Bowling Fun : )

Summertime is officially here, and to celebrate that, we went bowling! This was Parkway's first children's event of the summer. We had a lot of fun! On Wednesday, the younger kids went bowling. They really surprised me with their bowling talents. On Thursday, the older kids went. We had 18 kids show up Thursday, so I was really excited. I was able to capture a few pictures  from Wednesday, but my camera died after one picture on Thursday.

This Thursday, we are going to the Museum of Natural Science in Jackson. I am really excited.

Next week will be a busy one! I am leaving on Sunday with the 3rd through 6th graders to go to Centri- Kid at Mississippi College in Clinton. We are very ready to go!!! The same week, the pre-K through 2nd graders will have Day Camp at the church. We have a lot of fun planned for Day Camp, so if you have a preker through 2nd grade student, sign them up! It only cost $25!!! It's a Monday through Thursday camp and it's from 9-12 in the youth center!!You can call the Parkway office to register for camp!

I think that is all of the updates I have for now, so here are a few pictures from our bowling trip! Enjoy!

Some of the bowling observing their friends bowling on Wednesday!

Landon picking out his bowling ball!!

Marlee posing for a picture in between bowls!

The sole picture from Thursday.. Too bad my boys were trying to be cool and not look at the camera.

A General Update and LSU

I haven't had much time lately to blog, so I am going to give everyone a general update.

School... I have one more day at WCES until August!! This is bittersweet. The kids last day was last Friday, so it has been a peaceful week. However, I miss some of them so much! Luckily, Woodville isn't so big, so I have seen almost all of them since last Friday. I will be going to watch my boys play a little basketball tomorrow, so I will get to see a lot of them then!! This week has been a little slow... we get the week to pack up, fill out papers, etc. Since I already had most of that done, I have been using my time to get a jump start on homework... which brings me to .....

Grad School.... I officially started Monday, and I already have the "i am sick of school" attitude. I sure hope that changed soon, because I have 18 more months of school!
I take the GRE on Tuesday, and I am a lot nervous!

Church.... We are all set for Centri- Kid, and I am super excited to get there! I have a lot of work to do next week to nail things down for the summer, so I will be busy, busy, busy!!

American Idol - My pick won!! I have loved LEE since day one, and was super excited that he is this year's idol!!!

LSU......... Well if you follow LSU baseball, you will know that this hasn't been all we wanted it to be... They barely, and I mean BARELY, got into the SEC tourney (thank you Kentucky for losing that game, btw.). When I saw the announcement of who we would be playing first, I will admit, I became a little saddened. I think LSU is ranked last in the SEC tourney and we were going to have to play the #1 ranked team - Florida... Yesterday, I had a good feeling all day about the game. I got home, turned the radio to 98.1, and got myself ready to hear Jim Hawthorn announce the game. LSU was guest, and their first at bat flew by. Then Ranaudo took the mound and sat down the first three. It was then that I knew we would win! Our next at bat set the pace for the game.. We scored 5, and gained the momentum needed to win the game. The game was still going on when idol started, so I was running back and forth to the radio during commercials listening, watching 360 on my computer, and checking twitter on my phone every couple of seconds. It came down to a nail bitter, but LSU pulled it out and put Florida is the losers bracket!! I hope this LSU team is here to stay, and claim the SEC championship for the 3rd time in a row!!!

Jalapeno Cheese Dip

This is my new favorite dip! I think you should try it, too!!

Ingredients

2 fresh jalapenos, diced

1 cup of pickled jalapenos, roughly chopped

2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded

1 package of cream cheese, softened

8 oz. of sour cream

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, powder kind

1/2 panko bread crumbs

In a mixing bowl, combine jalapenos, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream. Spoon into a small baking dish. Mix together powdered parmesan cheese and panko. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 15- 20 or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with your favorite crackers or toast.

** will try to post a picture on Sunday

French Toast Casserole

This is a quick and easy (and really really good) breakfast casserole (there is just something about the word casserole that I do not like... not sure what, but I just do not like it).

Ingredients

Casserole
1 loaf of french bread, cut into slices
3 cups of mixed berries, fresh or frozen
1 box of cream cheese
12 eggs, beat
1 1/2 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
Powder Sugar, for decoration

Syrup
1 bag of frozen berries
the juice of one lemon
the zest of one lemon
1/2 cup of sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.
Stager slices of french bread into the casserole dish at an angle.
Scatter mixed berries on top of the bread, and in between the layers of bread.
Place dollops of cream cheese in between the layers of bread, as well.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Pour liquid mixture evenly over bread.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the middle of the casserole isn't real jiggly.

