Family Activities for Home

Save a Heart Shaped Box for Lent!

2/13/2015

This is a Lenten tradition I grew up with.

Materials:
1) A heart shaped box (a large Valentine chocolate box)
2) A clear (plastic or glass) vase or tall plastic storage container
3) Stones (enough to fill your item # 2)
4) Jelly beans, sparkly gems, or something to fill the box with on Easter morning.

Directions:
1) Fill the heart shaped box full of stones
2) Place your [empty] glass or plastic vase next to it
3) When a child does a good deed, they get to move a rock out of the stony heart and put it into the vase (which represents building up the kingdom)
4) Continue this throughout lent

5) On Good Friday, empty all remaining stones out of your stony heart and place them in the "kingdom of God" because Jesus washes away our sins with His blood.

6) When your children wake up on Easter morning, let there be a glorious surprise inside of their heart shaped box because we made room for Jesus who dwells in each of us!

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Lenten Family Meal Challenge

2/5/2015

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Lent is coming!

Loyola Press has many good materials for a family Lenten journey. One idea they suggest is a family meal. This would not only be a meal where everyone sits together, but also a meal where everyone works together to prepare it and bring it to the table:

"Lenten Family Mealtime In addition to “Friday fish day,” designate one evening a week to prepare a meal together. Assign a different dish or task to each family member. Before starting, discuss how each family member is giving to the others—giving time, effort, and care to nourish the entire family to go out and do God’s will. Begin with a prayer of thanks and petition."

For more ideas and information about how to celebrate lent at home, please visit Loyola Press' webpage: "Lent at Home: Activities for Bust Catholic Families"

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Make a "Telephone" and Answer THE CALL

1/20/2015

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The LORD came ... calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
- 1 Samuel 3:10

Directions

Attach Two Paper Cups with a String:

Materials:

1) 2 paper cups
2) a sharp pencil
3) a long piece of string (up to 20 meters)

Directions:

1) Use the point of the pencil to poke a small hole into the bottom of each cup.
2) Thread both cups onto the sting and knot each end of the string to help prevent the cups from sliding off. (You may want to tie a paper clip or a bead into each knot to make it more secure)
3) Have one person hold each cup and walk away from each other until the string is tight.

NOTE: "The key is to make sure that the string is tight between the two cups, and this normally means that the distance is limited and the two people have to be connected to each other by a straight line. But as long as the string is tight, it works"
- howstuffworks.com

How to Play:

One person holding a cup is designated as the "Voice of God." The other is the listener, who is trying to listen and respond to God's call. The rest of the family stands around the listener, trying to distract the listener by continually making noise.

While the rest of the family is making noise, the "Voice of God" gives a funny command into their cup for the listener to hear and do. For example:

1) Jump up and down
2) spin
3) flap your arms
4) bark
5) hug someone
6) say, "I love you!"
7) Sit down
8) give someone a high-five

Be creative, and enjoy your time together. Feel free to rotate different family members in to the roles of "Voice of God," listener, and distractions.

Things to Ponder:

How was it hard to hear the "voice of God" in the game?

How is it hard to hear God's call in our lives?

What can we do to be able to hear God's call more clearly?

Prayer:

Open our ears, Lord,
Help us to hear YOUR VOICE despite all the
noise
clatter
and distractions of our lives.

Help us to hear YOU,
and respond joyfully to Your Word.

Amen.

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Build a Pillow or a Blanket Fort Together...

12/18/2014

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While building, ask your children about the story of the Wise Man and of the Foolish Man...

If they do not know this story, please tell them the story:

The Two Foundations.
"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
(Matthew 7:24-27)

Discussion Questions to ask:

How is building this fort like the wise man who built his house on the rock?

How can we build our lives on The Rock?

Here's a cute song you may sing together if you wish:

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Save a Heart Shaped Box for Lent!

Lenten Family Meal Challenge

Make a "Telephone" and Answer THE CALL

Attach Two Paper Cups with a String:

How to Play:

Things to Ponder:

Prayer:

Build a Pillow or a Blanket Fort Together...

The Importance
of Family

Archives

Categories

Save a Heart Shaped Box for Lent!

Lenten Family Meal Challenge

Make a "Telephone" and Answer THE CALL

Attach Two Paper Cups with a String:

How to Play:

Things to Ponder:

Prayer:

Build a Pillow or a Blanket Fort Together...

The Importance of Family

Archives

Categories

The Importance
of Family