AWANA part 2

Sam is unpredictable in his wild swings of independence and clinginess, so I wasn't sure how he would do without me.  He was excited to show off his favorite puppy for "Bring a Stuffed Animal" night.  He bounded into his Cubbies (3 years old -preschool) room, showing the leader his puppy and never looked back.  No tears.  No clinging.  :)  At the end of the night, Sam was wearing his Cubbie vest and had his Cubbie book.  He had said his verse like a champ.  Turns out, he's pretty good at memorizing.  But the best part (in the eyes of a three-year-old)?  The kids take turns bringing the stuffed Cubbie bear home for a week, and it's Sam's turn.  When I put Sam in bed and closed his door last night, he was so happy to be sleeping with Cubbie, he was giggling to himself. 
I stayed to help with Isaiah's Sparks (K-2) group last night.  First they had class time, where each child had to recite John 3:16 in order to get his/her vest, book 1, and bag at the end of the evening.  Then they headed into the gym with the other three Sparks teams to play some fun and fast-paced games.  Last was the story (explanation of John 3:16) and song time. 
Both Cubbies and Sparks have motivational reward patches for scripture memory and other things like bringing friends.  To adults, they seem like silly gimicks, but the kids really get into the patches.  And they're memorizing God's word at the same time.