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Since we’re on a theme of missions-involvement and kids this week, I thought I’d share an idea that I got from our Family Fun magazine several months ago. The idea of the jar is that it’s contents are the result of sacrifice. In other words, what goes into the jar is money we save from sacrificing something. Here’s how it works.
Say for instance, we are grocery shopping and because of a variety of unforeseen circumstances, it’s getting rather late in the morning. Lunchtime is approaching. I’ll ask the kids, “Do you want to stop and get something, or do you want to put the money in our giving jar and have sandwiches when we get home?” Now, grant it, the kids are learning, so the answer is not always what I hope, but in many cases the kids have decided to wait. And this is a sacrifice for them, as it often means that lunch doesn’t happen until 1:30 or 2:00. They are definitely hungry, but they know that their sacrifice will help a family who is always hungry.
Inside the jar, we place either the cash or an I.O.U. note. Then, when the jar is full or we’ve reached the desired amount, we’ll take out the notes and the cash and write a check for the total.
The lesson of the giving jar is to do without in order to help others, and the charity could be anything you think your kids will relate to. Our church recently filled baby bottles with cash and donated them to the local crisis pregnancy center, for example. My son, who is always hungry, definitely relates and is eager to help children who don’t have food. The family in the Family Fun magazine that originated the idea was helping victims of natural disasters. But the whole concept is to expand our children’s vision of giving beyond asking us for money, understanding that sacrificing is the ultimate expression of compassion.
And if you have ideas of how your family has taught these lessons, I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment telling us about your family project, and we’ll help each other as we teach our kids about missions and giving.
I remember going to a garage sale, when I was pregnant with my daughter, and seeing a young girl selling kool-aid. The little girl had to be about kindergarten. As I bought my little glass, the mom prompted her daughter, “Tell her what the money is for.” And she told me that she was making money to put in the mission’s offering in her Sunday School class. She went on to tell me a little about the missionary.
My son was barely old enough to talk and my daughter was still in utero, but I tucked that memory away, impressed that one so young could find a way to be involved. Now, my children are a little older. They can remember Daddy’s first missions trip and talk about what he did. And they understand, from those presenting at our church, what a missionary is. I’ve been excited about the next step. And as I’ve been planning our geography studies for our homeschool, I’ve run across some great missions resources that I thought I’d share.
- Joshua Project: a project promoting awareness of unreached people groups. My husband and I have been receiving regular email updates from this website for awhile, in addition to using their Facebook App. Each day, we receive a picture and information on an unreached people group, a group where less than 2% know Christ. The information provided includes the obstacles, the amount of Scripture currently translated if any, and specific prayer requests for that group of people. This service also provides mini prayer cards for each people group, which is what I recently discovered and have put to use in our geography study. As we learn about the country, we will also learn about those within the country who need Christ. My recommendation: choose a people group card and/or a missionary card (from your church) to pray for each week. Seeing the people who need the missionaries will help your child connect to the need for missions in a way they might not otherwise understand.
- Operation World: a resource on the specific prayer needs of every country in the world. The book is an expansive resource with information on the government and political atmosphere of the country as well as it’s spiritual needs and specific areas of prayer. It’s a little technical to be used with children, but a similar resource they have designed for children is Window on the World, much less expansive but still informative. The website tools are what I will actually use for the kids. In addition to some basic country information, it also connects me to the “Unreached People Group” prayer cards for that country. My recommendation: as you pray for your missionary and people group, find out a little information about the country they are in from Operation World (the book or the website). Share this information in conversation with your children as you are praying.
- KidsonMission.org. Find weekly updated prayer requests from missionary kids, or download their free prayer journal that takes your child through the process of adopting and researching an unreached people group, including specific suggestions for prayer as your child completes the journal. Other resources include certificates, luggage tags, or download pages, all promoting learning about and praying for an unreached group of people. My recommendation: make it a family project during your family worship time, or print off a journal for each child and set a specific time to work on it together.
Our kids gain their passions largely from us, their love for a sport or sports team, their love for certain foods or vacation spots. And their passion for missions begins with us as well. My goal for our school year is that my children will see our passion for reaching others with the news of Christ, both through my husband’s direct involvement and through my encouraging them to learn about and pray for others.