*This picture was taken before it went into the oven.
In a medium saucepan, add mixed berries, lemon, and sugar.
Bring to a boil, stirring often.
Lower heat to low (1-2).
Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes or so, until the mixture has formed a syrup.

Serve a piece of french toast with a little syrup on top, dusted with powdered sugar.

***will try to remember to post a picture as soon as I take one of the finished plate.

Little Brenden Man

Brenden got something new... go figure : - )

It's a swing!!!!

He loves it!!

Here is a video, so that you can see how much he loves it!!

Brenden and His Swing

Enjoy!

Panther Basketball part 2

The Panthers went on to win the tournament Saturday. They are so excited and I am super proud.

It's a little scary how attached you can become to a group of kids.

Here are a few more pictures from the weekend! I thought I took equal amounts of pictures of each player, but apparently I didn't. I will try harder at the next game!

Congrats to the Panthers and their coaches!!

Shooting some free-throws! 

An action shot. 

More free throws. 

June and his poster...

Nak and Coo- Coo with Nak's poster. 

All of the boys will have posters for the next  game!! 

What would the Panthers do without their support team?? 

I think this was taken when Shelby was fussing at Mo for not being on beat with her clapping. This group is hilarious!! 

Peace and Geaux Panthers! 

Panther Basketball

I have spent several Saturdays this semester in St. Francisville and Baton Rouge watching a special group of boys play basketball. I'll have to admit, at first I was like ugh, I really do not want to drive to St. Fran.... but then after the first game, I was hooked. These boys are so competitive. They are also hilarious, smart, and so sweet (just do not tell them I used that adjective to describe them). I got to know these fellas in the classroom but became attached to them after watching them play basketball. I have parents asking me at all of the games how I let the boys talk me into coming to see them, and the truth is, it doesn't take much begging.

They have moved on from the st. fran league and are now playing AAU. They haven't won an AAU game until today. I finally was able to make it to one of these games bright and early this morning and had the privilege of seeing them win the first one. They went on to win the rest of their games today and will play for the championship tomorrow. I took a few pictures today and played with them on picnik. Here are my results.

The team and coaches! 

The team right after they won their first game of the day.

Peace and Geaux Panthers. 

Tic-Tac- Toe

Due to the fact that we are in crunch time for the MCT2, we are only using sample test items to prepare the students for the MCT2. Well, if you know anything about 10-11 year olds, you know that going through test items for 3- 4 weeks, all day, is not an option if you care to keep their attention. This little issue has caused me to get creative. Since the kids do not want to work on sample test items, they are constantly asking to play a game. Today, they wanted to play tic-tac-toe. I immediately said, "not a chance." Then I retracted that statement. Here is a run down on how you can use something simple, like tic-tac-toe, to teach skills.

Materials:
1 poster board with a tic-tac-toe board drawn on it and then laminated (or made dry-erase)

2 dry- erase markers

sample test items

eggspert (or some other type of game show buzzer)

bracket for a double-elimination tournament

Rules:

The teacher divides the class into small groups (i divided mine into 4 groups).

The first two groups step up and are each given an egg from the eggspert and a marker.

Each group is assigned to be an X or an O.

The teacher reads the question and the first one to buzz in gets to answer the question.

Upon giving a correct answer, the team is allowed to play their X or their O (until today, I never knew how intense a game of tic- tac- toe could get).

The first team to get 3 in a row wins the round and plays the next team.

In my class, the tournament champions either get points to the store or a popcycle.

The other teams all sit around and listen to the questions and answers while the other teams play because occasionally a question will repeat itself.


I used this with reading questions, but it can be used with any subject. This has been the most engaging game (for all 53 students) that I have come up with, thus far. They love it! Who'd a thunk tic-tac-toe would be so engaging?!

