Archive for children

LAUMC Story Time

We all need a break from our life during this time, specially our young ones—so why not listen to a story and let your mind wander. Senior Pastor Kathi McShane invites you to join LAUMC Story Time as she reads books chapter by chapter on video for you. You may follow along on video, or read along with her—one chapter at a time.

The first book Pastor Kathi reads is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

Please register to get the URL and password to access the video playlist. (Read with permission from Candlewick Press.)

Little Hands, Big Hearts Christmas Craft Faire, Dec. 8

LAUMC’s Children’s Ministries and the Children’s Center Preschool will be hosting a craft-making faire on Sunday, December 8, at 11:15am in the Children’s Center. If you remember Creekside Christmas from previous years, we will be bringing back some beloved crafts and also introducing some new favorites! Children and their families will get into the holiday spirit and have fun creating beautiful Christmas keepsakes and gifts, decorating cookies, and donating unwrapped toys to children in need.

Creekside Christmas alumni, would you like to share your crafting expertise? Contact Michelle Caudle to volunteer at a craft table or help out in another way.

Children’s Community Sunday, May 5

You are invited to a “Little Hands/Big Hearts” Children’s Community Sunday on May 5, 11:15am–12:45pm, to work side by side with children in hands-on service activities focusing on helping soldiers. Please come for an uplifting sing-along led by Pastor Dirk, refreshments, and community service projects. There will be activities that all ages can participate in, including making care packages and writing cheerful cards.

Leading up to the event, our Children’s Center Preschool is collecting items to make Care & Comfort Kits that will be inserted in the soldiers’ care packages. You are welcome to donate any of the following: individually wrapped packets of gum, lollipops, Skittles, Corn Nuts, small cereal boxes, instant drink mix packets, or travel-sized containers of deodorant, lip balm, tissue packs, hand sanitizer, and nonaerosol sunscreen bottles. Bring the requested items to the Children’s Center Multi or order any of the items via the preschool’s Amazon wishlist. Thanks!

Challenge Success: The Well-Balanced Child, Oct. 10

Today’s high-pressure culture can interfere with healthy child development. On Wednesday, October 10, 7:00–8:30pm in the Children’s Center Multipurpose Room, come learn research-based strategies for raising healthy children in today’s fast-paced world. Mary Hofstedt, the community education director for Stanford University’s Challenge Success Program, will present how to establish family practices that buffer against these pressures while children are young so that they may flourish and thrive as they grow. Discuss research-based strategies for raising healthy children and explore how to encourage autonomy, cultivate resilience, and manage media use. Admission is free, but RSVP if you plan to come so that sufficient seating can be arranged.

Recap: Your Kids Can Thrive!

The Changemaker Initiative recently hosted our Ashoka partners for a public workshop to empower young people to thrive. More than 80 people—from LAUMC as well as schools and the larger community—engaged in discussions about how the world is changing and how that affects us, our young people, and our interactions with them as parent, teacher, or community member. Being a changemaker allows people to adapt to a changing world and includes empathy, teamwork, leadership, and creative problem-solving skills. Anne Evans of Ashoka shared some of the ingredients of raising a changemaker:

  1. Exposure to alternative lifestyles and cultures at a very early age
  2. Opportunities to take on leadership and responsibility at a very early age
  3. Deepening the curiosity in your child

LAUMC Changemaker Fellow and high school student Moorea Mitchell demonstrated the power of a young changemaker when she shared her inspirational project relating to technology addiction. Participants formed small groups to brainstorm ways to support young changemakers, including “encourage boredom to spark creativity” and asking young people, “What are you doing to do about that?” rather than providing solutions for them. The energy and buzz continued long after the program concluded. More conversations will be forthcoming, including a community dinner during Compassion Week. Additional resources are available at the Ashoka site.

