Family Fun and Fellowship
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Fall Leaf Fun
Play “Leaf Pile Hunt.”
Create piles of leaves scattered about a large area (works with straw in a barn too) Hide the candy in and about the pile of leaves. Gather all of the guests and when the host says go, everyone hunts the candy.
Start a Leaf Journal.
A leaf journal is simple and easy to do. All you need is a notebook, glue, a pen, and the great outdoors! Take the kids and head outside for a walk, collecting leaves in different shapes, sizes, and colors as you go along. Try not to bend and break them as you continue on your walk, and when you get home begin gluing them into your notebook with 1 or 2 leaves per page. Do a little research to find out what kind of tree your leaf came from and make a note of it in the journal. If you are unable to find it don’t sweat it. Just glue the leaf in anyway and enjoy the rich, warm colors that you and your kids have collected. Leaf rubbings, using crayons and copy paper, would also make a great addition to your journal.
Have a leaf fight.
First, arm everyone with rakes and gather large stacks of leaves together from those scattered across your lawn. Form teams and take your places behind a stack of your choosing. Pelt your opponents with handfuls of leaves until the stack is gone. The first team to lose its pile wins. Second, rake the piles together again and this time take turns jumping in the piles.
Make autumn placemats.
Collect colorful fallen leaves of different sizes and shapes. Arrange them in attractive but varying patterns. Press between sheets of wax paper and steam it closed with a warm (not hot) iron. Trim each placemat with colorful strips of construction paper or discount fabric with a fall pattern. Place on the kitchen or dining room table for seasonal flair.
Enjoy God’s Creation.
Take a walk, go on a hike, go for a bike ride or just drive through the countryside and enjoy the beauty that God has created.
Create a Leaf T-shirt
You’ll need:
•bleach in a spray bottle
•leaves
•dark colored T-shirt
•large bucket of cool water
•newspaper
Put the newspaper in between the layers of the t-shirt. Spread your leaves out on the front of the T-shirt. Be creative! Spray the front of the t-shirt with bleach. Try and spray as evenly as possible, covering both the leaves and the empty areas. Allow the bleach to stay on for about 5 minutes. You will start to see the color of the shirt fade. Rinse the shirt in the bucket of cool water. Rinse it well to get out the bleach. You’re all done!
(These ideas were found on various internet sites.) Originally printed in the Fall 2010 issue V3N4
Fun Fellowship
These ideas (which were gathered from various internet resources) could be used as a date night, a family fun day or a fun get-together among friends.
Brownie Points: Make a couple of pans of brownies. Then drive to various friends’ houses and deliver a
small plate of brownies to each friend and visit for a while. When it becomes too late to be visiting people, go
home and finish off the brownies.
The old days: Visit a nursing or retirement home and talk to people about “the old days.” Take notes and use
the most interesting story to make a booklet from construction paper. On another day present the booklet to
the person who told the story.
Afternoon drive: Take an elderly couple on a drive to the canyon, lake, mountains, or nearest river. Ask them
to share stories about when they grew up, courted, and married. Ask them about their family. Ask them how
things have changed and what advice they have for you as a couple or a family.
Roman times: Begin with dressing the part in sheets like the great Caesars. Your dinner of fine Romanesque
finger-foods is served with pillows on the floor – the easier to recline. For entertainment try Ben Hur or
Spartacus.
Smore Lovin’: Find a local park (or any place) with a grill. Bring the ingredients to make smores. Build a fire
and toast the marshmallows. Enjoy your treat while you snuggle by the fire.
Originally published in the 2010 Winter issue N3V1
5 Ways To Keep Your Family
1. Create an Indoor Obstacle Course
Create an indoor family obstacle course with lots of activity stations – hula hoops, jump ropes, pushups, or jumping jacks. Time each family member to see who can complete the course the fastest.
2. Step Contest
Give each family member a pedometer and hold a competition to see who can accrue the most steps. Or try to beat your family’s total steps each week. Treat yourselves to a movie night to celebrate your success.
3. Wintry Walk
Winter walks can be fun too! Bundle up the family and take a brisk walk through the neighborhood. You may even want to pick up the pace when you know a warm cup of hot chocolate is waiting back at home.
4. Move to the Music
Turn on your kids’ favorite music and join them while you all jump, bend, and twist until the song is over.
5. Activity Zone
Create an “Active Zone” in your house by removing all breakables and encourage your kids to run and tumble.
Originally printed in the winter 2009 issue
Rain, Rain Go Away
Rainy Day Activites for Children
1. Pull out the long forgotten board games. Forget those video games, show your
children how much fun those board games of the past can be.
2. Have a rainy day party, everyone dress up in their best clothes and fix a special
rainy day lunch or dinner. Sing fun songs and tell fun stories to celebrate the
rain. Incorporate a Bible lesson about Noah.
3. Take a trip, outside, that is. If it’s warm enough and no lightening in sight, dress
everyone up in their rain gear and make a splash outside. Enjoy the blessings of
rain rather than hiding from it.
4. Send a cheerful letter, nothing will put cheer back into a day than the thought of
brightening someone else’s. Have each family pick someone they want to write
to and let them create a special rainy day card to send to them.
5. Happy Rainy Day, each family member take turns calling family members and
friends to wish them a Happy Rainy Day.
6. Play Hide the thimble. My favorite activity as a child, grandma would hide her
thimble somewhere in the room while the children would “hide their eyes” in another
room. When she holler’d “ready” the children would search high and low
for the hiding spot (always in plain view). The first to find it gets to hide it next.
(Can use any shiny item if you are like me and don’t have a thimble).
7. Have fun. Don’t be afraid to have fun. Housework can wait. Spend the day with
your children and it will be a day that neither of you will soon forget.