God has given us the opportunity to bring his love to the children. We are humbled by this awesome experience. When we began this experience the questions that we were faced with was how can we as disciples bring the love and word of our Lord to the children in a way that they respond, have fun, but most important learn and retain the information. That is when we came across rotation. The rest, as they say, was history. Why Rotation?

Top 10 Advantages of Sunday School Workshops

10. KIDS LOVE THE VARIETY Every week, students learn in a different workshop. No more complaints about the approach being the same thing every week.

9. EASIER LESSON PREPARATION Teachers focus and improve their teaching skills by preparing for only one lesson per month (with small adjustments for the various grades they’ll teach). No more teacher burn-out with the maddening pace of a completely new lesson every week.

8. TEACHERS ARE MATCHED TO THEIR TALENTS Workshop teachers don’t have to try and be someone they’re not; Instead they utilize the very skills they already possess to teach the Bible in creative ways. By offering their talents, not just their time, teachers begin to experience the real meaning of “ministry”.

7. BETTER USE OF AVAILABLE SPACE Rooms devoted to one particular teaching tool can be customized to take full advantage of that medium. No more wasting of precious time re-arranging tables and chairs every week to teach in different ways. Instead, the room is already geared to help, not fight, the teacher (what a concept!).

6. APPLIES SOLID EDUCATIONAL THEORY Workshops take seriously the different ways in which students learn – not just analytically, but also through movement, feelings, visual stimulation, imagination, etc.

5. BETTER STEWARDSHIP Workshops organize resources into clearly identified areas. No more art supplies in ten different rooms, or videotapes that get lost in obscure closets. People become aware of the central locations of resources and that translates into more productive use.

4. INCREASED RETENTION Simply put, students remember more because they have more than just one Sunday to digest the biblical passage. This repetition comes without boredom because students cover the same material in different workshops over the course of a rotation. Of course this means that in a year’s time fewer lessons are covered (generally “only” eight to fifteen lessons), but students retain those stories much more than fifty-two, once-and-done lessons.

3. TEACHERS LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE Because each workshop teacher teaches the same lesson for a three to five week period, it’s easier to improve on past mistakes. If a teacher feels like he/she blew it on a particular Sunday, they get another shot at it next week! Working on the same lesson from week to week makes the trial and error experience valuable instead of merely frustrating.

2. STUDENTS GO DEEPER INTO LESSONS With repetition, not only do students remember more of the lesson, they also get beyond the surface questions to more profound issues. It’s the difference between just knowing information about God, and beginning to know God in a personal way. That only happens through extended reflection time… something that is inherent to the Workshop approach!

1. KIDS LOVE THE FUN OF WORKSHOPS…TEACHERS LOVE THAT THEY WORK!

Now, we are not saying that Rotation is for everyone. But, what we are saying is that this program works to engage the children in a way that “They” learn. Not just from a book. We are so honored that all our parents have put their trust and faith in us to bring the love of Jesus to the children. This program will continue to improve in ways that can only be awesome for the kids. We encourage all parents to voice their ideas if you have them! This will only improve the program as we go forward into next year.
God Bless
Nancy