Winter is coming. The temperatures are getting colder. Many children have outgrown their coats and sweaters from last year. What to do with those coats?

Why not have a coat-drive and collect new or gently used coats and sweaters and blankets for children and families who need them? There are many children who do not have a nice coat or a coat that is warm enough for the winter months.

A coat drive is great mission project for young children. They can take  leadership roles to collect the coats and sort them out in the collection boxes. They will feel like they are making a difference in the lives of other children and sharing Jesus’ love.

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This is a great activity and recipe for young children and makes a great snack time treat. It is all-natural applesauce with no preservatives. A healthy snack.

Peel and slice apples and toss in a food processor or appliance to blend and chop them. We used 2 large Granny Smith apples and 4-6 red apples. The students brought apples in to share with the class.

Add 1/2 cup of water

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Preschoolers love play-dough. Here is an easy recipe to make homemade play-dough for them to enjoy and creatively mold ideas from the Bible lessons taught in class.

Play-dough allows preschoolers to exercise their fingers for pre-writing skills and fine motor activities. It is great for creativity and allowing preschoolers to make and see objects from lessons and stories.

* Warning: Be careful of allergies and sensitivities. Some young children have difficulty and are sensitive to flour.

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• Optional: add a few drops of food coloring and/or scent

Allow the children to help mix the ingredients with the exception of the boiling water. Once the water is poured in and stirred around a bit then it will have cooled off enough for them to mix the entire amount.

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Young children love to learn about the farm and farm animals. Why not add their interest in the farm to a Bible lesson?

Introduce the lesson by talking about different animals: cows, pigs, horses, chickens, goats, etc. Talk about the food these farm animals eat. Talk about the food we get from farm animals.

Have a big farm breakfast in the class and invite parents to join in with their children. Here is a suggested farm breakfast menu:

• scrambled eggs or hard-boiled eggs

• bacon or sausage – Remember allergy alerts and diet preferences and maybe choose turkey bacon or turkey sausage.
• homemade butter – fill a glass jar half full with heavy whipping cream and shake for about 20 minutes until cream turns to butter
• biscuits
• apple slices

After introducing a farm-themed lesson, talk about farm animals in the Bible and the struggle the Israelites had when their farm animals were struck with disease and death (Exodus 9).

Most young children do not want to talk about death but we can emphasize the hardship they encountered when their animals became sick and died from Pharaoh’s broken promise.

Moses was trying to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery. Pharaoh continued to make promises that he would let God’s people go but backed out on each promise.

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My early childhood students have been learning about houses as they talk about their families and who lives in their houses with them. They enjoyed stacking different size boxes. We focused on having a strong foundation on the bottom so the box towers stayed up. They learned quickly that the big boxes need to go on the bottom and get smaller as they built up to the top. They even learned that some boxes could fit inside of others while they were stacking.

This lesson can be carried over into the preschool church classroom and into church weekday early education classrooms.

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