Pinterest Pick Thursdays!

Part of being in a community, is caring for the members of that community.  We do this by celebrating and grieving with them.  We provide warm meals, and kind words when they are in need.  And, we congratulate them when they succeed.

In our church community lately, there has been a lot of both - celebrating and grieving.  So, this week's activity is all about caring for others.

In this picture, two people are sitting in the background.  The
foreground contains the quote, 'I want to make sure it's people,
not projects, that occupy the sacred places of my heart.
@LysaterKeurst.'  It is from the website The Best Yes.

Pinterest Pick of the Week
Circle of Friends

Faith Formation Component
Covenant

Time for Activity
0.5 to 1 hour

Recommended Age
All Ages

Materials
General Art Supplies (cardstock, markers / crayons, glue, scissors, etc.)
Care package Materials (Optional)

Activities
How many communities do you and your child belong to?  I would venture you're at least part of 3 communities - church, school, neighborhood.  Can you name any others?  Start this activity by sitting down with your child and listing all of them out.

Now that you have a list of your communities, see if you can identify who, within those communities, may be experiencing a joy or sorrow.  Maybe you have an elderly neighbor who lives alone?  Maybe someone just had a birthday or won an award?  Or, maybe there is a child in your child's class that is distant or a bit of a bully?  One important point to stress is that while it may easy to have compassion for our friends, but not our 'enemies,' it is normally our 'enemies' who need our compassion most of all.

This picture contains a quote, written in white lettering on a red
background.  The quote reads "Treat everyone with politeness,
even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but
because you are."

Belonging to so many communities, you and your child probably won't know everything that is happening in everyone's lives.  But for our church community, at least, you can view a current list of our communities Joys and Sorrows by visiting your inbox.  A list of people in need of our kind words is sent out once every other week or so, over the list serve, under the title 'circle of friends.'

Finally, once you have a list of people in need of our kindness and congratulations, start making cards!  Here are some of my favorite ideas...

• Handprint Cards - If you have a child between the ages of 0 and 3, you may be wondering how you will get your child involved in making cards.  One of my go to activities with this age group is handprint art.  It is a pretty simple - paint your child's hand, manipulate, and press.  Not sure what to make?  No worries, Fun Handprint Art is a whole website dedicated to nothing but - you guessed it - handprint art.

A heart made out of handprints
from Fun Handprint Art.

• Send a Hug - Trace your child's upper body on a piece of butcher paper.  Invite them to color / decorate it however they want.  Cut out the shape and fold it into a hug.  Attach a short letter to the hug, offering your sympathies or congratulations, and then mail it to its final destination.  You can see more pictures and detailed instructions at Roots & Wings Co.

On the left, a boy prepares to be traced.  On the right, the final product, a paper hug.
Pictures from Roots & Wings Co.

• Care Package - If you are wanting to do more than just send a card, then a care package may be the way to go.  You can find great items to create your own care package at the dollar store.  Or, you can find inspiration by visiting the blog Once Upon a Fairy.

Halloween themed care package
from Once Upon a Fairy.

And, just because taking care of others can be a bit taxing on ourselves, here is a little musical nourishment for your soul.

Original Sources
All original sources cited above.

Don't forget, this coming Sunday is the Intergenerational Harvest Celebration!
Hope to see you there!

- Ms. Meredith.