Wondering how to keep the kids occupied on that long car ride to the beach? Need something new for family game night? Are you looking for something to give to families before they head off on summer vacations? Look no further—Shine has you covered!
We are excited to share more about the new “Follow the Peace Path” Cards that are a part of our Shine Everywhere initiative. This deck of 52 “Peace with Creation” cards is packed with ideas for families to do at home together. Whether your church has summer Sunday school or not, these cards are a great way to stay connected with families and provide parents and caregivers with an easy and fun faith formation resource to use at home.
Not only is this product a part of our Shine Everywhere initiative, but it is also a companion piece to our new storybook Bible, The Peace Table. We wanted to create a resource to encourage children to follow the peace paths woven throughout the storybook Bible: Peace with God, Peace Inside, Peace with Others, and Peace with Creation. This card deck follows the Peace with Creation peace path. An information card provides simple instructions on how to use the cards. The cards for each path—Nature Trail, Let it Grow, and Water Wonders—are marked with the path name and a colorful border.
A fun feature of this resource is the Let’s Pray and Let’s Play cards. There are three Let’s Pray cards with interactive and fun prayer activities and three Let’s Play cards with instructions for three simple card games that parents and children can play together. Besides these six cards, there are three cards for each of the 15 Bible stories. Each of these cards has matching art on the back.
Families can read the Bible story from The Peace Table or a translation of their choice. Each card includes both the Bible reference and the page numbers in The Peace Table. Families will also find a variety of activities on each card. Activity categories include Care, Move, Create, Enjoy, Learn, Play, and Pray.
Our hope is that you will find ways to connect with your children this summer around these Bible stories. We envision these cards being used around the table at meals, in the car traveling to or from activities, or as an easy-to-pack resource for vacations or long trips in the car. Parents are encouraged to facilitate or do the activities with their children, but the activity cards are written with simple language for young readers.
One of our friends, Jennie Wintermote, created a video sharing her ideas for using the cards. We would love to hear about your family’s experiences using the card deck. Email us at contact@shinecurriculum.com or share a post on the Shine Facebook or Instagram pages.
Illustration by Ingrid Hess