Design your own Help a Sibling Day
Write out a coupon or “surprise card.”

Especially where helping older siblings are concerned, families often report a lessening of squabbles and rivalry after a sibling commits an intention act of kindness.

Helping Older Siblings: If big sister Susie was mean all day yesterday, how will she feel when sister Abby delivers her wash to her, all folded? Or cleans all her
makeup and toothpaste splotches off the bathroom counter and leaves a note that says, “I love you! Abby”?

How will big brother Alex feel after younger brother Tommy vacuums his room and lines his shoes up in the closet? Especially if the chore concerns older siblings in puberty or who have bullied, this might require some cooperation from the parents. Tell the parent what your student plans to do, and make sure the parents don’t allow it to turn into slave labor.

Parents could remind the older sibling to say thank you, and who knows? Maybe the favor will be returned!

Helping Younger Siblings: As younger children generally love attention from older children, this is not as challenging. An older sibling could read a book to a younger child or help him on with clothes in the morning (and save Mom a heap of trouble). An older sibling could agree to babysit or take the younger child to the park (and give Mom or Dad a much needed break)!

What do you think of this family service project? Like it? Love it? Would never try it in a million years? Give me some feedback and let me know by leaving a comment in the box below!

Valentine’s Day: Paper Cups
OBJECTS NEEDED:
Enough paper cups for yourself and every child; a pitcher of lemonade containing enough for every student to have a glass and perhaps a refill. (Pink would be great, given the holiday!)

PREPARATION:
Fill the pitcher with ice cold lemonade and hide it in a cabinet. Pass out one paper cup to each child and keep one for yourself.

LESSON:
We often hear the statement: God is love. 1 John 4:8 says, “He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love.” I want to love like God loves. That’s what He wants from us.But how do I do it?

I know I should always love my kids. And I do. But some days, when they’re arguing or making huge messes, I just don’t feel it. How about you? Do you always feel like you love your brothers and sisters?

Answer: No.

The Bible says sometimes Jesus needed to give an important speech like the Sermon on the Mount. Other times he would know he was coming to a place where he would have heal a lot of people. He would do something so he could give away God’s love to those people. Do you know what that was?

Let them take guesses.

Jesus would retreat somewhere quiet, and He would pray to God. What exactly is prayer?

Let them guess. Correct answer is “talking to God.”

We can ask God for things, surely. But for some of us, that’s the only time we try to “get with” God is when we want something. Sometimes, a better answer is to just sit and try to feel how much He loves us.

Hold up your empty cup.

Some days, I feel like this cup. I’m a good item. I could drop and not break. But what’s the problem with this cup right now? Hold it upside down and right side up.

Let them guess. Correct answer is “there’s nothing in it.”

There is a poem, and the first lines go like this:
A bell’s not a bell till you ring it.
A song’s not a song till you sing it.

What can we say about a cup? A cup isn’t a cup until…

Correct answer: “Until you fill it.”
Go and bring out your pitcher of frosty lemonade. Hold up your own cup.

This pitcher is a lot like God, and the lemonade inside is a lot like his love. God holds all the love.

When we pray and ask Him to just come and talk to us, He brings his love.

Bow your head as if to pray. Father, the Bible says you love me. That is such great news. How much do you love me?

Pretend to be God and answer in a whisper: “I love you so much that I gave my only begotten son.
Now, you can come up to heaven someday and spent eternity with me, and that makes me happy.”
Wow. I am starting to feel God’s love!

Pour a little lemonade into your cup.

That was fun. I think I’ll go back for more. Father, sometimes I get scared in the middle of the night. How can I know you’re there with me?

Pretend to be God and answer in a whisper: “I love being there with you at night [say your own name]. My word says, “The God of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.’ I watch over you all night. And do you know what else my word says? ‘I will give my angels charge concerning you, so you won’t even stub your toe.’ My angels enjoy watching over you [say your own name].”

WOW. I’m feeling God’s love now.

Pour some more into your cup.

Father, I know my parents love me. Is that how you love me? Is it sort of like that?

Pretend to be God and answer in a whisper: It might be hard for you to understand, but I love you more that your own parents. Yup. My word says, ‘Can a woman forget the baby she is nursing? She is more likely to forget her own baby that I would be to forget about you for a moment.’

Pour into your cup so that now it is full.

With just a little time spent with God and hearing His word, I am filled up with God’s love.

Being filled with God’s love means I now have love to share with… (name of the student to your right).

Pour all of your lemonade into [student’s] cup.

Don’t drink from it yet! I have a little more to share on love before we’re allowed to drink! I could have been a little selfish and kept some of that love for myself, couldn’t I? But the rest of that poem goes like this:

I believe what the wise men say
Love’s not love till you give it away!

I want to give away all my love on Valentine’s Day, and that’s not a problem…why not? There’s plenty more love where that came from.

Refill your own cup from the pitcher.

God has enough love to go around for all of us. If we share it, we can always get more where it came from. [Name of student whose glass you just filled with your glass]…I want you to pass all of God’s love onto the next person.