Peace and Geaux Tigers : )

MCT2

If you live in Mississippi, you know what the MCT2 is (well, i guess you don't if you do not have kids in  public school). For those of you who are not aware, MCT2 (Mississippi Curriculum Test, second edition) is the state test for third through eighth grades. For teachers, it can be a pain in the rear-end. By this part of the school year, you are entirely over the letters M, C, and T. That is how I feel now. I am very tired of the state test, tired of looking at sample test items, tired of anything relating to the test. However, this is not the attitude I can show in class because I have to pump up the kids and get them ready to do their best on the test! After all, their scores reflect my teaching. Therefore, we are trying to put up posters, door decor, and order some fun t-shirts to get them motivated! 

Here are a few of our efforts to motivate the students.

This is my coworker's, Mrs. Woodside, door.

This is part of the mural that is outside of my door. There is also a basketball goal to the right. A similar drawing will be on the their May Day t-shirts!! 

Grill Night : - )

With summertime quickly approaching, and 80 degree, sunny days in full force, I felt the need to have a grill night at my house. My dad doesn't really like chicken, which is what I tend to cook, so tonight I decided to mix it up a little and cook (well, have him grill) steak (is it bad that in my brain i am saying complex, compound, or simple sentence, then labeling the conjuction, type of conjuction, and the clauses - anyways, i will get back to grill night now).

I am a little obsessed with Bobby Flay and his style of cooking. It is definitely my inspiration in the kitchen. I love how he grills everything and it is all tex- mex, which happens to contain all of my favorite flavors! With that said, he was my inspiration for tonight's meal - Grilled steak on a bed of grilled salad with the most wonderful vinegarette, courtesey of Emily Babb, grilled bread, roasted corn (yes, again... I LOVE it), sweet potato fries, hand- squeezed lemonade, and a peaches and cream pie for dessert. Can you feel summertime yet?

Grilled Steak Salad with Ranch Vinegarette

1 flat iron steak seasoned or marinated to your likings - i just salt, pepper, and tony's it up!
1 head of romaine lettuce
olive oil
your favorite salad toppings
vinegarette of your choice, i recomend you make this one (click on the one!)
1 loaf of french bread
melted butter

Cook steak to desired temperature, let rest, then cut into thin slices.
Cut lettuce into 1/8 longwise, brush with olive oil , place on grill for about 45 second on each side, take off grill and chop into bite-size pieces.
Butter both sides of bread and place on grill for about 45 seconds on each side, remove from grill.
Layer romaine, steak, and salad toppings on a plate, top with vinegarette and serve with a slice of bread.

Peaches and Cream Pie

1 can of peach daquirre frozen concentrate
1 pack of cream cheese
1 bag of frozen sliced peaches
      1/2 diced 
      1/2 in slices
2 containers of cool- whip
2 pie crusts - i prefer dutch ann because they are a local company

Place pie crust in oven and bake on 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add peach daquire and diced peaches, and mix until all is combined.
Fold in cool whip, do not over mix.
Pour 1/2 of the mixture in each crust. Top with sliced peaches and decorate with ready- whip.
Place in freezer for several hours to harden. Store any that may be left in freezer.

*you can replace peach with any fruit or flavor!

I must get back to the NFL draft now. I am waiting to see who picks up Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy. Also waiting to see who the Saints pick up. Who Dat?!

Mother- Daughter Brunch

Saturday was our AWANA mother- daughter brunch. We had a lot of fun! We kind of went with a princess theme. We had food, entertainment, and a make and take session on edible arrangements.

For the brunch portion, I made several things. The list will follow.

Grits Casserole
Mixed Berry French Toast Casserole
Fruit Salad
Blueberry Muffin Cake
Pigs- in- a- Blanket
Powdered Donuts
Brownies - in the shape of a flower
Pink Milk
Fruit Punch
Coffee Punch
Lemon Water

Here are a few pictures of the food.

This was the little Princess' table. They had a separate menu.

Punch Table

Please do not laugh too hard- this is my attempt at carving a peacock out of a watermelon....

The food line. 

For the entertainment, some of our girls and leaders shared poems and scripture. They did a wonderful job.

This was the performers table. Here, Natalie is reading her poem, "Mother's Day."

For our special entertainment, we had a make and take edible arrangement session. I will start the same way as I did Saturday at the brunch.... I am not in any way a master of the edible arrangements. I gave everyone the same direction that i had. It was a lot of fun making the arrangements and seeing everyone's creative side!!

Natalie and Allyson carving bowls from cantaloupe! 

Mrs. Jolyne, Bethany, and their creations! 

