Kid-friendly Advent Printables

November 29, 2014 by stultsmamaof4 22 Comments

Every year the struggle remains the same: how do we keep their little hearts and minds focused on Christ when Christmas has become such a consumer-oriented holiday?

Enter the Christmas Adventure Box, a kid-friendly advent activity for the whole family. Explore the spiritual significance of many of our favorite Christmas traditions, such as Christmas lights, candy canes, St. Nick, and more.

I first wrote about how we use this kid-friendly advent as a family tradition a few years ago.

If you haven’t read that post, I highly recommend you start there (just click this link).

I also recommend visiting my friend Lana’s site, which is where the idea originated. She gives more detailed instructions in a lesson-plan type of format which would be very helpful for teachers, homeschoolers, children’s church leaders, AWANA leaders, and so forth.

One of the things I love best about this kid-friendly advent activity is that it is very flexible!

Choose to do every day or just a few days a week, spend as little as five minutes or as long as an hour, and if you get behind (that never happens to us…haha), complete multiple days in one evening.

It’s advent that works for your family!

This year, I wanted to be a little more organized since last year flew by so quickly that we never actually completed the Christmas Adventure Box advent acitivity. I was such a holiday hypocrite.

So, I created some free printables to attach to the items in the box (see below) with simple instructions for how to complete each day’s activity of advent for kids.

Using this method will prevent me from having to look up the blog each day or print out a new set of advent instructions when ours gets lost (which also never, ever happens, right?).

And I thought if I was going to take the time to make printables for this advent for kids, then I might as well share with you all. 🙂

So, Merry Christmas to you, my faithful readers – here are free, downloadable printables to go along with your Christmas Adventure Box advent for kids. Just click the words below to download.

Kid-friendly Advent free printables

I plan to print ours out on card-stock, cut them apart and attach them to the wrapped items in our box, making this family advent activity even simpler than it already is.

I’m all for simplifying the holidays for less stress, especially with four kiddos in the house (okay, three kiddos and one young man).

Don’t forget to visit The Christmas Adventure Box post for details on how to get started and a handy list of needed items. Once your box is filled and the cards are attached, you are all set to go for this easy, kid-friendly advent that that whole family will enjoy.

Teach your children the stories behind holiday traditions

and, most importantly, how Jesus is the Greatest Gift of all!

Jen 🙂

If you find yourself worried about how to give your kids a good Christmas, read here.

Sharing with:

A Group Look, Cornerstone Confessions, Monday Parenting Pin It Party, Mama Moments, Wholehearted Home, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, Grace and Truth

Welcome to The Loft!

August 4, 2014 by stultsmamaof4 6 Comments

I’m sure some of you have noticed that this blog went absolutely silent at the beginning of summer. I hadn’t planned for such a long absence. It really started out as a week off when my husband and I celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary with a trip all to ourselves (thanks to the generosity of others).

And when we returned, the school year was ending; chaos ensued. And then we were enjoying the first week of summer break – lazy mornings, late evenings and no real schedule to speak of.

I think that’s when I decided that I wouldn’t blog again until I felt prompted to do so, that I would take the summer to enjoy the extra family time. That I would soak up every last bit of these pre-K years before our twins would head to school and our home would be empty during the day.

There’s something about the oldest starting High School and the youngest starting Kindergarten that startled me into realizing how easy it is to waste precious time with precious people.

It’s been a wondrous break; worth every minute! The only thing I regret now is not telling you all that I was taking it in the first place. 🙂

So, now I’m back, and what better way to get back into the groove than participating in a weekly link-up that brings encouragement to each other and glory to the Lord?! I beg you to join us for our first ever gathering at The Loft!

Jen 🙂

The Loft is open, come on up!

Graphic by Kerry Messer

#TheLoft

The Loft is the place for conversation, community, networking, and Christian growth. Each week we provide a topic to start the conversation.

Then, Monday night, at 9pm Eastern, the link goes live and all week you can link up your post on that week’s topic.

We’ll have fun topics, serious topics, practical, soul-ful, holiday, and so, so much more…we can’t wait to get started! This is not only a great way to connect with others, it’s also a fun and easy way to establish a writing habit. If you aren’t a blogger, you are welcome to join in by leaving your comments in the comment section.

Listening is a lost art. Especially in the blogosphere where everyone wants to be heard. At The Loft, we know that listening is rewarding and rich… surprisingly so. So grab your coffee mug and come on up. Hang out for a bit. We betcha you’ll be glad you did.

To Participate:

1. Be creative. Feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic.

2. Listen twice as much. If you leave one link, visit two. Trust us on this one~wink.

3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and hashtag in your post and social media so we can find each other. Also, share the great stuff you find when you visit around…we’ll be doing the same.

When you link up at The Loft, your link will appear on 6 blogs! We’d love for you to visit The Loft co-hosts and know who we are:

Leah

Kathy

Arabah

Jen

Rebekah

Kimberly

Now it’s time to link up! Today is our FIRST EVER link-up! We want to get to know each other and begin making relationships, thus this week’s topic:

This Week’s Topic: “I am…” (finish the sentence, introduce yourself, share your passions, experiences, maybe tell us a few odd facts, or just link to your “About” page. We’re all ears!)

Next Week’s Topic: “Blogs that Inspire” (tell us what blogs or websites you go to for inspiration and what makes them attractive. Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if someone mentions yours after finding you today?)

Click through below to join the link-up:

An InLinkz Link-up

9 Ways to Save on Kids’ Clothes: Part 2

March 3, 2014 by stultsmamaof4 6 Comments

Last week I shared part 1 of how we clothe our four children on our single-income budget. Today, I’m sharing the second part of how we save on kids’ clothes, including how we take advantage of end-of-season clearance to buy new clothes a year ahead for our children.

Gently Used Clothing (continued from Part 1)

6.Consignment Stores for Children

In our area, we have a few choices for second-hand clothing stores specific to children. By far, my favorite is Once Upon a Child. Most of these stores will screen the clothing they take in (as opposed to accepting anything like some second-hand stores to). Prices reflect the value of clothing items, based on condition of the item and name brand. So, when you buy from such stores, you can be fairly certain that you are buying clothes that are free of holes, stains, rips, excessive fading, etc.

What makes stores like Once Upon a Child so attractive to me is the ability to sell your own gently used clothing to the store in exchange for either cash or store credit! I really appreciate this feature for my daughter’s wardrobe since many of her items are still in excellent condition as she is the only girl.

