Does anyone do AWANA? We are probably going to start taking our 5 and 3 y/o to our

[urban_mom]

old church's AWANA program, (new church doesn't have one) and I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on it.

[Heather in Neverland]

We have done AWANA for two years and I really like it and so does my ds. I tried it with my then 3yo last fall...no interest...maybe next year. In fact, tomorrow is our AWANA grand prix race!!!

[momofkhm]

My oldest started as a Spark (5yo) and graduated out of the program when the church we use stopped the program at 5th grade. Now she helps out with the Cubbies and LOVES it!

 

Middle DD start at 3. This is her last year. She wants to help with Cubbies next year.

 

DS started at 3 as well. He will begin TNT next fall.

 

DH started in Cubbies with middle dd and never graduated. :lol: He still helps out in Cubbies.

[nutmeg]

My oldest is finishing her 9th year of AWANA next month, having moved through Cubbies, Sparks, and TNT. My little one still has two years left. And I have been the Cubbie director for the past 6 years. Yeah, we like AWANA. :) Like any other 'program', your experience will depend on the leaders, and what you put into it. It has been nothing but a positive experience for us.

[happykids]

I have been an AWANA leader for 13 years, working in Cubbies all the way to Trek(Junior High)

My son graduated high school last year having completed AWANA from Sparks through 12th grade. He earned the Citation Award (for completing grades 3-12) and got a $4000 college scholarship for it! You can look at http://www.awana.org and check which colleges give scholarships for earning the Citation award.

My daughters are in Trek and 24/7 and also love it.

 

God's Word really does stay hidden in their hearts, the lessons learned and Bible studies have been wonderful, they have had godly mentors, and made fantastic friendships.

 

It truly is a great program!

Blessings,

Sabrina in NY

[OneRoomHomeSchool]

I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on it.

 

Well, I'll share my personal experience with Awana.

 

When I was a young girl, honestly, I learned more about things that I should not have known about yet at Awana than I did at public school. ;) I also volunteered at another Church's Awana program as an adult verse listener, same thing going on there too.

 

I think Awana is:

 

1. A great outreach program for unchurched children.

2. A great ministry for older teens to volunteer in.

3. NOT good for my ummm, more sheltered littles.

 

No thank you.

 

:001_smile:

[Tess in the Burbs]

And the kids love it. My dd was in Cubbies. We read her stories but she just likes the playtime/games with other kids. My ds was in Sparks. He enjoyed memorizing the verses and gaining 'jewels' for the crown. My dh and I enjoyed the weekly 'date'.

 

I don't like the time. 6:15- 8:05. but by the time we get home and get the kids in bed it's 9pm. So I wasn't planning to do it next year. but both have asked to do it again! I can't complain. And dh is happy with the date ;-)

 

It's fun. Too much junk food. It's late. But they are learning God's word and enjoying it. So it's a great thing!

[elbac]

When I was a young girl, honestly, I learned more about things that I should not have known about yet at Awana than I did at public school. ;)

 

That's too bad. I can say my experience with Awana as a child was quite the opposite, and just what parents would hope their children would get from the experience. I absolutely loved it.

 

That said, you make a very valid point. It would definitely be prudent to maybe hang around and check things out and not just drop your child off assuming because it's a church activity, that it's also an experience that will be acceptable to you.

[G5052]

I was a leader for 10+ years and we dropped out after my oldest hit T&T and none of the kids or adults were remotely interested in learning verses. There had been a change of Commanders, and it just wasn't the same group. The goal was fun, period. We stuck it out that year, and then quit.

[Guest TheGoodLife]

No fiery darts here, but a simple, gentle reminder to not let it become your sole character, Christian life, discipleship training, etc. We live in a small community where a TON of kids go to Awana and 4-H ( we do neither) and it often can be pretty obvious pretty quick that SOME of these kids' parents have replaced the admonition of Deut. 6:7 with Awana, 4-H, and other similar programs. Just my 2 cents.

[Debbie in OR]

"SOME of these kids' parents have replaced the admonition of Deut. 6:7 with Awana"

 

My husband (and I to varying degrees) has been a group leader and games leader at our AWANA for a number of years and see the good and the bad. The good is that there are kids who come who genuinely want to learn the Bible and hear the stories. Then there are those who could care less and use it as social time, being a distraction to the rest of the class and teachers. And then there are the parents who have abdicated their Deut. 6:7 admonition and given it over to those at AWANA. It's just a mixed bag but our kids love it and love to memorize verses and love to hear the stories...so we keep going.

