Kid's Kitchen Africa!

Yesterday was our last Kid’s Kitchen. We ended the summer- long experience with a day devoted to Africa. Pastor Martha was our special guest. It seemed only right to have her come share her stories about Africa because she and her husband lived there for 40 years! Before Pastor Martha took the floor we had a devotion. We talked about the Great Commission and what Jesus told us to do. Children learned that it is our duty as followers of God to go out into the world and teach people about God’s love. Matthew 28: 19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We then took the time to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in other countries all around the world. Pastor Martha then began to tell us about her ministries in Africa. She shared a lot about the children in Africa and how their lives differ from our lives in America. She explained that kids in Africa don’t get three meals a day, and if they are lucky they get one meal right before bed. The kids also learned that students have to walk miles and miles just to get to school, and they rarely complain about it. The kids were shocked to hear that!

It was time to begin our cooking. Pastor Martha told us that we were going to make peanut butter soup! The kids chopped up the vegetables and we headed to the kitchen. The vegetables and water were added to a hot pot. While the food was cooking Pastor Martha shared her photos from Africa. The kids had a wonderful time getting to see a glance of life in Africa. After the vegetables were ready we added a jar of peanut butter and some rice. Time to eat! The kids set the table and waited to be served. Everyone tried the soup and surprisingly most kids liked it! We ended the day writing in our journals, and each cook got to make a special scrapbook page to take home with them.

This last Kid’s Kitchen was a great one. The kids learned to pray for others around the world, experienced what life in Africa is like, and tried something new to eat! Kid’s Kitchen has been a fun experience this summer, and we want to thank all who came out and helped our little chefs!

Pastor Martha sharing her photos from Africa

Mixing in the peanut butter

Trying the soup

Yummy peanut butter soup!

Mural Art Camp - Last Day & Reveal Party

Friday, July 13, was the perfect last day for our Art Camp.  After sharing a snack together, we learned about the fourth theme to our mural.  The themes for the first three sections were:

           1)      “Build houses and settle down;”  Jeremiah 29:5a

           2)      “Plant gardens and eat what they produce.”  Jeremiah 29:5b

           3)       “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you”  Jeremiah 29:7

And our fourth theme….

           4)      “I will gather you from all nations and places…” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back to the place from which I carried you.”

All of these themes are from the Bible on building community.  The fourth theme, the students learned, is all about God calling all peoples, from all backgrounds, to build community together wherever they are.  Mr. Andrew and Amir would be working all that day to put final touches on the mural, so we all made some fun art projects inside.  One of our special crafts for the day was making people from all nations and places out of paper dolls, crayons, fabric, felt, and yarn.  Each child made two people – one to take home with them, and one to place on the LYN House wall to be a part of a ‘community.’  The kids also had fun creating a scrapbook page as a memento of their week at Art Camp. 

The rest of the day was used to prepare for our Mural Reveal Party!  Parents, family, and friends all turned out to celebrate the unveiling of the mural our kids had worked so hard to complete that week.  Cake, popcorn, and lemonade was served to welcome everyone; then we all made our way to the community garden to see the wall.  Four of the students were chosen to each read the verse/theme for each section of the wall as it was unveiled.  The kids all took great pride in what they had accomplished, and the mural looks beautiful!!    

 The unveiling...

“Build houses and settle down;”  Jeremiah 29:5a

 “Plant gardens and eat what they produce.”  Jeremiah 29:5b

 “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you”  Jeremiah 29:7

  “I will gather you from all nations and places…” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back to the place from which I carried you.”

 The artists of the week!!!

Kid's Kitchen Herbal Walk and Tea!

Yesterday, 10 Kids Kitchen participants learned all about herbs! Our special guest was Mr. Greg, who works at Pogue’s Run. Mr. Greg is also an herbalist and he grows his very own plants and herbs. He came to the LYN House to teach us about herbs and to take us on a walk to show what kind of plants we can eat and use to cook with that are in our own community. Before we began the herbal experience we discussed as a group what kind of abilities herbs have and had a devotion. Kids shared how some plants can heal cuts, some herbs can be made into teas, and some help with our sunburns. This led us into our devotion about how Jesus is a healer. Kids listened to a few stories from Matthew 8 about how Jesus healed a leper and Peter’s mother-in-law from a terrible fever. Herbs and teas may help us feel better, but Jesus is the true healer. He can perform miracles, he makes us feel better when we are ill, and we makes us feel very special.

