K i d s C o r n e r

Lent - Kindness Cross

Wednesday of this past week was Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. The word Lent means Spring. The season of Lent lasts for 40 days days because that is how long Jesus was in the desert, fasting and resisting Satan’s temptations.

Christians use the Lenten season for prayer and fasting and trying to be more like Jesus. One of the ways we can be more like is Jesus is to be kind to one another.

This year as a special Lenten activity, I have prepared a “Kindness Cross”. I am challenging each of you to try to do 40 kind acts during Lent. Each time you do an act of kindness, colour in a space on your Kindness Cross. Once you have completed 40 acts of kindness, your Kindness Cross will be completely coloured. If you would like to send us a picture of your completed Kindness Cross, we will share them on our website for all to see.

Below you will also find some links to some fun activities for this week:

Decoder puzzle: Into The Wilderness With Jesus Decoder
Crossword puzzle: Into The Wilderness With Jesus Crossword
Colouring page: Temptation of Christ Colouring Page

Children's Live Nativity and a Visit by Santa

The youth of our Parish sponsored our first ever "Live Nativity" on Sunday, December 13th, whereby people were invited to drive-by. Some 50+ vehicles drove past our Nativity display. While the weather may have turned a little unsettling, their spirits remained high as they sported some very nice costumes. Of course, Santa being on-site helped as well. Click the links below to view a photo, and a couple of short video clips. Congratulations to Joanne Simfukwe and her Team!!!

201101

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

Jesus teaches us that children are a very important part of the church. He loves them and cares for them equally. Jesus wants us to be kind to everyone and to love others as He loves us.

On November 1st the church celebrates All Saints Day, a special day to celebrate and honour all the saints in heaven. This is a special celebration for our parish because it is the feast day after which our parish is named.

There are many saints which are well known, like Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke and Saint John after whom the Gospels are named. There are other saints who are not as well known like Saint Ignatius, Saint Monica and Saint Ambrose. There are also many, many saints whose names are known only to God.

On All Saints Day we remember all of the saints, and all of our own family members and friends who have died and gone to heaven.

Click here for our activity sheet.

200927

God Can Do Impossible Things

Today’s Old Testament Story is about Moses having led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt into the desert. As they continued along their journey, the Israelites became more and more thirsty. They complained and complained to Moses. Moses prayed to God to ask him what to do. God answered Moses, and told him what to do. Moses struck a rock with his staff, and water began to rush from it. There was enough water to quench the thirst of all the Israelites, and all of their animals. Do you think that Moses was able to do that by himself? Of course not! He listened to God, and did exactly as God told him, and because of that he was able to help the Israelites.

We can learn a lot from Moses. When we are in a situation that seems impossible for us, all we have to do is ask God for His help, and he will hear us and help us. We may not hear his voice the same way Moses, did but we can hear him through a feeling in our heart, or a thought in our mind or through another person. God can do all things, even things that seem impossible. We just have to have faith in Him and trust in Him.

Below are some activities to do this week all about Moses:

200823

The Story of Moses

Today’s Old Testament Reading tells us The Story of Moses. Moses was born in a very dangerous time. The King of Egypt at that time was afraid that the Israelites (God’s people) were going to take over his country. In order to stop this from happening, the King of Egypt issued an order that all new born Hebrew baby boys be thrown into the Nile River. The new born Hebrew baby girls were allowed to live.

Moses' Mom hid Moses when he was a baby for three months because she did not want anyone to tell the King about him so that he could live. As he grew, it was more difficult to hide him so she put him in a basket, and left him at the edge of the river with his older sister standing nearby to see what would happen to her baby brother.

The King’s daughter came to the river and noticed the baby in the basket. She felt sorry for the baby as she knew he was one of the Hebrew baby boys. The King’s daughter paid Moses’ Mom (although she did not know that it was his mother) to look after the baby. When Moses was older, his mother gave him to the King’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. Moses grew up to be a great leader.

This story teaches us that no matter what our situation is, God can make great things happen, and if we trust in Him, he will always keep us safe.

