Sunbeam INSTRUCTOR MANUAL

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Adapted, with permission, from the General Conference Instructor Manual by the
Australian Union Conference. Graphic Inc.
Australian contact: hadgraphic@
adventurer@adventist.org.au gmail.com
Photos by: ©

Produced by: Shutterstock

General Conference Youth Ministries
Department Division Correspondents:
12501 Old Columbia Pike Al Powell (IAD)
Silver Spring, MD 20904 Alastair Agbaje (TED)
Armando Miranda (NAD)
Departmental Director: Gary Blanchard Benoy
Associate Youth Director: Pako Mokgwane Tirkey
Associate Youth Director: Andrés J. Peralta (SUD)
Busi
Editor-in-Chief: Andrés J. Peralta
Khumalo
Departmental Advisor: Abner De Los
(SID)
Santos
Carlos
Senior Editorial Assistant: Kenia Reyes-de
Campitelli
León
(SAD)
Gennady Kasap (ESD)
Ron Genebago (SSD)
Project Manager: Mark O’Ffill
Jonatan Tejel (EUD)
Content Contributors: Mark O’Ffill
Magulilo Mwakalonge (ECD)
Ted & Betsy Burgdorff
Nak Hyung Kim (NSD)
Nick Kross (SPD)
Copy Editor: Mark O’Ffill
Peter Bo Bohsen (TED)
Tihomir Lazic (TED)
Cover & Interior Designer:
Tracy Wood (NAD)
Jonatan Tejel
Udolcy Zukowski (SAD)
Isaac Chia
Ugochukwu Elems (WAD)
Adrian Gutierrez Perez
Vandeon Griffin (NAD)
Wilbert
Zlatko Musija (TED)
Hilario
(ClicArt Resources:
Gomez, Ada. “Adventist Adventurer Awards.”
) Had
Adventist Adventurer Awards - Wikibooks.org.

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North American Division Club Ministries, For information

2014. Web. 26 July 2017. Website: youth.adventist.org

Gooch, Jennifer A. Eager Beaver Leader’s Mailing Address:

Guide with 23 Themed Meeting Plans. 3rd Adventist Youth Ministries
ed. Lincoln, Neb.: AdventSource, 2007, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist
2015. Print. 12501 Old Columbia Pike,
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, USA

Welcome
Adventurer Club History
Introduction to Sunbeam
Sunbeam Checklist
Section 1 - Sunbeam Level
Adventurer Logo
Adventurer Pledge / Law
Adventurer Song
Sunbeam Goals
Sunbeam Curriculum
Adventurer Awards

Section 2 - Characteristics of the Sunbeam

What you need to know

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Physical Characteristics
Cognitive Characteristics
Social Characteristics
Spiritual Characteristics
Do’s and Don’ts of Disciplines

Section 3 - Sunbeam and

Disabilities
Including Sunbeams with Special Needs
Planning Inclusive Activities

Section 4 - Sunbeam Learning and Playing

Meetings
Activity Tips

Welcome
Thank you for being a part of our newly released Adventurer
Curriculum. We have remastered, re-engineered, and at times started
over to make sure that this new curriculum is fun, uplifting,

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appropriate for each age level, and most importantly, Jesus-centred.

We wanted to build a curriculum that can be done with a small group,
large group, family and children, Children’s ministry group, even Bible
School group!
We have used several criteria in building this curricula. We worked
with Adventist educators and youth leaders to make sure we had the
best resources available for our Adventurers. First, we have used
Bloom’s taxonomy, a broad ranging methodology especially
appropriate for 7 year olds and up, that help us ask the children to do
things that they are truly developmentally capable of doing. For
example, we ask Little Lambs to listen to a story, while we ask 8 and 9
year olds to read age-appropriate stories.
In addition, we have used a multi-modal learning philosophy, meaning
that we realise that Adventurers learn in different ways. Thus, we have
requirements that appeal to children who learn best through listening,
playing, drawing, singing, organising, moving, and so-on. We also
filtered our requirements through developmental filters. Spiritual
stages of development (originally developed by Dr. James W. Fowler),
have been well explained and demonstrated in Youth Ministry by
Adventist Youth Innovator Steve Case of Involve Youth.