                Next, it was time for the herbal walk! Mr. Greg took us to our own community garden. He pointed our numerous herbs that were growing wild in and around our garden. He also explained how each herb can help us. Some of them could be used as lotion, another herb is eaten because it helps the brain, and others are good for keeping our bodies healthy. During our walk kids recorded the different types of herbs and drew what they looked like in their journals. After we made our way through the garden it was time to head back inside and make some tea. Mr. Greg took some herbs that he found outside in our community and also from his herbal farm. He chopped the herbs, placed them in hot water, let them soak, and then poured the tea over ice to make cold tea. Everyone got to try the cold tea. While we drank the tea we enjoyed some tasty English biscuits and the kids recorded their thoughts and ideas in their journals.

Today the kids learned that herbs may have the ability to make us feel better and enhance our health, but that Jesus is the one and only healer who loves us, performs miracles, and saves us from our sins.

Mural Art Camp Day 2

The second day of Mural Art Camp was dedicated to painting our mural and getting crafty! As kids arrived to the LYN House they had a snack and we reviewed the rules for the week. One group went out to paint the mural while the other stayed inside to do a craft and devotion. Inside the kids continued creating houses, vegetables and cityscape for their mobile. Our theme for the day was Jeremiah 29:7 "Plant gardens and eat what they produce." Afterwards they each got to create their very own mosaic. These mosaics were very unique because they were put together with beans and spices from Pogue’s Run Grocer. Outside kids continued to paint the four sections of the wall as well as touch up sections from the day before. They also got to see our muralist mix paints to form new colors for the wall. The mural is coming along wonderfully! Time to switch activities. At the end of the day each student got to finish up their mosaic as well as make an invitation for our Mural Reveal Party that is this Friday at 3:30. This special event is for family and friends of the artists who would like to see the first reveal of our mural in the community garden. The kids are very excited to show off their hard work and creative skills to everyone!  

Photography and Art Show!

Our students who were part of the express yourself camp are putting on an art show on August 3 at 6 PM! Come out and see our artists amazing, eye catching photos and artwork.

The show will be at Made for Each Other (2807 E. 10th St).The art show begins at 6:00 PM and will end at 8:00 PM. Hope to see you there!

Mural Art Camp Day 1

Yesterday we kicked off our first day of Mural Art Camp! The week long project is to paint a mural on a wall in our community garden. The mural has four sections each based off of a different verse in Jeremiah talking about living in community. Before we began painting the mural we introduced the kids to color theory. We discussed what primary colors are and how to create secondary colors. To practice their painting skills each student got to paint their own picture on a canvas. The kids were then split into two groups. One group first headed out to work on the mural in the garden while the other began creating a mobile and had a devotion. Inside we talked about Jeremiah 29:5 “Build houses and settle down”. We discussed what it meant to be a good neighbor and how we can be part of our community. The kids created houses for their mobile as well as vegetables and fruits. The groups switched so everyone got to be part of the mural experience. Our first day was filled with excitement! The kids learned how to paint, how to mix colors to create new ones, got a little messy, and were reminded to always be a loving neighbor to others.    

Kid's Kitchen Soup!

On Monday, June 9 our chefs created two tasty, vegetable soups in Kids Kitchen. Our special guest was Kathy who works at our very own Pogue’s Run. The kids were split into two groups. One group stayed at the LYN House while the other group headed to First Free Methodist Church to bake some rolls. At the LYN House kids listened to Kathy explain the different parts of a soup and discussed what vegetables they would add. Next it was time to chop the celery, tomatoes, four different peppers, onions, carrots, green beans, zucchini, and squash. The first group then added their soup ingredients and also some rice. Time to switch! The second group listened to Kathy and got to do some chopping of their own, but they added noodles to their soup.
While the soup was getting hot and the rolls were baking we made our way to the garden to have a devotional. One of the many passages that we read was, “So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth.” Revelation 10:10. Each passage touched on the idea that the word of God is sweet like honey. Kids went around sharing why they think this comparison was made. A common theme discussed was that honey and sweet treats are special and make us happy, and God is important to us and makes us feel wonderful. We made our way back to the LYN House where the kids set the tables with napkins, bowls, cups, and spoons, and we prayed over the meal that was prepared by the kids. The first soup we tasted was the one with rice, and once that was devoured we ate the soup with noodles. While enjoying our meal we shared our opinions on the two vegetable soups and enjoyed our time with our friends.

Devotion time!

"I liked both of the soups. But my favorite is the one with noodles. We made rolls and I liked eating them! We got to put jelly and buttern on them!" Sarah

Viewfinder Project - Shapes and Patterns & Downtown Fun!

Thursday, July 5, was all about looking for shapes and patterns.  Our photography students were challenged to capture some very basic shapes (circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, ovals, etc.) and patterns in their photos.  We learned that pictures tend to be more dynamic and engaging when the frame is filled with these simple shapes and repeating sequences.  It was great to see the looks on the students’ faces as their eyes were opened to all of the playful patterns and simple shapes on their own streets.  The kids were encouraged to think about the things that ‘shape’ them as individuals, whether bad or good.  In the same way, it is always good to be aware of the ‘patterns’ in our own lives and in others’ lives – the ways we consistently behave or talk. 

