Welcome to our first week of Fall Impressions! Let’s jump right in, shall we? First is my big idea, the Mr. Linky is below for you to link up!

I have a confession…

I haven’t done my activity with Lydia yet. *gasp* I wanted to do it today but voting and some other crafty goodness (I’ll show you soon…) got in the way. But I’ve got all the STUFF to do this idea and I’m so excited about it.

This month at church, we’re collecting canned goods for a local charity organization. I really want Lydia to have the desire to give to others. I want this to be an automatic response for her. Not just during Thanksgiving or when there’s a push for it, but all the time. But this time of year, is a great time to introduce her to giving AND a great time for her to get really excited about it.

So, here’s what we’ll be doing tomorrow…

Supplies:
cardboard box
veggies (potatoes, mushrooms, etc.)
paint
canned foods
optional: heart stickers

Directions:
1. Cut veggies in pieces. You may even want to carve the potatoes into shapes. (Here’s a good example.)
2. Pour paint out on paper plate (or something) to dip veggies in.
3. Tape bottom of cardboard box, leave top open.
4. Use veggies as stamps and decorate the outside of a cardboard box.

(***you could decorate the outside of the box with anything BUT since we’re doing our V verse this week, I thought veggie stamps would be fun!***)

I’m planning on decorating the outside of the box not just with veggies but with our V verse and possibly with phrases like “Jesus Loves You” or “We’re thankful for you!”.

I know that no one will ever see the box and admire it’s handiwork. Our church just asked us to bring the cans in a box because it’s easier to pack. But I want to decorate it because it will impress this activity even more into Lydia’s mind. I want her to remember the time and effort we spend on giving.

Then, we’re going to head off to the grocery store to fill our box! I’m going to let Lydia pick out whatever canned veggies (more “v” stuff!) she’d like (within reason, of course!) and fill the entire box. This will be the only thing we’ll buy at the store. I want her to see how important this is!

Now, onto my favorite part!

When we get home, I’m going to let her decorate the tops of the cans! I’ve got some awesome glittery heart stickers that Lydia has been DYING to use. I’m going to let her put a heart sticker on the top of the can and I’ll write “Jesus Loves You”. So, maybe, just maybe, whoever gets these cans will see that little message and they’ll realize that it’s true!

And I hope my little girl will remember this activity—to remember those in need, to remember that even little things make a big difference and most of all to remember that we are to tell everyone, in every way that Jesus loves them!

***

Well, there’s my fall-thanksgiving-ish idea! Let’s see what you’ve got!

All you have to do to participate is write a post on your own blog about a great fall/autumn/thanksgiving activity. Make sure this idea is kid-friendly and ideally shows your kids the truth about the season or impresses God’s Word on their hearts. This activity can be a craft (love ‘em!), a tradition (my fave), an activity (like mine) or whatever else pops into your mind! Be creative!

After posting, just click the Mr. Linky below to add the link to your post. (Not the link to your blog, but to your actual post.) And just to be nice, link back to this post, so others can participate, too!

Then come back and look at the other posts and find some fun stuff to do with your kids!

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