If she doesn’t quite understand, show her how to pour all her lemonade into the next child’s cup. Pour all the lemonade you just refilled with into that first child’s cup. Refill from the pitcher.

Repeat, having the last child with a full cup fill up the empty cup of the child next to him. Then, the next child can refill his cup.

Keep reminding them not to drink yet! Say repeatedly, “Now pour all your love into the cup of the person beside you” until every child has a full glass.

While you are in the process of filling all cups:
Sometimes we spill a drop, don’t we? Even if we’re being careful. We’re not as good as God is with our love. But that’s okay. Spots dry.

Even if we spilled our whole cup on the floor, what could happen?

Answer: We could get a new cup and fill it.

There’s always enough of God’s love to go around. You’ll notice that as our cups get filled with God’s love, what’s happening to the love in the pitcher?

It’s getting smaller.

But God’s love doesn’t really get any smaller. How does God fill up on love? We don’t really understand that. We know that He never stops loving. It’s probably something like…He goes off to the heavenly spigot, puts more love in His jug and adds more love powder. We don’t really know and we don’t have to. God says that he loves us more than our moms and dads do, and we can believe it without understanding it.

Once everyone has their full cup: See? What happened was that I spent time with God, in prayer and in his word, and I was filled up with his love. Once I was filled, I could pass it on to you, and you could pass it on to each other.

Let’s remember on Valentine’s Day where love really comes from. If we want to share God’s love and God’s power in our lives, it all starts when you speak directly to Him.
Raise your glass in a toast. Here’s to God’s love on Valentine’s Day! Now we can drink!

Rice Krispies Ten Commandment Tablets
Ingredients:
• 6 cups Rice Krispies
• 3 Tbs. Butter or Margarine
• 10 oz. bag of marshmallows
• Squeezable container of chocolate syrup

Snack Instructions:
In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
Using buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into the shape of a tablet, with rectangular corners at the bottom and a dome shape at the top.
Add on mini chocolate chips or mini M&M pieces.
Using a chocolate syrup container with a spout, make an attempt to scribble ten lines across the tablet is if they were the Ten Commandments.

Service:
Platter for the “scroll”
Mixing bowl
Big spoon for stirring
Bread Knife for cutting
Plates or paper towels for serving

Announce as you cut and serve, one at a time:

1. Have no other gods.
2. Have no idols.
3. Honor God’s name.
4. Honor the Sabbath day.
5. Honor your parents.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not perjure yourself.
10. Do not covet.

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Neighborhood Outreach Plan
This is a two-part plan, involving first a goal from the service at home section. If a child helps a parent with a chore, it not only provides great talk time, but it cuts
down the time needed to do the task. Therefore the extra time could be put into doing the same thing for a neighbor.

They can then scrutinize for a neighbor who, either from age or health issues, might be unable to do the task themselves. The parent and child can agree to do the task for that neighbor.

It may include any of the following:
• Raking leaves
• Walking the dog(s)
• Shoveling snow
• Removing yard debris after a storm
• Grocery shopping
• Moving trash cans on trash day
• Walking the neighbor’s pet

Whatever parents do outside, ask them to consider who on their street might appreciate the same chore accomplished.

It is true that neighbors are often distrustful of each other these days, and it could be that your efforts are not met with a warm reception. To cut down the chances of that, encourage parents to take a moment to knock on the neighbor’s door and explain that their child is learning about helping others in Sunday school.

Then ask if the two of them could accomplish the chore. People are very lonely these days. They may end up serving the neighbor who will have a tear of gratitude in her eyes.

Which is The Way?
Object: To guess which direction is north.
Needed: Blindfold and a compass (optional)
Ages: 6-12
Play: This is also a great exercise in teaching how to use a compass if one is available to you.
As a compass always points north, you have the children pretend “north” is the direction of God’s will. Having looked at a compass, you can also determine with them which is the “north wall” of the room, the “south wall,” “east wall” and “west wall.” If you live near the ocean or other landmark, and you know which direction it is, you don’t even need the compass. For example, people on the east coast know the ocean is east, and hence, which way north, south, and west are.

Determine with your class which way is north. Have them then derive the directions of south, east and west.

Blindfold one child. Spin him.

Everyone says, “North, South, East, West…Jesus is the way that’s best…”
After he is spun and dizzy, ask the blindfolded child, “Which way is north?” Or “which is The Way?” See who can guess.

Garden of Eden Fruit Salad’s Day
Ingredients:
• Pineapple chunks
• Orange or tangerine sections
• Strawberries or dried cranberries (depending on time of year)
• Walnut pieces
• Coconut
• Lettuce leaves
• Chocolate syrup in a squirt bottle

Snack Instructions:
Combine together in a fruit bowl chunks of pineapple, orange or tangerine sections, and strawberries or dried cranberries (depending on the time of year or what’s available). Add in walnut pieces.
To give your salad a “Garden of Eden” look, take iceberg or romaine lettuce and line the outer edge of your serving bowl. Add the filler so that the leaves stick up. Finally sprinkle the top with coconut, then using chocolate syrup, draw four or five zig-zag lines across and back.
Serve on paper plates. Be prepared to add a dab of chocolate sauce to each child’s plate if they wish to dip their fruit.

