youngsters 3 to 13

United Methodist News Service
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—If you’re having problems getting children excited about Sunday school, maybe you should “Live B.I.G.”
It wouldn’t hurt to sing, shout, laugh, act, dance, create, run, jump, fly and think, speak, and relate to a belief in God, either.
“Live B.I.G.” (Belief in God) is a new Sunday school curriculum offered by the United Methodist Publishing House for use in congregations staring in September. The interactive program has colorful characters, cool music and travel segments designed to take advantage of the three ways children learn—hearing, seeing and then living what they have experienced.
“We want children to ask to go to Sunday school—to drag their parents out of bed to take them to church,” said Marj Pon, director of children’s resources.
“Live B.I.G.” takes a high-tech approach to teaching, Pon said. That’s because Nielsen Media Research reports the average U.S. family watches more than eight hours of television a day. Children are growing up in homes equipped with multiple televisions, computers with Internet, video games, iPods, CD and DVD players—many in their own bedrooms.
In 2004 the Publishing House started looking at those statistics and planning for ways to capture children’s attention in a multimedia world, Pon said. Surveys went to 1,200 churches, and more than 400 churches were selected as test sites for the curriculum.
College Heights UMC, Pittsburg, Kan., was one of the test churches.
“The kids can hardly wait” for the new curriculum to come, the Rev. Ken Butts said. “It really piqued their interest.”
Patricia Prillaman, director of Christian education at Parkview UMC, Newport News, Va., agreed.
“We need a way to bring kids into the 21st century and assist teachers,” she said. “It made all the difference in the world” to the children in her church.
“Prior to this curriculum,” Pril-laman explained, “the children were bored, sitting around a table, doing their Sunday school lesson. With this program, they were jumping, singing and happy.”
“Live B.I.G.” is to be an annual resource with 12 DVDs, a teacher’s book and student books. It is designed to cover the Bible in two years, Pon said. It will be available for ordering in June, in time for fall classes.
Bongo the Bible bird, Mr. Z and Ms. Lucy help preschool children (grouped in ages 3 to 4 and 5 to 6) through age-appropriate activities that include puzzles, crafts and booklets to take home and share with parents.
Elementary-age children (7 to 8 and 9 to 10) are led by young teens and Anna in “The Station.”
“Tweens,” ages 11 to 13, participate in the “Common Ground,” a coffeehouse with host Will and four teenagers, T.J., Kate, Julia and Micah.
A one-room option is available for small congregations that may only have one Sunday school class for children of different ages. The one-room option uses segments from the elementary age group.
Lessons for each month feature a “Big Idea.” For example, the October theme is “Jesus is the Messiah.” Teachers get a DVD for each Sunday in the month, and each lesson includes “The Big Picture,” “On the Road” and the “Big Sound.”
“The Big Picture” shares pictures of children in different settings living out the week’s Bible scripture. “On the Road” is a video segment shot in different locations showing children and churches in mission, and the “Big Sound” is music. Original songs were created for the preschool and elementary age groups, and contemporary Christian songs are used for tweens.
“I really think this is one of the best things to come out of Cokesbury,” said Suzann Wade, diaconal minister at Chapel Hill UMC, Oklahoma City. “I think it will help kids understand how the Bible connects with their daily lives.”
Prillaman said about 50 children attend Sunday school at Parkview.
“I think the program is excellent, especially for small churches,” she said. The music helps teachers who may feel they are not able to provide that for their children.
Butts described his church as “middle sized” but with only 32 children in Sunday school. They will be using the one-room class option.
Another component of the program is a Web site, www.ilivebig.com, which Butts said interested his children because they have a computer room. The Web site enables children and parents to expand the Sunday school lesson through the week.
“We are planting the seeds; this is a curriculum the kids can grow with,” he said. “We are hoping it will stimulate interest and get the kids to tell their parents they want to go to church.”
Pon said the curriculum was designed with the awareness that churches have fewer trained Christian educators and fewer adults who have the time to become trained Sunday school teachers.
But she is quick to say “Live B.I.G.” is not just about showing videos to children.
“The most important thing is a teacher who has a relationship with and a love for children,” Pon said. “That is what makes the biggest impact in a child’s life.”
The DVD kits cost $175. Leader’s guides run $14 each, and student books are $4 each for preschool and elementary and $5 for tweens. Introductory video clips and other information are available at www.ilivebig.com.