LOVE Crafts

We LOVE our Families!
This whole post is designed to entertain a lot of our Adventure Club aged students (ages 4-7). We have the great opportunity to have a little Kids' Night Out party with this age group while their parents enjoy a special speaker on the subject of parenting. I'm personally very excited at this opportunity. So far this event spans two evenings. The first will take place in a school and the second in a church.

My thoughts were to come up with some sort of theme. I'm very much against the idea of "babysitting" when we have a real opportunity to learn something as a group. Whether we learn about our families or learn about God's great love for us... there's definitely exciting things to learn if we are "ON PURPOSE" about this event. At first I was thinking of a Family theme, but Family type crafts aren't easy to find. Love on the other hand is an easy topic to find crafts to be inspired by and to do. Thank you Valentine's Day!!

So... The first night that takes place at the school our crafts are:

I Love Mom Because...

My thoughts were to take this idea, but instead of being specific to Mom, we say "I Love my Family Because..." Have each answer be specific to a member of their family.

Tree of Love

How cute is this craft? Since the first thing that came to my mind with the word Family was "Family Tree," I thought this craft would be perfect. You can modify this craft so that the hands become a tree and the hearts become it's leaves.

Heart and Lollipop Flowers

Why not share the LOVE? Make these cute little crafts for each member of the kids' family.

The second day at the church, my thoughts were to focus a little more on the fact that God loves us and our families:

Cardboard House

First off, I'm SUPER excited about this craft. You can check out the actual website I found it at, but it has no tutorial. My thoughts were to take different containers, have the kids decorate each piece of the container and then stack them up to be ONE house. The purpose of this craft? Jesus said he was going to PREPARE A PLACE for us. Let's take a few moments to dream up and build a mansion together!











Valentine's Love Cup

Need a craft to show how amazing it is when God comes and lives in our hearts? How about a craft that shares that joy?
This is a cute little craft to help communicate all of this!

I love you THIS MUCH!

I could not find the original website this came from, but isn't this so adorable?! When we experience God's great big love for us, we want to share it with other people-- especially those close to us. Why not with this craft?









Need a couple snack ideas to go with each of these nights? Try these two:
First night: Valentine's Treat Pockets

I feel that this is a perfect holder for fun little snacks. You could fill it with chocolate, trail mix, goldfish, popcorn, or whatever else your little heart desires!










Second Night: Cookie Cottages

 Thank you Martha for this adorable picture and inspiration for a snack idea. How about a cottage made out of graham crackers with some frosting? Give the kids a couple of crackers, some frosting, and some chocolate. Challenge them to build a house, if they can't... at least it taste a bit like smores!

Game Ideas:

Up first are some game ideas I came up with, using the theme of family or "Working Together." Family to me says "Team." Plus, there's other games in this list that are just for fun!

• Fruit Basket Upset
• It's similar to musical chairs. Split the kids into 3 or more teams. Have each team come up with a fruit to be known by. Call out a fruit, two fruits, or just yell "fruit basket upset!" Whatever you call out, that team(s) have to get up out of their chair and move to a chair that is not situated directly to the right or left of them. It becomes fun when you yell out the fruit(s) and then take away one chair. The winner is the kid who is sitting in the last chair.
• Dodgeball using paper balls
• Draw a line down the middle of the space and divide the kids into two teams. They get one minute to throw their paper balls and to make sure they don't have any balls on their side. The side with the most paper balls loses.
• Red Light/Green Light
• Simon Says
• Mother May I?
• Army Dodgeball
• If you get hit in the arms or legs, you no longer get to use that arm or leg. If you are hit in the chest or head (though we definitely encourage kids not getting hit in the head) is an automatic out for the kid who got hit in those ares. This is a good game to use only two balls or even just a few balls. Any catches, result in those outted kids getting back into the game.
• Scavenger Hunts
• Picture scavenger hunts
• Alphabet Scavenger Hunts
• Human Tangle
• First have everyone put their right hand in the middle (You need an even number of kids). They grab the hand of someone who is NOT standing next to them. Do the same with their left hand. Once everyone has a hand to hold, they are not allowed to break that hold. The object of this game is to untangle themselves and to end up in a circle. There's a version of this game called Doctor, Doctor where one person is in charge of figuring out how to untangle everyone. (This would be a good option for a leader or an adult to play the part of the doctor and untangle everyone). 
• Trash Can Tag
• Have everyone get into a circle and hold the hands of the people on either side of them. Place a trash can (empty) in the middle of everyone. If a player touches the trash can with any part of their body, they are out. The object of the game is to be the last one standing. 
• Please note that if you are playing with older kids (pre teens/teens) this game can get a bit crazy and dangerous. If you find this happening with the Adventure Club age group (4-7) you may want to discontinue the game.