 

So, there's always good...there's always the potential for bad. You can always try it and see if it is cohesive with your values and goals for your kids.

 

 

[frogpond1]

AWANA is fantastic, but clubs do differ a lot in discipline etc. We visited a few before choosing a new one after moving. Then we started one in our own church. It is a wonderful way for a family to reach out to the community- serving in AWANA, and it has blessed my children greatly.

[Anne]

I'm with Christine. Awana has been a great blessing here. Both my kids were involved in Awana - from Cubbies through their Citation awards.

 

However, I believe that a club is only as good as its leadership. Get to know them and their philosophy and make sure its a "fit" for your family.

 

Anne

[Peek a Boo]

::waving wildly to Sabrina!!::

 

We also participated in the AWANA program.

Ours was pretty good, but yeah, the later evening hours can be kinda rough on some families.

I think you can do the program well w/o the whole snack thing [they just ate dinner!!] and save some time there.

 

I do love the emphasis on scripture. The Cubbies "story" kinda irked me, but that's ok, lol.

The AWANA Olympics was a hit here at home.

 

I have decided to NOT participate anymore cuz i have issues w/ the doctrinal stances, but i would absolutely recommend it as a solid program.

 

We still have some AWANA books that we reference quite a bit tho :D

[Lizzie in Ma]

However, I believe that a club is only as good as its leadership. Get to know them and their philosophy and make sure its a "fit" for your family.

 

Anne

 

No doubt about it. I have been an Awana leader for 7 years now. Director of Sparks for the last 3. Dh has been a t&T Leader for 5 years. We have 1 dd who graduated to Trek last night at our closing ceremony and our little one has another year in Sparks. The leadership is critical. Having read through this thread, I am quoting from OneRoom Schoolhouse here, "Well, I'll share my personal experience with Awana.

When I was a young girl, honestly, I learned more about things that I should not have known about yet at Awana than I did at public school. I also volunteered at another Church's Awana program as an adult verse listener, same thing going on there too.

I think Awana is:

1. A great outreach program for unchurched children.

2. A great ministry for older teens to volunteer in.

3. NOT good for my ummm, more sheltered littles.

No thank you. "

 

I am utterly horrified about that. None of our kids at any point are unsupervised or not engaged in a structured activity. We have 3 leaders for a 12 kid Cubbie group, 4 leaders for a 20 kid Spark group, 5 leaders for T&T and we split up our T&T boys from our T&T girls except for gametime and 2 Trek leaders for 6 kids. We also have other folks involved in other roles such as listeners, (we have 7) secretary and assistant and 4 games people keeping an eye out so I can not imagine a situation like that.

We are incredibly blessed to have our older kids be leaders in training and it was an absolute delight to see two of them graduate this year to Leader status. It is a major family thing at our church.

We have churched and unchurched kids and most of the parents stay for a Bible study in the sanctuary while Awana is going on.

It has been a real blessing to our family and we are looking forward to next year.

No program is perfect, there will always be small issues of personality, problems with some of the kids, issues with curriculum but all these are nothing in the long term and these kids are putting God's Word in their heart. I wish I had known even half of what my kids know about God at their age.

[FriedClams]

The individual group can make a huge difference. Last year our kids did AWANA at our home church. My DD, then 5, was the only kid in Sparks to make it through the review island stuff (they basically do the book twice and then a little extra). There were 8 kids in her class and she was the only kids in K. The parents didn't really care and the kids weren't held accountable or encouraged. It was for fun and entertainment and there were more excuses than you could imagine from both parents and kids. This year we're doind AWANA at a new church - great leadership, tons of homeschool kids (about 80% in my DD and DS's class) and LOTS of parental involvement. Lots of the kids have made it through their books, review and on to workbooks - and the standards are the same as the old church - the families have just made it a priority.