(sorry about the sidewaysness.) Adrianne making her super cool fruit arrangement! 

A few of the little one's creations.

Mattie Paige hard at work!! 

As you can see, we had a lot of fun!! 

Classroom TV Game Shows

Question? What do you do when you have your class and part of another class for a day. Keep in mind that you do not have enough desks, no air conditioner, and it's Friday.

Answer? You create TV game shows that include some type of test prep.

Here are a few things I came up with on Friday.

Game #1: Wheel of Fortune

Now the pictures I have show my not so creative first edition. I haven't taken a picture of the newer one. This is just what I threw together Friday morning to give myself something to do.

I played using words like conjunctions, adverbs, and other parts of speech so that could be my category and we could tie in language arts. We also did a few spelling words from their 5th grade list. You can do really whatever words you want.

Game #2 : Jeopardy

I am sure many of you have seen similar games to this. The main difference here is, I used MCT2 levels instead of money so it is more related to their test. The questions we select for each category are the levels on the outside of the envelope. I attached clips so the categories are detachable so you can use different ones for all subjects.

Game #3 : Who Wants to be a Millionaire

I changed this one significantly, but the idea of the game is still the same. I renamed the game, "who wants to become a star student," since they will not be competing for one million dollars. On one side, you will see life lines. I went with 2 life lines- 50/50 and ask the audience. On the opposite side, you will see the winning levels. Once again, I used MCT2 levels to mark their winnings. The more questions they answer, the more difficult they become based on the difficulty of questions the MCT2 offers. I placed a "bank" option after they complete each level. For the questions,  I am using MCT2 sample test items that will be blown up and placed in the middle section of the board.

The kids are dying to try out the last two, and we will probably do so this week!

Fiesta Chicken

What a week?! Started off sick on Monday and have been suffering from insomnia since. The effects of insomnia have officially sunken in today, however. By 9 a.m. this morning, I thought 3:30 would never come. It was the longest, sleepiest day that I can remember having at school. This may have been caused from my marathon shopping trip to Walmart last night for the mother- daughter brunch on Saturday. Imagine buying 15 pineapples, tons of grapes, 10 cartons of strawberries, watermelons, melons, and 8 cantaloups, amongst other groceries for the brunch portion of the morning. I had a good helper with me,though, so I didn't have to do the loading and unloading all by myself. I will blog more about that after Saturday.

Tonight was my night to cook and I found several recipes this week that I wanted to try, so I managed to pick just one. I decided on Fiesta Chicken with a pepperjack dipping sauce. It was sooooo yummy. The link you may have just noticed is the basic recipe, however, i managed to change it to my likings-which you will see below. With the chicken, I paired loaded mashed potatoes, roasted corn on the cob, and blueberry lime-aid. YUMMO : - ) 

Fiesta Chicken and Dipping Sauce

1 pack of boneless chicken strips

1 packet of taco seasoning 

1/4 cup of flour

1 stick of butter

1 bag of crushed tortilla chips

2 tbs of butter

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tbs.  of flour

12 oz. of heavy cream

1 block of shredded pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil.

In a bowl, mix taco mix and flour. Melt butter in a separate bowl. 

Coat each chicken strip in flour mixture.

Coat flour covered chicken in butter.

Coat butter covered chicken in chips.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 30 -40 minutes. Flip tenders after 15 minutes.

In a small saucepan, cook shallot and garlic in butter until soft. 

Add flour and stir until you see a light brown color - a roux.

Add cream and stir until sauce begins to thicken.

Add cheese and stir until you have a bubbly cheese sauce. 

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

1 3 lb. bag of red potatoes, chopped in quarters

1 stick of butter

1 8 oz. tub of sour cream

1 bag of shredded cheese

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 packet of ranch mix

bacon bits - real or fake is up to you. 

chopped green onion

splash of milk - if needed

Boil potatoes in salted water (i like the skins on, but that is up to you). 

Drain and return to pot.

Add garlic and mash potatoes, leaving them a little chunky.

Add butter, sour cream, and ranch packet. 

Add a splash of milk if your potatoes are still really thick and hard to stir. 

Fold in 2/3 of the cheese, bacon bits, salt, pepper, and green onion. 

Serve alongside your favorite dish. 

Add remaining cheese, bacon, and onion for garnish.