Adventurers
Each lesson is meant to be mostly hands-on. That means most of the
time you will be actively doing something to learn about the topic.
Sometimes, you will have to take notes, or tick a box (to remember
what you did), but most of the time you will be jumping, running,
crafting, drawing, exercising, singing, praying, or reading something!

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In many cases, your adult caregivers, whether they be parents,

grandparents, guardians, or favourite neighbour, can help you
accomplish the “jobs”. Help them feel involved and be sure to always
say thank you!

Parents
We value the time you have invested in Adventurers. Many of you are
doubling as leaders for Adventurers. We thank you. We have created
a curricula that is safe yet adventurous, varied, but specific in its Christ-
centred goal. We hope the children will bring home new found truths
they can put into action about “My Self, My God, My Family, and My
World”.
Please have your Adventurer share their experiences with you by
showing you the pages they worked through (and the games/stories
they learned along the way). Know that a lot of it is experiential so
they won’t write a lot. They will instead experience a great deal.

Leaders
In this Instructor Manual you will find a variety of ‘big picture’ helps to
guide you as you create a safe environment for your group of
Adventurers. Developmental stages, working with special needs
children in your unit, and much more is included here. We have tried
to think of things that can be done with few resources, limited spaces,
and limited budget. However, your club is different from any other, so
please feel free to adapt the ideas to meet the needs of your group.
There are a total of six years worth of curriculum, each one age
appropriate.

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The first, Little Lamb is for 4 year olds, the second, Early Bird, for 5 year
olds,
Busy Bee, for 6 year olds, Sunbeam, for 7 year olds, Builder, for 8 year
olds, and Helping Hands, for 9 year olds. Many kids will turn from one
age to the next while working on the curriculum, but should work to
complete it before starting the next class. Patches (called Awards) and
pins are available for order through the Adventist Book Centre (ABC)
https://adventistbookcentre.com.au/.

Little Bus Builde

Lamb Bee
y r

Earl Sunbeam Helping

Bir
y Hands
d

4
Y e a r s Old
6
Y e a r s Old
8
Y e a r s Old

5
Y e a r s Old
7
Y e a r s Old
9
Y e a r s Old

Thanks for joining us in the journey!

Andrés J. Peralta

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Associate Youth Director

Adventurer Club History

The history of Adventurers started back in 1917 when the Primary
Reading Course was introduced. This certificate eventually became
part of the class requirements. In 1924 the Sunbeam class was taught
in a second-grade classroom and a pin was awarded for completing the
requirements. The awarding of the Busy Bee pin first appeared in 1928
as part of the commencement exercises at school, and by 1929 the
term “Investiture Service” was used to describe the event where they
awarded certificates and pins. The Busy Bee Pledge and Law also first
appeared in 1929.

The names used for this age group have varied over time and location
and included Preparatory classes, Pre-Juniors, Pre-Friends, Pre-JMV,
Pre-AJY, PrePathfinders, Achievement classes, and Adventurers.

By 1933, this group was known as “Preparatory Members”. The two

predominant classes taught on the West Coast of the United States
were Busy Bee and Helping Hands, while to the East they were known
as Sunbeam and Builder. All of these classes used the same Pledge and
Law, with only slight differences in the other requirements.

By 1938 the term “Progressive Class Work” was used when referring to
all the classes from Busy Bee up to Master Comrade.

In 1940 the General Conference outlined two Missionary Volunteer

Progressive Classes that were below the Friend class. They were

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Sunbeam and Builder. They had simple celluloid pins, and where
neckerchiefs were desired, tan was used for the Sunbeams and jade
green for the Builders.

Because of so many other names being used for these classes, both in
the U.S. and overseas, such as “Upstreamer,” “Junior Light Bearers,”
“Sunshine Club,” and “Golden Rule,” the MV committee voted on June
10, 1946 that the Pre-Junior classes be named Busy Bee, Sunbeam,
Builder and Helping Hands.

