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No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 9/30/2009 3:01:55 PM
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AslansChild
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We recently changed churches and our youngest was involved in kids club last year with the old church. The new church offers AWANA. The old church is less than 5 minutes away, the new church is about 20 minutes. Awana is very structured and based on learning verses with some "infotainment" Kids club is heavy on "infotainment" but does offer a good bilical base. Move on to Awana, stay with kids club?
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 9/30/2009 3:06:56 PM
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zoebob
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WHat night of the week are they? How old are your kids?
I like AWANA but those things might make a difference.
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L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 9/30/2009 3:32:18 PM
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W.O.F.
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I have to agree with Zoebob...I prefer AWANA, but a lot of it depends on the age of your kids, what time the clubs are, etc.
I like how AWANA has even the littlest learning scripture and learning to be "serious" about learning about God while still having fun......
_____________________________
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says, "Oh no, she's awake."
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 9/30/2009 3:37:33 PM
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AslansChild
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Both are on Wednesday evening from 7-8:30. She is 9.
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 9/30/2009 3:44:31 PM
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Sideways
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Wow, is it typical for youth group stuff to be so late? Or am I just used to my little ones?
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 9/30/2009 3:55:47 PM
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AslansChild
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My feeling is that AWANA is "Omward Christian Soldiers" and Kids Club is "Onward Christian Friends". I am not too familiar with Awana and see it as an extension of Sunday School. Kid's club seems to be a more relaxed session.
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 9/30/2009 6:17:09 PM
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Tinkerbell_
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The purpose of AWANA is to hide G-d's word in the heart of children. They are taught scriptures knowing they may not know exactly what it means, but that they will be able to recall it when the time is necessary to do.
We have done AWANA since Thing 1 was in 1st grade and (he's in 8th now) and we love the program. It's very structured yet the children can move at their own pace. Some go slow, some go very quickly. They are rewarded not only with their participation but with their knowledge.
The program also focuses on missions and bringing friends to the program.
I don't think you would have anything to lose by checking it out for a semester. And being a parent you would be more than welcome to sit in a class and listen to children recite their verses.
And NOTHING is more amazing than listening to a 1st grade child rattle off a list of verses or recite from perfect memory the books of the Bible. It's a beautiful thing and I'm grateful to have been a part of it. 
_____________________________
When I've shown you that I just don't care
When I'm throwing punches in the air
When I'm broken down and I can't stand
Will you be strong enough to be my man?
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/1/2009 8:57:00 AM
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iluvatar
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Tinkerbell_
The purpose of AWANA is to hide G-d's word in the heart of children. They are taught scriptures knowing they may not know exactly what it means, but that they will be able to recall it when the time is necessary to do.
I hope this isn't OT, but is that really the best way to go about it? It's always been my experience that teaching rote memorization of scripture enables kids to remember a bunch of sentences, but beyond basic commandment-type verses (e.g. "thou shall not <this> or <that>"), it doesn't do much of anything to get them to understand and apply the principles. Object lessons seemed to me to be a much better way of getting the point across. I'm not saying that you've got to pick one or the other, but AWANA's heavy emphasis on rote memorization always seemed a bit misguided to me.
-Dan.
_____________________________
Well, I've been to one world fair, a picnic, and a rodeo, and that's the stupidest thing I ever heard come over a set of earphones.
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/1/2009 9:56:35 AM
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AslansChild
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quote:
I'm not saying that you've got to pick one or the other, but AWANA's heavy emphasis on rote memorization always seemed a bit misguided to me.
-Dan.
Dan,
Thanks for the answer I was looking for (maybe men think alike?) To me it seems like Awana is a contest and the kids can recite the verses but can they understand them. I guess you can say that I am more of a conversational Christian more so than a scholarly one. I like to understand the word of God and have His Word speak to me. Memorization is good but without application I don't see the benefit. The church has asked for volunteers to come to sit and listen to the children recite. Now as I haven’t been to an AWANA class is this typical? I have a picture in y mind of kids sitting a reading verse after verse and then running to an adult to hear them recite it, then moving on to the next one. Then they get their badges. Or is there application and teaching going on as well?
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/1/2009 10:06:41 AM
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zoebob
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Awana has three times: games, handbook, counsel time.
THey are supposed to learn the verses ahead of time not just short term memory. THere's often activities to back up the meaning of the verses. In 3-6th grade there's a definite "lesson" In each book there are 4 questions such as "WHy did God give us the Bible" THey have to learn 8 answers for each question with a verse to back up each answer.
Counsel time is lesson time.
Game time should be obvious.
I firmly believe that getting the verses in their head when they are young is good. THat shouldn't be the end of it. However, they get some explanation and they learn more as they grow in the Lord. I still remember many many verses that I learned in Awana as a kid 25 years ago. THey come to my mind at times when they are applicable.