Below are several links to some fun activities to complete, as well as a song to learn this week.

Song: Where is Baby Moses?

200809

Jesus Walks on Water

Today’s Gospel reading tells us the story of Jesus Walking on the Water. The video link below tells this story:

Video: Jesus Walks on the Water

Sometimes in our lives we face “storms”, or difficult times. If we trust in God, and keep our eyes on Jesus and have faith, God will bring us through the difficult times to better and great things.

Below are some links to some fun activities to complete and a song to learn this week:

200802

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

Today’s Gospel Reading tells us the story of the feeding of the Five Thousand. The link below tells the story.

Video: The Feeding of the Five Thousand

The feeding of the five thousand teaches us that if we trust in God, He can do great things. We might not think that we have much to offer but if we allow God to use us, He can accomplish lot that we didn’t even know was possible.

Below are some links to some fun activities about the Feeding of the Five Thousand.

200726

Parables About the Kingdom of Heaven

The Gospel reading this week teaches us a number of different parables. You may remember two weeks ago that we learned that a parable is a simple story that helps us understand the lessons that Jesus is trying to teach us. The parables this week are all about the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds that grows to be the largest of all the garden plans. The Parable of the Yeast teaches us that the Kingdom of God is like yeast that works its way through the flour making it into dough. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl teach us that the Kingdom of Heaven in valuable like a hidden treasure or a pearl, one of the most valuable gems. The Parable of the Net teaches us that the Kingdom of God is like a fisherman’s net that gathers all the good fish together and is pulled into the shore.

All of these Parables together teach us that the Kingdom of God is big and precious and working through us to make us better Christian. Size (or age) doesn’t matter in the Kingdom of God. We are all a part of the Kingdom of God and God watches over us and loves us all equally. If we believe in God and are Faithful to God, we will be part of His Kingdom and precious to Him.

Below is a link to a song about the Kingdom of God to learn and some fun activities about the Parables in today’s Gospel.

200719

Jacob's Ladder

This week’s Old Testament reading tells us the story of Jacob’s Ladder. Jacob was on a long journey to a town called Haran. On his journey, he reached a place where he stopped to spend the night. He laid down, using a large stone as a pillow. While he was sleeping, he had a dream. In his dream there was a ladder that went all way up to heaven. There were angels running up and down the ladder, and God was standing at the top of the ladder. God told Jacob that He was going to bless him and his family, and He would watch over them and keep them safe. God promised Jacob that He would be with Jacob wherever Jacob went. When Jacob woke up he knew that God was in that place, and he took the stone he had used as a pillow and poured oil on it, and gave the place the name “Bethel”, which means the “House of the Lord”.

This story tell us how God blessed Jacob. God also blesses us, and is always with us. Below there is a link to a song to learn about Jacob’s ladder, and some fun activities and crafts to help us remember that God is always with us.

200712

The Parable of the Sower

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of the sower. A parable is a simple story that helps us understand the lessons that Jesus is trying to teach us.

In the parable of the sower, a farmer was going to plant seeds. On his way, some of the seeds fell on the path and birds came and ate the seeds. Some fell on the ground that was hard and had a lot of rocks. These plants grew quickly the next day but because there wasn’t much soil the plants didn’t have room to put down roots to help them grow and by the end of the day, the sun dried up the plants. Some more seeds fell in the ground where there were a lot of weeds and thorns. These seeds couldn’t grow because they got choked by the thorns and weeds. The rest of the seeds fell on the good soil and grew up healthy and strong and produced good fruit.

In this lesson our hearts are like the seeds. Sometimes we hear the Bible readings and we are too angry or bitter to listen to the lessons God is trying to teach us. At those times we are like the seeds that fell on the hard ground. Other times we are excited but quickly lose our excitement. That is when we are like the seeds that fell in the ground without much soil. There are other times when we listen to Jesus’ teachings but we don’t want to change our ways. Our not wanting to change our ways are like the weeds. They take over and the seeds can’t grow strong.

