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!

Kids Start Page

Aziza
2016-2017

Nessy

History; Veritas Press login is azizakimball

Educational Games for Thomas and Aziza:

Starfall

Sheppard Software

Murb Games

Typing game

Math U See Drills

Worldbook Dictionary


Thomas' Piano note practice

Level 1A, A, & B

1. Key Recognition 

2. C Position 

3. G Position 

Level 1B, C, & D

1. Middle C Position 

2. New G Position 

3. Middle D Position 

Level 2, E, & F

1. All Notes Within the Staff 

2. G major 

3. D major 

Level 3

1. F major 

2. Notes Within AND Outside the Staff