From A to Z: Letter N

This lesson has the lovely Mr. Rodger's tune on repeat in my head--"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in the neighborhood..."

I bet you do now too ;)

We've made it half-way through the alphabet--I hope you've enjoyed it so far. I know we are enjoying it and learning a lot around here :) 

Letter N is for Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. It's a simple lesson, but it opened up a lot of doors (no pun intended-ha!) to talk about how we can love those around us. 

We made a colorful house, read the story of the Good Samaritan, and brainstormed ways to love our neighbors. 

If you want to add another fun activity this week, go grab the paper house illustrations and make a whole neighborhood :)  

Have a good one!

Nicole

Ps. I'll be taking at least a month-long blogging break from the A to Z series as we enjoy summer and I work on some other projects. I look forward to sharing O-Z soon :)

From A to Z: Letter M

If your little one is tactile, then they are going to love going through letter M. My boys are always up for activities that involve paint, glue, digging, and shaving cream ;) 

Letter M is for God Made the World. This lesson is all about exploring God's creation in a hands-on, tangible way. There's lots of sensory play (and maybe some extra messes!), but it's a fun lesson for kiddos. 

The lesson includes reading the story about how God created the world, going on a hunt for God's creations, and working through the 7 days of creation in fun and interactive ways. 

You may also enjoy these resources as you do lesson M (ps. some of these are affiliate links):

Play Bird Bingo (and maybe spot some in the wild too!)--you could also make this easy DIY bird feeder :)

Pick up this adorable animal I spy book from the library or bookstore

This may be better for the younger ones--but it's a cute book about our solar system

Have a good one!

Nicole

From A to Z: Letter L

Even when our kids are young, there are so many new and perhaps hard and sad situations that we need to help them navigate. As a mom, I don't always have the wisest words or the best advice. But I do know the source of the wisest words and the best guidance--God's Word. 

We have such an amazing tool to bring to the table and share with our kids. If they are afraid, we can remind them God is with them. When they struggle with sin, we can teach them about God's forgiveness and grace. When they worry, we can share with them that God cares for us. God's Word gives us hope, light, wisdom, and direction. 

The Letter L is about how God's Word Lights Our Way. 

My favorite part of this lesson is creating a special "lighted" experience with our little ones (there are a number of fun suggestions!). We chose to do a candlelit dinner and it was magical (except for the number of times I had to tell them not to blow out the candles! Ha!).

As you work through the letter L lesson, I hope that you have the chance to share with your children the beauty of the Bible and how much hope and light it brings to our lives. 

Have a good one!

Nicole

Love Your Neighbor: Make a Paper House Town

It's time to share another resource retired from the shop. We've actually done this activity a few times because the boys really enjoy it--I love that they get out some creative energy and I can recycle boxes in a fun way ;) Plus, once their paper houses are finished, they can play cars and people in their little town. If you've got a large cardboard box or large paper laying around, you could also draw some streets, railroad tracks, parks, etc. 

I originally created this activity as a tool to talk with your kids about loving their neighbor. While you are making your paper neighborhood, ask your kids about how they can love their neighbor--next door and beyond. You never know--you may be bringing cookies to that sweet widow down the street later that afternoon ;) 

A few tips:

• Open up cereal/snack boxes and make the inside the outside. I usually just use staples to make it back into a box shape.
• I usually let the kids color first, then I cut everything out. We've used watercolor, markers, and crayons. 

Full disclosure: it does take a little time to cut out the windows, doors, signs, etc, but it's also an excuse to listen to your favorite podcast while you snip away :) 

I hope that you enjoy making colorful paper houses with your kids. As always, I'd love to see if you do! Just use the hashtag #colorandkindness to share :)

Have a good one friends!

Nicole

From A to Z: Letter K

Bring out the Christmas tunes and twinkly lights (even if it is May!) because this lesson is all about how Jesus is our King. I love both the trueness and imagery of Jesus as our King--our great rescuer who brought us into the Kingdom of light. 

This week key verses is one of my favorite verses:

"For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins." Colossians 1:13-14 NLT

This letter K includes making paper crown (keep it simple or make it fancy!), reading the story of Jesus' birth, and acting out the animals in the stable. 

ps. If you need some fun tunes for this lesson, tune into the Color + Kindness Kingdom of Light playlist (it's one of my favorites!). Or, of course, turn on the Christmas music just for fun :) 

Have a good one!

Nicole