Classes

Be A Queen... Not A Princess

...the Crown is Bigger!

Books: Be A Queen, Not A Princess, The Crown Is Bigger! And the Teacher’s Manual

Teen girls can learn what it means to grow up to be a mature young queen and make wiser choices for their own lives. This book has a queen & crown theme.

Chapter One conveys how they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Chapter Two describes and contrasts princess and queen definitions. Chapters Three through Nine are devoted to each topic: speaking & thinking, borders, family relationships, friendships, romantic relationships, conflict resolution, and crisis management. Chapter Ten emphasizes being a treasure now, modeling a queen example to others and teaching wisdom as a legacy to pass on to the next generation one day.

Classes include exciting activities such as Baby Photo Sharing (you were known before you were born), “Four Corners” game (define queen behaviors), Yarn Toss (connections to others), Paper Wad Toss (throwing away old behaviors), Karate/Self Defense lesson (defend borders), Backpack lesson (burdens weigh us down), Pictionary Game (picture the family you long for), Trusting Friends Circle (friends lift us up), The Dating Game (questions and answers about guys), Role Play Saying NO!, Queen Guest Speaker (female pastor/counselor), Coronation Dinner with teens & parents. At the end of this course, teens receive a crown tiara that is a physical reminder of the spiritual work they have accomplished.

Be A Queen, Not A Princess, The Crown Is Bigger

“Ask Parent/Mom/Someone Special”

Questions for keepsake journal:

Chapter 1: “What couldn’t you wait to grow up for when you were younger?” For example, the first time…shaving legs, high heels, two piece swim suit, pierced ears, to eat at the “big” table instead of the “kid” table at Thanksgiving, to have a later bed time, etc. What was it and why couldn’t you wait for the event to occur? What did it mean to you?
Chapter 2: “Do you encounter any adult princesses behaving badly in your life at work, school, or community? How does that make you feel?” Examples: a rude driver on the road, a whiny co–worker, someone in line or at a customer service counter, etc. Does age automatically make a person more mature? Why or why not?
Chapter 3: “Did you ever remove a princess behavior from your own life? How did that make you feel?” Examples: yelling, grumbling under your breath, lying, repeating gossip, listening to gossip, etc. What advice do you have about when a person should try to clean up princess ways from her life?
Chapter 4: “What boundary turned out to be for your own best interest?” Have you ever encountered a time when a border turned out to be good for you? Examples: yellow lines on the road, stop sign, “no swimming” sign, “poison” label, rules, laws, etc. How can boundaries feel confining but be life saving?
Chapter 5: “What kind of family have you always wanted to have?” Do you have dreams about what kind of family you have always wanted and can you share what you’ve done to work towards it?
Chapter 6: “What kinds of friends have you had; princesses/queens/both and what difference does each kind make in your life?” Summarize the characteristics most important to you about friends. Can you think of any patterns you might want to warn about based on experiences in your own friendships?
Chapter 7: “What kinds of boundaries are important for teenage romantic relationships?” What wisdom do you want to impart to your teen for romantic relationships to help her make good, safe, and pure choices? Pray together to ask God to increase her faith that He will bring the right someone special into her life at the right time and that she will find peace and contentment while she waits on Him.
Chapter 8: “What ways have you found most successful for resolving conflict?” Think of a time when you were in a conflict and it didn’t get resolved well. Perhaps you have been in a conflict when you felt uncomfortable telling the other person “no” or you avoided the person after the conflict or you mishandled telling the person what you needed to say. Think of what you would do differently now that you are older and wiser. Share this story with your teen to encourage her how to handle conflict better at her age now.
Chapter 9: “What ways have you found most successful for telling someone critical news during a crisis?” For example, she might say “I’m OK but the car has a dent on the driver’s door…” so that the listener does not jump to conclusions when telling them that she was involved in an accident. Talk about how you want your teen to clearly communicate with you in the event of an accident or emergency or crisis. It helps to discuss this before anything ever happens. Share a story from your own experience if you can.
Chapter 10: Let your teen know that you are proud of her accomplishments and the growth she has achieved through this class. Tell her that spiritual growth is a journey and that you are delighted to see her becoming a beautiful queen!

Be A Queen... Country Of One

Books: Be A Queen, Country of One! And the Teacher’s Manual

Teen girls learn that they long for the country of the Holy One and that He has given them time now in this earthly life to get to know Him and prepare for eternal life with Him. They learn to limit negative emotions and to fully live in joy, peace, blessing, and gratitude no matter what circumstances they encounter. This book has an island theme.

