ForKIDS Archive

For our families at home with their kids, looking for ways to learn and talk about God —
We are in a period of discernment as to how best to serve our families.
Meanwhile, the great at-home resources which Terry provided for us during lockdown are still available online.

16 Months of At-Home Activities for Families!

Scroll down to find the appropriate month, or simply browse to find what interests you and your family.

May
For Parents:
An article IN PRAISE OF BOREDOM,
from the “Doing Good Together” website

Read Your Bible.
The packet includes suggested readings in the Sparks Story Bible, or read your own bible. No story bible? To get one, contact Terry at forkids@queenannelutheran.org.

After reading, discuss the provided open-ended questions while coloring one of the coloring pages together. Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer and praying for each other.

Choose an activity or two from the packet each week:

• Make a Mother’s Day card for Mom. Write something special in each one of the flowers, then color and decorate.

• Make a card for someone you know at church and let them know you’re thinking of them. Deliver it to their home or send by mail.

• Volunteer to deliver donations that have been collecting in the church chapel by contacting the church office.

• Ask if someone at church or a neighbor needs help with gardening, and volunteer a day to help as a family.

• If you kept the Prayer Journal we made at the beginning of the Pandemic last spring, read over what you wrote. This summer, write in the new Prayer Journal and notice how your life has changed. God was with us this past year and is with us in the months ahead.

• Sing along with Cantor Kyle! A new song is posted on our ForKIDS YouTube playlist link: “For the Beauty of the Earth!”

Looking Ahead:
May is the last month of the ForKids @home packets, and we look forward to a gradual reopening for worshiping together! Have a great summer, and look for ForKIDS getting together in new ways starting in September.

ForKIDS Calendar
May 2021, Easter Season

May 2 Family Sunday—listen to Jenna and Sonia playing piano, and join in the Blessing of the Quilts!
May 9 Mother’s Day
May 13 (Thursday) — Ascension of Jesus.
May 16 Last Sunday in Easter
May 23 Pentecost Sunday
May 30 Holy Trinity Sunday (and Memorial Day Weekend)

HOLY WEEK ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES
Note: Printable version of these activities is here.

Palm Sunday
Parade around the house with branches shouting “Hosanna!”  or decorate the front door with greenery and a purple drape/ribbon. If you haven’t already, pick up a bag with seven tea lights for Good Friday worship. Go here for a list of times the chapel will be open to do so.

Holy Monday
Spend some time in prayer for the church, Pastor Dan, people in the QALC community, and the global church. Talk about QALC’s involvement in building the Twegashe School in Tanzenia, and go here more information.

Holy Tuesday
Jesus often taught in parables, using object lessons to help people understand His teachings. Think of an object like an egg, a butterfly or an Easter Lilly and how it can teach a lesson about Easter.

Holy Wednesday
In many countries and traditions, people follow the Jewish custom of cleaning and preparing before Passover. Together, plan a trip to the grocery store and do a little Spring-cleaning.

Maundy Thursday
Watch worship at a neighboring Lutheran Church (check for options here) and talk together about the meaning of Communion.

Good Friday
Have your seven tea-lights ready for worship. Plan for a way you will “blow out” the candle, and talk about it being OK to have the feelings of sadness, gratitude, and repentance that come with Good Friday.

Holy Saturday
We know how the Good Friday story ends! Come to QALC this morning from 10-11 to help make a huge chalk butterfly on the sidewalk, and bring some flowers for the greening of the cross.

Easter Sunday
Watch worship, sing joyfully, and prepare to celebrate communion apart yet together saying: “Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Peace be with you!”

April
Your packet for April will be mailed on April 8. We’re thinking about Earth Day this April!
(To get on the mailing list, email Terry)
Here’s some of what’s coming:

March
Your packet for March is in the mail.
(To get on the mailing list, email Terry)
Here’s what’s coming:

For Parents:
Instead of giving something up for Lent, GIVE for Lent. New Horizons Ministry has a “wish list” here of things they need; many are here on their Amazon wish list, and can be ordered to send directly to them. One idea is that once a week after dinner, each family member chooses one item to send to homeless young people. Making it a weekly practice during Lent focuses on sharing the many blessings we have, and that God loves ALL people.