Other Entertaining Supplies
Playdoh- Check out this site for a homemade Playdoh recipe.

Cloud Dough- 20 Different Cloud Dough Recipes
     * Different scents, flavors and ways to play.


Remember: The goal is to have fun and enjoy yourself when you are with these kids. If you're bored, chances are... so are they. Don't be afraid to take breaks from the crafts to play some games, or even ditch the craft/games altogether. Do what works for the group you have!

Happy Crafting!

God Knows the Plans He Has for Our Life

Beforehand Read Genesis 37

Memory Verse:

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you hope and a future.”- Jeremiah 29:11

Story:

Act out the story with a student playing Joseph and any helpers as the brothers.

·         Ask

o   What the real Joseph might have been thinking/feeling?

·         Be sure to tell how Joseph had a dream and discuss how far away slavery is from his dream.

o   What do you want to be when you grow up? How far away would slavery be from your dream?

o   Joseph’s dream was to rule/reign over his family, but now he’s a slave, do you think his dream/vision ever happen?

Craft:

Option One-

·         Paint white shirts. Allow the kids to paint it how they imagine Joseph’s looked. Use this shirt as their “art” shirt for messy projects later on.

Option Two-

·         Pour Baking soda onto a baking sheet. Arrange it to look like a shirt. Combine vinegar and food coloring in Dixie cups or small containers. Using droppers, have the kids decorate the “shirt” with their volcanic mixtures.

Snack: Cupcakes or Cookies

            Decorate cupcakes or cookies before devouring the sugary goodness!

Memory Verse Games:

·         Act it out.

o   Brainstorm motions with the students to match their memory verse. When children learn movements they are less likely to “lose it” from their memory.

·         Post It Cover Up

o   For this activity write the memory verse on the front board of the classroom. Practice reading it once together and then use post-it notes to cover up one of the words. Then, practice reading the verse again followed by covering up a second word with post-it notes. Continue this pattern until the entire verse is covered and the children are saying the verse from memory. This is an interesting spin on traditional drilling of a verse by repetition. You could also reverse the game beginning with some words covered and have children guess the missing words.

·         Find, Assemble, and Read

o   Put each word from the verse onto separate sheets of paper. Hide them around and have the kids find the words. Once the kids have found the words, congregate at a meeting spot and assemble the sentence and read them.

·         Memory Verse Egg Hunt-

o   Hide each word of the memory verse in an Easter Egg and hide them all around the room. Have the kids find the eggs, and help to put the memory verse in the right order.

Time Killer Games:

·         Mother May I?

·         Simon Says

The Rainbow's Promise

Introduction:

When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life.

Genesis 9:14-15

Fruit Loop Necklace Snack:

Supplies:

·         Fruit Loops

·         Yarn

Directions:

·         Put Fruit Loops in the yarn in a way that it looks like a rainbow.

Rainbow Craft #1:

Supplies:

·         Paper Plate

·         Clothes Pins

·         Ribbon

Rainbow Craft #2:

Finger print (or hand print) Rainbows

Supplies:

Finger Paint

White paper

Wash cloth or paper towel for easy clean up

 

 

Rainbow Craft #3:

Rainbow in a Jar- Directions Here.

Supplies:

Colored Chalk

Salt

Jars and Paper

Memory Verse:

When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life.

Genesis 9:14-15

Memory Verse Game Ideas:

·         Act it out.

o   Brainstorm motions with the students to match their memory verse. When children learn movements they are less likely to “lose it” from their memory.

·         Post It Cover Up

o   For this activity write the memory verse on the front board of the classroom. Practice reading it once together and then use post-it notes to cover up one of the words. Then, practice reading the verse again followed by covering up a second word with post-it notes. Continue this pattern until the entire verse is covered and the children are saying the verse from memory. This is an interesting spin on traditional drilling of a verse by repetition. You could also reverse the game beginning with some words covered and have children guess the missing words.

·         Find, Assemble, and Read

o   Put each word from the verse onto separate sheets of paper. Hide them around and have the kids find the words. Once the kids have found the words, congregate at a meeting spot and assemble the sentence and read them.

·         Memory Verse Egg Hunt-

o   Hide each word of the memory verse in an Easter Egg and hide them all around the room. Have the kids find the eggs, and help to put the memory verse in the right order.

Additional Activity Ideas:

·         Pin the cloud to the end of the Rainbow.

o   Played like pin the tail on the donkey. Draw where the cloud should go and have everyone try their best to get their cloud on the right spot.

·         Playdoh or Modeling Clay

o   Have the kids retell the story using playdoh or modeling clay.

·         Photobooth

o   Create a photo booth using props from Noah’s Story. Take pictures. Print a few pictures later (copies for parents as well) and put them up as decoration.