Kindergarten Grannies

Grandparents are beloved family members!  They love us unconditionally, shower us with good things (that our parents wouldn’t ordinarily let us have) and bestow great wisdom upon us.  This month at ICS we will honor the grandparents of all our ICS students at our annual All-School Program and Grandparents’ Day.

There are three grandmothers who are particularly beloved here at ICS, especially in the kindergarten classes.  These women are Grandma Britton, Grammy Bryant and Granny C also known as the “Kindergarten Grannies.”  These ladies come in to the kindergarten classes every week to tell Bible stories, sometimes using the toys their own children and grandchildren used and share stories about when their own children were in kindergarten.  We are thankful for the ministry of these Grannies to their ICS grandchildren – and we hope you enjoy learning a little more about them!

Kindergarten A Granny – Dottie Britton: “Mimi” to nine of her own grandchildren.
Even though my own grandchildren call me “Mimi,” I first became Grandma Britton back in the fall of 2008, when Eleane McCoy asked me to come to her class. I like to spend time sharing a Bible story with the class. Sometimes I use the classic flannel-graph boards I used when I taught children’s Sunday school years ago. Other times, I will share stories about missionaries, such as Amy Carmichael and Hudson Taylor. The children always love to hear these stories. Being a Granny has given me much joy, except for the time that the children wanted to give me a hug, all at once, and we all landed on the floor! That might have been a little too much joy!

Kindergarten B Granny – Liz Bryant: “Mimi” to two of her own grandchildren.
I became a Kindergarten Granny after my own granddaughter’s kindergarten year. She is now in third grade! I love young children and even more love to interact with them around the Word of God. What a rich blessing to be able to share that time with them!! I like to read/tell a Bible story and have the students act out a portion of the story. I always pray with the children before opening the Word of God, hoping to establish a good lifetime habit, and remind them to always ask God to help them understand His Word. A memory verse is essential though I am only focusing on one verse this semester. I am always looking for new ways to present truth to the children. I love to see my Grand-dears in the hallway and to greet my older Grand-dears with “I remember you when….” I love investing in the lives of young ones for the cause of Christ!! It is a joy and privilege to be involved in the lives of the children at ICS as Grammy Bryant.

Kindergarten C Granny – Diane Carnahan: “Nandy” to seven of her own grandchildren.
I was asked to be Granny C for the new Kindergarten C class in September of this year. As a Granny I try to tell the class about my life, things I remember about my childhood, my children, my family and my home. I read children’s books to the students – some are classics, others are family favorites. The most important thing for me as Granny is to show the value of generations and to model the older generation to them – and show them unconditional love. I love to see the kids in the hall during the day. They tell me special things that are important to them. They are always happy to see me and we do “high fives” when we see each other. It has been a blast being Granny C.

This post was written by Jenny Britton, whose three kids are some of Grandma Britton’s own grandchildren.