God wants us to be like the seeds that fell in the good soil. He wants us to listen to his Word and learn from the Bible stories so that we can grow up to be the people that He wants us to be and so that we can share his messages with others so that they can know and understand God’s love too.

Below there are some fun activities and a link to a song to learn to help you remember the parable of the sower.

200705

Jesus Will Help Us With Our Troubles

F.R.O.G. or D.O.G. - The title of this week’s activity might make you think it is going to be about animals, but it is not. F.R.O.G. and D.O.G. are pretty unusual terms to see in a Sunday School activity aren’t they? This week’s Gospel reading teaches us that Jesus will help us with our troubles, and we can find rest in Him.

In life we all experience different kinds of situations that can be troublesome or worrisome, and that can make us feel tired or worn out. We could be having trouble at school or at home, or we could have a sick family member or maybe someone has been making fun of us. These problems are all pretty heavy to have to carry all by ourselves. The good news is, however, that Jesus is our helper. We can fully rely on Him all the time to help us. We just have to remember:

F.R.O.G.- Fully Rely on God

D.O.G. – Depend on God

Below you will find the links to some fun activities and there are two new links to songs to help you remember this week’s lesson.

200628

Welcoming Others Into Our Lives

The Gospel reading this week talks about welcoming people. Jesus teaches us that when we welcome others into our lives, our homes and our churches, we are welcoming Him. He also teaches us that God rewards those who welcome Him.

What does it mean to welcome someone? To welcome means to receive someone in a warm and friendly way. It is very important to make others feel welcome. Jesus wants us to welcome everyone. We should try to make others feel welcome when they come to our house, or are new to our schools and to our churches.

This COVID-19 pandemic has made it more challenging for us to welcome others because it is necessary for us to maintain social distancing to keep ourselves and others safe and well.

As an activity for this week, I invite you to make a welcome sign to hang in your window. Feel free to decorate your welcome sign however you wish. We would love to see some pictures of your finished projects. If you send them to us, we will upload them to our website and Facebook page so that all our Parish family can appreciate them. Please email them to communications@allsaintsparish.ca

There are also links below to some activities and a new song to learn.

200621

We are All Precious in God's Sight

Today’s gospel reading teaches us that we are all precious to God. Jesus uses an example of sparrows. Sparrows are little birds that are very common but even though there are a lot of them, God knows each of them and cares for each of them. God feels the same way about us. Even though there are a lot of people in the world that are all very different, God loves each of us and cares for each of us.

This week, when you see and hear birds singing, I want you to remember that God loves us and cares for you and will always look after you, the same way He looks after the little birds.

There are some fun activities below to teach us about God’s love for us.

200614

God Keeps His Promises

The Old Testament Bible Reading this week tells us the story of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah had always wanted to have their own family. God had promised them that if they followed Him, they would have their own family. As they got older, they didn't think they would ever be able to have a baby of their own, but God kept promising them they would have their own family. Abraham and Sarah were very old when they finally had a baby. God kept His promise to them, but He did it in His time. God's timing is always perfect. He always hears us, but He responds to our prayers in His time. This is because God knows everything, and knows what is best for us at every time in our lives.
God has given us many promises. He promises to love us, to be with us, to take care of us, to give us strength, to comfort us, and to hear our prayers. Sometimes when there are things happening that we find difficult or that we don't quite understand, it can be hard to remember that God will keep his promises. Sometimes, to help us remember, God uses symbols. The rainbow is one symbol that God loves us and keeps His promises. The next time you see a rainbow I want you to remember that God will always be with you and that He keeps His promises to us, even if it seems like that is impossible.
There are some activities below to help us remember God keeps His promises and a link to a song that you can sing along to all about God's promises.

God Loves Everyone Equally

There have been a lot of bad things happening around the world in the last week. People have been mean and unkind to people because they are different. As Christians, we are called to show others God's love by our actions. God loves everyone equally. He doesn't care what colour we are, whether we are tall or short, or a girl or a boy or from different countries. In God's eyes we are all the same.

It is very important for us to remember that God loves everyone and that we should be kind and loving to all people. We can show others that God loves them by the way we treat them. We should always be kind to everyone. Jesus taught us that we should love Him as He loves us and we should also love our neighbours as we love ourselves.

