February First Friday Activities

On Friday, another Mom and I led the First Friday activities at the nursing home. We discussed the topic of Lent with the kids. We used the book, "Celebrating Lent" by Rev. Jude Winkler O.F.M. Conv. It is one of the St. Joseph Picture Books that my kids own. They are published by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. (I just love that series of books. I think you could teach nearly the whole catechism if you read through the whole series. ) We used the book as an outline to give a brief overview of the history and purpose of Lent.

When we got to the part about doing good deeds (or service projects) for others, we stopped and did a service project. We had the kids decorate Kleenex boxes that had been wrapped in white paper. This was a fun craft that the kids look forward to doing almost as much as the residents look forward to receiving them. After they were decorated, the kid delivered them to the nursing home residents who were very grateful.

Rachel, the other leader of the activities that day, had made a game for the kids to do which would help them review. The group was divided into two teams---blue and orange. Each team received a laminated paper and 20 phrases. The object of the game was to find the 10 phrases that related to Lent and stick them to the paper. The first team done would win. It was really neat to see how well the older kids jumped right in and helped the little ones. I am so grateful for such well-behaved teenagers. They were a real blessing in helping the game go smoothly.

Another big help to me was my mother who was in town for a visit. She accompanied me and most of the kids to the First Friday activities while my Dad stayed home with R. It was nice having my mom there to hold the baby and help clean up. I know the kids really loved having her there, too.