Though I don’t yet have my kids selling kool-aid, I do remember that they are not too young to understand that people need the Lord.
Need some ideas for a vacation at home? Check out this list of links. Find the city or region closest to you, click on the given link and start planning your summer activities.
Need an activity for the kids this summer? Check out a few of these ideas.
Start a nature study. Whether that includes a bug-catcher kit or sketchbook and pencils, equip the kids for some time outside.
Go for a family walk; then talk about what you saw. Plan a trip to the library to choose books on a bug, rock, or other aspect of nature that your child showed an interest in.
Check out this link for more ideas: a flower press, a leaf rubbing, and more. Or, click here to find out how to make your own nature journal.
Plan a calendar of fun, or download a free one. The free one has a list of great activities through the month of June. It’s a great download of ideas.
To make your own, take a calendar page and write or type an entry for each day–an outdoor activity, a video, an internet link, a craft idea, a board game, etc. When the kids are bored, send them to the calendar. Feel free to repeat a few favorite activities throughout the month.
Pick a summer project or theme. Whether each child chooses their own or you decide on one as a family, develop a plan for that project or theme. Here are some ideas.
- Learn a new art skill or medium (watercolors, pastels, clay sculpting, wood-carving, etc.). Then, plan a “gallery day” at the end of the summer for friends, relatives, and neighbors to see the exhibits.
- Plan a missions project. Going on a missions trip? Practice a puppet program, a construction skill, a recipe, whatever you might need for the trip. Even if there is no missions trip planned, you can find a local retirement center and practice a summer program to perform there as a family. Just contact the activities director for that center to schedule a day.
- Plan a party. Teach your child all that goes into hospitality and entertaining. Walk them through the invitations, program, menu, and budget for a party. Have the child practice the recipes for the menu, scout out the local grocery stores for pricing, and design their own invitations.
- Learn about a country. Choose a country for the week, month, or summer. Take a trip to the library for books, videos, and other resources for your country of choice. Try out some recipes. Play some games. Make some clothing or cultural costumes. Craft a sculpture of a landmark. Make an ethnic craft.
Whatever strategy you choose, try to make your plans a jumping off point for your kids. Summer should be a break for everyone, including Mom. And start having some summer fun!
My two year old loves to cook. It’s her favorite thing to do with Mommy (or Daddy). For Christmas, she received her very own apron and chef’s hat, and this has made the appeal of the kitchen even stronger. A few months ago, she pulled her apron out of her toy bin and placed it in the drawer where my apron was. This girl LOVES to cook.
And I’ve found the perfect recipe for her. It’s actually a family recipe of sorts, but I just discovered yesterday what a perfect fit it is for my “cook in training.”
Oven Puff Pancakes
3 Tbs. Flour
3 Tbs. Milk
1 Egg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and spray your pan with cooking spray. My recipe calls for four personal-sized pie pans, but I typically use one 9″ round. For a 9×13 pan, you will want to double the recipe. This time around, I doubled the recipe and placed the batter in two 9″ rounds. Pour in your batter; tilt the pan to evenly spread; and place it in the oven for about 15 minutes.
I have done a variety of toppings for this recipe. Fresh fruit is a favorite; but I’ve also used regular syrup, melted jam or marmalade (to syrup consistency), strawberries with home-made chocolate sauce, and whatever else you can imagine.
Waiting hungrily for the final result
Puffed Magic
This time, we topped our pancakes with home-made rhubarb marmalade and home-made whipped cream. So yummy!
And the little one, after placing her apron in the drawer beside mine once more, was very please to announce to Daddy that she had made breakfast.
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with our chore charts, trying to land upon a method that doesn’t work me to death to keep it running and doesn’t bribe my children into performance. I’m really excited about the result, a system encouraging good habits.
Step 1: I downloaded a chore chart and set of chore cards. The one I am using is a preschool chore chart that you can download here. For older children, you might consider some of the printables available here. After cutting out the cards and laminating everything, I attached velcro dots to the cards and to the chart. This way, I can add the chore pictures to the chart or change them as I deem necessary.
