Primary school resource reaches thousands
Christian charity Counties, which has been sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with communities across the country since 1899, has been reaching thousands of school children with one of their new ministries, ‘Key to life?’ So big it comes in its own unit, ‘Key to life?’ helps primary school children get to know Jesus through a series of interactive lessons.
Year five teacher Catherine Mason, from Franche Community Primary School in Kiddeminster, said: The ‘Key to life?’ unit is a fantastic resource which engaged pupils of all abilities from the moment they entered. It gave a unique opportunity, using cutting edge technology, for them to consider what Christians believe, whilst encouraging them to ask questions and make their own decisions about what they heard.”
Local churches or Christian groups can hire the resource for a term and then invite their local schools to visit. Bible story animations, contemporary songs and short films on historical and famous public figures such as Martin Luther King and Malala Yousafzai are all used to help pupils look at real-life issues through a Christian perspective.
For more information on the resources you can watch a short film at vimeo.com/countiesuk or visit countiesuk.org or call the Counties office on 01373 823013 and request an information pack.
Guardians of Ancora reaches landmark
Guardians of Ancora, Scripture Union’s Bible game app for children, now has more than 100,000 players in around 180 countries. Launched in June 2015, the game has grown and developed, with new stories and features being added with each update.
Terry Clutterham, mission development director for Scripture Union, said: “In the first year of Guardians of Ancora we’re thrilled that around 100,000 players have played the game over half a million times altogether. They have entered the city of Ancora as Guardians and will, we pray, leave it as lifelong, Bible-exploring, prayerful disciples of Jesus.”
Guardians of Ancora is available on the App Store, Google Play or Amazon, for use on tablets and smart phones. It helps children aged 7 to 11 to meet Jesus by exploring Bible stories through game play.
British girls unhappier than ever
The Children’s Society recently published its annual Good Childhood Report, and its review of data collected from the ‘Understanding society’ survey makes for some uncomfortable reading. Of those 10-to-15-year-olds questioned, 14 per cent of girls said they were unhappy with their lives, rising from eleven per cent when the data was previously gathered.
There was a four per cent rise in the number of girls unhappy with their appearance, now standing at 34 per cent. In addition to this, recent Department of Education research pointed to a worsening of the mental well-being of girls in this age group.
Interviewed for the BBC website, Nicky Hutchinson, a body image expert who works with schools, recommends that families and those who work with children should focus on character, rather than appearance, and encourage girls to question the images of women they see in the media. Other suggestions include limiting time online (for the whole family, not just children) and starting conversations, even just about small things, which then might lead to bigger discussions.
For more about the Good Childhood Report, visit the the Children’s Society website: childrenssociety.org.uk.
Monthly crunch
According to research by TP-LINK, parents seem worried about their child’s safety in the online world.
70% of parents are worried more about their child’s safety online than in the ‘real’ world.
Age 12 - When a child ‘should’ have a mobile phone and a bank account, according to parents.
27% of parents admitting they let their children do something because other children were doing it.
34% of parents thought that mum was more lenient than dad.
87% of those interviewed thought parenting is harder now than when they were young.