In 1953 there was first seen a pre-Pathfinder Adventurers group, and

by 1954 Adventurer camps started up in different conferences for boys
and girls age 9 and later on for both 8 and 9-year-olds.

The name Adventurers was used again in 1963 for a pre-Pathfinder

group, this time at the Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews
University.

In 1974 in the Washington Conference, for the previous 5 years

a group called Beavers for the 6 to 9-year-old kids was going on. They
had their own uniforms, consisting of yellow shirts or blouses and
brown trousers or skirts.

By 1976 the Youth Leaders’ Handbook mentioned the newly revised

pre-JMV Classes, and by 1979 in the NAD, “pupils in grades one to four

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are designated as Adventurers”.

The General Conference Committee minutes of 1985 mentions the

Adventurer Class Requirements. The SDA Church Manual of 1986 again
says, “Pupils in grades one to four are designated as Adventurers” and
by 1989 the General Conference Committee voted to approve
organising the Adventurer Club as part of the Pathfinder program and
voted in the official Adventurer Emblem.

In 1990 several Conferences tried out a pilot program of the new

Adventurer Club materials from the GC which included their own navy
blue and white uniforms, their own award patches (triangle in shape)
and their own club structure. The following year Norman Middag
introduced the new Adventurer Club program to those who attended
the Children’s Ministries Convention held at Cohutta Springs, GA.

In 1999 the GC Annual Council recommended that a new section,

Adventurer Club, be added to the Church Manual.

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Introduction to Sunbeam
“Let the little children come to
me, and do not hinder
them, for the kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as
these.”

Matthew 19:14
(NIV)

This passage is often illustrated with a group of angelic children sitting

attentively at Jesus’ feet. Perhaps this was the first picture that
popped into your mind when you agreed to lead out with Sunbeams.
However, now that you’ve had time to think about it, the picture may
have quickly changed to a group of active first graders running around

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the room while you stand helplessly in their midst. Hopefully the
reality will be somewhere in between these two pictures!

This guide was developed to assist parents and Sunbeam level leaders
who want to work with children as they develop physically and
spiritually. The Sunbeam curriculum can be used as part of the
Adventurer Club in your church or by a group of parents who want to
use a curriculum to assist them in teaching their children skills and
values.

All Sunbeam activities should be fun and kid-centred. Remember that

children of this age look to adults to set the pace of the meetings and
model how they should respond to situations. So . . . take a deep
breath, say a prayer, and keep your sense of humour. Your adventures
with Sunbeams are about to begin!

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Sunbeam Checklist
To be invested, Sunbeams must complete the Basic
Requirements and a minimum of ONE requirement
from each of the 4 other sections.

Basic Requirements
1. Repeat from memory and accept the Adventurer Law Activity | Help

2. Complete the Reading II Award Activity | Help

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3. Complete the Seasons Award Activity | Help

My
a. God (Choose
Complete at least
the Friend one) Award
of Nature
1. God’s Plan to Save Me
a. Create a story chart showing Jesus’ life: Birth, baptism, miracles, parables, death,
Activity | Help
resurrection and return to Heaven
Activity | Help
b. Find a method to creatively tell of the stories above to show someone the joy of being saved by Jesus

2. God’s Message to Me
Activity | Help
a. Complete the Bible II Award
3. God’s Power in My Life
Activity | Help
a. Spend regular quiet time with Jesus to talk with Him and learn about Him. Keep a record
Activity | Help
b. Ask three people their favourite “Jesus Story” (story from the Gospels) and why
Activity | Help
c. Complete the Parables of Jesus Award My Self (Choose at least one)
1. I am Special
a. Make a tracing of yourself. Decorate with pictures and words which tell good things about you
Activity | Help
2. I can Make Wise Choices
a. Participate in an activity about choices Activity | Help
3. I can Care for My Body
a. Complete the Fitness Fun Award Activity | Help

My Family (Choose at least one)

1. I have a Family
a. Ask each member of your family to tell some of their favourite memories Activity | Help

2. Families Care for Each Other

a. Show how Jesus can help you deal with disagreements. Use puppets, role playing etc. Activity | Help