If any of my children have wardrobe needs, I will take store credit so that I can purchase what is lacking. If I have something else in mind to buy from another store, then I will take cash. Sometimes I even take some of both. Who doesn’t enjoy shopping without having to spend any money? 🙂

Tips: many of these retailers also accept toys, books, puzzles, baby items, and more.

Pros: wide variety, quality clothing that has been screened, ability to make money

Cons: may not accept all trade-ins, must watch prices carefully (they tend to be a little higher than second-hand stores)

7. Second-hand Stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.)

Second-hand stores offer a good source of gently used clothing, especially when garage sales are out of season. Local second-hand stores, rather than chain stores like Goodwill, often offer the best value. We have a store in our small town that charges only twenty-five cents per clothing item.

Tips: Look for 1/2 price days or weekends at chain stores (Goodwill’s is once per month), sack sales, or coupons to save even more money.

Pros: save money buy buying second-hand rather than new, wide variety of items, support charity when shopping some stores.

Cons: prices are often much higher than garage sales (and sometimes even store clearance), some clothing isn’t in the best condition.

8. Facebook Groups and Craigslist

If you are tech-savvy and enjoy shopping online, you can find some great second-hand deals on facebook or craigslist! Many towns and counties have developed online garage sale type pages for users to sell clothing (and other items) locally, much like Craigslist only via facebook.

I have both sold and purchased clothing items on such a group, and the transactions really depend on the people you are dealing with. Some sellers/buyers are very honest and easy to work with, while others are just out to make a buck.

Also, safety can be a concern since you will have to meet the party who is selling/buying in order to complete the transaction. Always, always, always meet in a public place and never go alone if you can avoid it.

Pros: local buying and selling, better pricing than many second-hand stores, easy to find seasonal items like Christmas apparel and Halloween Costumes

Cons: little to no regulation of items being sold, no way to leave feedback for negative transactions, need to arrange meetings, less variety than a second-hand store

Buying Brand New

9. Shop Clearance at Retail Stores

Shopping clearance is really a hobby of mine. 🙂 I like to shop, but our budget is tight and I want to be a good financial steward of the finances God provides for us. I also know that material things are only transient, so I don’t want to place a high value on them. Finding a clearance rack allows me to meet needs while also enjoying my hobby. 🙂

Shopping end-of-season clothing in particular allows us to buy new, quality clothing at second-hand (sometimes even garage sale) prices. Such items are particularly helpful for our boys since most items will be handed down twice, and some even survive well enough to be passed on to younger cousins!

However, clearance shopping is one area in which I must exercise caution. The excitement of a good bargain often leads to over-spending or over-buying (how many skirts does one preschool girl really need?!). Additionally, department stores thrive on marking items up and then promoting a sale thereby convincing consumers they are getting a bargain when, in truth, they are not. So, before I share my rules for clearance shopping with you, I must caution you not to blow your clothing budget by making the same mistakes I have.

Tips: Before you attempt to shop end-of-season sales for next year’s wardrobes, know your prices (takes time and research), know your budget, and know your needs (keep a list if you need to). My favorite stores for buying quality clearance clothing are JC Penneys, Kohls, The Children’s Place, Old Navy, and occasionally Walmart.

Rules for Bargain Shopping

Buy When:

the item is needed (either currently or for the next year)
you see evidence of multiple markdowns already
you have extra percent off of already reduced prices (I like to wait until items are 70-90% off original prices. For online buying, check for coupon codes at retailmenot.com)
you will earn rewards to buy other needed items (such as Kohls cash)

Exercise caution when:

you’re tempted by price alone
the item will be difficult to match (example: a girls’ skirt with a weird color of pink or purple in it)
end of season clearance has just begun (I’ve learned that some stores, Kohls in particular, mark some things as “clearance” that are really just their normal sale prices. If you wait for a few weeks, you’re likely to see much better discounts.)

Why buy a year ahead?

Whenever possible, I take advantage of seasonal clearance to buy a year ahead for our children (I mentioned this in Part 1 in the Garage Sale section). Thinking ahead is a technique I learned from couponing, and it makes a lot of sense. When prices are extremely low, buy more than you need for the present so that when you need the item in the future, you will not have to pay regular price. For clothing, that translates to buying a size or so larger for the next year.

For example, when summer clothes go on clearance, I think about what they will need for their wardrobes next summer, including swimsuits and footwear. Thinking ahead is particularly helpful for items that tend to be more costly, such as Easter and Christmas dress clothes. Example: Once I found a toddler boys’ Christmas suit (vest and tie included) for $1.97, so I bought it even though it would not fit our son for 2 more years.

The only two downsides to buying ahead is that your budget might not allow for extra purchases (even frugal ones) and you may not have the storage space necessary to keep clothing for a year, especially if you already have several children. In those cases, check for an area of the budget you can pull a little extra cash from (such as food) and ask friends or family for storage space in a garage or attic.

Once you have built up a little clothing in storage, buying ahead will not be as much of a stretch for your budget because you won’t be purchasing as many items for immediate needs.

Tips: Be sure to pay attention to how their current clothing fits and their general body type. For example, I’ve learned that our children all have my husband’s long torso, so I usually have to buy one size larger in shirts than in pants. Additionally, our only daughter is quite thin, so regular pants often look like clown pants on her. Thus, when buying ahead for her, I only purchase leggings and skinny jeans or slim sizes.
Disclaimer: Buying ahead may not work as well in the teen years when youths are prone to skipping whole sizes at once – we’re still learning about these years as our oldest is about to turn 14! 🙂

That wraps up part 2 of how we save money on kids’ clothes in an effort to live frugally. Saving money on clothing is just one way that we stretch our budget; for more ideas, read 5 Ways to S-t-r-e-t-c-h a Budget. I hope you find this information helpful!

Jen 🙂

You may find me linking up at any of these lovely places.

9 Ways to Save on Kids’ Clothes: Part 1

February 22, 2014 by stultsmamaof4 8 Comments

Quite a few months ago, I mentioned in 5 Ways to S-t-r-e-t-c-h a Budget that we save a lot of money on clothing for our children, and I promised to share details later on. Well, I’m finally getting around to it! 🙂

Clothing expenses can easily burden a larger-than-average family, especially a family living on a single income. In our home, when we have a budget issue, our first method of attack is to pray. We try to pray for our needs before we even begin to attempt to meet them (of course, we don’t always remember to pray first). And when we remember, we pray for wisdom to be good stewards of the finances God has blessed us with, as well.