ForKIDS:
Read Your Bible.
Choose an activity or two from the packet each week:
• Lord’s Prayer, lessons 1-3
• Lenten Calendar to open each day OR to use during Holy Week only.
• Craft for St. Patrick’s Day on the Holy Trinity
• View the “Putting-away of the Alleluia Banner” on YouTube here.

Activities found in the packet:
• Talk about the February Towel Drive for New Horizons that was held at church and look for updates on the number of towels collected.
• Join in the 100-Mile Food Bank Challenge in March with a partner—50 miles each?
• GIVE for Lent on the New Horizons website.
• Sign up to read lessons for Easter. Volunteers will record on Saturday March 20. Contact Cantor Kyle and volunteer early.
• In the mid-March packet for Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter, color Easter messages to give to neighbors or to send to the elderly in the QALC community.
• On Saturday, April 3 at 10:00, help make a huge chalk butterfly for Easter morning. Let Terry know if you’re coming.
• Finally, sing with Cantor Kyle, who has posted a new YouTube video (linked here), teaching the song “Lamb of God,” which we sing in worship.

Looking Ahead—A special packet with Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter activities will be mailed to you mid-March.

March ForKIDS Calendar
07  Family Sunday: Pastor Dan’s Children’s Message on video.
14  Sunday: St. Patrick’s Day activity on the Holy Trinity
21  Packets for Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter are coming your way
28 Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. Cantor Kyle’s new sing-along on YouTube will be posted.

Celebrating Diversity: The Lunar New Year!

Here are some pages to read and color

And here are some video links:

“Bet You Didn’t Know: Chinese New Year & History”

“Celebrating Chinese New Year with Kids”

“Chinese Lantern Festival – It’s All About the Lamps”

February
Your packet for February is in the mail.
(To get on the mailing list, email Terry)
Here’s what’s coming

For Parents:

• A little poster to inspire you. Parenting isn’t easy during these times, but all you do does make a difference.
• Here’s a good article from Ministry Spark. It’s sound advice and only a 7-minute read:
  They Like to be Told: Telling Children the Truth in a World of Sorrow and Pain
  The article includes lyrics to a song written by Mr. Rogers for little ones, but true for all ages –
  listen to the song: “I Like to Be Told”

ForKIDS:
Read Your Bible.
Choose something to do each week:

• Lessons and open-ended discussion questions.
• Valentine’s Bible Verse Scavenger Hunt: Love
• Lent One: Seeing
•  Lent Two: Tasting
  Check back here on February 12: Lunar New Year

Activities found in the packet:

• Coloring for Jesus and his disciples.
• Activity for Tasting: Pretzel Calendar and the Salt of the Earth
• Ash Wednesday Word Hunt.  
• Sing with Cantor Kyle on the last Sunday of February
  Kyle has posted a new YouTube video (linked here) for our littlest ones, teaching the song “We Are the Church.”
  a great message for this time—the church is people, not a building!
       

Service to try this month:

• Color a thank-you for first responders and post outside at your house.
• Help to make the Lent mandala in the breezeway at church. Let Terry know if you’re coming, Saturday 2/13 @10.
• Join in the 100-Mile Food Bank Challenge by registering on the church website, or sponsor Terry’s walk around Green Lake: $1 for once around? How many can she do? More info is coming in your High Five emails.

January
Hope your Christmas celebration is/was joyful! Adding to the celebration was hearing the kids who sang and narrated “The Christmas Story” video.
Attached right here is a lesson about New Year’s resolutions and keeping promises.
Your packet for January is in the mail! Here’s what’s in it:
For Parents:

• January Quill article gives a fresh look at New Year Resolutions.
• January/February Living Lutheran article: “A Faithful Response to Kids’ Anxiety.”

Read Your Bible.

Activities found in the packet:

• Make the yellow star and decorate.
• Family star to color together—it’s relaxing!
• Learn about an Epiphany tradition—then chalk your door!
• Sing with Cantor Kyle on the last Sunday of January – check back for the link.

Service to try this month:

• Share the coloring pages with someone.
• Contribute to the Warm Clothing Drive collection in the chapel—donate before Thursday, January 15.
• Join in the 100-Mile Food Bank Challenge by registering here,

January ForKIDS Calendar

January 3: Pastor Dan gives a Children’s Message on WordOut!
January 6: Epiphany
January 10: Sunday celebration of Epiphany
January 17: Martin Luther King Weekend. Discuss the “Always Be Kind” poster and Black Lives Matter.
January 20: Our elected president is inaugurated.
January 24: Do something kind to a person your know, or volunteer with your family.
January 31: Word Out is on video, and Sing Along with Cantor Kyle link is on YouTube.

