photo by cs1uk
Last Sunday in Discovery Unlimited, our 4th and 5th graders got to make individual servings of ice cream to illustrate the virtue of determination. If you ask any 4th or 5th grader who was at our church last Sunday, they’ll tell you it takes a long time to shake up a baggy of milk and sugar encased in a larger baggy filled with ice and rock salt. It also takes determination to continue shaking the baggies because your hands can get really cold.
For those kids who persisted and gutted out the cold, they ended up with some really great ice cream and left church with a smile on their faces. They also experienced first hand how important it is to keep doing what you should do so you don’t miss something good.
While the kids had a great time, the leaders, on the other hand, were left with a big mess. Our workroom looked like kids had poured pitchers of water and rock salt all over the counter and floor. As I helped some of the leaders clean up, I learned a couple things about this activity:
1. It was very messy. (DUH! I don’t know why I didn’t process that prior to Sunday.)
2. The yummy mixture doesn’t hardens well unless you have enough rock salt in the outer bag.
Even more importantly, though, I was reminded again that we have awesome children’s leaders in our church! They get children’s ministry! They understand that sometimes the best way to help kids remember a point is to allow them to make a mess. They know that when church is fun and kids are engaged, the kids are much more likely to remember the point of the lesson. They recognize that the ease of a lesson doesn’t necessarily reflect the effectiveness of the lesson. They are determined to do what needs to be done to help kids grasp the truths of Scripture. They are willing to keep doing what they should do so the kids in their group don’t miss something good.
Whether you’re a parent or a children’s leader, the next time you sit down to plan a lesson or activity for kids, I encourage you to be open to doing things that require a bit of prep, a bit of courage and a bit of clean-up. Don’t reject ideas initially because they seem too complicated. Often times, what makes the activity complicated is what also makes it appealing and memorable to kids. Engage your kids, build some memories, plant some seeds, teach some truth…
…and have fun in the process!
photo by madhatrk
Recipe for Individual Servings of Ice Cream
Put these ingredients in a pint-size Ziploc® bag and zip it shut:
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup half-n-half or whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Put 1 cup ice and ¼ cup rock salt in a quart-size Ziploc® bag.
Place the ingredient baggy into the ice baggy and zip the ice bag.
Shake until the yummy mixture gets firm. If it’s not getting firm, add more ice and rock salt and keep shaking.
NOTE: Have some towels nearby to wipe up any messes.
ENJOY!
October 28th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
One thing I’ve done that’s made me a bit braver over the years to try messy projects in my group is to invest in washable thick plastic table cloths. When I still had my groups at tables. Now I have my group on the floor and they still come in handy.
With the table cloths no worry about slopping pant, glue, permanent markers, glitter etc on tables. And if a project resulted in such things as bits of paper or other messy residue it was easy to pick up the table clothes and take them either outside to shake or to a trashcan to dump stuff off of.
Lately I find it helps in keeping play dough from being ground into the carpet.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Wanted to share a discovery I made yesterday when my second graders were playing with food (making cornucopias out of candy, canned frosting and ice cream cones). My concern was keeping stuff on the table (because hey, see above I’m the one with the table cloth for such activities) rather than on the floor. So instead of doing this seated on the floor (my usual spot for the group) I used a table. However, instead of having kids seated at the table - where there is that lovely gap between the edge of the table and the child. A space they tend to work in. A space notorious for things dropping onto the child and/or the floor. I had them stand at the table. The gap was eliminated and they worked over the table. Would you believe they kept the stuff ON the table! I picked a single nut off the floor yesterday.
of course the chocolate frosting on kids hands and faces was a completely different story - lol!