Here are 9 specific ways in which we save money on clothing for our children.

Clothing for Free!

1. Hand-me-downs

Since we have three boys, this money-saving technique worked very well for us until we had our first girl (aside from our oldest’s tendency to wear holes in the knees of his pants in his elementary years). 🙂 Save the clothing that isn’t stained or sporting holes in a well-labeled, clear plastic tote for the next child.

Pros: no expense necessary after the initial purchase!

Cons: some items will wear out after several children.

Tips: Do not get rid of clothing (even if your youngest child is a different gender from older siblings) until you are certain you will not be having more children! Also, buy quality clothing whenever possible (find out how to save on new clothing in part 2 of this post) because the clothes will last longer. Finally, If you have no hand-me-downs to begin with, be willing to accept them from others in your circle – family, church family, friends, neighbors, etc. I can’t tell you how many times even our neighbors became the answer to prayers for our clothing needs, especially when we found out we were having twins!

2. Swap Clothing

Find a friend or group of friends to swap clothing with. For several years, I swapped cloths with a friend who had a son older than our youngest boy and a daughter younger than ours. So, she traded her toddler boy clothes for my toddler girl clothes. We also received clothes for our daughter from church family; these clothes had been through two other families before ours! Search for a large, organized clothing swap in your area, or even organize one of your own.

Pros: No extra spending necessary!

Cons: Storage space needed for totes.

Gently Used Clothing

3. Thred-up

Thred-up (www.thredup.com) is an online site for both buying and selling quality, second-hand children’s clothing (and women’s, as well). Once you sign up for a membership using your e-mail address, you are free to purchase. If you want to earn store credit by selling items you no longer need, you’ll want to request a bag from them. Fill the bag up as much as you can, send it in and they will give you a price quote.

Pros: receiving credit for clothing you send in; clothing is well-screened.

Cons: online only store means no trying things on; paying for shipping costs as well.

4. E-bay

E-bay is another online site for both buying and selling, although it’s not solely for clothing. Again, you can sell your gently-used items to earn money to buy what your family needs. Additionally, you might find brand new clothing listed for lower than retail.

Pros: ability to earn by selling.

Cons: clothing isn’t screened; can’t try on clothes; shipping costs.

Tips: when buying on e-bay, please be careful to choose a seller with a high feedback rating. Also, if you need a large amount of clothing, listings for clothing “lots” will give you the best value for your money.

5. Garage Sales

My favorite way to save money on clothes is to buy them at garage sales. By far, yard sales average the lowest prices for gently used clothing. I’m a bargain shopper, so shopping at yard sales is just a lot of fun for me, especially when I find items we really need. Of course, not all garage sales are equal, so I still watch prices carefully.

Pros: fun to shop; best prices.

Cons: seasonal in our area; quality of clothing varies.

Tips: when buying at garage sales, you can buy more than a year ahead if the price is right and if your budget allows. Buying ahead will save you money in the long run. Be sure to store your items in well-labeled, clear plastic totes or you may forget/overlook some like I did last year!

…………………

Click here for part two of 9 Ways to Save on Kids’ Clothes , including more ways to shop for gently used clothing and how to take advantage of end of season clearance sales to buy brand new clothing at second-hand prices! Until then remember: when you are offered hand-me-downs or when you find great prices at a garage sale or even the clearance section, think long-term. Don’t accept or buy only what you need for the current season (unless it will break the budget to do otherwise), but plan for a size or two ahead!

Of course, as with anything in life, learning to save money is another one of those work-in-progress areas. The best way to be a good financial steward is to cover all of your budgeting and spending decisions in prayer. I know I often forget to go to the Lord first even though He promises to provide. I’m not always the best at trusting in Him to provide, but He is able, sisters!

Jen 🙂

You may find me linking up at any of these wonderful places.

Counting Bedtime Blessings

February 16, 2014 by stultsmamaof4 12 Comments

It’s past midnight now, yet I sit sleepy-eyed in the too quiet house. Our four children are all tucked safely into bed and my husband snores beside me. An extra chill hangs in the air as temperatures outdoor have dipped below zero once again.

I should have gone to bed long ago, but the quiet is so peaceful and I’m feeling so thankful. Not for any one thing in particular, really, but for many small things all at once that pile up to one pretty spectacular life that I just don’t deserve.

And it’s because of Him, our Creator God, that I am gifted with this one life, this one year, this one day never to be repeated again.

So, I’m thankful because in the midst of trial, I’m finally seeing some of the good. I don’t always see it, don’t always “count it joy,” but today I can see the progress.

Today I realized that this time of trial has greatly strengthened our marriage. I’m able to appreciate my husband in ways that I haven’t been able to before. He’s been my comfort in times of need and my encourager in times of weakness. We’ve regained that sense of companionship that so easily gets lost in the daily urgency of parenthood and of ministry. I’m counting that a victory!

Even more, after finishing only part of the laundry and part of the coupon clipping, I felt free to stop and just “be” with them, those fabulous kids who amaze me with their zest for life and their love for others. And again I’m thankful because I don’t always take the time to stop and read books or play legos or look at drawings or dance. I can’t always resist the desire for domestic perfection, but I’m never sorry when I do. Another victory I’m claiming!

And I, I walk away the richer for it. I fall even more in love with these creatures the Lord has entrusted to us.

I notice the way my daughter’s bedtime hugs and kisses always come with compliments like beautifulest or sweetest or nicest or bestest. And when I pay her a compliment in return, her face fairly glows with joy. She’s my enthusiastic encourager.

I notice, too, the way our youngest son really hugs me back, both small arms around my neck and a nice squeeze (but not too hard), maybe even a few pats on the back. He lingers there, not old enough to be embarrassed yet by sitting in Mommy’s lap. He’s my sweet snuggler.

I can’t leave out our middle son, our macho man, who seems unusually happy and eager to please this evening (bedtime is normally met with his frowns). In fact, he asks me to stop reading before his bedtime story is finished so that he will have time to pick up his blankets from the floor (shocking!), the leftovers of a massive tent-fort built on this unexpected snow day. It delighted me because…he’s my energetic entertainer.

The only one left is our oldest son, quick to help, slow to anger. His shoulders seem to grow broader by the day as his voice deepens. He’s developing a hunger and thirst for the Lord that thrills this mama’s heart. He’s my gentle leader of the pack. 🙂

What really struck me this evening, though, was the sense of peace that pervaded the air here. The transformation that love in action has on our children is profound. When they know that in this moment right here, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they are incredibly loved, that they are valued for who they are, then they blossom right before my eyes.