Activity | Help
b. Complete the Acts of Kindness Award 3. My Family Helps Me Care for Myself
a. Complete the Road Safety Award
Activity | Help

My World (Choose at least one)

1. The World of Friends
a. Complete the Courtesy Award Activity | Help
2. The World of Other People
a. Explore your neighbourhood. List things that are good and things you could help make better Activity | Help
b. From your list choose ways and spend time making your neighbourhood better Sunbeam
Activity Instructor Manual | Page
| Help 14
3. The World of Nature
Activity | Help
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1
SECTION Sunbeam Level

This section contains an overview of the

Sunbeam level. You’ll get a quick look at how
Sunbeams fit into Adventurer Club Ministries,
the goals, Pledge, Law, Song and more!
Adventurer Logo
Adventurer Pledge/Law
Adventurer Song
Sunbeam Goals
Sunbeam Curriculum
Adventurer Awards

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Adventurer Logo

DV E NTUR
A ER Jesus
Centred
Ministry
Nature
Oriented
Ministry

Family
Focused
Ministry

C LUB

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Adventurer Song

Adventurer Song
We are Adventurers
At home, at school, at play
We are Adventurers
We’re learning every day
To be honest, kind and true
To be like Jesus through and through
We are Adventurers!

Adventurer Pledge and Law Sunbeam

Goals

Adventurer Pledge
Because Jesus loves me,
I can always do my best.

Adventurer Law
Jesus can help me to:
• Be obedient • Be attentive
• Be pure • Be helpful
• Be true • Be cheerful
• Be kind • Be thoughtful
• Be respectful • Be reverent

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01 Demonstrate God’s love for children.

Promote the values expressed in the Adventurer

02 Pledge and Law.

03 Create an environment where all children

can contribute.

04 Encourage children to have fun.

Sunbeam Curriculum
One of your responsibilities as leader is to encourage the physical, mental, and spiritual development of
each child. The Sunbeam level requirements were created to assist you with this responsibility. The
requirements are organised into five areas:

1 Sunbeam Program Basic Requirements

2 My God

3 My Self

4 My Family

5 My World

Each child will complete most of the program requirements as part of the Sunbeam meetings. At the end of
the Sunbeam year, each child completing the necessary requirements will receive the Sunbeam pin.

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It is very important for you to remember that not all children in Sunbeams will be at the same
developmental level or have the same physical abilities, so you’ll need to be flexible in how the children
complete these requirements. It is up to you to interpret how the children fulfil these requirements. For
example, not all children will be able to memorise or read Bible verses. Instead, you can explain the verse
to the child and then have the child draw a picture illustrating the verse. A child who might not be able to
grip a paintbrush could instead dip a large sponge into paint and decorate a sheet of paper. Again, flexibility
and creativity are the keys to ensuring the success of each Sunbeam.

Adventurer Awards
Sunbeam patches are called Awards. There are lots of Awards and each one is designed to encourage your
Sunbeams to explore, learn and play. Once a Sunbeam has completed all the required activities for an
individual Award he or she can receive that patch.

Many Awards are completed as part of the Sunbeam curriculum but your club will probably set aside time
just for awards. In small clubs, Awards might be taught in rotation so that Little Lambs, Early Birds and
Sunbeams earn some of the same Awards during the meeting. In other clubs, large staff help each other
stay organised by teaching Awards to their group only using Awards designated for their age group level.
It is important to note that the Awards have levels that correspond with the Adventurer developmental
abilities. When you are selecting an Award to complete, make sure that you choose age-appropriate
Awards.
When working on Awards it is up to the leader to adapt the requirements to the club and children’s
needs. For example, an Award may require the child to play an action game using a community
helper’s skills. As parent or leader you might choose to watch a video or visit a community helper.
It is also up to you to decide when a child has met the intent of the Award. Remember that not all children
will be capable of completing all Award requirements as written. It is more important that the children try
new things and have fun, rather than compete with each other to receive the most Awards or become
frustrated by requirements that are beyond their abilities. Flexibility on your part will make the experience
more enjoyable and positive for both children and parents!

