by Mitsi Willard
Teaching Children’s Sunday School on Zoom can be a bizarre experience.
I discovered in our first few meetings that it’s really hard to sing on Zoom. Since echo/repeat songs work best, the HRKids and I have been singing a lot of “Allelu, allelu, allelu, alleluia/Praise Ye the Lord” and “This is the Day.”
Classroom management is somewhat easier thanks to the mighty “mute all” button. However, that also keeps some of the most interesting spontaneous conversations from happening. Any stories with an interactive component make Zoom Sunday School more interesting. My favorites so far have been the story of Jesus calming the storm on the lake (lots of rocking side to side, flashing lights on and off for ‘lightning’) and our “Pentecost Party.”
We’ve been using the Jesus Storybook Bible as our primary text for Sunday School the past few months. I’d never realized how many of the stories are about Jesus’ friends, disciples, community members being afraid. Having questions. Having doubts. I hope our experiences together have been well-received by the children; they have certainly shaped my faith in new ways.