Chapter One teaches teens that they are unique and that they have been given this one life here to learn how to be what God has called them to be. Chapter Two teaches that each girl has been purposefully created and that she needs to love herself as God loves her so she can love Him and others back. Chapters Three through Six are devoted to understanding and refining negative emotions of fear, anger, guilt & shame, and sadness. Chapters Seven through Ten are devoted to understanding and accentuating positive emotions that lead to the abundant life God wants for us in Christ.

Classes include exciting activities such as Movie Clips & discussion, Videotaping Poetry Reading (I Am Beautiful written by mom, Dana Hendry, to the girls), Pet Store Visitors (a tarantula, snake, & naked rat visit to simulate fear and a puppy visits to stimulate joy), Role Play Beach Story (recognize and practice positive parent interaction), Toxic Shame Poetry Reading, Bethany Hamilton DVD (Champion surfer overcomes 2003 shark attack) and One Arm Exercise (“It Is Well With My Soul”-story behind the hymn), Campfire & Smores, Relaxation/Meditation Exercises, Recipe For Blessing (dessert & recipe written by teen), Island Dinner with teens and parents. At the end of this course, teens receive a crown necklace that is a physical symbol of the spiritual growth they have accomplished.

Be A Queen, Country Of One
“Ask Parent/Mom/Someone Special”

Questions for keepsake journal:

Chapter 1: “What are your weak spots for temptation? What can or did you do to grow stronger?” Examples: telling a lie, taking something that didn’t belong to you, misleading someone, etc.
Chapter 2: “Have you encountered a truly beautiful person who captured your heart in an unexpected way? How do you define beauty?” Examples: a beaming new mother holding her baby, an elderly woman holding her husband’s hand, a toddler thrilled to take his first step and his daddy embracing him, a teen professing her faith in God, etc.
Chapter 3: “Have you ever experienced panic or extreme sudden fear? What happened? Tell what you learned from this experience.” Examples: encountering a dangerous wild animal, car accident, loss of someone close to you, etc.
Chapter 4: “Have you ever encountered a time when you lost your temper? Describe how you felt about it then and now.” Examples: a careless driver nearly causing an accident, your child recklessly spilled a drink all over your clean floor, or a teacher humiliated your child in front of her peers, etc.
Chapter 5: “Tell about a time when you have been affected by guilt or shame. What did you do about it?”
Chapter 6: “Can you tell about a sad event that occurred in your life and how God has used it for good?” For example tell about the loss of a job, the loss of a friend or loved one, a long distance move, or a natural disaster, etc.
Chapter 7: “What kinds of ways of serving others have brought you the most joy?” For example tell about a time you sang at a hospital, gave someone your place in a long line, and brought a meal to someone who was sick, or anonymously gave someone a gift, etc.
Chapter 8: “What ways have you found most successful for relaxing and creating a peaceful state of being?”
Chapter 9: “What ways have you been blessed in your lifetime?” To know that you are blessed is a state of being that combines the attributes of joy and peace. This culminates in the realization that you are truly, deeply, unequivocally, uncompromisingly, and unconditionally loved by God.
Chapter 10: “What ways do you like to express your gratefulness to God for everything He has done in your life?”

monkey

Be A Queen... Time To Rule!

Books: Be A Queen, Time To Rule! And the Teacher’s Manual

Teen girls, like women, enjoy sitting around the kitchen table talking about their problems over hot cocoa (rather than coffee) and encouraging each other to live up to what Christ calls them to be in real life situations. They are actually really good at advising one another. Once they know the Christ-like way to respond and have developed in His character, they are quick to see how to apply truth in each other’s lives. They can become great resources and encouragers in and out of the classroom for years to come! This book has a New York City at Christmas time theme.

In this book, teens are given guided practice to apply skills and concepts learned in the first two books in their own unique situations. Chapter One teaches teens that are ambassadors for Christ. Chapter Two teaches teens that they need to believe God about who He says they are; loveable, forgiven, and created on purpose. Chapter Three shows teens what happens in relationships when they choose to fill their lives with virtues (fruits of the Spirit) instead of vices (seven things God detests). Chapter Four details the lifecycle of relationships and how to avoid wrong turnoffs. Chapters 5-10 are devoted to analysis and application in case studies on family, friends, romance, school, work, and self.

