Thanks for sharing Amie. I can see how one would feel overwhelmed by all the memorization. It IS very time consuming. We allow our kids to go at their own pace because of that. So far they are doing well with it. We also do more explanation at home when they are working on it. As much as I also believe Scripture memorization is useful and important, I also think it's just as important to know what the verses mean...sometimes the program does lose sight of that. Thankfully our church also does a teaching/lesson time with all grades so they understand what they are reading and what it means. If they didn't do this I may feel differently, as I want my kids to understand what they are memorizing. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a large group that dislikes it...this is just the first time I have heard someone vocalize it before. Thanks for explaining.
And I do think it certainly makes a difference if your children don't or do like it. If my kids cried when doing their work for it, I would talk to them and re-evaluate them being involved. I certainly wouldn't want to make my kids go if they were going to feel that overwhelmed and stressed about it. Thankfully they aren't though, so we will continue to do it for now.
WOW! I wasn't expecting such a huge response, thank you all for your opinions and explainations!!! After reading these, I decided to check it out, and...Amie...you're right...it is WAY to expensive for us to handle right now, unfortunatly. I guess we'll have to stick with a Sunday School. In our small town they didn't have many children joining, and didn't have many used things, thus we would have to buy new. That's kinda sad. NOW I'm checking around to churches that will accept Paddy into a Sunday School Program. I mentioned he had mild autism and adhd, and it was difficult to keep his attention and can you believe that one church would 'find it difficult to place' Paddy? Yea, he let me down nicely I suppose. Instead of saying 'No' outright he said it would be hard to find an acceptable place for him to be in a Sunday school program and congregation. Needless to say that church got crossed off with a double line through it. *sigh*
Megan, can I ask how much they were charging? With my two boys I believe I paid about $60 for the whole year (one in Cubbies and one in T&T). I think our church pays for a portion of it though (?)...that is part of our budget. Just curious as to what others are charging.
We quit Awana this year. I have loved it, and I have hated it. We've been in three programs due to moves. I served as Cubbies director for two years. The longer we were in, the more stressful it became for us. The T&T leaders always seemed to treat it like a contest to see who can memorize the most. The cost of books/vests or shirts/dues (times 3 or 4 depending on the year) were a financial burden to our family, and at one church I was taken aside and asked why I hadn't paid the monthly dues. I had simply forgotten to send a check, but it was difficult to pay constant fees. Having one child with special needs also made it difficult. Out of the 5 years she partcipated only, her K year and 4th grade year were able to be completed. Only 2 leaders in 5 years were willing to work with her, though Awana clearly states to make it work for kids with special needs. All the other years, I ended up taking her out sometime during the year due to tears over having to go. I think when the program is run the right way, it can be great, but many churches run it their way rather than the Awana way. Memorization is great, but knowing the meaning is more important to me. I'd much rather my kids know the meanings of verses than for them to be able to quote them word for word with no knowledge of what they mean.
The first Awana program we went to provided the shirt/vest and book for the child. Extras like bags were provided by the parents. The second, we paid full price for all-books, vests/shirts, and monthly dues. The third I paid for my director shirt ($35!!!)a rounded up price for all books, vests, and shirts (The Sparks vest changed that year, and I couldn't reuse the one I had.), and dues. Bags were highly encouraged and also paid for by the parents. I can't remember exact prices. We've been out for a year.
The church we were at gave bucks for having an AWANA bag. So even though any bag would do, the kids felt left-out of they didn't have the "right" bag. The first year Quinten went with a friend, and the church gave us his book and vest. We bought the bag. We went to church elsewhere, but they saw him as an outreach, I guess. The second year, when I put my three oldest in, it was over $120 to buy everything and pay the registration fees. Then the monthly dues were $5 each. Plus we had to donate 3 toys each for AWANA store. $$$$$$$$ added up fast. And, like Sixcloar said, it was a big contest. Even for the Cubbies. We missed two weeks near the start of the year for vacation and they made a big deal over how far behind my 4yo was (to him, in front of me). They wanted him caught up by the next meeting because they were on a "strict schedule." The T&T leader gave the kids extra verses every week and then promised them big prizes for doing the regular work plus extra each week. My oldest is not a strong memorizer, so having 3-4 verses a week was really tough on him. Quinten's leader (1st grade) had a big chart of each child and how many verses they'd learned. She gave candy each week to the child who had done the most. It was so much pressure for him to "win" that he hated it (despite having loved it his first year). Last year's awards night was all about who memorized the most verses. Not who completed what book or extra credit. They only recognized the kids who learned the most. The book awards were handed out in a group and the names weren't even called.
Having been a Cubbies Director (and not being a huge Awana fan), THAT is SO WRONG!!! Cubbies do follow a one-section-a-week schedule to complete the book in a year, BUT if Cubbies missed, we just took them aside during play time and helped them catch up. Some kids only showed up once or twice a month. It was never a big deal. Awana doesn't even offer award for the most verses memorized. All official Awana awards are handbook or extra credit awards. Stuff like that is what makes bad Awana programs. My dd12 (the one with learning disabilities) stood on stage her 1st grade year (She was six.) and was the ONLY child to get nothing- not a single recognition for anything though she worked VERY hard. It broke my heart, and I vowed to never participate in Awana again. We moved and we did participate for two more years before I decided it wasn't worth it.
Oh, and the last program we attended did the sticker chart thing in T&T, too. My dd10 is exceptionally good at memorizing and usually was at the top. I always reminded her that the number of stickers that she got was NOT important and that other kids worked hard, too. That same sticker chart was devastaing to dd12 who struggled for weeks to memorize one short verse (She could tell you the basics of the verse and what it meant long before (if) she could recite it word-for-word.). She went WEEKS with not a single signature in her book. That was just too hard for her. Memorizing is not easy for everyone, so a program based solely on memorization isn't for everyone.
