Rattle Rocket

This is GREAT for multiple ages. A bigger ball and bottle opening (like a juice bottle) works well too so the marble is not a choking hazard for little ones. This toy is too loud for the space we have at Easter with a marble but fine with the bouncy ball.

I should mention, the way to get the marble out! Turn the bottle upside down from the way shown in the picture and video then shake. The marble comes out more quickly and is easier to catch/control.

Racers

We tried this yesterday. I can't figure out how to get them to 'walk' up the string. Basically, who ever had the longer arms won because they pulled their strings apart faster. We made our little person out of a cereal box so he didn't rip. (A 3 and 5 year old aren't gentle.)

So when that was a bust, we tied the string to the curtain rod and the other end to the dining room chair so we could race across the room. TONS of fun!

Family Fun Ideas

FAMILY FUN always has great ideas. I would like to try these ideas out to see how they would work for multiple children.

Games to try

I would like to see if these games are practical to try with 200+ kids.
These ideas are from library books.

Paper Puppets

I would like to try THESE paper puppets from Family Fun.

Fruitloop Necklaces

Simple inexpensive fun and a snack!

Toothpick Structures

I would like to put out toothpicks with marshmallows and gumdrops for children to use to build towers. This was always a fun activity when I was a child and I don't think very many of our visitors will have done this before.

(Plus, it is always fun to throw a simple math activity in since I teach math.)

I would like to hand out THIS tutorial from Raising Olives on how to make a marshmallow gun as well. How fun! Too bad it isn't practical for a large group of kids.

Ice Animals

I purchased several frogs/izards (6 for a buck) and Farm Animals (12 for a buck) from the dollar binds at Target.

I plan to freeze these animals in water and have the children chip them out using golf tees and plastic hammers. I will probably have the ice in the watertable so it will be contained as it melts. (Yes, I own two watertables so I can have more than one activity.)

The children may rescue one animal to take home with them.

I have done this activity at home and playgroup before. It is always popular.

Parachute Person

I really want to try THIS. I don't actually think it is going to work or be practical for 100 kids to make. But it reminds me of my brother throwing my Barbies dressed in formal wear over the banister.

I will let you know when I try it to see if it works for me.

--------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE:



I made this last night with a five-year-old friend. It was cute and easy. He LOVED IT!

I think I might draw a parachuting bunny for the season and try it copied onto cardstock so we don't have to worry about gluing the two sides together.

We taped a penny on the parachute person's backpack to make him fly better. Still this is the cheapest project and it was fun to throw down the stairs, off the top bunk, and off the play structure in the backyard.

Homemade Stickers

Here is a recipe and short tutorial for homemade stickers.

I did try this recipe last year. The stickers seemed a little strong. And I used printed clipart images which bled.

I need to find magazines to try this with again. I love this tutorial. I think the kids would really like these funky stickers.

Painted Rocks

I think painting rocks like Easter eggs with acrylic paint would be fun.

I am worried about drying time and where to find 100 to 150 rocks all egg sized.

Any suggestions would be great!

I saw this idea HERE.

I also love the idea of heating the rock and letting the crayon melt on it! Seen HERE and HERE.

UPDATE:


These turned out great! One of my friends suggested putting them in the crockpot with water on low. It made them warm but not too hot to touch. We simply took them out with tongs and dried them on a towel before drawing on them with crayons. This is possible to do with 100+ kids.

Coloring Book

This is the coloring book I drew to go with our lesson. If you would like the printable document, please email me at nicolereimer@gmail.com. I would be happy to share it with you.

God's Gift to YOU


God Created Everything



Man chooses not to listen.
Not Listening is a sin.


God has a great love for man.


Sin separates God from man.


God acts to allow man to change.


Jesus came from God to wash our hearts clean.


Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.

Jesus Cleans Your Heart

THE LESSON

This lesson was the stepping stone to our lesson.

This is why we hold an Easter Event. We want to tell children Jesus loves them and He is the way to heaven!


Introduction


"Hello, welcome to our Easter party. We're so glad you came because we're going to talk about how much God loves you. We have a fun story in there and we need to get ready for it. Do you know that God created you? ("yes") And when He made you, He gave you a heart, kind of like this one only we can't see them, can we? (give hearts. Make sure the iodine has just been placed on the heart. If the iodine sits on the white felt heart for too long it is difficult to get out.) What are our hearts for? ("love") That's right, love. God gave us a heart so we could love Him and love people. Can you go show your heart to Ms. --- and Ms. ---?"

