Community Service Projects from Home

There's an awful lot of giving involved in being a mother to young children. While that giving is definitely character-building and worthwhile, I sometimes wish there were more opportunities to broaden the horizon of the people I serve during these years. I believe being a mother is a very important job, but sometimes it feels very inward-focused as I constantly look to the needs of my own family.

Fun with Finger Jello

When a little friend recently got his tonsils and adenoids out and was sad with his sore throat, we tried to think of something to cheer him up and feel good on his throat.   When we thought of finger jello we realized it was going to be fun for us too.

We made four colors- for each color we used 2 packages of jello combined with 2 1/2 cups boiling water (no cold water) and poured it into an 9x13 pan.  (The girls were able to do all the stirring) Once the jello had set (about 3 hours) the girls used cookie cutters to cut out letters and shapes.  (I had to be the one to lift them out of the pan with a spatula though)

We used the scraps around the cookie cutters to make rainbow parfaits (layered the colors)

A Daring but Good Christmas Present for a Child

Every year, thousands of people receive Christmas presents in the form of donations in their name to organizations like  Heiffer International, World Vision, Compassion, etc.   It seems to me though, that most often the kind of person who tends to receive this kind of present is someone who is difficult to buy for- someone who already has everything they could possibly want.

That 's why I thought it was really surprising when, this past summer, my parents chose to buy a goat for a poor family through World Vision as M's fourth birthday present.  M definitely is NOT difficult to buy for- she has lots of things she would have liked!

But how neat that my parents would trust a little girl to be compassionate and mature enough to be able to see this as a good thing.  My mom also gave M a copy of the book Beatrice's Goat which tells the story of a family in Africa who receives a goat and is able to use the benefits from it to make a better life for themselves.  It is told from the perspective of a young girl who would really like to go to school, but whose family cannot afford the cost of a uniform.

My mom read this book with M and talked about it with her to help her understand the present.  In the end, M did seem to understand, and she smiled and talked about it positively.

I think it was really special that my parents would want to give M the gift of helping her to develop compassion and empathy for others.  That's really an investment in her character, and something that could really make a lasting impression.

Certainly, my parents don't always give this kind of present to my kids.  There's a place for giving them fun, traditional gifts too.  (It also seems like you have to know the child and their situation pretty well.  There are definitely some situations in which this kind of gift would be a really poor choice)

But if it does seem like a good idea for a gift for a child on your list this year, here are some ideas for making it a good experience:

1.  Look at the catalogs. Many companies like World Vision put out catalogs of gifts like this that can be given to families all over the world.  It might be neat to pore over one of these books with a child to pick out something together.

2.  Pray for the family who will receive the gift together with your child.  

3.  Research the country or region where the gift will go and locate it on a map.


4.  Buy a stuffed animal to match the kind of donation as a reminder of the real animal.


5.  Encourage imagination.  Let your child imagine what the family might name the animal, how they would feel upon receiving it, and what that animal might be doing, etc.

Have you ever tried this sort of present with your children?  What suggestions do you have? 

Sending Get-Well-Soon Hugs

I really like finding new ways for the girls to send get-well wishes to sick people that they know. So good for them to be thinking about other peoples' struggles.

 When I saw this post about sending long-distance Valentines hugs on Pinterest I thought it would be a great concept for get-well cards too. The ribbons between the hands are measured to the lengths of each of their hugs.


What other ways have you found to help your kids send cheer to sick people?

Band Aid Get Well Card

My kids are always on the look-out for an excuse to use band-aids.  So when I saw this cute idea on Pinterest I couldn't help but smile. 

Ministry Idea for Young Children: Mercy Bags

At a conference I attended lately, some members of the audience were discussing how difficult it often is to find serving opportunities for young children. Many ministries have an age requirement for volunteering, and even when they don't make it official, little ones are often limited in the ways they can really be helpful.

One lady had an idea that I just loved. She said that she and her children put together plastic baggies full of non-perishable food and first aid supplies to give to the homeless people who solicit for money at the street corners. She just keeps a stash of the bags ready in her car and gives them when the opportunities present themselves.

Three things I love about this suggestion:

1. Here in Austin, just about every busy intersection has someone asking for money; so my children are very familiar with the need. Sometimes I've kind of cringed at the way we just keep driving when M looks sadly at the men and says, "They don't have very much money or food to eat." To her, it is very simple; I've wondered if not sharing in those situations plants little seeds of callousness.

2. You can make it as simple or involved as you want it. You can buy pocket versions of The Gospel of John for as low as 30 cents each to include in each bag or they could be as simple as a stick of beef jerky and a pack of gum. It's also great because you can fit the preparation into times that work well for your family.

3. Putting together the bags is something anyone can do- toddlers to adults! Family assembly lines are fun!

What other opportunities to serve have you discovered for your little ones?

Works for Me Wednesday!

Daffodil photo cards

Recently our playgroup did a project for an elderly lady in our church. The idea for the cards came partly from a recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens. This is what we did:

1. Took a picture of each of the children hugging a teddy bear. Printed the pictures off the computer, and cut them out as circles.

2. Glued the picture to the center of a muffin liner.

3. Glued the muffin liner inside of a second liner to make a daffodil shape.

4. Glued the flower to a card (folded construction paper)

5. Cut a number of green stems and leaves out of construction paper. The children then used glue sticks to glue them to the card. (something they could easily do, got them involved, and still left the card looking nice)6. Gave the teddy bear and the cards to our friend in the nursing home, showing her that the teddy bear came bearing hugs from all of the little children at church.

I really liked the way this worked out. Bringing all of the children to the nursing home would have been overwhelming to our friend, but the craft gave us all a sense of connectedness, and our friend seemed to really like knowing that we all had been thinking of her during our playgroup.