Sixcloar, your daughter sounds like Faythe! Rachael is WONDERFUL when it comes to memorizing (AND RETAINING!!!) verses, but not Faythe. So last year, all three wanted to sign up for the Bible Bee. We went to a practice, where they divided the kids up according to which version they were doing. Faythe went to NIV. The lady came to me and told me that she thought Faythe was in the wrong group. She would "recite" her verses confidently, and but incorrectly, but it was very plain she knew exactly what she was saying and it was so close to it. The lady just figured she had them down word-perfect in another version. We laugh about her favorite version being FIV... Faythe Individual Version, lol!!!
When I called they said that the main focus of teh group is memorization. I asked if they do group discussion about the verses they were learning and crafts to go along with it and they said that they only do a workbook. It's $15 for the uniform, but they have fundraisers throughout the year and so on. I wasn't too hip on the fact that it was all memorization and not a whole lot to do with comprehension and so on. HOWEVER>............. While I was on the phone with the coordinator she asks if I attend their homeschool group at the church. I said no, and she gave me the number to the co-op coordinator. I called her and she was super nice!!!!!! I am totally excited to put the boys in this co-op starting this fall (it's an 11 week program) She mentions that this si highly parent participation. I am ALL for that! I said, "OMG all I want to do is teach kids, but I don't want to be told what to teach by the PS, especially when I don't agree with it, and I don't want my kids attending anyway." She said I had great enthusiasm and i'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED that I might get to be a teacher there someday soon!!!! YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY
Each group is different, so what is true at one place won't be at another. Having said that... With Truth and Training, it's difficult to have a discussion on the verses. The kids are all over the book, and not at the same place. HOWEVER, I've seen the person listening to the verses ask questions, about what does that word mean or can you give me an example.... Stuff like that. And the verses applly to the Spiritual Truth (ie: questions, etc.) that the individual child is working on. Also, about the cost. We brought our neighbor's child. He wanted to come back, and the person in charge of Sparkies sent him home the next week with a vest that had his name in it, and all the costs. But she also told me that if he couldn't afford it, to please say so. Well, I didn't mention that to Jessica, but the next week she sent a check, and told me that she decided not to get a vest because of finances right then. Remembering what Lisa told me, I told her that 1) he REALLY DID need a vest, and 2) that they already put his name in one. BUT...knowing them like I did, not to worry about it. And when money loosened up a bit and she found she had some extra, she could send it in. And if money never loosened up that much, it was OK, that they'd rather him have a vest anyway. So I explained that to Lisa, and she said ABSOLUTELY he was to keep the vest regardless. Jessica never mentioned to me paying for the vest, and no one ever asked about it again. Michael finished his book (and was very proud of that!) and wants to return next year.
It's kind of like that for Sparkies, too, isn't it. I mean, they kids are divided by grade, but they may not be on the same book. For instance, Quinten's second year of Sparkies, he had kids in his class that were on the 1st book, he was on the 2nd, and some were already on the 3rd.
Yes, but Rachael (who works with Sparks) says they try not to put them a book ahead. If they finish their book, they give them an extra workbook to do instead of moving them onto the "next" book. Though you will have a 2nd grader that comes for the first time, and they start him in Book 1. Rachael said one girl came in the middle of 2nd grade who actually finished all three books!!!
They do the review verses, then the extra book, but some kids finished all that by Christmas. So they started book 3 rather than sit and be bored, I guess. And there were new kids who were just starting book 1. Point is, like you said, the program is not set up to accommodate for really any discussion of the verses.
They are not supposed to work past the grade level book. The only way a child is supposed to do more than one HANDBOOK is if they start the program late. Otherwise, they do the book, review the book, then do extra credit work. If a child goes to the next year's book there will be nothing to do that year. My dd10, completed her T&T book just after Christmas and went back and did all the Silver and Gold requirements. She still finished before the end of the year, so she was allowed to help others. Sparks are all over the place like T&T. Both groups SHOULD be having a group time with a lesson of sorts, it just doesn't go along with the handbooks, per se. Cubbies' story time does go with each lesson, because Cubbies stay together throughout the year. I've never experienced any discussion of the verses. There were times my dd's didn't even get to say verses because they were short listeners. Dd10 was also denied being able to say all the ones she knew because of a listener shortage (not every night, but sometimes).
We've also had times when they only allowed a certain number of books due to a shortage of listeners. Both groups do have a "lesson" time ("Councel Time" in T&T).
On the night they were supposed to bring a friend, the church allowed parents to attend instead (too many kids couldn't find a friend to bring). The kids just colored pages while waiting for their turn to say their verses. That was it... that was the whole night. So I asked a few friends who had kids in other AWANA programs and they all said that was normal. One even questioned why they'd do anything else; after all, the point was to memorize and that's it.
Oh, my!!! Amie, if that's how it was done here, I don't think I'd be sending my kids, either! The Sparkies work on a craft (though they do keep coloring pages or word searches, because the older kids sometimes get done with their craft quickly). They are pulled individually from their craft. T&T has the kids divided up into groups of two or three, with a leader per group. The leader listens to all the kids in the group. We've also had leaders working on verses, and the kids will sign off for them, which they think is really cool. I know Phillip has friend who has difficulty memorizing verses, and he'll work with that boy while the leader is listening to someone else. The leader has said that the boy was able to do much better because of Phillip's help and encouragement.