Service:
Mixing bowl
Can opener
Serving spoon
Paper Plates, one for each child
Plastic spoons

Introduction:
Adam and Eve ate wonderful things like fruit from the plants and trees that God made them. Today, we’re going to do the same! (Point out items in your salad dish.) They probably ate from pineapple trees, strawberry bushes, orange trees, and cracked coconuts from their coconut groves. Only difference: We have chocolate, and they probably didn’t!

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Your community provides a great opportunity to let your imagination run free and to tailor some of our ideas to the world that surrounds you most closely.

SERVING THE ELDERLY
Most communities will provide opportunities to serve the elderly, and all that is needed to start is a phone call to senior citizen organizations or facilities.

Just the presence of children can be replenishing to the seniors; here are some ideas in ways to serve:
• Christmas caroling & sing alongs
• Transporting a talent show or musical performance that you’ve done elsewhere
• Reading to those whose eyesight prevents it
• Bringing in a pet with a sweet disposition
• Creating art projects in which both kids and residents can participate

A list of shut-ins can often be found simply by checking with your church. As these people are particularly lonely, visits to them might be greatly appreciated.

Would your students and church find this article helpful?  Why or why not? Share it with them and give us your feedback.

What happens sometimes is that we’re looking for our treasure at the wrong times or in the wrong places.

SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 37-50

Treasure Chest Mix
Ingredients:
• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup peanuts
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 4 cups Chex or Life Cereal
• ½ cup M&M pieces

Snack Instructions:
Mix all ingredients in together except M&M’s. As kids tend to argue over who got more chocolate, once they are served, spoon out five M&Ms onto the top of their mixture.

Service:
Paper plates for serving
Serving spoon
Two cereal boxes: One filled with the mix, one empty. They don’t have to be of the same cereal. Hide the full one away in the cabinet and bring the empty one to the serving table.

(Put the empty cereal box down, go to the cabinet and bring out the full one. Shake it.) When the time is right, God intends us to have the fullness of his blessings. Right now, let’s eat the treasure he sent us today.

(Serve mix, then put on M&Ms)

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Sticks ‘N Stones Craft
This craft is recommended for older children who are already familiar with harsh treatment of others.

Materials:
• Red construction paper
• Blue construction paper
• White construction paper
• Scissors
• Black flow pens
• Paste
• White mail envelopes

Instructions:
• Cut red construction paper into six squares and blue construction paper into six squares.
• On each red square write the following six inappropriate statements that are often heard in school:
1. I don’t like you!
2. You’re not invited!
3. I’m not sharing with you!
4. Get out of my way!
5. Get lost!
6. You’re stupid!

• On the blue squares write the following six kind and merciful statements:
1. I think you’re nice!
2. Would you like to come to my party?
3. You can share with me.
4. You can go in front of me
5. Do you want to play too?
6. You did really well!

• Fold each square and place them in a basket.
• Half the group picks red squares, and half the group picks blue squares from the basket.
• The blue group will lavishly decorate a poster board with very pretty designs that surround the six nice statements. Write at the top, “Good to Say in School.”
• The Red group will also decorate a poster board, but their designs around the six inappropriate statements should be negative or scary. Write at the top, “NOT Good to Say in School.”
• The two poster boards will be tacked onto a wall or cork board to remind the class that nice words are beautiful and make us feel happy, while mean words are ugly and make us feel sad.

Teacher Discussion Points: If you say something mean to someone and that person insults you back, the argument will escalate. Non-threatening answers can avoid an argument. Help students think of other harsh things they’ve heard and to practice replying with kindness instead of returning the meanness.

Do you think this craft would work in your church? Why or why not? I’m interested in hearing some feedback from other KidMin volunteers around the world… so be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page.

Chore Coupon Program
With family schedules and children’s maturity levels as coexisting challenges, it is better to start kids with easy service projects. “Easy” refers to the amount of
time, organization, paperwork and commitment involved.

One of the most valued lessons in serving at home is that a child realizes he is a “vested” family member, meaning that his family functions best when he is doing
his share of giving.

One of the easiest ways to inspire children to help families is with a “chore coupon program.”

1. Make up a coupon for children that simply says, “This week I promise to _____________ at least _____ times.”

Have the child fill in the blanks. Tell him to think of a chore that doesn’t get done often enough, that his parents would truly appreciate. But also tell him to think of
something that he might enjoy or that isn’t beyond his capabilities. Chores don’t have to be fun, but some fun chores include:

• Washing the dog (cleaning up the water/soap is part of the job!)
• Walking the dog
• Brushing/feeding the cat
• Picking flowers from the garden and making a centerpiece for the table
• Organizing that ever-growing box of photos and putting the pictures in a book.
• Cleaning the attic (and revisiting all your old toys)
• Cleaning closets and deciding what goes to Good Will
• Shoveling Snow (then making a snowman out of the mound)
• Raking leaves (and jumping in the pile before bagging it)
• Making mom’s bed (after jumping on it) so that she can enjoy getting into
a pretty bed.

This project need take won’t take more than an hour of a child’s time and yet the results may be great on the whole family.