The Book Nook with Pastor Shaye

Instructions: There is a Worry envelope in the boxes. Have the kids write down their worries. They can cut them out and decorate them if they'd like, or they can draw pics to represent their worries. Have them place their worries in the envelope and put it someplace safe, like a drawer or under their mattress. They don't have to forget their worries, but they can feel calmer knowing their worries are safely stored away where they don't have to think about them all of the time. 

Activity Instructions: In their box,  the kids will find some sparkly glue. Have them gather an adult, a glass jar with a lid, glitter (if their parents allow glitter anyway near their home), hot water, and a hot glue gun (adult should bring and use this). Fill the jar three quarters up with hot water. Have them add 2-3 tablespoons of glitter glue and some glitter too if they like. Fill the rest of the jar while leaving an inch or two at the top. Seal the jar with hot glue and then shake the jar to combine water, glue, and glitter. 

Pastor Shaye reads What's Under my Bed and talks about how to handle fear. You can find out more What's Under my Bed here. Pastor Shaye then talks about how we can deal with fears by blowing bubbles and imagining each fear is inside a bubble as it drifts away. 

In this episode Pastor Shaye reads When I Grow Up and talks about the anxiety of expectations. She then tells kids how to use magazine pictures to create collages of the things they'd like to be when they grow up. You can learn more about the book by clicking here. 

In this episode, we find out what happens when you feed your Worry Bug. We know that we all have worries, and our worries matter, but it matters more what we do with our worries. In your Mystery Box, you'll find your very own stress toy. When worries get big, get out your stress toy and squeeze through them. 

In your Mystery box you'll find some playdoh. Shape your fear with the playdoh. If you're afraid of spiders, make a spider. If you're afraid of heights, make a cliff. Then rework the playdoh. Reshape your fear. Make it into something a little less scary, something manageable. Find out more about Wolves in the Walls here. 

Thunder Cake is a book about a little girl overcoming her fear of storms when her grandma helps her bake a Thunder Cake. In the episode we talk about fear, and how fear can be an important thing because it warns us of danger, but also how we can avoid letting our fear overtake us. Find out more about the book by clicking here. 

The Robot and the Bluebird is a book about a broken Robot, who finds their heart and their purpose with the help of a little bluebird. In the episode, we talk about how sometimes we can break, when things hurt us or when things seem to fall apart. We talk about how God loves us in and through our brokenness, and helps us find our joy again. Find out more about the book by clicking here. 

Guess How Much I Love You is a conversation between a little bunny and his dad. The little bunny wants to express how very much he loves his dad, and his dad counters each expression with an expression of his love for his little bunny. In the podcast we talked about God's love for us, and how in everything we do and in everything we are, God's love for us is boundless. You can find out more about the book by clicking here. 

I Am Enough is a call and challenge to girls and kids to claim the ways in which they are enough. It was written by an activist and actress named Grace Byers, who wanted to “empower young girls against the effects of bullying”.  It celebrates the differences of each child, and affirms these differences. Find out more about the book by clicking here. 

More info about the book can be found here.

This is a story about our stories. It's a story about one man, Mr. Morris Lessmore, and how his story was changed, torn apart, and reshaped. Things are difficult right now for everyone. Our kids are finding their stories being redirected and changed. This episode connects the importance of God in all of our stories, and how all of stories are beloved by God. You can find out more about this book by clicking here.