Stone Soup for Five: Q & A about the 1 John Kids Study!

Today I invited my editor and friend, Kristen, to do a quick Q&A session about the kids study she wrote for 1 John. She has worked with me on the last seven Journal and Doodle studies and I (and you!) have been blessed incredibly by her input through the years. The studies truly wouldn't be the same without her behind-the-scenes work and sense of humor.

The exciting thing about this launch is that Kristen also wrote a Bible study, based on the Journal and Doodle method so your kids can go through the book on their own and begin to learn how to study the Bible by asking and answering inductive style questions! So pull up a seat as Kristen asks and answers some questions for you! {And I add my comments in these brackets, because I can. My blog, my brackets!}

Who are you, and why are you on my blog?

I’m Kristen, the not-so-secret editor of Kari’s Journal and Doodle Bible Studies. We’ve collaborated on several studies together: Galatians, Ephesians, 1&2 Corinthians, the Promises, and now 1 John. In the past, my role was solely catching typos. Kari loves to place her punctuation outside quote marks! Over time, my role has expanded to giving advice, being a sounding board, and suggesting resources for whatever Kari’s new and upcoming study is. I’m also one of her biggest cheerleaders, as writing is hard work and it’s always tempting to give up and find something easier to do.

{Um, can I just interject here? My punctuation is getting better after all the hand slapping. And, Kristen has always been way more than "solely catching typos." <--see, inside the quote marks! Level up!}

Why did you write this book for kids?

Over the years, I’ve been given a lot of encouragement from friends to write a book, but I never seriously considered it. I do love writing, but what do I have to say that hasn’t been said before? When Kari knew she’d soon be launching 1 John, she really (really) encouraged me to write something for kids. Her encouragement came at a time when my own kids were outgrowing storybook Bibles. They can read the Bible for themselves now, but when I looked for books they could use to study and understand the Bible, I was dismayed by the lack of choices. I found a lot of devotionals, and a lot of activity sheets. I didn’t find much that allowed children to read the Bible for themselves and discover what it meant through study.

{REALLY, REALLY encouraged! She has the heart and knowledge and love to do it, and that needs to be shared!}

What can we expect from this study?

If you’ve done a Journal and Doodle Bible Study before, you’ll quickly see similarities between the two. There are no daily homework assignments, and not surprisingly, no fill-in-the-blank type questions. You’ll see the familiar check boxes and simple doodles. Kids will be working through the study with a notebook and their Bible, with prayers, questions, Bible reading, explanations of difficult passages, and prompts for doodles, lists, and journaling. It’s written at their level without talking down to them.

{It truly is written in a conversational style, but Kristen never talks down to them. It's a warm, cozy style of writing that most people take years to hone.}

What is the recommended age for this study?

I hesitated to put an age recommendation on the study because children are so different! I think a child as young as kindergarten/first grade could work through the study with help, with children third grade and older being able to do it largely independently. Teens who aren’t put off by the “for kids” title would benefit too. I don’t think they will feel like they are doing a study for little children as there are some deeper heart-searching questions that would really get them thinking (and growing!).

What makes you qualified to be doing this?
(Because I really want to know if I can trust you with my kids!)

I have been teaching children since high school, starting out as a volunteer for my church’s VBS and children’s church programs. Even then, I knew I really enjoyed teaching. I graduated from Taylor University with an elementary education degree and taught for several years (kindergarten, third, fourth, and sixth grades). I then went on to get my master’s degree in education so that I could teach adults as well. I have developed kids programs for churches and have done my fair share of scrambling for a good lesson on Saturday nights too. My husband is a pastor, graduating from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Like any pastor’s wife, I feel that I should have gotten some kind of honorary degree as I pored over my husband’s theology textbooks and papers right alongside him. Now we’re parenting our three daughters, and I daily feel the weight of shepherding their hearts in truth, love, and obedience. (Which sounds vaguely similar to Kari’s 1 John study!)

From inside the kids study. Click for a bigger view.