No Meeting this Month

In case you didn't already know this, we are not getting together this month. Since most people already have big service projects this month, and many are traveling, and all are very busy I thought it would be better to skip.
Merry Christmas! See you next month.

A little chaos but still good

We had a great turnout to our cookie swap activity and I would consider the activity as a whole to be a success. We did learn a few things though so here is what we did, and what I would change next time.

The kids all came over and helped make the cards and put the cookies on the plates. There was not enough room for everyone around the table so we had the older kids make their cards on the floor. That worked out okay, but it would be better to have an extra folding table next time... Mostly just because that would make it easier for the adults who need to help them.

After the kids got everything else ready, the adults (and older kids) made the plates pretty with cellophane and ribbon. This took longer than I had planned, and there was a lot of down time for the kids. Luckily a couple of adults were able to keep them entertained with storybooks and games like "Simon Says." Next time though I might prefer to have some activities ready, maybe even another service project of some sort. 

Then we went and delivered the plates. It was fun to all go together, but we did run into lunch and naptime. So next time we would probably need to divide up the plates and deliver them. Or, depending on your age groups, maybe have a quick break for healthy snacks before delivering. We did give them cookies, but those don't really make you satisfied.

Overall though it was a good activity. It was nice to remember the people we need to be thankful to, and just fun to go out and make some people happy.

Serving The Folks Who Serve Our Community

We are a little behind this month! I got kinda side tracked by Halloween, and wow! Can you believe October is already over? Seriously!

Anyway, our next service project will be on the second Wednesday of November... That means November 9th. If you would like to join us, here are the details.

What: We will be delivering plates of goodies the men and women who serve our communities. Think firemen, policemen, trashmen, anyone you think makes our community a little better, but who might not get thanked as often as they should. Bring 1 dozen cookies (or other plate-able goody) and the name/ address of a group you want to present with a plate. Got two groups? Bring two dozen cookies (come on, you know that recipe makes at least that many anyway). The idea is to mix up the treats so that each group gets a variety. Some kids can decorate cards to attach to the plates, and some can help put the cookies on plates. Adults can wrap the plates, tie ribbons on them, and attach the cards. Depending on how long that takes, and how many plates we do, I think it would be fun to deliver at least some of the plates together-- caravan over to wherever and then all get out and deliver the plate.

Where: My (Charity's) place. If you need directions, let me know.

When: Wednesday, November 9th,  10:00am

Who: ANYONE!!!!!!

Please let me know when you have chosen a group and a cookie type. That way we don't end up with everyone planning on bringing their plate to the fire department. Just leave a comment here.

Missionary Care Packages

I'm thinking that it would be really fun to throw together some little care packages for the missionaries in our ward. It would be something small... Maybe make some cookies and some sort of Halloween decoration. Stick in some little pieces of candy and a card made by the kiddos? They have little Halloween boxes at Target for $1 right now.

I'm don't have it all worked out in my mind yet, but I will tentatively say to plan on this one for Thursday the 27th at my place probably in the morning. Comment here if you're interested or have ideas.

Details to follow.

Our First Trash Clean-up Activity

We had a great time picking up trash a Griffith park this week. We cleaned, watched squirrels, and explored nature for about 40 minutes. The park seemed  pretty clean and I was a little concerned that there wouldn't be enough trash for us to pick up, but  once we got started I realized how much there really was.

Here's a picture of our fabulous, hard-working girls 

Each child had their own plastic grocery bag to dump trash into. That worked okay, but there was a bit of a breeze and the bags were hard for the kiddos to handle at times. I think that next time it might be better to try little pails or something like that-- then they wouldn't have to worry about trying to hold their bag open while it blows in the breeze. 

Taking a break to explore a mysterious hole-- "what could live in there? Hey! There's trash in this little animal's home!!"  Just for the record it wasn't really an animal home... just a shallow hole. :)

I was glad that I thought to bring hand wipes at the last minute. Hands got a little dirty even through the little "t-shirt fabric" gloves I made for my girls. Too much mud from the rain the day before.

Oh yeah! One other thing-- the playground was a bit of a distraction at the beginning. Things got easier for the kids once we moved away from it, but next time I might avoid playgrounds completely.

It was a big success overall. Lot's of opportunities for teaching, and at little bit of exercise as an added bonus. 

Trash Pick-up

Our first service project will be gathering trash at Griffith Park. If you've never been there, it's a great park. There's a big playground surrounded by lots of grass and lots of hiking trails and such through the park as well. It is always dirty though, such a shame! We'll start with cleaning up the playground area. Meet at the playground at 3:00 on Thursday October 6th. You'll probably want to bring some gloves for your kids and wear clothes that can get dirty.

Invite people! The more hands the better.

And Please Remember:

• Any child who comes needs to have their parent or other grownup stay with them and watch them.
• All projects will be appropriate for preschool aged kids, but older kids and grownup friends without kids are welcome to come too. The more hands the better.

I would like to do a service project every month. Right now I'm thinking the first Thursday of the month, but let's talk about it there and we can decide if there is a better time for everyone. If you are interested in helping to organize activities, let me know. It would be great to set up a rotation.

P.S Just to be clear, we are meeting at Shane's inspiration which is the huge handicap accessible playground. It is near the old zoo picnic area.