Fasting & Praying with Kids can be FUN!!!!

We are gearing up for January which is our church's season of fasting and prayer.  We already have a habit of eating vegan as a family during this time , but I was brainstorming activites we could do each afternoon to make the prayer part more engaging for the kids.  

Fun Prayer Activities to do with Kids

1. Treasure hunt prayer:  Write out ten prayers and a location on each like "Pray for Dad" and then" Go to the tree," then have kids hunt for the paper with the next clue and prayer.

2.  Balloon Prayer: Hide 20 prayers on small slips of paper in balloons.  Pop and Pray!  Or, pray first and then let the kids stuff & blow and release into the sky.

3.  Location Prayer: To pray for a nation, say an Arabic one, set up a tent (a blanket over the table) and pray for that nation under the tent.

4.  Refugee Prayer: Make a boat out of your couch or the plastic swimming pool and pray for the refugees in the Mediterranean.  

5. Nation Prayer:  We have missionaries in Mexico.  You can set out a Mexican blanket and some Maracaas.  Worship and Pray for missionaries on the blanket!

6. Roll the ball prayer:  For small children, roll the ball to a family member and have them pray and then roll to the next person to pray.  Or shoot a hoop after each prayer.

7.  Pinterest Prayer:  Buy a giant vase and fill it daily with paper prayers so the kids can see their prayers grow!

8.  Use the SOAP method of Bible study, but have each child write their thoughts in their own prayer journal sitting together as a family and then share.  

9.  Prophetic treasure hunting:  Ask all the children to listen to God and what he is saying about where to go, who to pray for.  Compile a descriptive list and Go!  It may be to a park or mall.  Find the person and pray for them!

10.  Drive by prayer:  Pray for institution in your city by driving by the local jail, school, church, firehouse, or other government building.

11.  Homeless prayer: Stop your car and get out to pray for the homeless man at the intersection. 

12.  Visit the nursing home to pray with elderly folk.

13.  Hop to the state or Hop to the Country: Tape on the floor a map or use a large carpet map, puzzle map... pray for the spot you hopped on.  

14.  Spin and Pray: Make a large game spinner out of an old pizza box and make each section a family member with their name and photo.  

15.  Use photos of family members as memory cards.  Play memory but pray for the person you "matched."

16.  Make a Prayer cube.  Roll and Pray. 
17.  Ribbon wall. Write your prayer and place it on the wall. Or remove a prayer from the wall and wear it on your wrist.

Here's a link to some other ideas Focus on the Family  and
Prayer Bags for 7-11
Prayer Bags for 3-7's

Books for African American Girls

Its amazing how hard it is to find good books for little brown girls... that are wholesome (and not all about slavery or some key family member dying).

When we brought Z home, a friend found a set of Elizabeti books, great stories with an African setting:

Here was another good random find... an Easter book that takes place in Israel--its the story of a young jewish boy and young ethiopian boy learning about Jesus:

  

and another newer arch book: 

I was excited to find at the thrift....the magic attic club...

My mother in law found this for our Ethiopian American girl

and this is the only one I saw at Target, "I'm a Pretty Little Black Girl"

And we found the book for Z when she is a bit older about an Ethiopian princess, (but not the doll) "Saba"

You may say, "Does it matter? Kid's don't see color. Just love."  Well yea, they see color AND love. 

After reading 3 Thanksgiving books, Aziza says, "Aren't there any books with brown faces?" 

Like, "Why are all the families white?"

I'm like, "Yea that's true."  I grabbed the ten (out of 300) kids books we have (yes that's homeschool) for her to see some brown faces and then thought seriously about what I could do for her.  At the library, I asked the librarian's help, and well, she didn't come up with much.  They were given "most popular" books when the library was created despite the fact they are in an all hispanic/black neighborhood.  She goodnaturedly was up for the challenge of keeping a look out and buying what she could for the 7-9 year old girl range, yea! 

If you have any good recommendations, please comment below...

FALCON!

"Come mom! Come quick! " Her voice rises above the others in my consciousness.  "What Abi?" I turn.
"Look!"
"OH MY!  GET THE CAMERA!"  I'm frozen as my eyes fix on the biggest bird I've ever seen, sittin on my porch railing.

 

We've been studying birds.  We've watched "The Big Year" and "Fly Away Home."  We've learned about birders and birding and making your Life list and falcons.  And the Peregrine Falcon--our city bird.  We've made suet.

And this HUGE bird is sitting on our railing under the suet.  Now, I'm not sure it was a Peregrine, but it was similar to this video we had watched a few weeks before (above). Maybe it thought it could carry away one of the sparrows who hang out there. 

I felt it was a gift only God could give.  He that feeds the birds.  That's going on my 1,000 gifts list for 2013!

Fighting to remember the poor....

Bethan made this bracelet made from my bulging craft room.

Bethan takes a photo--a "leftover" camera was her Christmas gift last year.

Its that time of year when the catalogues & mailers fill the mailbox--where the inundation of toy ads begins to slog my mind.  The culture of materialism and  myopic self interest pushes me.  My self interest includes my kids.  I want--for them more than for myself.

The hardest part of teaching my kids to love the poor, is to give up giving them the idyllic childhood.

This year the children will give their Christmas money to Compassion and Samaritan's Purse.  Each week one child will pick out what they want to give--a chicken for a needy family.... an emergency medical kit etc.  I have already made a few recycled gifts/handcrafts for my 4 instead of spending money.  The overflow of my craft room will supply enough for them.  A few toys given to us will be cleaned and squirreled away.

We can't FORGET the poor.  But I forget when I see the hinged limb Barbie and want it for my kids, or the Jonathan Park adventure audios....  And we all get caught up in Ipods and Iphone's for preschoolers because we are inundated by ads, mailers, friends who miss His heart. ...Help us Lord.  Forgive us Lord.  Help us in this season to remember those that have no phones... no digital photos of their most loved ones, no clean clothes, no security for when storms blow.

This week my children and I are praying for our shoeboxes for Samaritan's Purse children.  We get to track our boxes this year and see where they go: Mongolia, the Phillipines, Guatemala...who knows?  But we are praying for one girl and one boy.

Free coloring download for ABC pages

Fun find:

Writing ABC's on little hearts are character ABC pages for free download...perfect for my two little ones.

Christ in Literature/The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

One of my joys of homeschooling is reading literature that draws the mind of my children toward God. This week we read of the death of Aslan in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and discussed the parallels between it and the account of Christ's crucifixion. The two girls walk with him, the ogres spit on him and mock him etc... Observing the story causes them to observe the Scripture more carefully to see whats there. It has fit into our theme of Lent, as well.

Purpose of Art? Pondering for the Primary grades...

So I've been deep in homeschool land...prepping Abi's first grade curriculum. The purpose of Art is sehr controversial, so I thought you may be interested on my take...I don't feel satisfied with my Biblical support of my ideas...I think there are better Scriptures. What do you think? 

Biblical Purpose of Art 1. Our artistry glorifies God . As his creation, he made us capable of great creativity and self government. When we excel in art, it makes Him look good. 

2. Art encourages us. We can see and feel God’s love for us when we observe, reflect and represent his handiwork in art. Ps 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” Eccl. “He made everything beautiful in its time.” Phil 4:8 “whatsoever things are lovely..think on these things.” Prov. 23:7 “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” 

3. Art teaches us about God. When we observe and copy his art, we understand his love, omnipotence, orderliness and precision in every detail.