 

Like and earlier poster said - parents are admonished to raise their kids - not drop them of for someone else to do it. I totally agree and I think the AWANA program is a great supplement as a part (not the whole) of our family efforts to raise godly kids and and as an integral part of homeschool day. We use the AWANA stuff for memory work and copy work and it generates great discussions about our faith and spiritual issues. It's a great way for me to be held accountable and have goals and check points for scripture memory. The kids love the program and it's a fun way to reinforce what they are learning at home. Additionally, our Sunday School program is terrible - so this is one way the kids can be discipled and reinforce what we teach them and to see their peers in a like-minded environment. I love the program - I am glad we participate - and I would encourage you to find a program that fits your family.

[Cathy in IL]

My children love AWANA. We just started one at our church in January. I have been volunteering with the Cubbies, and just stepped into the director position with Cubbies. I have one child in Cubbies, one in Sparks, and one in TNT. I think it has made them more enthusiastic about their faith. I love that it gives them one more place to ask questions and help make their faith thier own.

[Quad Shot Academy]

I agree with another poster who said to check out different AWANAS groups. The first one that I observed was a nightmare. I later found out that they were not even remotely following a lot of AWANAS rules. On the advice of a friend, I tried another church and their program was structured entirely different and had quite a different tone. We have been very happy there. We do not use children's ministry during church service and are very particular about a lot of stuff, but so far this church's AWANAS has been a good fit for us. I do worry about what types of doctrinal things will be taught at the higher levels and what types of sin issues they will openly talk about, but I am not sure how to address my concerns before my oldest advances. Good luck!

[nutmeg]

No fiery darts here, but a simple, gentle reminder to not let it become your sole character, Christian life, discipleship training, etc. .

 

I don't see anyone here advocating that. :confused: As a home educator, I (and my husband) are ultimately responsible for the spiritual and academic education of our children. We carefully select our texts, outside classes and activities, and the like to give our children the best education we can.

[Colleen]

I don't see anyone here advocating that. :confused:

 

Stephanie didn't say anyone here was advocating it; she was offering a gentle reminder based on what she's experienced.:)

[Pam L.]

Hello,

 

My family has been involved in Awana for the past several years. Currently, I am the T & T Director at a small church. My 18 ds is the game director, while 16 ds is a lit. Through the years actually have been involved in one form or another in 4 different churches.

 

I strongly agree:iagree: with the others who have recommended either visiting or otherwise investigating a particular club ahead of time. Every church is unique as is each club. Some may be a good fit for one family, and not so good for the next. While following the "general" Awana program, each commander will have a different focus or vision. And yes, the motivating factor for kids to be there, or parents to bring kids will vary from person to person. Having said that, my young dd has made some wonderful friends in the small community we live in. Our Awana has children from about 5-6 different churches along with some who chose not to attend. A few of the children are homeschooled, while most are not.

 

For the past couple years especially, Awana has been a big part of our life. It has been a real blessing, and sometimes a challenge. I love the fact the kids are learning scripture, meeting other kids, and developing a real sense of service since it really is involving much of our family.

 

I hope you and your children will be blessed by your experience!

 

Pam

[clotheswasher]

Just stumbled on this post from last month and had to reply. My girls (now 5 & 7) started AWANA toward the end of last year. They (and I) loved it. I'm one of those mom's who'll sit outside the door and listen, and basically hover until I feel certain. It didn't take long!

 

 

Due to program time changes, we switched to another church/group this year. Same hovering at first, but again,we're having a wonderful experience. We are truly blessed with the leadership there, and it's a rather small group. We have such confidence in them, that we let our 7yo attend the Sparks Lock-In. They worked on verses and went on a nature hike(short & before dusk), then had a "drive-in" movie parking their cardboard cars in the activity room for the viewing and snacking. This is the first we have let her do that (only exception being the Grandma's). She has a latex allergy and many food allergies as well, but after being around those instructors so much (and them having to be aware of her problems from the start), I had every confidence in them. Starting and ending each segment of the night/morning with prayer proved to be a very unique and cherished experience to her (and us).

 

 

Next week is the last meeting until they resume in the fall, and we'll be sad to have to take a break. During the off-months, the church choir director works with the AWANA kids to rehearse for and perform a summer play/musical. We are Catholic and attend Religous Ed. and mass at our home church, but we feel AWANA gives them a unique and enriching experience that enhances rather than detracts from what they are learning at home from us and at church. I wish all churches offered a program like this. When anyone unfamiliar with AWANA asks us what it's about, we describe it as "BIBLE SCOUTS".

 

Jodi