No tears at bedtime, no scowling, no stalling…

I can see it on their smiling faces, that in just a few lovely hours, they’ve been filled to the brim so much so that it just overflows in return – love and joy and peace.

Suddenly, I realize that it’s no different for me. How much easier it is for me to obey my Heavenly Father when I’ve taken time to revel in His love for me, His perfect, unfailing, unconditional love for me. Not for everyone else, but for me.

How quick I am to chose right instead of wrong.

How strong I stand in the face of temptation.

How peaceful I feel.

And in me, the joy is unspeakable because it’s true. My Father God loves me. He’s patient with me. He comforts me. He rejoices in me. He blesses me with an abundance of good things.

And even on the tough days, when I act like an ungrateful child, He waits for me. And when I sink to the ground in absolute despair, He sits beside me. And when I’m ready to press on, He helps me stand.

Isn’t it the same for all of us, sisters? If we could just live every day with this soul-deep thankfulness for who He is and for who we are because of Him, then being the women of faith we should be, the ones we really long to be, wouldn’t be half as hard!

Instead, the work-in-progress would come easy to us. The victories frequent rather than few and far between. It would spill right over the edges of our very selves and stream out to everyone around us, this supernatural love.

All of those good things that we cannot manufacture on our own? They begin with Him, through Him, from Him.

Because He is good and His love endures forever.

We can be confident in that Love, sisters, for it tells us who we are.

It brings us victory!

Jen 🙂

You may find me linking up at any of these places.

The Christmas Adventure Box ~ Kid-friendly Advent

December 1, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 22 Comments

The Christmas Adventure Box

~ an easy, kid-friendly advent for the whole family!

*This post makes use of affiliate links. For more information, please visit Being Confident of This’s About page. Thank you for supporting this blog!

My husband and I purposed to combat the commercialism of Christmas and cultivate true Christmas spirit in our home many years ago. We looked for resources to use for our young and growing family.

We invested in Veggietales dvds about the true meaning of Christmas and a kid-friendly nativity set. We participated in Operation Christmas Child, and we worked at local outreach events. We read the Christmas story from the Bible on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

But we still felt like our children needed to be better educated about why we do some of the traditional things we do at Christmas time. Enter the Christmas Adventure Box – a family Advent activity.

My friend and fellow blogger Lana introduced us to the Christmas Adventure Box, a family advent activity/program that she developed for her own family. The idea of the box is to complete daily (or several times weekly, for us) advent activities to help us remember the Greatest Gift of All, Jesus.

It was an immediate hit with our oldest two boys, especially with the word “adventure” in the title!

I know the last thing we all need during the Christmas season is yet another item for our “lists” of things to do (so please, please don’t feel pressured).

However, this family advent plan takes literally less than an hour to organize and the activities can take as little as five minutes or as long as 20-30 minutes depending on how involved you wish to make it (or how long your four year olds will sit still…)

It really is a simple, but fun way to focus on the reason for the season! 🙂

Update: it’s even easier this year because I’ve added FREE printables that you can attach directly to the items in your box! Just click the link. 🙂

Lana has created a blog specifically for the Christmas Adventure Box which you can find here. If you want a full 25 day advent list, then I recommend visiting her site. It’s very detailed and even has a lesson-plan type of format that would be particularly helpful for those who homeschool, teach children’s church, etc.

However, for our family, I’ve found that it’s less stressful to schedule only a few nights a week of kid-friendly advent activity. So with permission, I’ve modified the Christmas Adventure Box to fit our schedule and even added in a few items that were important to us, such as spending one day on global missions.

That’s the beauty of this family advent activity – you can tailor it to fit the needs or even the traditions of your family! 🙂

Here’s how to get started:
Choose which activities you’ll be using (from the list below or from Lana’s site) for your family advent and wrap the according items. Don’t forget to download and print the cards to attach to each item! Put all of the items into a large box (The Christmas Adventure Box) and wrap it as well. Each day that you plan to use the Christmas Adventure Box, you’ll unwrap one (0r more) of the items and complete that day’s devotional/activity.

The Greatest Gift – read John 3:16 – unwrap the Christmas Adventure Box.

This will be the first activity on the advent list because it sets up the whole idea of the Christmas Adventure Box. However, once you’ve completed this day, you can do any of the following days in whichever order you choose.

First, bring out the large, wrapped Christmas Adventure Box. Explain to your children that you will be unwrapping an item a few times a week in order to learn more about Jesus this Christmas season.

Read John 3:16 and talk about how Jesus is the greatest gift of all. You can also read prophecies from Isaiah about the Promised Deliverer. Feel free to share the full gospel with your children and pray together as a family.

Joseph and Mary – read Luke 1:30-33 – unwrap Joseph and Mary from your nativity set.

We purchased a fisher price little people nativity set several years ago when our twins were born, which makes it easier to let them “play” with the figures. If you have littles in the house, be sure to choose a non-breakable set to work with.

On this day, you’ll read the story of Jesus’ parents learning that Mary was with child! Discuss the prophecies fulfilled by Mary and Joseph found in Isaiah 9:7 and Isaiah 7:14. Talk about promises God has kept for your family and pray together.

Baby Jesus – read Luke 2:6-7 – unwrap the baby Jesus figure from your nativity set.

Today you can discuss once again that Jesus was a gift, not only to His parents, but to the whole world. Talk about the birth stories of each one of your children – how you planned for them, waited for them, and the joy of experiencing their birth.

Ask your children to find similarities and differences between their births and Jesus’ birth. Pray together as a family, thanking Him for each family member and most of all, for the gift of a Savior.

Shepherds and Angels – read Luke 2:8-20 – unwrap the shepherd and angel figures from your nativity set.

Discuss a time when your family had exciting news to share. Think about how the angels and shepherds must have felt sharing such important news.

Talk about how important it is that we continue to share the story of Jesus with anyone who hasn’t yet heard and pray together, especially for any unsaved relatives or friends.

The Wise Men – read Mt. 2:1-2, 10-11 – unwrap the wise men from your nativity set.

Talk about how the wise men had never heard about a Savior being born, but they still knew to follow the star. Discuss the ways that God reveals himself to us today. Pray together as a family that your knowledge of God’s ways would increase.

Light of the World – read Mt. 5:14-16 – unwrap a notecard that says “Christmas Adventure!” on it.

