"One day George saw a man. He had on a large yellow straw hat. He put his hat on the ground, and of course, George was curious."

This has always been one of my favorite quotes, and I'm now getting an up-close taste of a child's innate curiosity, as my niece has entered the curious phase: "Where did you get this?" and "What does that mean?" are recurring questions that dominate conversations with her lately.

English philosopher John Locke said that "Curiosity in children is but an appetite for knowledge."

So, what role does the church play in fostering this curiosity and satisfying this appetite? We've devoted a good deal of space in this issue to your children's ministry.

First, we outline two primary areas the church can and should focus its attention on with regard to children: 1) equipping and encouraging parents to teach their own children and then 2) coming alongside to reinforce and build on what the parents have done and are doing.

Next, it's tough to talk about summer in the middle of December, but publishers have unveiled their 2006 Vacation Bible School themes, and it's time to start evaluating what's out there. We have provided some guidelines and considerations as you go through the process of selecting a program, and don't miss our summaries of the new programs available. As usual, interesting themes abound, and there are many exciting options out there to make your next VBS a ton of fun and a great learning experience for children.

As you can see, this is also our annual Hot Products issue, in which we highlight some of the latest and greatest products and services to hit the church market this year. If you implement one of our suggestions in your church, drop me a note and share your experience. As always, we're hoping that you find solutions within these pages that help you run your facility more effectively and efficiently.

I'm always interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at jill@rpnmag.com .

Merry Christmas!

Jill Pinheiro

Managing Editor