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Children of this age need immediate rewards so you will want to consider giving Sunbeams their patch for
completing the Award right away to put on their sash. Of course, making sure they don’t lose the patch is
also important!
Parent involvement is important to success. In some cases, making them aware of what is “normal” for
seven year olds helps them train their child at home towards the goals introduced at Adventurers.

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2
SECTION Characteristics of
Sunbeams

This section gives you and your staff a quick

overview of that to expect and what not to
expect from the Sunbeams.

What you need to know

Physical Characteristics
Cognitive Characteristics
Social Characteristics
Spiritual Characteristics
Do’s and Don’ts of Disciplines

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What you need to Know about Sunbeams

In the book Child Guidance (Review and Herald, 1954), Ellen White encourages parents to understand the
developmental needs of their children.
This section helps you with just that — understanding the physical, cognitive, and social characteristics of
Sunbeams.
Remember that children develop at their own pace, so some children in your Sunbeam group may not have
reached these markers, and others will have passed them. Also, abilities that children don’t have at the
beginning of the Adventurer year, they may obtain later in the year. Sunbeams are quickly growing and
learning. Make sure you focus on the specific needs of each child and not the stages.

Physical Characteristics
● Vary in size and abilities, which may affect their self-concept.
● Gross motor skills (large muscles) are strong.
● Long arms and legs make kids appear gawky.
● Have good balance.
● May not want to rest when tired.

Cognitive Characteristics
● Are less impulsive than first graders.
● Make decisions based on what others think.
● Like to use their improved reading skills.
● Want more responsibility.
● Need closure and want to complete activities.
● Want work to be perfect.
● Are egocentric but beginning to see others’ point of view.
● Stress fairness.
● Experience guilt and shame.

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Social Characteristics
● Like to talk and may exaggerate.
● Are independent but rely on adults.
● Like structure.
● Dislike being singled out even for praise.
● Have strong emotional reactions ● Can wait their turn.
● Erase a lot to try to get things perfect.
● Need frequent encouragement and positive feedback.
● Need help reducing self-criticisms so they can focus on learning and doing rather than the end product.

● Need adults to be patient if the sunbeam feels moody or frustrated.

● Like open-ended questions where all answers are accepted so they can be heard and use their verbal
skills.

● Need opportunities for decisions-making.

● Need discussions about right, wrong, and fairness.
● Enjoy activities with big movements like running, jumping and swimming.

Spiritual Characteristics

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James Fowler, a Christian counsellor, researcher, and specialist in children’s development, has identified
seven stages in the development of faith; three of which are closely associated with and parallel cognitive
and psychological development in childhood.

6 Stages of Faith Development

0 Primal or Undifferentiated Faith (ages 0 to 2)

1 Intuitive-Protective Faith (ages 3 to 5)

2 Mythic-Literal Faith (ages 6 to 11)

3 Synthetic-Conventional Faith (age 11 to Adolescence)

4 Individuative-Reflective Faith

5 Conjunctive Faith

6 Universalising Faith

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Little Lambs
Stage 0 “Primal Faith” is theto Early
beginning Birds
steps of faith within the arms of their parents.

Stages 3 to 6 are the faith stages of Pathfinders and adults. As part of James Fowler’s research, he sees that
many individuals, even adults, may never develop stages 4 to 6 unless intentional ongoing spiritual
development is a chosen part of their ongoing deepening relationship with God.
In Adventurers we are working with children who are learning to experience God through stages 1 and 2.

1 Intuitive-Protective Faith (ages 3 to 5)

● Shared Experiences - kids love having a community to share their spiritual learning with.

● Parental - parents are involved in the Adventurer experiences and provide a lot of the spiritual
modelling.

● Love and Security - God is real because of the love and security supplied by caregivers, such as
parents and Adventurer leaders.

● Concrete Meaning - Truth about the Bible makes sense because of things they can touch and
Bible stories they can relate to. They are unable to think abstractly and are generally unable to
see the world from anyone else’s perspective.