Discuss light and dark. Ask your children how Jesus is the Light of the World. Then, pile everyone into your vehicle and go on an adventure to see some Christmas lights! (You can continue discussion as you travel). Be sure to pray together as a family.

*I try to schedule this night on a weekend so that we can allow the children to have sleepover by the Christmas tree. It’s one of our boys’ favorite traditions.

Legend of the Candy Cane – read Isaiah 53:5 – unwrap a candy cane.

Read your children a brief version of the legend of the candy cane and discuss why we use them in our Christmas decorations. And yes, Pray together.

Joy to the World – read Mt. 28:19-20 – unwrap a small globe or picture of the world.

Tell your children about things we have in America that help us to know who God is (a Bible in our own language, churches we can attend, freedom of religion, etc.). Discuss how other countries may or may not have these items. Explain the importance of reaching the whole world with the Good News about the Greatest Gift.

Pray as a family for most unreached people groups of the world (if you need an easy way to pray for the most unreached peoples, use the T.H.U.M.B. method here.)

The Legend of Saint Nicholas – read Gal. 2:10 – unwrap socks or a stocking.

Read a brief version of the Legend of Saint Nicholas to your children. Talk about ways your family can pass on the gift of Christmas to others by being generous. Watch the Veggietales video, Saint Nicholas: The Joy of Giving. (Hint: many Veggietales videos can be found on Netflix. No need to purchase!)

Pray together for a generous spirit during this season rather than a coveting spirit. *This would be the perfect place to include a service project such as Operation Christmas Child or serving at a local soup kitchen.

Christmas Caroling – read Rev. 5:12 – unwrap a note that reads “Christmas Adventure!”

Talk about the importance of singing God’s praises. Take the whole family for an adventure in Christmas caroling and spread some cheer to your neighbors or even shut-ins from your church. Local nursing homes usually welcome carolers, as well!

Pray together as a family.

The Baker’s Hand – read Isaiah 64:8 – unwrap cookie cutters.

Make and decorate sugar cookies (if you have small or impatient children as I do, it’s a good idea to make the dough ahead of time).

While you are working, discuss how God shapes us according to His purposes and how we are each uniquely created and uniquely gifted by Him. Pray as a family, asking the Lord to help each one remember that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – read Thessalonians 2:15-16 – unwrap a nativity story dvd or a “Christmas Adventure!” notecard.

We have two different takes on this day’s advent activity. In the past we have used one or the other, or sometimes both! The first is to watch a dvd about the Christmas story, such as The Nativity Story. The second is to attend a local candlelight service, if you have one near you.

Both options will work to help you review what you have learned throughout the month of December and to celebrate this special evening. Our family also has a tradition of an evening meal of summer sausage, crackers, cheese, and hot cocoa.

I know it sounds weird, but most of those items were obtainable when we lived in Papua New Guinea during my MK years. I have such fond memories of making the most of Christmas in a tropical country that we decided to continue it once we were married. 🙂

Christmas Day – read Luke 2:1-20 and unwrap a Bible

(Shhh – don’t tell, but this year we plan to get preschool Bibles as gifts for our twins!).

Read the Christmas story together. Today, enjoy family and gift-giving and fun all within the context of celebrating Jesus’ birthday! 🙂

That’s it!

The Christmas Adventure Box is a simple, kid-friendly advent activity to emphasize Christ in your home this Christmas season.

The best part? It doesn’t cost a dime! Just pick the days you wish to use or even add a few of your own, wrap up the necessary items, and you are ready to go.

Remember, I’ve only included my favorites here, so if you want a full list, visit Lana’s site. Don’t forget to print out the free printables!

Enjoy!

Jen 🙂

Also sharing with: Beauty Through Imperfection, Missional Call, Mom’s The Word, Wholehearted Wednesdays

The Pumpkin Gospel

October 20, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 70 Comments

A few years ago, I was searching for a fall-themed object lesson for our group of AWANA kids. I found a lot of great Thanksgiving craft ideas and even Halloween ideas, but nothing that really struck me, until I ran across the Pumpkin Gospel, also known as the Pumpkin Parable.

Although traditional pumpkin carving is associated with Halloween, this object lesson is all about the Light – how Jesus changes us from the inside out. When children learn this lesson, they will remember it year after year during the Fall season.

You see, I’m learning that perhaps even pagan holidays like Halloween can be redeemed!

Kids love holidays. They love pumpkins. They also love stories. Additionally, they need to be exposed to ideas over and over again for information to take root. The Pumpkin Gospel is a perfect Fall fit!

Preparations:

You will need a table to stand at and a medium to large sized, prepared pumpkin. To prepare the pumpkin:

cut out a hole in the top and clean out the majority of the goo, but save it.
Next, cut out a face with eyes, nose and a smiling mouth, but save the pieces you remove.
Then, put the removed pieces back into place so that the pumpkin looks uncut.
Set aside a few of the cleaner seeds to use at the beginning.
Then, put the rest of the gooey seeds and pulp back in the middle of the pumpkin and replace the top.

The idea is to have the majority of the work done ahead of time so that you don’t have long pauses in your story/object lesson while you’re teaching the Pumpkin Gospel. You will also need a cookie sheet or tablecloth to contain the pumpkin mess during your story, and a candle and matches.

Pumpkin Gospel Story:

Once there was a Gardener who planted seeds in His garden (show clean pumpkin seeds). Each day the Gardener cared for the seeds. He watered them, pulled weeds from around them, and sheltered them from the heat of the sun. The seeds grew into seedlings, which developed into plants, until one day, they produced fruit – pumpkins! The pleased Gardener looked out at His garden and said, “It is good!”

The Pumpkin Gospel

One day, the Gardener went out into his field and picked a special pumpkin (place pumpkin on the table – on top of a cookie sheet or tablecloth, etc. with the uncarved side facing the audience). It was a bit dirty from laying in the garden, so he brought it inside and gently wiped it off (wipe off exterior of pumpkin). Now the pumpkin looked clean on the outside, but what about the inside?

The Gardener took a knife and cut open the top of the pumpkin (pretend to cut open the top again and take it off). And what did He find? A bunch of slimy, yucky goo! (show kids the goop – maybe even let them touch it if you have a small enough group). The Gardener wanted His special pumpkin to be beautiful, so He carefully scraped out all of the goo inside until the pumpkin was as clean inside as it was on the outside! (Remove goo and throw away. Show children the clean interior)

But the Gardener still wasn’t satisfied with the pumpkin. He decided it needed a face! So, He carefully cut out two eyes, a nose, and a big smiling mouth (Turn the carved side of the pumpkin to face the audience. Poke out the eyes, nose and mouth you carved out previously). Now the Gardener’s special pumpkin looked clean AND happy.

