For all those budding computer geniuses....

Age:  Over 5
Type:  Activity

My oldest loves to play computer games.  Honestly, without a limit as to how long she could be on the computer hours could probably pass before she got tired of it.  So imagine my delight when I discovered a website that offers kids the opportunity to earn food for playing games!!!  Enter Freerice.com, a website the has quiz questions kids answer with the incentive of earning 10 grains of rice for every question answered correctly.  I was curious about how such a thing was made possible, but the rice is donated through ad sponsors who have banners on the site.  So cool!

I will pre-warn you that this is a more advanced project.  I had to read the questions aloud to my oldest and found many of the categories too difficult.  However, the basic math and vocabulary were perfect for my kindergartner.  As she answered questions correctly we could see the rice multiplying in her pretend bowl on the screen.  I found myself a bit addicted as well as I started in on some of the harder questions :)

So the next time your little heart sits down at the computer, consider Freerice.com for a fun way to serve others!

Garden Fresh

Age:  over 5
Type:  gardening

As the March winds continue to blow, here in Michigan I am ready for spring!  While is is still cold outside, now is the perfect time to get started thinking about planting flowers and and planning for our vegetable garden.  While browsing around, I stumbled upon a website to help you do just that - and help others at the same time!  Check out this link for Schools Fight Hunger which gives practical tips for planning and creating a garden at your child's school.  I also love the success stories to see what other kids are doing!  Fresh food is a luxury to those who struggle to put food on the table or rely on food shelters and pantries, so every bit you and your little heart can do will help! 

If your child's class or school organization is looking for a project this spring - this could be just the thing!

Another way to pass those long winter days

Age:  Over 5

Type:  Craft

Thanks to my friend and neighbor for sending over this project idea that she did with her daughter's Daisy Girl Scout Troop.  (Also shameless plug for scouts since I am my daughter's troop leader and love scouts :) 

I have blogged previously here and here about other projects with seniors, but there are so many great ideas that you can undertake with your little hearts.  In the project shown to the left, the girls did a craft project, placing tissue paper on a box to look like stained class.   Quoting my friend about the experience, "It was a great opportunity for the girls to visit and have some fun with the seniors.  It was all older ladies who really enjoy the company of  young children, especially during the long winter months in Michigan when they can't get out very easily."

Thanks for sharing!!

Making a Million Meals

Age: Over 5

Type: Organized Activity

A couple weeks ago I posted here about my daughter and her 'chores' to raise money for a project our church was undertaking - A Million Meal project. This weekend I had the privilege of serving as a key volunteer while this task was undertaken. Let me start by saying the at the end of the weekend, after 5000+ volunteers had filtered through the gym of a local high school, our mission was accomplished. And what an amazing a sight it was!

This event was produced in partnership with Feed My Starving Children - an organization out of Minnesota that is dedicated to serving children around the world. Our church, Northridge, was lead under the direction of FMSC staff to utilize both our time and our money in order to reach this monumental goal of making a million meals. I could fill a page with unbelievable statistics about what this means, but here is one that really stuck with me. At the conclusion of 1 two hour shift, enough meals were made to feel 260 children for an entire YEAR!!! It is hard to wrap your head around just what kind of impact that is, for just taking 2 hours out of your day to serve others.

One of the coolest parts of this entire experience, however, was that it was created to involve the entire family. I was able to work the registration table for part of the event and let me tell you how much my heart exploded when I saw entire families checking in to help serve others. Walking around the gym floor watching the packing teams I saw kids as young as 5, working side by side with parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends, helping out in a really meaningful way to achieve a common goal. It was inspiring!!!

Feed My Starving Children has grown in leaps and bounds in the last several years, and chances are they may be organizing an event near you. I encourage you to check it out - it is amazing what you and your little hearts can accomplish!