Busy●Bee to
Experienced Helping
Traditions Hands
- opening exercises that are always the same, the
Adventurer Pledge and Law that are learned and repeated each session throughout the years
of Adventurers are a part of this experienced tradition. God becomes more real when things
are predictable and they know what to expect from spiritual activities. Faith is not a thought-
out set of ideas, but instead a set of experienced impressions WITH parents and influencers.

2 Mythic-Literal Faith (ages 6 to 11)

● Compared - Children at this age are able to start to work out the difference between verified
facts and things that might be more fantasy or speculation.

● Trust Circle - Source of religious authority starts to expand past parents and trusted adults to
others in their community like teachers and friends.

● Religion as their Experience - Kids in this age group have a strong interest in religion. Later in
this stage children begin to have the capacity to understand that others might have different
beliefs than them.

● Duty - following God and his teaching is seen as a duty and honour.
● Concrete Meaning - By default, children in this age group see that prayer to God is important
and expected. They believe that good behaviour is rewarded and bad behaviour is punished. If
I am good to God, God will be good to me. Teaching the reality of God’s GRACE beginning at
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this stage will allow them to further deepen their relationship with Jesus as they enter stages 3
and 4.

● Experienced Traditions = Symbol’s Meaning - Symbols of scripture are literal without added
meaning. Bible stories are powerful and real motivators.

Do’s and Don’ts of Discipline

One of the best ways to prevent disciplinary problems is to keep Adventurers busy and on task. The
following strategies will help you manage your Adventurers.

Remember, you’re there to help the children and their families learn to love Jesus; therefore, it is important
that you model love, patience, and a cheerful attitude. You want the Adventurer Club to be a fun
experience for everyone, so try to keep your sense of humour and compassion even when an Adventurer’s
behaviour is a problem.

Do’s of Discipline
● Do ... have a few short, simple rules and review them often. Sample rules: Be kind to others. Use good
manners. Listen quietly to others. Follow directions. Be positive.

● Do ... use signals to let the children know when you want their attention. Signals can be just about
anything such as quickly turning a light on and off, turning a flashlight on and off, raising your hand, or
using a clicker.

● Do ... use silence. Stop what you are doing and stay quiet until their focus is back on you. ● Do ...
make eye contact. Often getting a child to look at you is a good way to get them to stop what they are
doing and focus on you.

● Do ... use names. If you say an Adventurer’s name followed by a question or directions, you can

usually get them back on track.

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● Do ... stand near an Adventurer to get them back on task.

● Do ... ask adults to interact with the children. If adults are happily participating in the activities, the
Adventurers are more likely to model the adults’ behaviour. Additionally, having adults involved can
prevent misbehaviour from escalating.

Don’ts of Discipline

● Don’t ... embarrass or shame a child in front of others or privately. ● Don’t ... overreact.

● Don’t ... lose your temper—no screaming, using threats or nagging. ● Don’t ... hit or smack.

● Don’t ... insult a child by saying “you’re stupid”, “you’re useless”.

● Don’t ... use sarcasm.

● Don’t ... compare children.

● Don’t ... label children.

● Don’t ... demand respect - respect is earned.

● Don’t ... expect children to behave as adults.

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3
SECTION Sunbeams with
Disabilities

Learn how every Sunbeam can fully

participate in your Club by understanding
each child and knowing how to plan inclusive
activities.

Sunbeams with Special Needs

Planning Inclusive Activities

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SECTION 3

Including Sunbeams with Special Needs

When you learn that a child with a disability will be a member of your club, you might initially feel
overwhelmed. Don’t worry. Often simple changes to an activity or requirement are all that is needed.
Remember that parents or guardians are not looking to you to discredit a diagnosis or to offer a “cure” for
a condition; rather they are looking to you to welcome and include their child.
Additionally, the other children and adults look to you to see how to act, so make sure you treat the child
with special needs with the same openness and ease that you show all of the children.

● Do ... speak directly to the child, not to the adult.

● Do ... recognise that a child’s physical disabilities don’t indicate mental disabilities.

● Do ... ask about the child’s medical or special equipment needs. ● Do ... explain special equipment to
all children to alleviate fears.

● Do ... take extra care in planning for the safety of the child with special needs.

● Do ... ensure the meeting facility is handicapped accessible.