But the Gardener still wasn’t satisfied with the pumpkin. So, He put a light inside of it (insert candle and light it). The pumpkin glowed so beautifully! The Gardener’s special project was complete.

When friends and neighbors saw the Gardeners special pumpkin, they marveled at how He took something ordinary from His garden, cleaned it inside and out, put His light inside, and made it something extraordinary!

Explanation of the Pumpkin Gospel:

We are like pumpkins and God is the Gardener. God creates us and cares for us. He “chooses” us from all of the other pumpkins, but inside we all have the yucky goo – sin. (Read Rom. 3:23 and Rom. 6:23)

Just like the Gardener cleaned out his pumpkin’s goo, God wants to clean out all our sin, too. So, He sent his Son Jesus to die for our sins, to take the punishment we deserved. (Read Rom. 5:8, John 3:16, and 1 John 1:9)

Just like the Gardener gave the pumpkin a new face, God makes us a new creation! (Read 2 Cor. 5:17)

Just like the Gardener put His light into the pumpkin to make it shine, so God gives us His light to shine through us! (Read 2 Cor. 4:6 and Mt. 5:16)

So, when we let God clean out our sin, by believing that Jesus died to pay the punishment that we deserve, He turns us into new creations that can shine for Him! And when others see our light, then they might want to learn how to have a light of their own, too!

Religion vs. Relationship Pumpkin Gospel Alternate

In an alternate version of the Pumpkin Gospel, you can also demonstrate the difference between being saved by grace and trying to “earn” salvation through works. All you will need is a second pumpkin with a face that is painted on (rather than cut out). The story about this pumpkin is along the lines of wanting to be “chosen” but not allowing the Gardener to clean out the inside.

So, the pumpkin wears a painted face (tries to make itself acceptable on the outside), but inside, it’s still full of yucky goo. Without removing the goo, there’s no room for the Gardener’s light, so the pumpkin cannot shine.

Many people try to make themselves acceptable to God in their own way ( just like Adam and Eve in the Garden). They might go to church and act like Christians, and they might even believe in God. But unless they trust that Jesus paid the price for their sins, then the sin remains on the inside. They cannot become new creatures without allowing Christ to remove their sin. So, the light of Christ cannot be in them. (Read Eph. 2:8-10) This alternate pumpkin gospel object lesson would work especially well with older children, perhaps even youth age.

Make the most of Fall and the fun opportunities it brings!

Use the Pumpkin Gospel to build your family’s faith. You could even go beyond that – host a fall party, invite your neighbors, and make this fun pumpkin activity part of the experience. It’s a fun, no-pressure kind of way to share your faith with your neighbors!

*This post makes use of affiliate links. For more information please visit the About page for Being Confident of This. Thank you for helping to support this blog!

Note: I have recently learned that there are a variety of books available to help with this object lesson. This one seems closest:

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And Here is one for little hands:
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So, if you’re looking for a fall family activity or even an object lesson for your church or homeschool group, consider redeeming a little bit of Halloween and using the Pumpkin Gospel. Year after year when children see pumpkins lit up, they can remember the story of Who put the light inside of them!

If you have other ideas or stories for redeeming Halloween, I’d love to hear them in the comments!

Jen 🙂

Pumpkin Gospel FREE Printable

This year I’ve added a special bonus for newsletter subscribers. Just fill in the information below to access the free printable version, which includes preparation instructions and the Pumpkin Gospel parable for you to read! You will need to confirm your subscription before you receive access to the library of printables. (Hint: Look for it in your Welcome email!)

Also sharing this post with: The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co, Salt and Light Linkup

True Stories from a Busy Mama

September 27, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 17 Comments

Sometimes I fail as a Mom; it’s true. Like yesterday when I forgot to put in a load of laundry that happened to contain the soccer jersey my teenage son needed for his game last night. Let’s just say it didn’t smell the best. 🙂

I felt so bad for him and so frustrated with myself for forgetting!

And then there are the times when I forget to sign my seven-year-old’s assignment book every night. Or the times when field trip money is due. How about the times when someone asks you to do something simple, and you agree, only to forget over and over again?!

The truth is that as a mama of four, my mind is occupied by so many different thoughts, needs, and schedules at one time that some things are bound to slip through the cracks. It frustrates me because I used to be a very dependable person….before kids. 🙂

But then I remember something my aunt said on facebook a while back. She told another relative dealing with mom-guilt that she was mothering well. Why? Because this mom teaches her children about the saving grace of Jesus.

And the truth is, that’s enough, isn’t it?!

If shoes go untied and beds go unmade and laundry goes unwashed or unfolded, but we remember to tell our children about Jesus, then we have done the most important thing of all!

Sharing truth, the most important truth in the universe, is the best way to be a “good” mom.

So, if like me you experience an epic fail in your motherhood this week, remember what’s true.

Superwoman is just a myth.

You teach your children about Jesus.

And that’s enough.

Jen 🙂

This Five Minute Friday’s challenge word from Lisa-Jo Baker is True. She’s asking women all over the globe to share their true stories – the good, the bad, and the ugly. 🙂

Sharing with: Inspired Bloggers Network

Top Free Preschool Resources for Teaching at Home

September 15, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 26 Comments

Do you have toddlers or preschoolers in the home? I’m planning to teach our two preschoolers at home this year, for reasons like teaching the faith and values that our family upholds as true and also for financial reasons.

While I’m really excited to exercise my teacher muscles by homsechooling our preschoolers, I’m also feeling a little overwhelmed since preschool is not exactly my specialty.

So, lately I’ve spent a good deal of time on Pinterest and Google trying to gather up the best free preschool resources out there – from curriculum, to themed units, to printables, to hands-on activities, and more.

So, on today’s Mama Monday, I thought I would share these free preschool resources with you so that you don’t have to spend all of the time I did on collecting them! 🙂 I won’t have room to mention everything I’ve pinned while searching, so if you want even more material to consider, look at my Learning at Home board on Pinterest.

