Teaching
the Queries to Quaker Children
By Sally Farneth and Elinor Briggs. Published by Philadelphia
Yearly Meeting, 1995. 16 pps., loose-leaf, $2.50.
This short syllabus (16 pages) was used by Dayton Monthly Meeting quite successfully for a large age range of children, from those who have recently learned to read to a teen. It inspired this group to write its own queries. Each of the twelve lessons starts with a query from the 1972 edition of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's Faith and Practice. Stories are read from Lighting Candles in the Dark, Candles in the Dark, The Friendly Story Caravan, and Grandpa Tell Us a Story. Lighting Candles in the Dark is available from the Quakerbooks of FGC, while The Friendly Story Caravan and Grandpa Tell Us a Story are available from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Some lessons include discussion questions on Friends Testimonies which precede the stories and some have questions relating to the stories. The stories are well-chosen to accompany each query. They relate positive experiences which can accompany living by Friends' values.These are "bare bones" outlines for lessons, which are easily adapted. One can substitute queries from other Books of Discipline. Discussion questions are direct and often suggest other questions for a particular group. Activities are simple, requiring little in the way of material or preparation. Thus, a teacher may change the lesson chosen at the last minute if the children present missed an earlier lesson. Lessons fit our 45 minute time for first day school quite well, and we have experienced neither the "How am I going to finish?" rush nor the "What am I going to do now?" panic.
For More Information:
You can get Teaching the Queries to Quaker Children from Quakerbooks of FGC.
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