Patience is waiting with a happy heart
Memory Verse: "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." Proverbs 16:32
I found most of our activity ideas this week from a Focus on the Family website, Kids of Integrity, full of free parenting resources for teaching character.
Patience Practice #1: Growing "Patience Candy"
Probably our most fun activity was growing rock candy! First the boys used a teaspoon to put a cup of sugar each into our pot that already contained 1 cup of water (3-1 mixture). It took a while using a teaspoon...first lesson in patience! Then we stirred slowly until the water came to a boil. We chose to add peppermint flavoring and red food coloring for our candy. I poured the dissolved mixture into a jar, carefully added a pipe cleaner without it touching any part of the jar and then the practice of patience really began!
After 24 hours:
After 48 hours:
If we can be patient a whole week, this is what hopefully we'll get:
Patience Practice #2: Patience Jar
Learning the fruits of the Spirit has given me ample opportunity to intentionally discuss the gospel. During this specific activity I explained that when we give our lives to Jesus and the the Holy Spirit lives in us, He changes our hard sinful hearts and makes us soft-hearted like the soft cotton balls. Through His power we can be patient or soft-hearted with each other, rather than short-tempered or easily irritated. Every time I caught someone choosing to practice patience, we put a cotton ball in the jar to remind us of how through the gospel the Holy Spirit changes our hearts. Before regeneration, I believe we can help kids practice choosing patience and developing habits of good character, and at the same time always reiterating that it is when we give our lives to Christ that the Holy Spirit can abundantly grow his fruits in our lives.
Patience Practice #3: Patience in Nature
We recently got to wait and watch a nest of baby birds hatch. We talked about how long the mama bird had to sit on her eggs and what would happen if she became impatient. It was really fun getting to watch these baby birds from the time they hatched until they left the nest. We also discussed what could happen if they were impatient and tried to leave the nest too early. God's creation is full of teachable moments!
Patience Practice #4: Fruit Ripening
I had the boys taste a very unripe, green banana. This is what impatience tastes like! We waited for the bananas to ripen, and patience tasted much better! When we demand things right away, we often will miss out on what could have been had we waited patiently.
Patience Practice #5: Mealtime Patience
We all agreed not to touch our food during mealtime this week until everyone was sitting at the table and after our blessing. This was an opportunity to talk about how patience shows honor to other people. We don't get frustrated, pushy, or bored when others are slow!
Our Patience Stories:
We have all been reminded that good things come to those who wait!
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