God’s Little Explorers Curriculum

Motherhood on a Dime offers this FREE, faith-based preschool curriculum online for homeschoolers, and it looks to suit our family’s needs. The free curriculum includes basic plans for daily instruction (based on a four-day school week) as well as printables. I plan to use the free version of this curriculum as my foundation and supplement it with some of the activities and ideas listed in the categories below. Note: the creator of this program also has a paid option format that includes better graphics and more printables. The paid option is still very inexpensive (less than $15 )for an entire school-year’s worth of plans!
Seasonal/Themed Printable Packs

I plan to use this free fall printable pack from Homeschool Creations as a supplementary material for this season along with the curriculum mentioned above. Homeschool Creations offers many other printable packs as well. 1+1+1=1 is another amazing printable packs resource with everything from princesses and my little pony to solar systems and star wars. These two free preschool resources make both teaching and learning fun! 🙂
Writing Skills

My children are not yet coordinated enough to form actual letters (although our daughter is close), so we’ll be working on some pre-writing skills before anything else. I picked this floral printable for my daughter and these printables will work well for both children as well as these from 3 Dinosaurs . I love the idea that this mom had to put the printables or workbook pages into sheet protectors in a binder so that you can use dry erase markers with them. You could even let your preschooler decorate the front of his or her binder to personalize it. Use them over and over again! 🙂 Once they grasp the concept, I plan to introduce alphabet letter formation. The Measured Mom offers these writing stations as homeschool alternatives to using printables alone. You could use the same methods with shapes and numbers, as well.
Letter Recognition

I love the idea of starting out with my children’s names as well as other names in the house. You can read about name kits at Fun-a-day. If you’re intersted in a montessori method for introducing letters, Living Montessori Now offers excellent advice. Hands on as we grow has a list of 50 fun activities for learning both upper case and lower case letters. At Crystal and Co. you can find instructions for fun letter-of-the week crafts, too, as well as other free preschool resources.
Number Recognition

DLKT offers a number of counting and number worksheets here. Turtle Diary offers these printable options. What I think will most appeal to our preschool boy and girl will be more hands-on activities like this paper tube one from Learn With Play at Home and a method using easter eggs from Reading Confetti.
Shape Recognition

Although our preschoolers already know most of their shapes, we still need to do some reviewing in this area. Hands on as we grow demonstrates how to be hands-on when learning shapes. Shape puzzles are another great resource as children can both handle the shape itself and also learn how it fits into the board. I also like this crafty approach to shape matching from education.com. Creative Family Fun offers 12 fun ways to learn shapes. Also, you can find printables for shapes here at Aussie Childcare Network. Printables are one of my favorite free preschool resources! 🙂
Color Recognition

Although our daughter is pretty solid on her colors, our son could use more help. So, we’ll be continuing to practice our colors through the preschool years in our homeschool. I’m working on a home-made version of Go Fish using colors for our preschoolers, so when it’s done I’ll be sure to share with you. 🙂 Toddler Approved provides these hands-on learning methods for colors. Inspiration Laboratories has a great idea for creating a color rainbow that I think our preschoolers would love. We also plan to sort buttons, pom-poms, beads, etc. by color and create patterns, as well as learn colors through reading some books we have about colors.
Music/Rhymes

I plan to use youtube for much of our music, but I also like these printable nursery rhymes from Aussie Childcare Network. DLKT offers these printables for making nursery rhyme characters to use as puppets or for a felt board.
Bible Literacy

I plan to incorporate Bible lessons into our home preschool, but I’d like to save this topic for a future post as I plan to review a few options in detail. So, check back later for those options. 🙂
Letter Formation

Here are more free preschool resources – printables for the alphabet:

One large letter per page with an accompanying object to color

Bingo/Dot markers or you could use pom-poms

Q-tip painting

Rainbow writing or play-dough mats

Other free (or nearly free) preschool resources to consider:

Pinterest – while I already knew of some of these free online resources, much of the additional material I found on pinterest. 🙂

Library books – the best way to teach your children (aside from play) is through reading to them. You can find books on almost any theme or subject you plan to teach. Libraries are great resources for supplementing the books you already have at home.

Youtube – a quick search for alphabet songs, shape songs, days of the week songs, and more reveals that the options on youtube are endless… and best of all, free! 🙂 You can also teach nursery rhymes and other preschool favorites such as “Five Little Speckled Frogs.”

PBS/Netflix – Leap Frog, Word World, and Super Why are all educational animated shows that focus on letter learning, although Leap Frog has some that focus on numbers and shapes as well. We have a subscription to Netflix’s online streaming service, so I plan to use many of these programs through Netflix. The advantage to using Netflix over PBS is that I don’t have to wait for an episode to air. Instead, I can hand-pick episodes to coordinate with themes we might be exploring that week.

Online learning – the internet offers a wealth of free online resources for learning games. Check out our top ten educational websites – many are suitable for preschoolers.

Dollar Store Deals – I wrote a whole post on items you can find at the dollar store to use in teaching preschoolers or toddlers, complete with ideas on how to use them!

Toys – we have a few toys that I have set aside specifically for our preschool use (I do not keep these toys in their regular toy box, which makes them special since they can’t play with them whenever they want). Any toy that says a letter’s name aloud and repeats the sound the letter makes can be a good tool to use when your preschooler just doesn’t want to sit and work with paper. You probably already have a few of these “educational” toys laying around the house, so don’t feel the need to go out and buy new ones. 🙂

Additionally, much of the time spent during preschool should be free play, when children have time to pretend play using blocks, legos, dress-up clothes, kitchens, etc. You can also use toys you already have at home to enhance themed lessons. Finally, puzzles can be great resources for learning shapes, colors, letters, and numbers, etc.

I hope this helps to get you started on planning for your toddler/preschool years, whether you intend to teach formally by homeschooling or just as your children are interested.

Jen 🙂

I’m also linking up at any of the blogs here!

Sharing with: How Do You Do It?,

How to Host Game Night with Young Children in Tow

September 2, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 12 Comments

I’ve read a lot lately about hospitality and how important it is for Christians to be reaching out to those in their community. One of the easiest ways for our family to entertain guests is to host a game night. We love playing games of all sorts, and game night gives us an opportunity to develop relationships with others in a relaxing environment.