Roasted Corn on the Cob

This may be one of the easiest, best tasting, summer dishes that I make!! Nothing reminds me more of summer that roasted corn. 

Corn on the Cob

3 tbs. of olive oil

a dollop of butter for each ear. 

salt

Place corn on a cookie sheet.

Drizzle with oil. 

Place a dollop of butter on each ear.

Sprinkle with salt. 

Place in oven and bake for 20 -30 minutes or until golden brown. 

Serve with butter and a little more salt.

Blueberry Lime- Aid

Another one of my most favorite things in the entire world - lime-aid!! LOVE all sorts of lime-aid!!!! I have made this all sorts of ways, but I will give you the easiest recipe!

1 bag of frozen blueberries

2 containers of frozen lime-aid concentrate

water

1/4 cup of sugar

Mix each can of lime-aid with 2 cans of water ( 4 cans of water total). 

Add sugar and mix well.

Add bag of blueberries (including any juice that may have been created). - also i like mine still a little frozen so I can use them as ice. 

Mix and serve over ice. 

So that was a little long, sorry. I have a bad habit of forgetting about school on Fridays. It would be nice if they would just cancel school on Fridays, but that will never happen so I should just stop wishing.

Grad School!

So...... I decided on my birthday that I miss school. Now, I know you may be wondering how someone can miss school when they are at school everyday. Well, I miss being the student. I have always loved school. When I got an e-mail about the University of Texas' masters of education in literacy studies, I became really giddy about going back to school. Literacy is what I am currently teaching - reading and English. It's also what I love! Therefore, this degree is something I was very excited about pursuing. The more I looked into it, the better the deal was. Not only was I in love with the courses, they were all geared to middle grades, which is what I also teach.

After about a month of consideration, I applied the week before spring break. Yesterday, I was pleased to check my e-mail and find an acceptance letter from UT saying that I would be starting May 24th!! I am soooooooo excited!!

Upcoming Events for Kids at PBC

This Saturday, April 10th (tomorrow), we will have Parent's Night Out from 5:30 - 7:30 in the youth center. It is free, but donations are accepted for the youth. Tomorrow's dinner will include chicken tenders, french fries, cookies, and cool aid!

On Saturday, April 17th, our AWANA girls will sponsor a Mother - Daughter brunch at in the church's youth center. The girls will present a short program in honor of their mothers and a brunch will be served. Our special entertainment will be a fruit carving session, where we will learn how to make an edible arrangement.

This summer will be a busy one for me! I have a lot planned for the kids at church.

JUNE
On June 2, I will take the 1-3 grades on a bowling trip to Rivergate Bowl. The 4-6 grades will go on June 3.

On June 10, I will take 1-6 on a day trip to the Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, MS.  I really like this museum so I hope that it will be a good trip!!

I am really excited about June 13- 17th because I will get to attend Centri - Kid this year. That same week, the youth will be gone to Student Life Camp and the little kids will be having day camp at the church. It will be busy, but FUN week for everyone!!

On June 26, we will have a BYBC at an apartment complex in Natchez. Last year, we had about 75 kids come to that one so I am excited to see how many come this year! If there is a need, we will plan more events for this complex throughout the summer.

JULY
On July 1, the 1-3 grades will come hang out for lunch and games at (hopefully) the newly renovated Oasis (in the church). The 4-6 grade will do the same on July 6.

On July 8, I will take the 1-6 grades to the Louisiana Children's Museum in New Orleans, LA! I haven't been to this museum before but it looks like a lot of fun!!

Last July, I decided that our youth needed an opportunity to see "the other side" of Natchez so after talking with several people in our church and with the youth minister, I started a Youth Missions Week. Last summer, the youth served lunch at the stewpot, worked at the Natchez Children's Home, and did yard work for some of our shut-ins at our church. The youth really enjoyed the week and so did the community. Therefore, this will be something that I will continue this summer. I haven't planned this summer's week so if you have any ideas, I am all ears! The YMW will be July 12 - 16.

July 19- 23 is my last week of summer since teachers have to go back to school the last week of July. I have a BYBC planned this entire week for the community around our church. This will be our "bible school." I just started looking at some curriculum and I am very excited about the possibilities this week will bring!!!

To wrap up the summer, we will host a back to school swimming party on August 1.

I have a lot planned this summer and I hope I survive!!

Children's Ministry - warning: this is a LONG post. sorry.