This week's activities focus on God's love and how we should show that love to everyone. There is also a link below to teach you the song Jesus Loves the Little Children.

Pentecost

This Sunday is Pentecost. It is a special day because it is the day that God sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples and others. Pentecost is 50 days after Easter Sunday.
When the Holy Spirit came, the disciples had gathered with other Christians to celebrate the end of the grain harvest. The Holy Spirit came like a strong wind, and tongues of fire rested on each of the disciples, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. There were people there from many different countries that spoke many different languages. Everyone heard what was being said by the disciples in their own language.

The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us, and is with each of us today and every day. It helps us and comforts us when we have a problem, and gives us strength to do what God wants us to do.

Below you will find some links to a couple of videos and some activities to help us learn more about Pentecost.

Ascension Day

Thursday of this past week marked the end of the Easter season. Thursday was Ascension Day, when Jesus ascended into heaven. Ascension Day always falls on a Thursday, and is 40 days after Easter Sunday. This Sunday our church services focus on Jesus' ascension into heaven. Jesus told his disciples, who were very sad, that he was leaving them, and that it was necessary for him to return to heaven, but he would send the Holy Spirit to be with them after his ascension. Next week we will learn more about when the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples.

Below are some links to some activities to help celebrate Jesus' ascension.

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. Mother's Day is a day for us to honour our Mothers. Our parents are a gift from God to help us and we should always be thankful for our parents.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:1-3: Children, if you want to be wise, listen to your parents and do what they tell you, and the Lord will help you. For the commandment, “Honor your father and your mother,” was the first of the Ten Commandments with a promise attached: “You will prosper and live a long, full life if you honor your parents.”

On this special day, one way we can honour our Mothers is to give them an extra special hug and to help them. Below you will find some links to some special colouring sheets you can colour as a special "thank you" for your Moms.

The Road to Emmaus

Today’s Gospel tells us the story of Jesus appearing to two of his followers on the Road to Emmaus. When Jesus first appeared to them, they did not know who he was. They were very sad about Jesus having been crucified and they didn’t know that he had risen from the dead. As they walked along, Jesus talked to them about God’s promises and how even though Jesus had died, He rose from the dead so that we could have eternal life. When the two followers realized that they had been talking to Jesus they were very happy and ran back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples that they had seen Jesus.

Below you will find some links to some fun activities about this week’s Bible story which we hope you will enjoy.

Doubting Thomas

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Have you ever heard someone say “Don’t be a doubting Thomas”? A “doubting Thomas” is a name used to describe someone who refuses to believe something without direct personal experience. People started using “doubting Thomas” after the very first Easter.

Click here to download our Doubting Thomas activity.

Easter Egg Colouring

Sunday, April 12, 2020

There are a lot of different symbols used to remind us of Easter - flowers, bunnies and chicks. Most people associate Easter with Easter Eggs.

You may have wondered why an egg is a symbol of Easter. The reason we use an egg to represent Easter is because eggs represent new life. Have you ever seen a baby chick hatch? When the chick hatches, the egg cracks and a new little chick comes out. The empty egg shell is like the tomb where they put Jesus on Good Friday after he died. On Easter Sunday the tomb was empty and Jesus was alive.

Click here to download our Kids Corner Easter craft activity sheet, designed by our own Carissa.

Here is an Easter colouring sheet, courtesy of Crayola

Here is an Easter Basket craft activity sheet, courtesy of Crayola.

Here is an Easter Scramble sheet, courtesy of Crayola.

Making Palm Crosses

Sunday, April 05, 2020

We are really proud of our two young industrious members two completed our first ever KIDS CORNER youth activities.

They are Chloe Courage and Wesley Simfukwe !!! Congratulations to you both. Click the thumbnails to view a full size picture of these proud young individuals!!!

Click

here to to download our palm cross activity sheet

"We are so delighted to be able to bring you this children's Christian Youth Education page. If you have any suggestions, please let us know here."

Kids Corner