Boy Chart
Girl Chart
I attached the charts to each child’s closet door so that they could easily see what is expected of them. The chart is broken down into “morning,” “afternoon,” and “to earn.” But since I have pre-readers, I have easily adjusted the chart to “morning,” “after naps,” and “evening.”
Step 2: The next step was making a Habit Chart.
My concept was that I would have each child focus on one chore at a time, performing it faithfully, until it became a habit. We learned, “To be faithful is to do what is expected when it is expected.” My son, for instance, has been extremely faithful making his bed each morning as soon as wakes up. I wanted a way to reward this faithfulness, a way that was meaningful and didn’t require my coin purse or the candy drawer.
First, I printed a second set of chore cards and cut them out. Next, I chose the card for the chore that I wanted my son to work on (making his bed) and attached it to the chart with a paper clip. If your kids can read, skip this step and just write in the chore.
I have the chart set up for 14 days of faithful performance. Each day that the chore is completed the way I expect it to be done and when I expect it to be done, I write a smiley face in the blank. When all 14 smiley faces fill the row, a “habit card” is awarded.
NOTE: For those with older children, it might be best to double the length of time and require 28 days of faithfulness. Check the box or write in a date of completion.
Step 3: When the 14 days have been fulfilled, a habit card can be awarded. My intention is to glue the picture card to the back of the habit card and then place the card on a metal ring. Each child will have their own ring of habits to maintain. If someone becomes unfaithful, the card can be removed and the whole process started again.
Boy Habit Cards
Girl Habit Cards
Step 4: The last step was implementing and organizing our new system.While the actual chore charts are attached to each child’s door, the habit charts are on my fridge so that I can supervise them. The cards are neatly arranged in small cubes in my utility drawer.
Will it work? Well, we’ll see. But my son was extremely excited about the cards, so much so that I couldn’t get him to be quiet long enough for me to explain it to his sister. Honestly, I think the key to any chore system being successful is for me to be consistent and enthusiastic. So, yes! I’m optimistic about this working. And I’m thrilled to have a system that reinforces the character traits we are trying to instill.
Want to join in the fun? Download my boy habit chart and habit cards, or download the girl habit chart and habit cards.
Finding meaningful Easter/Resurrection Day activities is rather challenging, at least in comparison to Christmas. For the last couple of years I’ve been on the look-out for ideas to bring out the meaning of the holiday. But I have to say that some of those ideas just are not going to be traditions. Well, this year I’ve had a few more brainstorms and am excited about trying these new traditions.
I’ve found a couple of recipes for these cookies. The concept is to read Scripture at increments while you make the cookies, place them in your oven overnight, and in the morning the cookies will be hollow! A great teaching concept, especially for little ones. For a picture of the cookies, check this link.
Empty Seat
One Passover tradition is to leave an empty seat for “Elisha,” representing the anticipation of a coming Messiah. During the meal, a child would run to the door and look out to see if Elisha was coming. As I read this, my mind started storming ideas. What a beautiful way to tie in the Ascension and looking for Jesus’ return! The empty seat at our table would be for our returning Messiah, and I know my kids would love running to the door to look for Him. We also have a great children’s book on Jesus return called Jesus is Coming Back by Debby Anderson. Having read the Resurrection story before the meal, we would finish the meal with the reading of this story.
The Meal
We experimented last year with lamb as part of our meal, and that was definitely an idea not worth repeating–at least, not with that recipe. I’ve decided to choose items that would be more to our taste, maybe with a few Passover overtones, but something that would be more of a celebration than a trial. Kaboose.com offered a nice selection of both Easter and Passover recipes, celebratory and not too extreme. Mmmm…I can’t wait to try some of them.
Sequencing the Resurrection, an Easter Advent
Another idea I ran across was for making Resurrection eggs, placing symbols and Bible verses about the Resurrection in plastic eggs. A twist I wanted to take on the idea was to hang a “scarlet thread” or red ribbon along the fireplace mantel, like a garland, and hang the symbols from the story as we discussed it each night. This is an idea I want to refine for next year. But my thought was to either begin in the Old Testament and trace the “scarlet thread” of Christ through a few significant stories leading up to His coming, His death, and His resurrection; or trace through the Old Testament Passover to the Lamb of God and His resurrection, placing the symbols of those stories on the scarlet thread. Another family’s take on this idea of Resurrection eggs is to have an evangelistic party and egg hunt.
