The Curriculum
A Relay Exchange group meets once a month for two hours. The monthly lessons in the Relay Exchange curriculum include both a practical skill and Bible lesson. Eight years of curriculum allow a first grader to start and complete all years prior to high school, but groups can form in any year.
The Relay Exchange curriculum workbooks are 80-100 page books directed toward the girls, with a Leader Appendix at the back that includes detailed tips on each lesson. The workbooks include fill in the blank and other homework questions, as well as the skill instruction for each month. These workbooks are designed to be a record of the girl’s journey with her mother over the year.
The Relay Exchange curriculum employs a unique approach to leading girls to the truth of their redeemed identity in Christ. Each of the skill lessons is intentionally paired with a Biblical principle in a way that is engaging, relevant and memorable. For example, some of the pairings include:
Watercolor Painting and God’s Creativity
Knot Tying and Friendship
Nutrition/Exercise and Making Wise Choices
Stewardship and Life Goals
While the curriculum is the backbone of the Relay Exchange® program, being a member of a Relay Exchange group is about more than buying a book! It is about joining arms with other mothers seeking to raise strong, Jesus-following daughters. Your registration in a Relay Exchange group is a declaration of intent to lead your daughter to the truth of her redeemed identity in Christ, freeing her to pursue God, His plans and His ways.
The curriculum includes instruction on the following skills:
Bread Making
Knot Tying
Sewing
Watercolor Painting
Good Health Habits
Making a Jewelry Box
Public Speaking
Poetry
Making Christmas Placemats
Flower Arranging
Teamwork
First Aid
Scrapbooking
Trees
Letter Writing
Etiquette
Godly Character Traits
Making Healthy Choices
Cooking
Gardening
Organization
Cross-stitching
Thankfulness
Photography
Advanced Sewing
Friendship
CPR
Doll Making
Astronomy
Hospitality
Stewardship
Muscles and Stretching
Jewelry Making
Mapping
Smart Use of Technology
Line Dancing
Making coffee filter wreaths
Backpacking
Baking
Investing
Golf
Appetizers
Travel Planning
Making Hair Accessories
Canning and Preserving
Music
Crocheting
Skin Care
Interpersonal Skills
Car Care
Entrepreneurship
Decorating
Pie Making
Advanced Watercolor Painting
Debate
It is our prayer that girls complete their participation in a Relay Exchange group ready to run the race God has marked out for them. The Biblical principles taught over the course of eight years can be summarized as follows:
Your relationship with God is the most important relationship in your life.
You are of priceless value to God.
Nothing you do will ever make God love you more, and nothing you do will ever make God love you less.
Read your Bible, think about what you read, and pray, everyday.
God is equipping you for His unique plan for you today and for the rest of your life.
Follow the example of Jesus and serve others, love others, and pray for others.
If you get off track, you can always run back to God.
Be ready to explain what you believe and why.
Cultivate friendships with Jesus followers and be a good friend who points others to Jesus.
Put everything you learn into practice through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Focus on Jesus above all else: He should be your only audience and the guardian of your heart.
Be joyful and be thankful in all things.
Nothing ever has been, or ever will be, bigger than God.
Stand your ground, raise your voice, and trust God in all things.
The curriculum includes instruction on homework, which is designed to be completed by the mother-daughter pairs at home together during the following month. Completion of a skill assignment is rewarded with a badge, which is displayed on the child’s Relay Exchange® sash.
At Relay Exchange, we love Scripture, and we love Bible stories: we love hearing the stories and we love telling them! It’s important. However, the Bible lessons in the curriculum are not meant to be Bible stories recited and read to the girls. Jesus said His words are foundation words, that we are to listen and then build our lives on His words. The Message translation says it like this: “work the words into your life” (Luke 6:46-47 MSG). That is the goal of the Bible portion of each lesson—to give the girls foundational Biblical principles on which to build their lives.
Over the course of the month, the Bible lesson can be worked into the life of each girl through the guidance and direction of her mother and the Holy Spirit. Each verse, each key concept, each illustration and each scenario are all carefully crafted to be a brick in the Jesus foundation each of these girls are building as they grow. We want the girls to hear from Jesus and then weave what they have learned into their lives right now. It is our prayer that the clarity of the concepts will facilitate application the minute the girls leave the meeting. We want them to think about, to pray about, and to study what they learned, but ultimately none of that matters if they do not apply it. And, the sooner the better!