I have had the privilege of being the children's ministry coordinator at Parkway for about a year now. I have done this off and on over the past few years, but started on a part-time, year around basis last May. It has been wonderful. I love planning children's events for the church, especially meaningful events. Here are a few things we have done in my first year at the church.

SUMMER 2009

Last summer, instead of doing Bible School, we went to different communities around town and did block parties on Sunday evenings. They were wonderful! At the block parties, we have a bible study, craft, moon bounces, and food! We had a lot of people come to these events and we all had a good time! Below are some pictures of the kids (and adults) enjoying the block parties!

We also took the kids to the Louisiana Arts and Sciences Museum in Baton Rouge, LA. It was SOOOOOO much fun! I actually got to bring my 5th graders there this year and they had equally as much fun! I recommend everyone go, if they haven't already! 

To wrap the summer up, our older kids went to Centri- Kid at Mississippi College in Clinton, MS. They LOVED it! We are going back again this summer. Due to the fact that I am a teacher and we have to go to work the end of July, I wasn't able to attend last summer. Therefore, I have no pictures to share. While the older kids go to Centri- Kid, the younger kids stay at the church for day camp. Each day of day camp, the kids have a worship time, a bible study, make a craft, eat a snack, and go on a field trip. Our favorite field trip spots are the bowling ally, a carriage ride around downtown natchez, a visit to a swimming pool, and The Natchez Indian Village!! 

In September, we started a new ministry at the church called Parent's Night Out. We have PNO the first Saturday of each month from 5:30 - 7:30. This is a way for our Sunday School departments to have outreach events and socials without having to worry about getting a baby sitter. The event is free but we do take donations. Our youth work the event and the donations are used as a fundraiser for their summer trip. PNO also provides each child with a bible study, craft, and dinner. The kids seem to have a lot of fun, as do the youth. Here are a few pictures - I apologize for the side ways pictures. 

In October, we normally have a fall fest in place of halloween. However, we have hosted a fall fest for so long, it was becoming a bit monotonous so this year we decided to try out Trunk or Treat. In case you are not aware of what Trunk or Treat is, I will briefly explain. You have member of your church decorate their car and themselves in a certain theme. We arranged the cars in one of our parking lots and made a little pathway around them. The kids travel the pathway playing games or hearing stories at each car, and of course receiving candy. We had 30 cars that participated. Along with trunk or treat, we also had a section designated to Slime Time Games. We have 10 slimy, gross games for the kids to play. We also served hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy. Below are a few pictures from the event. 

For Christmas, we saw the opportunity for us to provide the families in our community with an event to share the Christmas story. We called this The Tour of Bethlehem. As the families entered, they were taken to the census room to register. After a group of 20 or so gathered, a tour guide led the group through a tour of our different rooms. Here is what a tour looked like. Stop 1 : A tour of bethlehem. We had this room set up with different things you would have found in Bethlehem; i.e. a farmer's market, a bakery, and a perfume maker. The kids were able to sample different foods and help make perfume, mosaics, and bread. Stop 2: Game Time. In this room, the kids heard the story of the Candy Cane and played a Christmas version of spin the tale on the donkey- where the kids had to decorate a christmas tree after being spun around 3 times. Stop 3: Crafts. We also order crafts from oriental trading. Stop 4: Bible Study. For this, we had our youth act out the nativity scene. They did a good job. Stop 5: Christmas cookies. In this room, the kids decorated Christmas cookies. Stop 6: Dinner. We usually do hot dogs, chips, popcorn, and cookies for dinners like this. After their tour was complete, the families were able to go home. Sorry I do not have any pictures for this one. 

For the spring semester, my focus was on AWANA, our Wednesday evening activity for kids. Awana is a program that allows our kids to learn scripture. You can read their website for more information. We planned several Saturday events throughout this semester. We brought the kids to several nursing homes in February to visit some of our church members and to pass out fruit baskets. We quickly found out how funny some of the kids could be, when they started telling the residents the jokes from the laffy taffy candy wrapper. In March, we took the boys to a fundraiser for St. Catherine's Wildlife Refuge, called Wildthangs. They had an archery exhibit, fun jumps, and other wildlife exhibits. They had a blast. Here are a few pictures. 

For more information on children's events at Parkway Baptist Church children's ministry, click on the link below. 

www.parkwaybaptistchurch.com/children