● Do ... ask the child how they would prefer to complete a task.

● Do ... foster independence.

● Do ... focus on all children’s strengths.

● Do ... expect reasonable behaviour from all children.

● Do ... be flexible.

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SECTION 3

Planning Inclusive Activities

At times you will need to substitute or change program requirements in order for children with special
needs to participate. However, this may mean some creative thinking on your part.

Remember that the point is for the activity to be fun and meaningful for the child. Here are some ideas to
get you started.

● Instead of requiring the child with a learning disability to memorise Bible verses, let them draw pictures
of the themes of verses: Jesus cares for me today, Jesus comes again, and Jesus will take me to Heaven.

● Ask an autistic child or their parents or guardians for one to three things they would like to work on to
replace any of the Fitness Fun requirements they cannot or are not interested in doing. The key to
fitness success for kids with autism is for them to connect to something in which they are interested.
Suggestions: bouncing a ball to a parent five times, shooting a basketball three times, eating a bite of
one new food a week.

● If a child has a balance problem, substitute riding a scooter for riding a bike at a bike rodeo.
● Instead of making a creation story chart, a blind child can make a creation collage using small plastic
animals and other tactile objects.

● A child with cerebral palsy with poor fine motor skills may not be able to take care of a small plot of

land for the Gardener Award. Instead have them assist an adult or another sunbeam by watering the
plants and harvesting.

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● Teach all children to use sign language for the Adventurer Pledge. This will allow a deaf child or a child
with a speech impairment to participate.

● A child with Down syndrome may not be able to memorise the two major parts of the bible. Instead,
have them make two book marks, one for the Old Testament and one for the New Testament.

● Disabilities are many and varied. This website has many practical strategies for you as an instructor

4
SECTION Sunbeams
Learning and
Playing

Sunbeams rise and shine - ready to play and

learn. These lessons let your Sunbeams
have fun exploring their world and growing
closer to Jesus.

Meetings
Activity Tips

https://raisingchildren.net.au/disability/school-play-work/learning-behaviour/ teaching-skills-to-
children-with-disability

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Your group of Adventurers is part of a larger club, composed of up to six groups. In many
situations, these six groups start and end meetings together, with specialised group activities just
for your age group happening in between.

● Opening exercises with the whole club (Adventurer song, Adventurer pledge and law, song
service, prayers)
● Group activities (age group)
SECTION 4

Meetings
Elements often include:

* Award opportunities
* Games, stories, crafts, activities
* Varied opportunities to experience Jesus

● Closing exercises with the whole club

Activity Tips
Meetings are designed to meet the program goals and most importantly, the children’s needs.
With this in mind, the meetings provided in this Adventurer Program are designed to be flexible. Don’t feel
as if you must replicate each of them exactly. The activity suggestions are provided to help you fulfil the
requirements listed! The requirements are developmentally based, which means that at some point during
the year, most in this age group will be able to master or improve their skills to match this requirement! If
you have created or seen activities that reach the same requirement goals, feel free to substitute or re-

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imagine how the kids learn! Just be sure it’s not “just like school” but instead is mostly about active,
hands-on, interactive learning!
While all of the activities in this section are designed to maximise fun, they also lead the children to Jesus
and enable them to learn about their world, their families, and themselves. You can intentionally assist the
children in recognising these connections to Jesus and their world by specifically stating the purpose of the
meeting, connecting the activities to the meeting theme, and asking the children questions that encourage
them to summarise the themes in their own words.
Also, be aware that the pace of activities will differ from club to club and meeting to meeting. Sometimes
the children will quickly complete everything you planned. It’s good to have a back-up game or activity
for when this happens. Other times, the children may really enjoy an activity and not want to stop. It’s
okay to reschedule or adapt activities that you’ve planned and continue with something that everyone is
enjoying. And if something isn’t going smoothly, you can stop the activity and redirect the children to
something new. However, keeping things moving “faster” than they may wish, keeps them engaged, and
willing to come again, since they’ve never had time to be “bored”. Finally, flexibility and enthusiasm are
the keys to conducting successful Adventurer group meetings!

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