Children in worship - "I spy" Sanctuary game

This is the cover of the booklet we made.

The church where I worked made a dedicated Sunday school hour for a few months.  Unfortunately, it didn't last.  But to welcome the kids in worship and to make a huge/formal space inviting to children, we put together a variety of things - worship bags, a prayground, and this - an "I spy" game to put in the pews.  I concentrated on those three things - a kid-friendly place where they could sit during the Scripture and sermon (our "prayground"), a note to the parents and our congregation that explains our feelings about kids in worship, and a little (educational...shhh;) I spy game to put in the pews to help them familiarize themselves with the sanctuary.  Have you ever noticed everything in your sanctuary?  There are a LOT of things in there...things that have names that most children don't know.  So, I wanted to make a game that 1. kept them occupied (in a good way) 2. was fun; and, 3. helped them learn about their surroundings by looking around.

The game is geared towards beginner readers.  The descriptions are more complex and kindergarten and first graders would probably need help from adults around them to read them - but they are written in language they would understand.  You can download my descriptions from my teachers pay teachers store for free - but my pictures aren't going to match your pictures - although I've included a few here so you can see some examples :)  Here is an example of a description (I also included a hint for each one!):  I put the "hint" right side up on the back of the pic, and then the answer/description upside down. 

Hint: Look on the small table in front of the pulpit…and think food!

Description:  The bread is part of the Lord’s Supper – or Communion.  We take it the first Sunday of every month.  The bread represents Jesus’ body and the wine/juice represents Jesus’ blood – when he died for us on the cross.

I asked a professional photographer at our church if she wouldn't mind walking around the sanctuary and taking close up pictures (very close up) of 15-20 common items in the sanctuary.  She agreed :)  And she did an awesome job.  These are the things we picked out (they are pictures of pictures so the glares are because of that...not because of her pictures!):

part of the pulpit (she did the mic) (see cover pic above)
"fake" bread on our communion table (see cover pic)
candles
plant in the back corner of our sanctuary
organ pipe (see cover pic)
seat cushion

little communion cup holders
flag (see cover pic)
bible
hymnal

piano/piano bench
stained glass

communion table (bread - see cover pic above)
music stand

cross on the door
baptismal font

friendship pad

there may be things in your sanctuary that are unique and you could include, that others couldn't.  

Once we had the pics, she ordered about 10-15 of each picture because I wanted to make around 50 booklets with 5 pics in each.  Each booklet contained different pics so that if they sat in different places the booklets would be different.  I also tried to rotate the booklets every 3-4 weeks so that if they sat in the same spot (and most people do lol), the booklet would change.

We laminated the pics and punched a hole in the corner for a ring (you can see the ring in some of the pics.  I made a cover (which you can also download) and we laminated that as well.  They turned out really well and I hope our kids (and adults;) enjoyed them...and learned something!

Maybe this will inspire you to do something similar in your church!

Just some Fun(ny) observations here in Ayacucho, Peru...

 Just some observations after being here for almost 2 months :) 

ok, so some of these I learned when I lived in Moyobamba, but I have been reminded of them here :) 

1.  Everyone is "Mami" or "Papi" no matter what your age is :)  You want to fit in?  Start calling people that - especially the older generation.  Kind of hard for me to say that to random people, but I'm trying lol.

2.  Almost 100% of advertising here is word of mouth.  Information on the internet is never right, the phone number most likely isn't correct...and if it is, they probably won't answer.  You have to go in person to talk to people, order stuff, make reservations, etc.  I have seen a few signs for app delivery services here, but haven't tried them.

3.  Dogs are everywhere.  A friend here jokes that Ayacuchan dogs have built-in GPS.  They seem to have owners, but they come and go on their own.  Some go out on leashes, but not many.  But even though you see them everywhere you go, I've never seen one get hit by a car.  They know how and when to cross the road!  And they always seem to find their way home!  We don't think Gemma could cross the road alone so she remains on her leash ;) lol

4.  Some prices of things here are what you would expect.  Others are a big surprise!  Things you would think would be very cheap, are expensive and vice versa.  For example, crayons are more expensive here than in the US...but tape is way cheaper.  Why?  I feel bad for the little kids here - crayons are a luxury!  Also, napkins cost very little, but Kleenex are not only hard to find, but very expensive!  Oh, and wet dog food - more expensive than in the US; but dry dog food is a little less.  And I should add, that the cost of living here is 1/3 the COL in the US, so if something is more expensive here (or even the same price), than it's a luxury here and most people can't afford it.  

5.  Everyone is wearing masks here all the time - and have been for a year and a half.  There's no arguing, no tantrums, no whining - they need to wear them, so they do it.  Refreshingly mature and no politics.  The kids hopefully get to start hybrid school next week and masks AND face shields are required.  No one is complaining.  I feel like I'm living with grown ups.

6.  When you enter stores, many spray your hands with alcohol/disinfectant.  This part, I understand and appreciate.  However, they also have floor mats that are sprayed with alcohol/disinfectant and you have to step in it before entering.  Most stores don't really monitor this, but almost all of them have it.  I guess this would've made sense at the beginning of the pandemic when we didn't know how the virus was transmitted, but now that we know it's air born, it seems pretty silly! lol

7.  Ella was intrigued that when we were out shopping, we were told by a local friend, that if you inquire about a product, but don't buy it, it's rude.  To that I said - oh well! lol  I'm not going to buy everything I ask about!

8.  I needed to get some meds here and was able to walk into the pharmacy and get them with no prescription.  They just asked me who it was for.  When I said myself, they said, "ok"!  

This is an example of the outside of a restaurant.  this is paul's favorite ice cream place - Waffles and ice cream! yum!  the outside of this store is actually pretty nice - many are not this nice.

9.  The outside of stores/houses is very misleading.  You very truthfully can not "judge a book by it's cover."  Ella and I were looking for some clothing stores the other day that someone recommended.  We searched for over an hour in vain.  Then, the next week, I was walking in the same area and happened to peek into a store - there was no name above the door, it was shabby, dark, and no signs.  When I stepped inside, I saw a 5 story mall!  Never in a million years would I have thought that was inside!!

10.  My last observation for now - pizza.  There are pizza places EVERYWHERE.  When we arrived, we decided to try out a lot of them and see which one was the best.  The verdict?  The kids hate them all! lol  🙈  WHY? I have no idea!  Noe seems to think they put too much oregano - in the sauce, cheese, everything.  Or maybe the cheese is different?  I don't know.  I do know that I found all the stuff in a store to make our own - premade sauce, bread and some mozzarella cheese.  They liked that more than the restaurant - and it's half the price!  We also found some premade, we just have to heat it up.  They liked those better as well. oh well!  Guess we'll have to wait until we go back to the states to get a "great pizza" 😂.

Well, that's all for now.  Everyone have a great week!  We're looking forward to going in person to school for a day or so this week!!  God bless :) 

In Christ,

Laurie and the Juarez family