Thanksgiving Pie Night Recap

What's your favorite food at Thanksgiving?  That's the question I opened last night's AWANA list.  The answers were vast and varied.  Some kids said that there favorite was the Turkey, or corn, or stuffing.  After all those answers we finally got around to the answer that I was looking for... Pie!  And of course after one person said pie all of the other kids said pie as well as usually happens.  

After that I gave all of my little one's (I had about 45 preschoolers-4th graders) to a Thanksgiving challenge.  They were challenged to say 125 verses in our hour and a half time span.  At 7:30 we were at 97 verses total... Just 28 verses short of the goal.  By 7:50, just 20 minutes later, we had increased to a total of 167 verses!  

Their reward for blowing their challenge out of the water... Seeing Miss Mary get not one but two pies of whipped cream in my face.  I honestly couldn't tell you who loved it more... the kids or my volunteers.  Right before the whipped cream got me I looked up to see every volunteer in the room with their phones out to capture the moment on video.  It really was such a fun night! 

To all of my brave #KidsMin this is a great way to encourage your kids to say a lot of verses in one night!  Would I want to take a whipped cream pie in my face every Wednesday night... No!  But, in the spirit of Thanksgiving we had a great time last night!  It was a great way to end the night.  

What's the craziest incentive you have ever offered your kids to say their verses in AWANA?

Thanks to one of my sweet volunteers for taking these pictures! 

Thanksgiving Ideas- Plus a Link Up!

I am so excited about Christmas this year.  Something about the holiday is just producing this sense of awe, wonder, magic, and a twinkle in my eye.  However, I also realize the importance of not skipping over Thanksgiving because there is equally something magical about this holiday.  There is something about taking the time to truly be thankful for the things that we have, the things that so many of us take for granted, that places my heart in such feelings of gratitude that I am sometimes left with tears in my eyes.  Just last night, on the coldest night of the year (a chilly 26 degrees) I became so incredibly thankful for my house to keep me out of the wind and for my warm bed and blankets to sleep under.  I looked up the statistic and it's estimated that approximately 100 million people in the world are currently homeless.  That means that last night approximately 100 people may have slept in the cold.

There is truly always something to be thankful for. 

Today, I'm hosting my first ever link-up because I want to see what you guys and gals are up to for Thanksgiving!  Link up your family friendly blogs below with your posts on your Thanksgiving traditions, crafts, food, family, etc... If it relates to Thanksgiving link it up!  I'll be sure to check them all out!  

I want to share with you some of my favorite crafts, activities, and devotions that I have found via Pinterest to help your family have a fantastic Thanksgiving!  

Kids Thanksgiving Tree: Source

If you are searching for the perfect lesson for your #KidsMin this one is only $15 on CMD!  

This Thanksgiving banner will look cute and stylish in any home and comes with a free pattern to download plus a full tutorial: Source

Take your family on a nature walk and as your walking talk about all the things that you are Thankful for in God's creation.  It's a great time for kids to talk about all their favorite bugs and animals, grass, trees, and falling leaves.  

After your nature walk check out this adorable Turkey craft made from real leaves picked up along the walk.  This is a great activity for Thanksgiving morning while mom or dad is in the kitchen cooking, the kids can be sitting at the table working on their own project. 

Here's a great and most importantly FREE object lesson using candy corn from childrensministry.com!

Check out this cute Turkey craft perfect for your Wednesday night service before Turkey day.

Be sure to be sensitive to kids with allergies! 

Also, don't forget the simple activity of sitting around with your family at the table after your Turkey dinner and give a chance for everyone to say what they are thankful for.  We have been doing this in my family for as long as I remember and it is still my best and favorite memory of my childhood.  

For more Thanksgiving ideas be sure to follow my Pinterest boards here! 

Don't forget to link up your own Thanksgiving ideas or even something you are thankful for!