Kids can say the funniest, craziest most thought provoking things - usually with complete and utter innocence. Working with kids has certainly given me many of those classic moments and I thought I would share just a couple of them with you.

God Smells

I was teaching a lesson about the fact that God never changes. To illustrate the point I ask the kids what they might change throughout the day and they came back with all sorts of ideas. I said, "Every day, you change your hairstyle, what you are wearing, what you like and don't like, what you're playing with... lots of changes, every day. But God never changes. He is always the same." After more questioning of the kids I thought I had gotten my point across. I went to walk out of the room and leave the kids to the other leaders to do some crafts when I felt this tap on my back. There was a 4 year-old girl - Breanna - who was visiting our church for the first time. She asked me, "Does God smell?" Perplexed by this question, I asked back, "Why do you ask that, sweetie?" "Because you said God never gets changed and my mummy always says I smell when I don't get changed. Does God smell?" Now I was stumped. What do you say to that! The truth: "I don't know. You'll have to wait to find out in heaven." It was too good an opportunity to miss out on, so I added, "and so you don't forget to find out, every time you get changed, you say to yourself, 'God doesn't change'. Then you'll remember to check. Can you do that?" "Yep." "So what are you going to say?" "God doesn't get changed!" "That's right. God doesn't change. What are you going to say?" "God doesn't get changed!" To my amusement, as I watched little Breanna ran back into our church at the end of the morning and promptly informed her (non-christian) mum: "Guess what we learned today... God smells. He doesn't get change."

Well, it started out as a lesson in the steadfastness of God that turned into a lesson in the odors of God. I look back on that lesson and smile. While it may not have been quite the way I wanted to teach little Breanna, I hope she did go home and say, "God doesn't get changed." Its a small seed that may not mean much now, but perhaps later in life when things aren't going right, she can remember how she knew that God loved her as a child and he doesn't change, so he must love her now.

The birds and the bees

Being a training high school human biol teacher, I've had a fair bit to do with teaching sex education, but I never thought I would come across it in a 4-8 year-olds program! I had just told the kids about how Mary and Joseph had to leave their home on a 'holiday' because that was what they king had told them to do. In complete innocence one of my 5 year-old boys asked, "How did the bird know where Mary was?" Rather confused by this question I asked, "Which bird?" Without hesitation he replied, "The bird that gives everyone their babies."

Why you should never teach your own children!

This particular day I had a new assistant on her first day. I assured her it was going to be great and she would love it! We acted out a story and sung some songs before I asked the children to draw a picture about a promise that someone had made to them. The kids busily go underway with their drawing. After a few minutes I asked who wanted to show us their picture and tell us about it. Two hands immediately shot up and I picked the child of my assistant. "This is my picture. Mummy said we could go to McDonalds but she didn't take us." I'm not sure who looked sadder, the child or my poor assistant! 

Why are you scared?

Soon after I started working with the kids in my church we had a children's church service where the kids were to perform several items in the service. I had worked really hard with the kids taking every possible opportunity to practice the singing and the dancing and the memory verse. The presentation was to then conclude with me interviewing the kids (unscripted). I asked them what their favourite week of the term was, what they learned out of that week and why it was their favourite. It was all going great and I was starting to relax and enjoy the presentation when I asked one of my most talkative little 7 year-olds what her favourite week was. Without hesitating, "The week we learned not to be scared." Rather surprised I asked, "Really? Why was that your favourite?" "Because now I know I don't have to be scared. That's what you said. But you were scared before church!" She stared directly at me. Startled I looked at one of the parent helpers who was sitting on the floor at the front to help organise the kids. She explained: "She asked you this morning why you were looking sad and you said you weren't sad, just nervous. I had to explain what nervous was." Red-faced, I had a little nervous chuckle, thanked my delightful little kid and vowed I would never interview my kids unscripted again!

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