Purposeful traditions can make a Christian holiday such a meaningful memory, but I must say that even searching for those traditions has brought such a focus and meaningful reflection on the significance of Christ’s resurrection for me! And I’d love to hear some of your ideas for celebrating the holiday. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what your family has done to celebrate the day. And Happy Resurrection Day! The Lord is Risen!
Spring is in the air, and I’m feeling it–the itch to grow something, the desire to explore the critters beneath those unfurling leaves, the yearning for nature walks and picnics. I’m not a gardner, mind you. I fail utterly. But I love life and the beauty of spring. To me, everything about spring reminds me of Easter, as if all of Creation were celebrating when death was conquered and Life surged from the grave. And I want to be a part of that celebration.
We do hope to plant some herbs this year, maybe some peppers, perhaps a leafy vegetable like lettuce; and then maintain our tomato plants. And I’ve got my Farmers Almanac calendar out to see if maybe this year we can do it right. But I suppose my greatest ambition this season is to explore the garden with the kids and use this opportunity to remind them of who it was that brought death into the world (Adam) and Who it was that brought life into this world–twice!
I want to pass on to my children, not just the itch to garden (no matter how many times you fail), but the urge to celebrate with all the rest of Creation. No rock will take my place crying out His praise.
Hiding God’s Word in your heart is important for your children as well as for yourself, and it always amazes me how early little ones can begin memorizing Scripture. Way before a child can read, he has the capacity to memorize. Here are some tips to help your pre-reader memorize Bible verses.
1. Repeat, repeat, repeat. The great thing about this age is that they love repetition. Any Moms out there have one or more of your children’s books memorized? I have a library in my head of books that we have read over and over and over. Children love to have things repeated. So, take advantage and repeat God’s Word to them over and over through the day.
2. Engage as many senses as possible. Let them hear, speak, see, act out and sing the Scripture. Incorporate it in as many ways as you can. Do a craft or color a page. Quote the Bible verse in a rhythm or make up your own song. Add hand motions as well (just a few; you don’t need a motion for every word). Select motions for the key concepts of the verse. For instance, when we memorize Luke 11:28, “Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it” I had them cup their hands like a book and then bring their cupped hands toward their heart. Keep it simple.
3. Use picture cue cards. When we have something memorized, we often can see the words in our mind, just as we saw the words on a page. For a pre-reader, the words won’t be there, but a picture will allow them the same privilege of recall. As they quote Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” they can recall a picture of a clean heart. This is also another way to engage the child’s senses.
I found a couple of websites with picture cue cards and other Scripture memory helps. The first site provides cue cards and Bible Games as free printables. The second site offers a pack of fruit of the spirit cue cards in a pdf format for $1.00. But you could just as easily make your own with some crayons, construction paper, and a little creativity. Just be sure to make each cue distinctive so that the child doesn’t get his cues confused.
Then, enjoy the journey of watching God’s Word take root in little hearts and begin its powerful work.
For each of these ideas, start by purchasing a heart-shaped craft box, reusing old heart candy boxes, or making your own heart-shaped boxes. Click here for some free templates.
- For young children, you will need 2-3 sheets of plain white paper or colored construction paper and markers, crayons, a pencil, etc. Show the child how to write o‘s and x‘s on their paper. Then, help the child cut out the o‘s and x‘s; for letters grouped closely together, just cut out the whole cluster as one piece. Place all of the pieces in your heart box for a gift of hugs and kisses to last your loved one all year.
- For older children, help them brainstorm a list of “conversation-heart” messages. Cut small hearts from pieces of construction paper or colored cardstock and write your messages on the hearts. Or, share the love of God in your heart box. Find a list of Bible verses on the topic of “love” and write them on the heart cut-outs.
- For a quick gift, fill the boxes with small candies and hand them out to friends.