Happy New Year 2021: cheers to the New Year and another chance to try to get things right. God encourages us to try again, and again, and again.

Happy Advent 2020!

During Advent we joyfully prepare to celebrate God’s gift of love on Christmas. A packet unique to your family, for younger or older kids, was sent at the beginning of the month. Some packets have Advent Calendars with a window to open each day and a Bible Verse to read, and some have daily tear off trivia cards to use for family discussion.

Join Cantor Kyle for a new ForKIDS song video, posted HERE on our YouTube channel. This month’s video teaches “Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah,” one stanza at a time for the four weeks of Advent! This song has been part of our online Advent services.

More activities for Advent:

* Make an Advent wreath or use four candles. Cantor Kyle teaches a song on this YouTube link you can sing each Sunday. Printed words are in the packet.

* Advent is a time of giving. In the packet there are two giving suggestions: The St. Nicholas Challenge and Cards for Seniors. Choose to do one or both to show gratitude for God’s great gift on Christmas and bring some joy to someone you know.

* The packet has plastic-wrapped craft activities. Make the activities to keep or to share with relatives, friends, or neighbors.

* Check your closet and collect in the neighborhood things to contribute to the Warm Clothing Drive. Drop things off in the chapel at church at designated times (Thursdays 2-5:30, Fridays 10-3; other times by arrangement with Barb. Please contact the office before you come by.) New socks for men and boys are most urgently needed.

* Contribute gift cards, robes or slippers for the Giving Tree. Items are due at church by December 12.

*Join in the 100-Mile Food Bank Challenge by registering here. Food Banks get food during the holidays, and the Challenge will give after the holidays when needs are even greater. Get sponsors from friends and relatives, help the hungry, and stay healthy by getting regular exercise.

Look in the weekly Friday Letter and High Five ForKIDS@home for additional activities happening at QALC during this festive season.

Peace be with you!
Terry Anderson
forkids@queenannelutheran.org

Living Lutheran: The Plate of Blessing

The plate of blessing idea comes from an article by Pastor Janelle Hooper, the ELCA program director for ministry with children, in November 2020 Living Lutheran.

Pastor Hooper’s family practiced the tradition of the red plate (or the plate of blessing) to celebrate the giftedness in each person that can sometimes get overlooked.

This is how the tradition goes:

Choose a unique plate, in this case a red plate with hearts, or other family heirloom to create the tradition of honoring family members and maybe also friends.

Whenever something notable is done by a family member and noticed in the family, the plate is set at the person’s place for a meal. The notable event may be big or small: a teacher making it through the first week of virtual learning, a struggling student gets a “B” in math after working hard, or the goal of going phoneless one day a month is reached. Simple acts of kindness or compassion become occasions to celebrate and show appreciation for each other.

Pastor Hooper’s family passed the tradition on to others by gifting blessing plates to  family members and friends.

The celebration can happen virtually when a family Zooms, or the plate with something special on it can be taken to the house of a friend or neighbor and explaining the tradition.

What a creative celebration and tradition! I wish our family could have discovered the tradition of a plate of blessing when my kids were small. However, it’s never too late to start, even with grandchildren!

November Activities ForKIDS:

Make a THANKFUL PUMPKIN all month long!
01 November: Look over your packet, and enjoy worship on Family Sunday with the Children’s Message.
08 November: Send letters to elected officials.
15 November: Read your Bible devotion in the mail.
22 November: Do activities from the packet on Feelings.
29 November: Advent begins, and a new packet is coming in the mail.

For Advent: Join Cantor Kyle for a new ForKIDS song video, posted HERE on our YouTube channel. This month’s video teaches “Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah.” Learn the first stanza, and then add a new stanza each week of Advent by using the segments of the video! This song will also be part of our online Sunday Advent services.

Activities for Kids

Make a THANKFUL PUMPKIN, and work on it all month long! All that’s needed is a pumpkin on the table where you eat. Each day, use a permanent sharpie to write or draw things that your family group is thankful for. Your pumpkin may not look as “professional” as the one pictured, and that’s just fine. By Thanksgiving you’ll have a long list and a bigger picture how very much God blesses you.

