Children learn through play. They play school, they play house, they even play COVID, giving everyone shots. Do our children know enough about being Quaker to play Quaker? Children are fully spiritual beings. Meeting life needs to be as open and comprehensible to them...
The Christmas story and what follows: the fleeing of Jesus, Mary and Joseph from Herod's soldiers to Egypt. An immigration story, this book has timeless crossover appeal and a message that couldn't be more relevant today as so many leave their homeland for fear of...
Alphabet Words to Inspire Compassion, Kindness and Positivity This book features 26 empowering alphabet words to activate the potential of our children and create a bright future for humanity. A New Alphabet for Humanity teaches children the power of positive words so...
We as human beings need stories. It's this primal part of who we are as a human race — from the very beginning. That's how we have always made meaning. Telling stories, over and over again. Caryl Cresswell, a recorded minister in Sierra Cascades Yearly Meeting, a...
Looking for excellent children’s books to illustrate Friends faith and practice? Start HERE with the Sparkling Still LibraryThing collection, a continuously updated catalog by theme and age group.
By Melinda Wenner Bradley When a new baby or child arrives in our lives, into our care, we learn to assess their needs: What does my crying child need? Is the baby hungry? Does she need to be fed? Is his diaper wet? What does my child need to help them fall asleep? We...
A listing of nine books with brief synopses that we think have a message for children in these trying times. Many of the stories are about children overcoming challenges.We hope the books encourage you to think about other things, and appreciate the beauty around us....
Lesson plan for the home with book, videos and activities. The author reminds us that mindfulness‚ "being quiet, still, and present with one another" is a very special thing. Everything is in such a hurry, busy as busy can be. The birds are flying so fast, the...
Lesson plan for the home with a book, video and music. Good People Everywhere is a soothing story to help children become mindful of the beautiful, caring people in their world. Each page delightfully unfolds with vibrant, engaging illustrations and endearing stories...
"It all starts with stopping," says author Beth Collea, as she describes how the practice of coloring mandalas helps young children settle. Links are provided to websites with free, printable mandalas from the simple to the intricate. This tool is useful for family...
A little boy and his mother fall on hard times, but discover that they can still give heartfelt gifts. A touching story of compassion, this is the last picture book authored by one of America's best loved children's authors. "Misery loves company," Mama says to James...
We use this settling routine from Ann Arbor (MI) Friends Meeting with all our kids, sometimes omitting a line or two. It's important to have chairs an appropriate height for all children so their toes can touch the floor. Sitting on the floor with knees bent and feet...
This picture-book version of the Biblical parable of the loaves and fishes tells the story from the perspective of the young boy who offers up his simple lunch of rye bread loaves and fish he'd caught at his quiet fishing spot to Jesus, who uses them to feed the...
This is an idea packet assembled for families and small meetings who seek to educate children in Quaker faith and practice. Originally published in 1986, this is a treasure trove, worthy of adaptation and revision given that most Quaker meetings still face these...
Obadiah, a young Quaker boy living in colonial Nantucket, is constantly followed by a sea gull. Obadiah wishes the seagul would leave him alone, but when it does leave, he yearns for its companionship. This story helps young children learn about the importance of...
A Busy Box can be kept on hand should children arrive at a small meeting with no formal religious education program. For Meetings with an RE program, the Busy Box is useful to help young Friends quietly join Meeting for Worship before or after the lesson. Friendly...
We are grateful to Nancy Pickering of Middletown Friends Meeting (Philadelphia Yearly Meeting) for three plays celebrating the Christmas season This is the Stable, A simple telling of the Nativity with readings from the book by Cynthia Cotten, illustrated by Delana...
This lesson explores the Edward Hicks painting, The Peaceable Kingdom (1820), beginning with a famous passage from the book of Isaiah. The focus then turns to the background of the painting depicting the treaty between William Penn and early Friends...
This book exploring practical ways to be present could be used as part of a lesson on mindfulness and how we prepare for worship. The illustrations are lovely. Melinda Wenner Bradley has created the attached children's religious education lesson plan, "Looking Back,...
A contemporary and unique children's Christmas book about Jesus' love for all children, That Baby in the Manger offers a needed message about inclusion and acceptance of cultural differences. As the children of a small church struggle with the portrayal of the Holy...
An Episcopalian resource, "Holy Week in a Box" uses simple objects tucked into a small box, along with Bible passages to tell the stories observed during the week leading up to Easter. Each item in the box is a symbol, representing a piece of the gospel narrative:...
First Day Stories is a collection of 12 short stories about Quaker practices and beliefs for preschool children. First Day Stories is not a high adventure book offering deep insights. Instead, it is a gentle book with quiet simple practices that present Quaker life in...
FAITH & PLAY™ is a Montessori-inspired curriculum to help children find words and images for expressing the experiences of holy mystery and wonder. Play is children's practice, hence the name Faith & Play, deriving from Faith and Practice. Faith & Play...
A core Quaker curriculum for young children, Sparkling Still provides everything you need to create lessons for children ages 3 to 8 and build a classroom community. Topics include sense of self, family and community, the natural world, the Bible and Quakerism,...