 "This is my favorite shapes and patterns picture because there are rectangles around the frame and the windows are shapes, too; and it has a lot of patterns."  

Katie (age 11) 

 "I like this photo because it has rectangle and square shapes, and the weaving is a pattern."

Emma (age 11)

Friday, our final day, was a real treat for the students who got to take a trip downtown to take pictures of the buildings and sights.  Using all of the principals of good photography they had learned over that week, the kids came away with some very impressive pictures.  In celebration of a great week in the Viewfinder Project, we ended the day with milkshakes at Steak 'n Shake! 

"My favorite day in Viewfinder was when we took pictures of beautiful things."  -Katie

"My favorite day was when we took pictures of buildings.  I liked it because we went downtown." -Emma

Viewfinder Project - What Is Beautiful?

The next day of the Viewfinder Project taught the students to think about what is beautiful.  We know its easy to notice things that are ugly, so the goal was to teach the kids how to find the beautiful things as well.  This sometimes involves changing the way you think about your surroundings.  The daily devotion talked about how God created this world and us to be beautiful.  Things may come in to dirty the world up and sin may make our lives not so beautiful;  but God’s purpose is always to create beauty.  We are made in the beautiful Image of God; nothing changes that.  Jesus came to earth to save us from ugly sin and make living as the Image of God possible. 

   "I like this photo because it looks like it's not in the city.  Also it looks like the flowers are floating."

Emma (age 11)

"I love this picture because I framed it with a fence, and to me it looks like a key hole to a garden.  Like in the movie 'Secret Garden.'"

Katie (age 11)

Viewfinder Project- What Is Ugly?

The first real lesson of the Viewfinder Project poses an interesting question to our photography students....What is ugly?  The student quickly agreed that it can be pretty easy to find the ugly things in our neighborhood and the world in general.  The challenge of the day was to try and see the ugly in a different way.  The ugly can always be redeemed and can serve a purpose.  The kids then went out to walk the streets and find the messy, run down, neglected, rusty, unloved things, and then turn it into art -through the viewfinder of a camera.  The devotion for the day spoke of what is ugly in all of us: sin.  The students were able to see how selfishness is really the root of all sin against God and others.  We each become trapped by our own self interest until we are literally 'slaves to sin;' love cannot get in or out.  But true love, the love of God, brings freedom from self and sin.  Beauty defeats the ugly when we open ourselves up to God's love and love others before ourselves.

"I decided to take this picture because there is trash everywhere and the place is abandoned; and it looks ugly.  I like this picture because it looks like the bottle is close up and the door is far away."   

Katie (age 11)

 

"I decide to take this picture because it looked like the trash was made into art.  Also we needed to take pictures of ugly and littering is ugly.  I like this picture because...it looks awesome!"

Emma (age 11)

 

The Viewfinder Project- Intro.

Day one of The Viewfinder Project helped to teach students new to photography about the basics of taking a good photograph.  They learned about the importance of things like taking multiple pictures of the same object at different angles, applying the rule of thirds, filling the frame with the subject, and drawing the eye to certain points in the picture.  It did not take long for these photography proteges to catch on to these principles and come up with some truly creative images while touring the neighborhood.
Here are a couple of the students' favorites from the day.

 "This is one of my favorite pictures that I took; because it's close up and far behind it the blue background looks really good with the silver and gold can."  Katie (age 11)

"I like the swing photo because you can see the swings through the first swing hole.  You can also see the poles; the big ones are blue and when they get smaller they're yellow."  Emma (age 11)

Kid's Kitchen Cakes!

Yesterday was the second day of Kids Kitchen, where twelve kids gathered at the LYN House to create their own 8in. mini cakes.  Mrs. Carol, who has been making cakes for years, was our guest ‘chef.’  The kids had a terrific time preparing and mixing their own cake ingredients, making decorative cake plates, and preparing colorful butter cream icing.  While the cakes were baking and cooling, the children learned about the value of patience in the daily devotion.  We all knew good things would come out of us patiently waiting for our cakes to bake; in the same way good things come out of our being patient in all areas of life.  Being patient with other shows true love.  Patiently waiting on God shows trust in his perfect timing and gives us strength.  In addition, journal entries were made by each child on the steps to make a cake.  After the cakes had cooled, the students enjoyed decorating their vanilla and chocolate cakes with colorful icing and various cake decorations that Mrs. Carol had brought for them to use.  The kids couldn’t wait to get home and show their families their beautiful, sweet creations!....And of course, eat them!