Project to Celebrate George Washington..includes a FREE DOWNLOAD

A simple project we've done on George Washington's Birthday every year (Feb 22) is making a silouhette of George Washington's head out of black construction paper. We let the child cut around the outline of G W's head and then mount it on another sheet of construction paper. You can even let them color or paint it if you prefer.
You could even look up a George Washington quote and you or your child can copy it under his silhouette!

Download the George Washington Silhouette here- it's FREE!!

Super Cute Craft for Christmas

Christmas Choir

This is an adorable craft that my sisters found on the Family Fun website and did with the kids on Thanksgiving. It is easy, and the finished product looks just like the picture. If packed away carefully, these will last for years to come. Click Here for instructions

(instructional video also available)

Scripture Caterpillar

Earlier this week, Marilyn encouraged you to train your children to daily memorize Scripture, and she guided you through the way she has done this over the years.

I have a fun project that can be used with Scripture Memory in your home. This is something that my mom did with me and my brother when we were younger. We actually did it in relation to how many books we read, as an incentive to get us to read more.

However, you could also use this as an incentive to your children to memorize.
Now, we don't want our kids to always think that they "deserve" a prize or a reward for memorizing God's Word. But, it does help some children to work towards a goal. Also, there is a Scriptural principle to be taught. Hebrews 11: 6 says that God is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Teach your children that there are great rewards for those who seek God, to know His ways. That is why we learn and memorize His Word, isn't it? To seek Him?
First, talk with them about the ways God rewards those who seek Him. (Proverbs 2 and 3 are a good place to look to see the benefits and "rewards" of those who seek for God's wisdom.)

So, think up a special reward for your child. Maybe it will be a special lunch out with mom, or a night out for ice cream with dad.

Then, set a goal. Perhaps it will be 50 verses, or 100 verses. Or maybe you prefer to learn passages. So, maybe it will be 10 passages of Scripture. Obviously, keep in mind the child's age and ability to memorize. The point is to encourage them, not discourage them with an impossible task. But, at the same time, do set a high standard that will stretch them a little bit.

So, here's the project:
Scripture Caterpillar

You will need:
Assorted colors of construction paper
Scissors.
Something round to trace (maybe a glass or plastic cup, or cookie cutter)

Find a space on your wall or a whiteboard or even around a door frame where you can tape up each circle.

~Cut out circles (if your goal is 50 verses, cut out 50 circles per child)

~With an additional circle- draw on a "face" for the caterpillar- this is the first circle to be added to your wall.

~ Now, whenever your child learns a verse, and knows it well, You add the next part of the caterpillar's body (circle) to the wall. Write on that circle the reference of the verse they have learned. It was always an exciting time to be able to add the next circle!

~ As the number of verses they have memorized, grows, so does your caterpillar! Soon, you will have a long caterpillar filled with the verses they have memorized.

~ Each day, review the verse on each "circle" of the caterpillar. This makes it easy for the child to see what he has learned and it will also be exciting for them to see their caterpillar grow and grow, as they grow and grow in the Word! =)

~ Whenever a child reaches his/her goal, he gets his "reward".

This is a fun project that I remember enjoying when I was little. I'm sure many of you will have more ideas to build upon this one! As I said, my mom used it to help us read more. For each book we read, a circle was added.

This is also a nice project because it is suitable for very young children as well as middle school and even pre-teens.

I hope you will enjoy learning God's word with your children!

~Kari Boyer

Simple Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Keeping with the theme of Toddlers and Preschoolers, I wanted to give you just a few ideas for you to use with your little ones to keep them busy while you are working on school or house work, that you can make at home.....

1. Take individual pictures of each member of your family (or gather them together if you already have them) and organize them in a photo album. Kids love to look at pictures and they will enjoy looking at the people they love. I used to use this in church for my daughter to look at and she enjoyed it a lot. You could also make an album of their baby pictures. Kids love to see pictures of themselves when they were babies.

2. This is a small craft I remember my mom doing with my brother: Take an empty egg carton and, with markers, fill in a different color in the bottom of each "compartment" in it. Then, fill a box or container or bowl with miscellaneous buttons. Have your preschooler organize the buttons according to the color in the egg carton.

3. Allow your child to "wash dishes" My little girl LOVES to do this. I fill up the sink with warm water and soap and give her some plastic bowls, cups, etc. to wash for me. And, if needed, just place a large towel under the chair or stool they stand on, to keep your floor dry in case of any spills! = )

4. Give your preschooler some child-safe scissors and allow them to cut pictures out of old magazines

5. Buy some macaroni and string and let them make necklaces out of the macaroni.

I realize none of these ideas are probably anything you have not seen or thought of before. But I hope one of them will spark your own creativity and give you some helpful ideas as you parent and/or teach with little ones!

Kari