_____________________________
L-R: DD1, Ellies DS2, DD2, Ellies DS1
L-R: Ellies DD1, Ellies DD2, DS, Ellies DS3
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/1/2009 11:15:22 AM
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coolfamily6
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I can tell you from experience that even though my kids have not been "regular" at church on Wednesday because they have a very heavy work load at school. Our church leans toward the kids club but we at home encourage bible memory and did from a young age using paraphrase. When our kids were homeschooled (early elementary) they learned by rote memorization a LOT of scripture. I can promise you that it is very important to them now in middle and high school to have had that foundation. I agree that these things are not just because they memorize verses but because they were taught what it meant to live their faith.
So, whatever you choose reinforce it at home. Basically, live it out loud.
_____________________________
If your bible is a mess; your life won't be.
~Encouragement a mom gave to our children at our First Grader's Bible Ceremony!
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/1/2009 11:19:41 AM
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sharonjef2007
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How about letting your child try out the new group for a month or so, then decide which one they want to go to? It sounds like kids get good stuff out of both so it may be more of a personality deal for the child.
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/1/2009 11:34:10 AM
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Zhi
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quote:
I hope this isn't OT, but is that really the best way to go about it? It's always been my experience that teaching rote memorization of scripture enables kids to remember a bunch of sentences, but beyond basic commandment-type verses (e.g. "thou shall not <this> or <that>"), it doesn't do much of anything to get them to understand and apply the principles. Object lessons seemed to me to be a much better way of getting the point across. I'm not saying that you've got to pick one or the other, but AWANA's heavy emphasis on rote memorization always seemed a bit misguided to me.
I agree with Zoe on this one.
I was an AWANA kid. And, I still remember the verses and they pop into my mind at appropriate junctures all the time. The books don't just have a list of verses, they also have discussion around the verses of what they mean, definitions for the words the kids might not be familiar with in those verses, etc. I've been working as an AWANA leader since the start of the season at this church a few weeks ago, and a typical "section" will have the theme of the section at the top, such as "Why did God give us the Bible?" "God gave us the Bible so we can know Jesus is His son and Jesus is God" (there are other reasons in other sections but this is one I ran across last AWANA night). Then the verses will relate directly to that specific question and answer. There will usually be a short object lesson to go with it in text. Then there will be a "Brain Check" section asking questions pertaining to that concept and the verses. There are also sections devoted to studying passages from the Bible and writing answers to the questions about what they read.
Maybe I didn't totally understand every verse when I was a kid, but I think kids understand more than you think, and when they're adults, they will have an invaluable Christian resource stuck permanently in their heads from those years.
Not to mention that it's great practice for memorization and served me well in school also.
AWANA is not all about the handbook either. A typical club night, from my experience, involves fun time (games), memorization time (handbook time), and object lesson time (counsel time).
Also, it's age appropriate.
My daughter has been learning the verse "God made everything" for weeks now... since she's 2.5. She can recite it, and she's learning what it means each week as they talk about God making the flowers and the animals and us, and so on. Obviously it takes a lot more object lessons for a 2.5 year old.
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The optimist says the glass is half full. The pessimist says the glass is half empty. The engineer says the glass is twice as large as it needs to be.
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/1/2009 12:14:08 PM
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TXRedhead
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quote:
ORIGINAL: AslansChild
quote:
I'm not saying that you've got to pick one or the other, but AWANA's heavy emphasis on rote memorization always seemed a bit misguided to me.
-Dan.
Dan,
Thanks for the answer I was looking for (maybe men think alike?) To me it seems like Awana is a contest and the kids can recite the verses but can they understand them. I guess you can say that I am more of a conversational Christian more so than a scholarly one. I like to understand the word of God and have His Word speak to me. Memorization is good but without application I don't see the benefit. The church has asked for volunteers to come to sit and listen to the children recite. Now as I haven’t been to an AWANA class is this typical? I have a picture in y mind of kids sitting a reading verse after verse and then running to an adult to hear them recite it, then moving on to the next one. Then they get their badges. Or is there application and teaching going on as well?
I've been working in our church's AWANA as the T&T [3rd thru 6th grade] listener and large group leader. My kids started as Cubbies [3-4 year olds] and are now in Sparks [K-2nd grades]. While I like the program in general, like any program, it does have its drawbacks.
Ideally, clubbers' parents will work with them at home to LEARN and memorize their verses. The books have Bible stories and biblical lessons in each section that the kids are supposed to read. The kids we work with by and large don't. They come in, look over the verse really quickly, hand us the book, regurgitate what they just looked at and move on. I make them tell me what they just said means, but it's not a requirement and the other leaders don't. Just last night, a girl spewed out her verse and couldn't tell me what she'd said even 5 minutes later. I asked her what the point was of her even having said it the first time if she wasn't really going to learn it. She said it was to clear her section so she could get her badge.
Mind you, the AWANA T&T books do have sections that don't even have verses to memorize; they are sections that have the kids read portions of Scripture and answer questions on them. I love those areas and wish AWANA would start shifting its focus more towards emphasizing that end of things rather than focusing so heavily on the verses. Without anything in place to force the children to at least have some understanding of the verses, I just really don't see the point. Now, in the hands of parents who take the time to explain the verses to their kids and have them do the readings that accompany them, it's all good; we just don't see that effort from parents or students in our church.