Dirty Heart


What do you have there? ("a heart") Do you know who gave you your heart? ("God") That's right. Did you know that God has a big, beautiful heart? (shows heart) His heart is perfectly clean because God is always good. But our hearts look different. Ever since we were babies we haven't always made good choices. Do you always do what's good? ("no") Do we always make the right choice? ("no") Sometimes we might fight with our siblings or our friends. Sometimes we don't listen very well to our moms or teachers sometimes. ("yeah") Those bad choices are called sins and sins make our hearts unclean. Our hearts aren't pure and beautiful like God's heart. (put drops of iodine on hearts during discussion) After we make a bad choice, can we take it away? ("no") Can we rub that yucky stuff off of our heart? (try rubbing - "no") Looks like we have a problem. Head over to Ms. --- and Ms. --- to hear what you can do about your problem.


At the Cross


Hi guys, what do you have there? ("hearts with yucky stuff") So you and I have hearts that aren't clean like God's heart. Those bad choices make our hearts unclean and keep us from God. But God created us and He loves us very much. So He sent Jesus to earth as a baby at Christmas. Have you seen a Nativity scene like this before? (show scene to them) Christmas is when we celebrate how God sent Jesus to us as a baby. Then Jesus grew up and taught people all about God AND Jesus never made a bad choice. At just the right time Jesus died on a cross because of our sins so that our hearts can be washed clean from our bad choices. Should we take your hearts to the cross and try washing all that yucky stuff off? (wash the hearts using tongue depressors, careful of clothes!) All of our bad choices, our sin in our hearts, can be forgiven by Jesus if we believe in Jesus and ask Him to forgive us. That is why we celebrate Easter - we can have our hearts washed clean by Jesus! You can take your heart over to Ms. --- and Ms. ---.


Eggs & Review


How did your heart get washed clean? ("I washed it at the cross") Do you remember who died on the cross to wash your heart clean? Jesus died on the cross so that your heart could be washed clean if you believe in Him and ask Him to forgive you. (kids leave hearts and you give them a coloring book) Here's a coloring book to remind you of the story of Easter and here's something for your parent to read about Easter, too (a track). Here are your eggs (10 of them) and they have lots of fun stuff for you to do in the next room (activities). Have fun!

Welcome, Muffins & a Short Wait

Families arrive to the outreach and our greeted by a volunteer (preferably the pastor). They sign-in with their children's names and ages. We use this information to mail them about other church events. They also mark how they heard about the event: school, a friend, church, newspaper, or other. This helps us know where they came from and how to best advertise.

Parents can have a homemade muffin and then proceed to the lesson room. (Muffins are donations made by moms and other women who can not volunteer the day of the event. We have several moms with multiple young children so this is a great way for them to contribute to the event.)



Waiting

So we haven't got it just right yet. Many people associate Easter events with egg hunts. For an egg hunt you have to be there exactly at the start of the event or your child doesn't get any eggs. Sometimes our families have to wait in line a little while (at most 10 minutes) before they go into the lesson room. Any suggestions on how to get people to come at different times would be great!



We have out tents and tunnels to keep the children occupied.

This year I drew a coloring page of this cartoon from After Eden.


My drawing:



The kids always seem to have fun!
This made ALL our volunteers laugh this year.

Washrag Bunnies

I made these bunnies. They are so cute and I think the kids will like them.

My mother-in-law found white washrags for under a quarter a piece, so we have approximately 150 of them for next year (2011).

I plan on covering the rubber band with a little ribbon, using adhesive googly eyes, using pink colored pencil for the ears and nose and adding a little cotton ball for the tail.

Oobleck

Mix
2 cups cornstarch
1 cup water
food coloring (option- add to the water before adding cornstarch)

It takes effort to mix the two.
Hit it with your fist and pour it off the spoon.


I saw this idea HERE.

Volunteers

We have wonderful volunteers that love children and the Lord. A week before the Easter event we meet with all the volunteers and go over our meeting time. We also pray for the families attending the event.

Look at these photos and the others I have posted. Our volunteers are at the children's level, smiling, and happy to be there. What a wonderful way to display Christ's love.

Origami

We always have origami for children to make. One of our church members loves origami; she says of herself, "No piece of a paper is safe around me."

This is a great way to use the talents of our volunteers for the activities we choose.