Share a photo of your pumpkin, and of your family, with the church office, and stop by to write on the Thankful Pumpkin we have at church.

Service:

Volunteer to sing and/or read and record audio for the Christmas Program right away in November. The recording happens before Advent, two people at a time. We need some kids who are readers to volunteer, but also zoomies to join in a ZOOM sing. Cantor Kyle is a busy guy doing all of this! Contact Kyle here to volunteer.

Write letters to elected officials. Officials listen to children sometimes more than adults! You are the new generation and we all love our country.

Join in the 100-Mile Food Bank Challenge by registering here. A Secret: grandparents like sponsoring grandchildren. And so do friends and neighbors!

Read Your Bible
The devotion on “Is it Real?” is coming in the mail by November 15^th.

For Parents:   Read “A Breath of Fresh Air”   — Terry explains friluftsliv!

Sing Along with Cantor Kyle

Cantor Kyle has a fantastic new sing-along video for children on YouTube, and more will appear going forward! Have a listen!

In October we are focusing on the Doing Good Together materials for “Active Citizenship.” Families will receive a packet in the mail, supplemented by the online links below.

Have you taken the QALC 100-Mile Challenge? Log 100 miles of walking by April to help feed hungry people! Go HERE for more information.

October Links	Description:
Monster Art Sing Along with Cantor Kyle	Activities for Kids Sometimes things can feel scary or worrisome, but today you’re the one who can make MONSTERS! Check back later in October for the link to Cantor Kyle.
God’s Work. Our Hands. All year long.	Service: God’s work happens with your hands! What do good citizens do? Check the Active Citizens packet in your mail. Do something from the “God’s Work. Our Hands” list in your packet, and linked at left. Paint “VOTE” rocks and leave them around the neighborhood to remind people to vote. Can you find the VOTE rock at QALC? Volunteer to sing and/or read and record audio for the Christmas Program. Contact Terry for details.
	Read Your Bible One hard time helps to prepare for another hard time: the story of David. This lesson will be mailed to families during the week prior to Sunday, October 18.
How Parents Can Bless Their Children	For Parents Give your children a verbal blessing; see article linked at left.
	Looking Ahead Active Citizens Part 2, mailed in November, comes with ideas for grateful citizens. Buy and save a pumpkin NOT carved for a really cool November activity. Want to sing and/or read for the Christmas Program audio? Cantor Kyle holds a singing Zoom for kids, and readers will be invited to record the Christmas script one at a time at church. If interested, contact Terry in October and we’ll send you details.

“HOPE GROWS HERE”—Look what our ForKIDS group has been up to!
in July we painted flowers! Children came by church to paint on tables in the outdoor breezeway, (and yes, we social-distanced and wore masks). After the “flowers” were sprayed for outdoor wear and put on sticks, they were planted outside. What an encouraging message to the neighborhood! Stay tuned for more activities.

God Will Take Care of You sung by a family with a two year old.. You’ll all enjoy this one!

Coloring anyone? It’s the Gospel lesson for this Sunday (8/02) to click, download, and print.

In case kids or adults don’t like wearing a mask, here’s Bill Nye the Science Guy to convince you.
Watch it with your children, because he gets insistent at the end. But when it’s this important I would show it from preschool on up. 

For parents to talk about protests and race: a thoughtful blog from HealthStart Foundation.

The Pandemic Ten for Parents and Kids—Good tips from experts, check them out!

And it’s summer, so try these activities, too, just for fun:

Flip Your Lid: an outside game from National Field Day.
Try flipping the way described, or try flipping other items. Try a contest with one or both parents or even with a friend doing it from THEIR house. Then take a video or report results to someone. 

Tennis Shoe Tower: an outside or inside game from National Field Day
Try any kind of shoes at your house.  And if the shoes no longer fit, take them to Goodwill to help others.
And here’s a pic of the one Terry made. Try to beat her 13 shoes!

For our families at home with their kids, looking for ways to learn and talk about God — Here are some great resources for you to use:

Devotion:Who Said That? Try to guess famous quotes!Fun for all agesMake me a ServantMake me a ServantThere are two links to the same song.
Which one do you like better, and why?
What is a servant? Why might we ask God to make us his servants?
Earth-LetterHelp Heal the EarthFrom DGT, Doing Good Together: Caring for the Earth
Print both links, make a poster, try the 31 day zero waste challenge – or even try it for a week. God gave us this Earth, and any little thing we do to care for it is GOOD.