Our Kids Can Thrive As Changemakers, Aug. 24

How can we help the young people we care about find their power? Their hope? Their possibility? The Changemaker Initiative invites you to a special evening workshop with our Ashoka partners on Friday, August 24, at 6:00pm in Creekside to explore this question. Let’s create a culture at LAUMC and beyond that enables young people to develop the skills of empathy, leadership, teamwork, and creative problem-solving. Parents, grandparents, community leaders, teachers, school staff, and youth organization leaders are all key players in this endeavor. Come and discover how changemaking is relevant to your work and your family.

Childcare will be provided. Check-in and appetizers will be available at 6:00pm, and the program will start at 6:30pm. Please register so that the organizers can provide adequate childcare and food. For more information, contact Kim Jones.

Changemaking – You Are Invited! April 14

What is changemaking? Can we really change the world? As followers of Jesus, our mission assumes that personal transformation will lead to social transformation. But we are not always clear about how to do that with the kind of impact that we (and God) hope for. Ashoka is a social entrepreneurship organization that is in the business of identifying people who have the inspiration, character traits, and skills to change the world for good—and then helping them do it. In partnership with Ashoka, LAUMC’s Changemaker Initiative will help translate our heartfelt compassion into practical changemaking—in our families, our schools, our church, our businesses, and our organizations. As we start this initiative, please take a short survey that will tell Ashoka (and us!) some ways in which we are already changemakers.

You are invited on Saturday, April 14, to learn more about the Changemaker Initiative and how you might be part of it. Bring your energy for impact and join us for a day of learning and exploration. All ages are welcome! About 30–35 “Fellows” will be chosen from our congregation to embark on a 10-month process of changemaking in any and all sectors, with our faith as the core. Fellows will assemble teams of collaborators and be mentored by Ashoka experts to pilot and carry out innovative change. During this time we will establish an entire ecosystem and mindset of changemaking at our church—and there is a role for everyone.

Morning Session: 9:30–11:30am (childcare provided)

Why is changemaking essential for both young people and adults to thrive in a rapidly changing world? Learn more about the Changemaker Initiative and engage interactively to create ideas for shaping our homes, schools, workplaces, and other institutions to support people to be powerful changemakers. Lunch (11:30am – 1:00pm) will be offered to all participants.

Afternoon Session (optional): 1:00–3:30pm

In what areas are we drawn to explore changemaking? If your interest is sparked by what you experience in the morning, you are invited to stay for the afternoon session—especially if you think you might want to apply to be a LAUMC Changemaker Fellow or wish to support one of the selected Fellows as part of a team. Help shape the topics that LAUMC’s Changemaker Fellows will address. Explore your passions and choose from any of the four main themes to work on: Changemaker Families, Changemaker Workspaces, Changemaker Churches, and Changemaking in the Community.

Please register by April 9 so that sufficient food and childcare may be provided. Space is limited. If you have questions, especially if you are interested but unable to attend, please contact Kim Jones, lay director of LAUMC’s Changemaker Initiative.

Parenting Strategies for Challenging Behaviors, March 21

Oppositional behaviors like whining, disrespecting others, sleeping, and toileting issues are some of the biggest challenges parents may face with preschoolers. Parents are invited to the Children’s Center Preschool for a special presentation on “The Terrible Two’s, Three’s, Four’s, and Five’s … Parenting Strategies for Challenging Behaviors” on March 21, 7:00–8:30pm, by noted behavioral and developmental pediatrician Dr. Damon Korb. 

  • Learn parenting strategies for difficult behavior
  • Understand the impact of temperament on behavior
  • Gain a perspective of children’s needs for healthy development
  • Realize treatment options for very young children

Although there is no fee for attending this event, the Children’s Center is expecting a large crowd and requests that attendees register online in advance.

Confident and Connected Parenting Class

On Tuesdays, January 30 – March 13, 9:00–11:00am in the Youth Room, Suzy Heltzel will lead participants through six sessions designed to increase parenting confidence and enjoyment in a nurturing, positive, supportive and fun environment. Specifically, participants will learn how to build a better connection with their child, increase their child’s cooperation, and set limits with empathy. The cost for this class is $275. Please register online. Checks can be paid directly to the instructor, Suzy Heltzel, or you may drop off check at the Children’s Center office to secure your spot.