Family Time with God: July

One of the best ways parents can model a living, active relationship with Christ is to emphasize the importance of the Bible in your family's day-to-day life. These calendar pages from Awana will help you do just that!

How To Use These Pages:

To help make this a family project, we've divided the verses into three parts. Preschoolers memorize the words printed in bold. Elementary kids memorize the words in bold and italics. Older teens and parents learn the complete verse.

Calendar Highlights

Mothers and Fathers (May and June)

Some of the activities for these months involve making or doing something for Mom or Dad. If that's not possible, feel free to do these activities for another adult who plays an important role in your child's life.

Dish Garden (May 16)

To make a dish garden, your child will need a shallow dish filled with water and two or three of the following: carrot, pineapple, beet or potato. Help your child cut off the tops of the fruits or veggies (the potato needs to be cut in half). Place the fruit/veggie tops in the dish, cut side down. The cuttings should start to grow in just a few days.

When they grow big enough, transfer the new produce to a regular dirt-filled container or your garden. As you watch your veggies and fruit grow, talk with your family about the ways parents help their children grow—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Did You Know? (June 13)

Sonora Dodd was sitting in church on Mother's Day 1909, listening to the pastor preach a sermon on mothers. Sonora's own mother had died giving birth to her sixth child. Sonora's father, William Smart, had raised the baby and the five older children on their farm in eastern Washington.

As Sonora listened, she thought about the selflessness, love, and courage necessary to be a single father to six children, and wondered why there wasn't a Father's Day. She decided to do something about it. She petitioned the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA to set aside a day to honor dads. Because her father's birthday was in June, Sonora asked that Father's Day be in June as well.

The first Father's Day was held in Spokane, Washington, just one year later, on June 19, 1910. Fourteen years later, President Calvin Coolidge acknowledged the need for a national Father's Day. Father's Day is now celebrated on the third Sunday in June in both the United States and Canada.

Happy Face Sandwich (July 15)

• Use a round cookie cutter to make a circle out of a slice of cheese and a piece of bread.
• Spread some mayo on the bread, then lay the cheese on top.
• Now make a face on the cheese using raisins for the eyes and nose, a strip of red pepper for the mouth, and shredded carrots for hair.
• Use your imagination to create your own smiling snack!

What is Awana?

Awana is a nondenominational youth ministry committed to reaching boys and girls with the gospel of Christ and training them to serve him. Each week, more than one million kids in over 110 countries attend Awana clubs where they play games, memorize Bible verses, and learn practical truths from God's Word. From preschool through high school, Awana offers a fun environment in which children and youth hear the life-changing message of the Bible. To learn more about Awana and locate an Awana club near you, visit www.awana.org/about.asp.

July

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