Activity Links for Sunday, April 26:Description:Road to EmmausSeveral ideas for this Sunday’s lesson with activities for each day of the coming week. Sharing the Peace coloring pageColor this page as a group or on your own, and share “The Lord be with you!” in your family.Hymnal Hand-washing HitsBored from so much hand washing? For a different twist, sing a hymn while you wash your hands. Remember Earth Day:
Word Search
Celebrate Earth Day Ideas
Coloring Prayer for the EarthRemember that every day is Earth Day! Mark Earth Day with this Word Search,  coloring prayer, or try some of the Celebrate Earth Day  ideas on our list.

Activity Links for Sunday, April 19:Description:This first one is an idea, not a link:
Many people work while we shelter safely at home. Make a poster to thank any of these people: postal workers, deliver people, health care workers, garbage pickup, grocery store workers, farmers, truck drivers….? Let Terry know if you do, and we’ll provide a bin in front of church as the collection point, then put them up for everyone walking by to see.
To read together:
Sermon 4 Kids:
“Believe it or not!”Nice connections with the book Ripley’s Believe it or Not and this week’s story of Doubting Thomas. Some people still doubt that the coronavirus is as easily passed around as it is, so this is a very timely topic.Joy outside:
Sidewalk FunHere’s a fun way kids can be both creative and active using chalk on the sidewalk. It’s a family activity for all ages. Take a look!Doing Good Together
A site with ideas to trigger even more ideas for doing good, important for families at any time but especially now. Times we trust in God
Here’s a craft to generate ideas. Younger kids may need a little help, but it’s a thoughtful reminder for all ages.Did you miss our Easter activities for families? Take a look here for more to do. 

Sundays are for Children, too!There is a place for your child here! Children are always welcome in the worship service, and our church strives to include all generations in events wherever possible. ForKIDS classes begin on September 22 and meet from fall to spring each year on most Sundays. Our kids sing together from 9:00 to 9:30 most  Sunday mornings. Our two classes, for K-3 and for TWEENS, begin at 9:30 in the upstairs rooms until 10:00.Worshiping alone . . . or with others?In researching blogs to get insight on families and their church involvement, I found that ten reasons are most often given as to why even dedicated church people are attending church less often.Some of the reasons I’ve heard voiced, and some don’t sound at all familiar. Besides, with only God knowing what’s in a person’s heart, it’s certain that I can’t judge what people do.The reasons people do give, however, are food for thought.

• Greater affluence: people with money have more options for travel, for their kids.
• Higher focus on kids’ activities, such as sports, and someone to take them there.
• Families with two working parents need to find time for family time, rest, and relaxation on the weekend.
• Changing family structures with single parents, blended families, and families with one parent being of a different faith or no faith involvement.
• A cultural disappearance of guilt. In church involvement it’s probably a good thing to lose guilt as a motivator, and to instead find a positive motivation.
• People look less to churches for spiritual growth, and more to other options like books, friends, online self-help, counselors, being in nature, or meditation.
• People make time for what they value most, and some families fail to see a direct benefit from church attendance.
• Is attendance valued over engagement? If so, that results in a decline in attendance. How can churches show that engagement is what’s valued?
• A declining trust of and reliance on institutions, and disagreements or conflict in a congregation or church body can cause disillusionment.
• Change happens. Institutions that thrive are flexible and adapt with change, while those resisting change may go through hard times.

So, how can I use the knowledge from these insights?

• I might look at patterns my life to notice if some of the reasons for not attending church are true for me, and think about things I decide to do and why.
• I listen to people who voice concerns or struggles, ask questions to understand, and refrain from judgment.
• I consider adapting scheduling or programs when it interferes with the schedules or needs of others, realizing that being flexible is not always possible.
• I remember that we each have gifts, and that there’s more than one way to live life as a child of God. I can try new ways of living my life, and so might others.
• I remind myself that even as I do my best to live in God’s way, I’m a work in progress . . . that we’re all a work in progress, and that I’m loved and forgiven daily.

—Terry Anderson
Children’s Ministry Coordinator[/one_half]