Perhaps my favorite reason for hosting a game night is that there is no need to prepare a fancy meal for lots of people – just have each family bring a snack to share. You provide the dishes, and beverages. ( Honestly, ours are usually disposable – paper plates and plastic cups.) You don’t even need any special decorations, just table space! It’s the perfect way for someone like me, who is not gifted in the area of hospitality, to have people over. 🙂

However, sometimes hosting Game Night involves entertaining young children as well as adults. Even if you are having a family game night with just your family and attempting to play a game older children might enjoy, you still need something for younger children to do. Parents can’t play if kids aren’t occupied. 🙂

10 Tips for Hosting Game Night with Young Children in Tow:

Play their games. Depending on the age of the youngest children, choose a few games they can play and enjoy, too. See my post about Our Big List of Favorite Games for ideas on what games appeal to a wide range of ages.
Give them a role. If they cannot understand enough to play but want to be involved, give them a role to play in the game (handing out pieces, handing out money, etc.) or put them on someone’s “team.”
Give them their own pieces. If the children are too young for a role, give them their own pieces to play with next to the game (as long as they aren’t small enough to choke on). If the kids are young enough, they won’t even care if the pieces even go to the game you are playing. Cards especially seem to do the trick, and you can find children’s decks at the dollar store!
Give them child-friendly snacks. The peace will only last as long as the snacks do, but fun snacks will buy at least a little time before you have to move on to something else. Some of our favorite kid-friendly snacks are goldfish crackers, bite-sized cookies, grapes, cucumbers, pretzel sticks, cheese, etc. Finger foods are fun for children, but I would avoid any messy snacks.
Give them their own game space. This approach works best if you have more than one child who cannot play because they can help entertain each other (one of the many benefits of having twins!). Be sure to give them an activity they can do on their own with little to no help from mom or dad. If they are old enough, you might give them a game of their own to play, especially if an older child can help. Other activities such as playdoh, coloring, puzzles, building, etc. will provide distraction, too.
Put an older child in charge of entertaining the younger children. Some older children may not find this appealing, but on occasion, our oldest really enjoys entertaining the littles. He is really great at using his imagination to make up pretend games for them and other children, too. Of course, now he’s getting to the age where he would rather play along with the adults, but our middle son is just now starting to entertain from time to time, as well, although not for a long period of time. If older children are not an option, then….
Hire babysitters. If you have no older children to entertain the young ones, consider hiring family members or youth from church for the job. This is especially helpful if you have a separate area, such as a playroom or a finished basement where the kids can hang out. Even a child’s bedroom will work! Parents are nearby and still on hand if any major issues arise.
Pull out the “company” toys. In our home, we have a few toys that seem to be popular when there is a whole group of children in the house. Some of them, we save specifically for special occasion use. One is our set of Playhut tents (they are pop-up type tents and tunnels that connect). Another is the basket of dress-up clothes (I add to this each year after Halloween when the costumes go on 75% off clearance or when I find them at garage sales!). Duplo blocks or Legos (depending on age) are toys that groups of children can play with together (Duplo blocks or the off-brand Megablocks are easy to find at garage sales, too). We also have a play kitchen with pretend food that has seen a lot of use. These “company” toys should be toys that multiple children can play with at the same time in order to avoid disagreements. Also, be sure to put away any toys that you foresee causing problems, such as our boys’ star wars lightsabers. Any time we have company, those end up in the closet because they seem to cause accidental injuries. 🙂 In addition, you’ll want to put away any favorite toys that are special to your children.
When all else fails, we put on a movie! Usually, this is a last resort when other techniques aren’t working or when it’s too close to bedtime but the parents aren’t done playing yet. 🙂 If you don’t have children of your own, be aware that very young children often won’t sit for an entire movie. In fact, they might not be interested in it at all! Usually by the time we decide to put in a movie, it’s bedtime for the younger ones, so we offer it as entertainment for any older children. It helps to have a movie that the children haven’t seen very often or recently.
Put them to bed. When our twins were babies, we either had to take turns playing games or wait until their naptime or bedtime. In fact, at first we would only host game nights close to those times so that we could enjoy our company. If your friends have young children, too, you could always offer another bedroom or space for their children to sleep if needed. It’s a great idea to hang on to at least one pack-n-play, even after your children have outgrown it, for times like this.

I hope these tips inspire you to try out family game night or to host friends or neighbors for a game night party of your own! It really is possible to host and still have fun even when young children are involved, as long as you know what to expect and how to help the kids have fun as well. If you’ve never hosted a game night before, I suggest starting small with another couple or family that you know well. Then, you can work up to multiples couples or families at once! Game night really is a great way to build fellowship with neighbors, with friends, with family, with small groups, with Sunday school classes, and more. Why wait?

Jen 🙂

I may be linking up at any of the blogs listed on my Favorite Link-ups tab.

It’s advent that works for your family!

The Loft is open, come on up!

#TheLoft

To Participate:

The Christmas Adventure Box

*This post makes use of affiliate links. For more information, please visit Being Confident of This’s About page. Thank you for supporting this blog!

The Greatest Gift – read John 3:16 – unwrap the Christmas Adventure Box.

Joseph and Mary – read Luke 1:30-33 – unwrap Joseph and Mary from your nativity set.

Baby Jesus – read Luke 2:6-7 – unwrap the baby Jesus figure from your nativity set.

Shepherds and Angels – read Luke 2:8-20 – unwrap the shepherd and angel figures from your nativity set.

The Wise Men – read Mt. 2:1-2, 10-11 – unwrap the wise men from your nativity set.

Light of the World – read Mt. 5:14-16 – unwrap a notecard that says “Christmas Adventure!” on it.

Legend of the Candy Cane – read Isaiah 53:5 – unwrap a candy cane.

Joy to the World – read Mt. 28:19-20 – unwrap a small globe or picture of the world.

The Legend of Saint Nicholas – read Gal. 2:10 – unwrap socks or a stocking.

Christmas Caroling – read Rev. 5:12 – unwrap a note that reads “Christmas Adventure!”

The Baker’s Hand – read Isaiah 64:8 – unwrap cookie cutters.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – read Thessalonians 2:15-16 – unwrap a nativity story dvd or a “Christmas Adventure!” notecard.

Christmas Day – read Luke 2:1-20 and unwrap a Bible

Also sharing with: Beauty Through Imperfection, Missional Call, Mom’s The Word, Wholehearted Wednesdays

Pumpkin Gospel Story:

The Pumpkin Gospel

Explanation of the Pumpkin Gospel:

Religion vs. Relationship Pumpkin Gospel Alternate

Pumpkin Gospel FREE Printable

God’s Little Explorers Curriculum

Seasonal/Themed Printable Packs

Writing Skills

Letter Recognition

Number Recognition

Shape Recognition

Color Recognition

Music/Rhymes

Bible Literacy

Letter Formation

Other free (or nearly free) preschool resources to consider: