Try this one

Group, Jan/Feb 2001

try this one

READTOGO a tried-and-tested ideas sent in by youth workers-ready to cut out and file

OUTREACH

LAW ENFORCEMENT LUNCHES

Set aside a Saturday to show your local law enforcement officers how much they're appreciated in your community.

First, pick a date and times and send out fliers Ito the sheriff's office or police department, inviting the officers to a meal. Consider providing meals during both day and evening hours to accommodate officers' schedules. For example, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the day shift and 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the evening shift.

Next, decide on the menu. Consider hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, french fries, or something more elaborate. Whatever food is served, it needs to be something that can be prepared quickly. Also, all meals should be prepared "to go" so officers can take them along if they get a call while at the church.

Set up your fellowship hall to look like a fast-food restaurant. Involve your kids by having them wait on the officers, make the food, and take orders at the counter. Make sure they have opportunities to interact with the officers.

This activity is an awesome way to show comnunity support, expose other people to your church and kids, and let officers know that local kids are doing something positive.

Renee Powell

Louisville, Tennessee

CROWDBREAKER

COLD HANDS, WARM INTRODUCTIONS

In this fun activity, kids learn interesting tidbits about their partners while racing against melting ice.

Pair kids randomly with others they don't know very well. Then give each pair one piece of ice. (Make sure ice cubes are about the same size and shape.) Explain that the object of the crowdbreaker is for kids to discover as many things as possible about their partners... while melting the ice as quickly as possible. Kids must learn basic things about each other such as name, age, school, hobbies, and talents-but also something odd, such as the color of Air toothbrushes. If there's time, each person should find out one little-known or interesting fact about his or her partner.

Tell kids creative ice-melting techniques will be rewarded. They might rub hands, place it in their mouths, under their arms... wherever there's warmth. When a pair's ice cube is melted, have them signal, and keep a list of finishers in order. When everyone is finished, have kids introduce their buddies to the large group, sharing what they discovered.

Give awards to the pair who melt their ice cube first, the person who's found the most interesting fact about his or her partner, and the pair who found the most creative way to melt an ice cube.

Ashley Pirie

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

CARTOON COMMUNICATION

Recycle the smiles from daily desk calendar pages with this idea.

I used to throw away daily desk calendar pages, but now I use them as stationery to write notes to my kids. You can write in the margin at the side or on the back of the page.

The daily pages are a great reminder to write one teenager or adult volunteer each day, and this simple gesture lets kids and adults know I'm thinking about them and praying for them. Also, because I use pages from The Far Side calendar, it gives them a laugh at no extra cost!

Michael Wilson

Dyersburg, Tennessee

PLASTIC BAG MISSION

Adapt this idea to your community and its needs. Collect items for a women's shelter, recent immigrants, or inner city kids.

During World Vision's 30-Hour Famine, we wanted to reach out to others in our corn munity, so we made fliers about the event and then went around to neighborhood homes armed with plastic grocery bags.

After knocking on the door, we gave residents a flier, a plastic bag, and then explained our mission. We let them know we'd return in an hour lo pick up whatever they left in the bag, such as canned food or other nonperishable items. We asked them to leave the bags on their doorsteps.

In just an hour, we collected more than 100 nonperishable items! But more than that... kids had an opportunity to show their faith in action to our community!

Louise Jagessar

Virginia Gardens, Florida

DISCUSSION STARTER

SEEK AND PRAY

In this activity, kids discern the value and purpose behind familiar organizations and places in their community. But first they have to find them.

Before your group meeting, use a Polaroid camera to take pictures of familiar objects and places in your community. However, take pictures of only a portion of the objects, such as the chain of a park swing, the door of a school, or half of a sign. At your meeting, form groups of three or more and give each group the same five to 10 photos. Mix up the order of the photos for each group, and tell groups they must find the objects in the order given. This will ensure that groups get to each venue at different times.

Then have groups go out into your community to find the objects in the pictures. Once each object is found, have groups answer these questions: What purpose does this place or organization serve in our community? How is our community benefited by this place or organization? How would our community be different without it?