An easy fix for this problem for AWANA would be to limit each section to one verse to memorize and have a space where the children have to write down what they think the verse means as part of the pass. I really wish they'd do that as the program, overall, is decent and can really lay a good biblical foundation for the kids.
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/1/2009 11:10:31 PM
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macokjc
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I think that AWANA is an extremely superb program. The new materials are not just full of rote-memory, but of teaching life lessons through the Bible. Also, when AWANA is done right, it is not simply memorizing, but there should be teaching along with the verses.
I have a bigger problem with your "problem." Not knowing the whole situation, it is hard to come right out and say it....but I think that if you have changed churches - you need to change churches and be done with it. The only exceptions are if your church doesn't have a Wed. night service, or if you are helping out another church for a time being. I know people who go to one church on Sun. morning because they like the music, another church on Sunday night because they like the youth program then, and another on Wed. night because of kids' programs. They are not committed to any one church, and they are shopping for what a church can do for them, not how they can serve the Lord in their local church.
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/2/2009 2:34:26 AM
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myka
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What are your kids like? Do they like performing or getting rewards for their work? Are they more laid back and quiet or more driven and loud? Do they do well with memorization or are they more interested in activities?
The application questions of the AWANA are memorized, too.
My husband was in the AWANA program when he was young; he did not like memorization (in all areas of learning). He stuck with it, and he was a leader at one point. He has only found it helpful when he had to translate a passage that he had memorized when he was young. 
My older children were in a program for a few years, but they really didn't get into it -- and it wasn't really helpful for them. Neither of them like to be put on the spot and have to say their verses out loud. They went mainly for the friendships that they had developed.
Re: different churches and different ministries -- We attend a different church than the one that our children's youth group is affiliated with. We used to attend the youth group church, but we needed to change our church family. Our current permanent church has a youth group, but it would require an hour drive round trip for my children to be involved with it, and we are not comfortable with the Bible instruction nor the format of the group activities and the number of youth at our current church is very small (I think there are maybe 6 right now). Our children had developed good friendships with kids at our former church and we felt that it was important for our children to continue those relationships. The youth group at our former church is more in line with our own thoughts about the purpose and format of youth groups and the teaching is usually much better. I am currently volunteering as an adult sponsor for the youth group at our former church while remaining very actively involved and committed to our current church family.
Some people prefer to be involved with one church and that members be involved with one church. Some churches are more open.
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/2/2009 10:57:35 AM
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Fritzpw_Admin
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Love AWANA!
It is definitely worth the 20 minute drive for your child to be involved in such an incredible program PLUS it will help to integrate your family more into your home church PLUS give YOU an opportunity to serve.
quote:
ORIGINAL: AslansChild
We recently changed churches and our youngest was involved in kids club last year with the old church. The new church offers AWANA. The old church is less than 5 minutes away, the new church is about 20 minutes. Awana is very structured and based on learning verses with some "infotainment" Kids club is heavy on "infotainment" but does offer a good bilical base. Move on to Awana, stay with kids club?
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Read today's Bible verse from my favorite online Bible
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RE: No Brainer but need advice AWANA vs Kids Club - 10/4/2009 3:18:47 AM
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creationtalk
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My son has attended AWANA since kindergarten. He is now 3rd grade and starting the Truth & Training section. We do not attend (last 2 years) the church with AWANA. I have no experience with Kid's Club.
As has been previously stated, there are advantages and disadvantages to AWANA, as with any program. One of the big disadvantages to me has to do with the "competition" aspect and that, especially for the younger set, really requires a lot of parent participation at home. For children who don't read, not having help to memorize the verses at home often means they don't complete books. The AWANA program was presented to me as a way to reach unchurched children as well as the children who do attend church. However, some things--like the requirement to bring a friend--puts unchurched children at a disadvantage (since bringing a friend often requires a parent to get the friend and drive both children to the church). This requirement is also problematic when there is a well established AWANA program--quite often every "friend" currently attends, has attended or visited, or is not allowed to attend for whatever reason. I think that these things can lead unchurched children or even churched children whose parents don't take the time to work with them feeling that they are not good enough...and may feel they are not good enough for God also. I lodged a complaint about the "must bring a friend" with my local AWANA a few years ago--the initial response was too bad...however, they have since amended the requirement to bring a friend to must invite friends and/or tell someone about Jesus (get a note with the date and a signature to prove this was done).
On the flip side, you get out of a program what you are willing to put into it. When my son was in Sparks, I bought the CD's with the verses, etc that he had to memorize (put to music). Since a large part of our week is spent in the truck, we kept the CD in the truck and whenever we were in the truck we were singing verses or the books of the Bible. I took the time to talk to my son about what the verses meant and often would get the Bible out when we were home and read the entire passage so that my son would get the context as well as learn the verse.
Overall I like the program. One good thing is that each year some key verses or concepts are revisited, making the short-term memorize the verse less likely--after they've seen the same verse three years running, it gets pretty well ingrained. My son enjoys AWANA and is learning about Jesus. To me that's the most important thing. One thing that I like is that my son often sees verses he memorized at AWANA at Children's Church (church we attend)--in a different translation. This also helps him understand that the important thing is the meaning, not the words used.
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