Indoor Sandcastle Stuff

(aka Homemade Moon Sand)

2 cups clean, fine sand
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
Mix all three ingredients over a low heat (200). Remove when the mixture firms.
Cool and play! Store in an airtight container.


Moon Sand cost $5 for a little tub. You can make five times as much for that price.

I have made this recipe with two different 'brands' of sand.
First I made it with colored sand from the dollar store. The color was bright. The sand dough was a little rough.

Second I made it with sand box sand. I purchased a large bag of sand intended for a child's sandbox from a home improvement store. Then I colored the dough with food coloring. The color was a little muted but the texture of the dough was better. This version was also cheaper.

HERE is another similar recipe for Moon Sand I was emailed the link to.

Rainbow in a Bag

Mix 1 c cornstarch, 1/3 c sugar and 4 c water in a saucepan. Boil stirring constantly-looks like Vaseline. Cool. Fill 1/3 of bag with the mixture. Add food coloring. Zip and squish.


These are so easy to make and fun to play with.
Bonus: they aren't messy!

Games

We always have simple games out well. Tossing Easter Eggs into Easter baskets or a bean bag toss. Sometimes prizes are given out for a game but other games are just to play for fun.

Great prize ideas:
plastic silly straws
small bouncy ball
small erasers
pencils
donated items found on clearance (Shop clearance the Easter before. you can find plush toys and trinkets for cheap.)
(No item should cost more than 25 cents a piece.)

Sand Eggs

1/2 c. cornstarch
1 c. sand
1/2 t alum
1/2 c. water

Cooked on medium heat to thick, cool on wax paper, put around toy and dry. Hide. Crack open to find toy.

Play Dough

1 cup flour
2 T cream of tartar
½ cup salt
1 to 2 T cooking oil
1 cup water
food coloring

Mix flour, cream of tartar, and salt in a pan. Mix desired coloring with water, add with oil to dry mixture. Cook over medium heat until thick.

Cool. This stores for months in a ziplock bag.

Metamucil Slime

This recipe is truly gross. The little kids loved it and the big kids poked at it after they said it looked like snot. It was something none of the kids had ever seen before.

This can start to smell after a while so only make it a day or two before the event. We filled two large ziplock bags of slime to have enough for four large blue sheets.

Our large blue trays are donated from a church member. They are sterilized after surgery but then not used again. They are great for laying out material and having messy activities on.


Recipe:
1 tsp Metamucil or similar soluble fiber
8 oz water

Mix 1 teaspoon of Metamucil with 1 cup (8 ounces) of water in a microwaveable bowl.

Place bowl in the microwave and nuke on high for 4-5 minutes (depends on microwave power) or until the goo is about to bubble out of the bowl. Turn off the microwave.

Let the mixture cool slightly, then repeat (microwave until about to overflow). The more times this step is repeated the more rubbery the substance will become.

After 5-6 microwave runs, (carefully - hot hot HOT) pour the slime onto a plate or cookie sheet. Use a spoon to spread it out.

Allow to cool.

Slime can be stored at room temperature in a sealed baggie for several months. It will last indefinitely in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.

Liquid Starch Slime

1 c. liquid starch (It is best to purchase the Sta-Flo brand)
1 c. white glue
food coloring (optional)

Mix for 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

This activity is messy. Make sure you have a sink close.
The slime gets extra sticky if the room is hot. We found that out the hard way!

Pencil Toppers

Materials:
Pencils (I purchased ours on clearance after Valentine's Day.)
Googly Eyes with adhesive backs
Pipe Cleaners
Craft foam with adhesive backs
Any other easily adhered decorations

These pencil toppers were simple to make. We had a few examples out for the children. The adhesive backing on the foam made them quick to put together. We didn't have to worry about glue drying. I purchases the foam on clearance at the craft store after Christmas.

Shaving Cream

I assume you are seeing a theme here? I love messy activities where the children don't take anything home.

This is just shaving cream on old cookie sheets. The kids are encouraged to play in it. You can write your name, pile it up on your hands, or draw a picture in it.

We had aprons available for the kids to wear if they wanted to. After the child was done, a volunteer handed the child a paper towel to wipe his/her hands then the child stepped over to the sink (which was very close by) to wash his/her hands.

Necklaces

This activity was REALLY popular and was only done because we had the materials donated. All that we did was put out string and a variety of beads then have a volunteer sit and help the children make their necklaces.

This is a creative, fun, fine motor activity. We spent literally NO money on this activity. Members of our church donated the materials they had extra around their homes.