Treasure Hunt Clue in a Shamrock Shake

With St. Patrick's Day less than a week away, I thought this post bore repeating. A few years ago, alright, a lot more than a few years ago – when I used to work with teens, we did a Saint Patty’s Day party. The crux of the party was a treasure hunt.

And the piece de resistance was

How to Host a Shoebox Party

A few years ago I was asked to create an event that the whole family could attend and interact together at. I planned a shoebox party for Operation Christmas Child (OCC).

If you have never heard of OCC, it is a relief program run by Samaritan's Purse. People pack shoeboxes with a variety of small items such as hygeine, school supplies, toys and clothing. OCC sends the shoeboxes all over the world to needy children. You could also make your own shoeboxes and send them to a local shelter or group homes instead of through OCC (just don't use their boxes!).

First Bible Milestone

A first Bible ceremony is a great way to help you connect with the families of the children in your kidmin. Normally, a first Bible means a translation such as NIV or ESV or NLT, but I like to take it further. In our church, we give a first Bible storybook to our families. Group used to make a kit for a First Bible Ceremony as part of their milestone markers series.

I borrowed some ideas from the Group kit I purchased, and then made up my own. I like doing a storybook Bible because you can reach the really young children then. Parents are so much more open when their children are young. They don't have as many secular distractions. In addition, I think it is great to catch everyone as young as you can and begin making that parent/church connection. This is one way the church can come along side parents and support them.

Pancakes and Missions

Kid's Mission's Breakfast from Joan Eppehimer on Vimeo.

They say that kids learn best when they are having fun. The first half of this event included "catching" your breakfast. Our cook flipped the pancakes and the kids caught them on their plates. The kids had a blast, but they also learned about the importance of Bible translation and smuggling and heard from a missionary. Parents were invited too, creating a family event at the same time.

Instructions for the Pin the Bible on the World game can be found in this post from November.

Building Through Bowling

An important aspect of children's ministry is spending time with the kids outside of church. We took our Sunday School kids bowling over spring break.

Why are times like this important? Kids need adults in their lives - and 60 minutes on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night is not enough.

Pilgrim Bowling

Bowling pins from paper towel rolls made to look like pilgrims.

Warning:  These pins are very

Candy Land Style Easter Egg Hunt with a Twist

A few years ago we did an Easter Egg hunt as part of our Sunday School Easter Breakfast. We have at least 1,000 plastic eggs, so in order to make it fair, I arranged it so each child would get 14 eggs. To do this, I made up a color coded card for each child. I did the colors much like the cards you pick up when you play Candy Land. So each child would pick up 14 eggs according to the colors on