Service Fun!

Every year during Christmas time we have the kids pick a few service projects they would like to participate in.  This year my older girls wanted to host a "craft" day at our home just for the toddlers that we go to church with.  The idea was to have them dropped off from 9am-12pm so their parents could go out and get holiday "stuff" done.  It turned out to be a great success.  I knew we would have a lot of children so we had it very planned out.  We had a play dough station on the island in our kitchen, a craft station at our dining room table, I read Christmas books and we played musical chairs.  

Last week I went to the book store and came across my most favorite Christmas book as a child, and so I had to get it.  It's called "The Sweet Smell of Christmas."  It's the cutest book ever!!  It's about a little bear who keeps smelling yummy things in his home right before Christmas like, peppermint from candy canes, and homemade apple pie, and pine from the Christmas tree.  So each time he smells something, it has a picture of what he's smelling and a scratch and sniff!!!  They loved it and I walked around each time letting them smell the page.  

 Musical chairs was a riot and a complete success.  Eventually we stopped pulling away chairs and they just walked and danced around and then sat when the music stopped.  Halfway through it wasn't even a challenge as there were plenty of chairs but they were just content to dance around and then sit.  I was cracking up.  

  

Even Summer got to DJ.  She loved it of course.  

The play dough station in full effect.

The craft table, but here it got cleaned up for snack time.  I have to say my daughters are awesome!!  Every time I turned around Gwyneth had every mess picked up and things were tidy.  Georgia stayed at the craft table the whole time doing the craft and administering snacks.  So cute and grown up.  :)

I found the craft off of Pinterest and they were precious, simple and sweet.  They had a choice of an Angel or Reindeer.  Some did both.  

As soon as all of the kids were picked up Georgia came over, gave me a great big hug, looked up at me and said, "mom, I looove kids."  My heart melted.  She does love kids.  I love kids too.  I know how she feels.  There is something so wonderful and touching to see kids create, to interact, and communicate.  They were all a joy to have.

I love all of their artwork on our wall.  I was tempted to make them leave it on my wall, it's so cute to look at.  :)

The service project was a success, but it was really more like service fun.  I don't have a huge house, but luckily it's just big enough to do something like this and I'm so thankful, because we love to help and have fun wherever we can.  Merry Christmas.