My phone has been getting crowded with videos of the kids, so I put this short video together for you to see some of the regular activities at club and class times!
Czech Republic has two national holidays a week from each other, this meant that the kids didn't have school two Tuesdays in a row! Some of the schools also had Monday free depending on the principal's inclination to give an extra free day to students and teachers. We decided to take one of these free days as an opportunity for a sleepover club in Boskovice! This sleepover club was a little different in that I lead the sleepover with a wonderful team of half-leaders and volunteers - and it was the perfect night! We started later in the evening with many active, running games; the idea to hopefully wear the kids down a bit, which seemed to backfire as it spiked their energy!
At the Start of Sleepover ;)
Game Time!
In traditional sleepover club fashion, just before midnight, I gathered all the kids together for a short program. We find that it is a great way to use sleepover clubs to further share our faith with the kids as we have built these relationships with them. As I prayed and asked God what would be good to share with these kids, the idea came so quickly I knew it was His guidance. The holiday the kids have off of school that week was Liberation Day - the end of WWII. I was reminded of the story of the prisoner of war in WWII who sacrificed his life for his fellow prisoners (I have the story in a children's devotional that explained it so simply and clearly - perfect for this group!). For the first time all night, the room was silent as my translator and I described the WWII story, and then shared how 2000 years ago Jesus also sacrificed His life for each of us. After sharing this with the kids, I asked them to take 30 seconds to share what they will remember from the story with a person next to them. No more than 10 seconds into the sharing time a young boy in the front started addressing the whole group as he restated the entire story; apparently the whole story touched him as he longed to share it again with all of us! My translator looked to me and said, "They will surely not forget this story and lesson." I pray that God will use this story and time to touch the hearts of these kids as they further think about His love and sacrifice for each of them.
Sleepover Club Group Picture
Wonderful Half-Leaders and Helpers!
While I am only at club time in Boskovice, I look forward to seeing these kids each week and investing in their lives. Recently, more and more little girls have been coming to club in Boskovice, so I have been thrilled as we play games together and get to know each other better. Of course, the time I get to spend with these little boys is also so much fun! They are often moving between different activities, but I enjoy cheering them on in different club competitions and chatting with them as they briefly pause between games.
During Teen English Class, we have been focusing on communication and simply starting to talk in an English conversation. Some of the students are very concerned about the English grammar and choosing the correct vocabulary for the sentences, but I am pushing them to not pause in the conversation but to rely on the English they already know. Many times, as the students start speaking they realize how much they already understand how to communicate and notice their own mistakes in speaking more easily. To help the students with communication, we played a Problem-Solution Memory game. They had to find the right solution to the problem on the cards, but it was definitely funny when the cards didn't match; like "Sally accidentally broke her sister's toy." "She made a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich and ate it." or "My mom got a flat tire." "I tied my shoes."
Problem-Solution Memory
At our Kid's Club, we promote exceptional kids at about the of 14 years old to the position of "half-leader." Our half-leaders have responsibilities to help leaders organize games at club, help the younger kids, and are greatly encouraged to help in the after-club clean-up process! While we have numerous half-leaders, some of our younger kids have been recently very energetic to help with the cleaning and organizing activities! Some of the the little kids will just start to help clean-up without asking; and my heart melts each time. I overheard one of these little helpers regretfully declare that she still needs to wait four years before becoming a half-leader at club. I suggested that while she may not be a half-leader, she could be a "mini-leader" and be an example to all the other kids by her help. She was thrilled to have a small title, and I was thrilled to have such an excellent clean-up helper for the day!
We got a new dodgeball for your kid's at club... I really thought the spots were supposed to be grey! The kids still ask for the old ball because it is so flat that they can throw it more like a frisbee and it is easier to catch!
Wresting Matches... even a broken leg doesn't stop the girls from participating too!
Due to the national holiday, Monday English was small, but it gave us more time and focus on the students who did arrive. The students wrapped up our Elephant and Piggie book series by acting out the stories in the theater, re-reading many of the books, and creating their own comics of Elephant and Piggie. I was very impressed with the creativity in this small group and how they bounced ideas off each other. The Elephant and Piggie books were definitely a hit in this classroom! And the kids made sure that I would still be bringing other books to read the following weeks even if our two favorite characters would no longer make an appearance. I happily told the students that we will indeed have more stories to come!
Elephant and Piggie Comics!
More Reading
Naturally, after the holidays, the kids all came back for more fun at English Class. We are continuing in our topic of Question Words and studied How? and Why? The kids learned that all why questions need to have a reason for an answer - usually beginning with because. They enjoyed playing many games during the lesson that practiced saying why and because, and I know that by the end of the lesson, they understood! Even though we have finished our Elephant and Piggie book series, I had one more book by the same author about Pigeon. In the book, Pigeon wants a new puppy, so the kids made their own stories about other animals for Pigeon. I was so proud of these kids as they worked on the stories! Many of them are still finishing, but the ones that did complete their ideas have shown great bounds in English!
Why-Because Game
In Little Linguists this week, we talked about things we can see flying in the sky - birds, airplanes, helicopters, balloons, and... superheroes! The kids enjoyed decorating superhero masks and tying scarves around their necks like capes as they spun and ran through the room. One new student felt completely welcomed in the class as the writing on his shirt said "Mommy is My Superhero." As the kids finished their masks and asked their moms to try it on, I reminded the moms that they really are the real superheroes of the day!
Decorating Masks
Ready to Save the World!
Letovice Church hosted the annual Bible Competition for the South Moravian churches. It was a little smaller in attendance this year than normal, but the kids still formed into groups of three and traveled along a designated path to different station in the forest and answered different Bible questions as well as physical strength and skill challenges. A friend and I sat at one station and helped conduct one of the challenges; although, we both agreed the most fun was the comments from the kids! In our challenge, the children were asked to touch their ankles, toes, and then put their hands flat on the ground in front of them. One little girl who came to our station said, "Hey! I'm a ballerina! This is perfect for me. Will you give me a bonus if I can also hold my foot over my head?!" My partner and I couldn't help but smile and were relieved that some of the kids were simply in the competition for the fun of event and not overly competitive.
Following their map to the next challenge station
Teamwork!
Over the weekend, I got to tour one of the South Moravian caves with a friend. There are a series of caves, and I had been to one before, and really enjoyed experiencing part of God's hidden beauty in this country. One part of the tour that was extra fun for me was an American dad with his two toddler sons behind me as we walked through the cave. He may not have realized I was also American, but at one point in the tour he said to his sons...
"See what is hanging from the cave ceiling? Those are called stalactites... because they hold on tight to the cave ceiling!"
From behind the dad, I heard a couple men in a British accent say, "Man, that was great!"
So I turned around and also commented, "That was funny!"
To which the dad replied, "All it takes is one dorky dad joke to bring us all together!"
The fun didn't stop there. We boarded onto an underground boat to go through a water canal in the cave, and while most parents would likely say something to their children like "don't get too close to the water!" or "keep your hands inside the boat!", this dad simply looked to his sons and said, "remember what I told you about the cave sharks." I controlled my laughter as I watched the boys cautiously enter the boat and peer over the sides to catch a glimpse of the mysterious, legendary cave shark!
Outside the Caves