Classes include exciting activities such as New York Snow & City Lights, “Magic 8 Ball” (showing that the “Magic 8 Ball” doesn’t hold a candle to God’s word), Fog Machine Marco Polo (finding the fruits of the Spirit in the midst of confusion), Elevator Woman Role Playing (appearances don’t always reflect character), Limo Field Trip (don’t take the wrong turnoff), What’s In Your Luggage? (prepare for your role as an ambassador), “Dear Ann” (teens analyze advice column topics), Journalism/Media News Report, and Coffee Shop Talk with teens and parents. At the end of this course, teens receive a crown scepter that is a physical symbol of the spiritual growth they have accomplished.

Be A Queen, Time To Rule
“Ask Parent/Mom/Someone Special”

Questions for keepsake journal:

Chapter 1: Share a personal story about a time when you got to travel somewhere BIG or tell about a place where you would like to travel that is exciting, exhilarating, and big! Examples: New York, Paris, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Milan, etc. How does it make you feel to think about being out on your own in a big place? How do you meet new people? Does going somewhere new or meeting new people come easy to you why or why not?
Chapter 2: Share a personal story about a time when you needed godly guidance about an important decision you had to make in your life. It might have been about a move, a job, a love, a relationship, an expensive purchase or sale, a medical decision, or anything. Tell how you sought God, not the council of the world, to gain wisdom about your decision. How did it work out? Would you advise people to count on a fortune cookie for their biggest choices in life? Why not?
Chapter 3: The Bible says that God is kind to the “unthankful and the wicked” and that we are to be compassionate to them too (Luke 6:35-36). Does this rub you wrong or are you able to do it? Can you share about a time when someone was truly hurtful or selfish in your presence and you were able to treat them with dignity and respect? How did this experience shape your character?
Chapter 4: We are learning that “yeses” and “no’s” are equally beautiful responses in healthy relationships. Can you share about how you have learned (or are learning) to love by giving and receiving both “yeses” and “no’s” freely in your relationships? When you need to give a “no” and you think it may be difficult for the other person to hear, are you offering it with the gift of your honest and heartfelt confidence that your relationship is strong enough to take it in? Can you express how this is the beginning of truly knowing and loving each other? For example, I might say “I am so sorry that I cannot come to your concert tomorrow morning; I am working. But I am definitely going to be at your performance next week and I’m really looking forward to it!” My teen might say, “I really want to watch that TV movie with you, Mom, but I have too much to do tonight. I’m so disappointed. Can we record it and watch it together this weekend?”
Chapter 5: If you could start doing one thing this year to strengthen your parent/mom/someone special and teen relationship, what would it be and why? What can you do to better understand what the other person is experiencing, feeling, and thinking? How can you know their heart more fully? What can happen for both of you if each of you did?
Chapter 6: Have you ever had something really amazing or truly disappointing happen in your life and just the thought of calling a friend made you want to cry; not because he/she had anything to do with the event, but because you knew he/she would understand you? Did you call him/her? How did it feel to know you could reach out to a friend who knows you like that? Have you ever thought of God in that way; as the friend you want to call first?
Chapter 7: Have you ever heard someone in a romantic relationship say something like, “I feel like I’ve lost myself.”? Codependence is the loss of self. One person decides to stop being responsible for his or her own feelings, attitudes, behaviors, choices, limits, desires, thoughts, values, talents, and love. He or she just lets the relationship absorb too much of the space that used to be for him or her to take care of responsibilities. What would you suggest to the couple when one or both of them have lost themselves? What should they do about that?
Chapter 8: How do you feel when your teen gets invited to go to a friend’s house for dinner and a movie Saturday night… but you, the parent/mom/someone special, have to say “No” because… your teen hasn’t finished reading her literature book for English yet and it’s due Monday? Do you feel upset, disappointed, and maybe even a bit angry? Do you feel sad and worried? Do you wonder if you could have somehow said “Yes”? Why or why not? How do you want things to be?
Chapter 9: How important is it to have a good work ethic when you are employed? Colossians 3:23 says, “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” What difference would this verse make in the work place if more people were to live by it? What advice do you have for your teen about working and pleasing God?
Chapter 10: Research proves that when parents and youth leaders begin teaching wisdom early in childhood, right from the start, and build up from there throughout a child’s life, a teen can comprehend, practice, and teach others profound wisdom at a very early age. John C. Maxwell, author of 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (2007) says, “True success comes only when every generation continues to develop the next generation.” He continues, “Success doesn’t count for much if you leave nothing behind.” Who is your legacy? Does she know it yet?

snowman