Playing the bells at Landsmeer Ridge- Tuesday, December 13, 2011

JUST FOR KIX dancers!

The 'Just For Kix' dancers are performing tomorrow at Kids' Connection. Too fun!

We are putting together egg cartons to use with your family 12 days before Christmas. The children will assemble them after the dance performance. We will assemble one per family. Beginning 12 days before Christmas, you and your child will choose one of the egg carton slots to open each day. It's a great way for your family to get to know Jesus, your Savior.

Next week Tuesday, the 13th of December, the Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders will be bussed over to Landsmeer Ridge Retirement Community to perform a short Christmas program. You are welcome to come and enjoy the program! We will also celebrate the children with December birthdays that day! Northwestern Bank in Orange City is hosting the party! Thanks Northwestern Bank employees!

GINGERBREAD HOUSES!!!!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, is the BIG day!! We make Gingerbread Houses at Kids' Connection!! Join us for the fun! Kids, all you need is your creativity and Parents, we will be finished with the houses around 5:00ish. I hope that works into your schedule. We'll close Kids' Connection at the regular time at 6:00pm.

On Thursday, the 8th, the Just For Kix dance troupe will be performing for us!! We are so excited to welcome them to Kids' Connection!!

On Tuesday, the 13th, the Kindergarten through 2nd grade children will be performing a Christmas program for the residents at Landsmeer Ridge Retirement Community. Parents, you are welcome to join us. We should be ready to perform at around 4:15 that afternoon. Your child will be back at First Reformed Church by 5:00pm. Thanks for letting us share the season with the folks at Landsmeer!!

Merry CHRISTmas!!!

TALKING TURKEY WITH SUNDAY FORD

Thanksgiving Turkeys

Pizza Ranch Tip Night is Monday, November 21 from 5pm-8pm. Come and support Kids' Connection!!

Join us on Tuesday, November 22, for some 'Turkey Talk'. Sunday Ford, the Sioux County Naturalist will be talking to the k-5th graders at Kids' Connection about turkeys!! Don't miss out on the fun!!
We are planning to make turkey cookies, turkey crafts and other turkey fun!

To all of our followers on the blog, have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday next week. We have SO much to be thankful for...God is SO good!!

Our verse this month is found in the book of Matthew, chapter 18 verse 20: "For where 2 or 3 gather together in my NAME, I am with them." Happy 'gathering' this holiday season!!

Scavenger Hunt on Tuesday

Tuesday, November 8 is the Scavenger Hunt...See you there!! Bring your friends!!

Kids in the Kitchen

Scarecrow Contest

Tuesday, October 25- Design a Scarecrow

On October 25, the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be designing their own scarecrows. Each team of 3-4 3-5th grade children will work together to assemble a scarecrow that will be judged and prizes awarded in different categories. Please send the following to Kids' Connection with your 3-5th grader: pants, shirt, shoes, belt, rope, gloves, newspaper, hat, and/or other appropriate accessories.
The K-2 children will be judges for the contest and will be involved in making other scarecrow crafts. The contest will be held on Thursday, October 27.

Children celebrating a birthday in October will be honored at a birthday party just for them on Thursday, October 27 at Kids' Connection. Northwestern Bank will be here to host the birthday party!!

FUN AT MRS. B's FARM

THIRD GRADERS

Parents of Third Grade children,

A trip to Mrs. B.'s farm is being planned for Thursday, October 13 from 4:00-5:00. The Kids' Connection bus will get the third graders there and back. We must have a permission slip signed by you in order for your child to go to the farm. The permission slips are on the Kids' Connection check in/out table. The third graders will paint pumpkins, pet puppies, and find plenty of area to run around! Should be a GREAT time!!

Fishing at Landsmere...

My First Fish!

A snack always tastes good.

Wow! Nice Fish!

FISHING!!!

On Tuesday, the 27th of September, the 4th and 5th grade children get to go fishing. Each 4th and 5th grade child must have a permission slip signed by a parent/guardian to leave Kids' Connection from 4:00-5:00 to go fishing. If you have a fishing pole and/or worms, take them along on Tuesday!!

The children grades K-3 will be at Kids' Connection on the 27th enjoying games and other 'fishy' fun!!! We'll have a great time! See you there!

Birthday Party -Thursday, Sept. 22

Happy birthday to all of the children born in August and September!! Tomorrow we will celebrate your birthdays at Kids' Connection. Northwestern Bank will come with several employees to host a birthday bash in your honor. Join us tomorrow after school for an August-September birthday party!!

Thank you, Parents, for your patience with our new Text-to-Parent check-in system. For the most part, it worked smoothly! We'll work out the bugs today and hopefully by tomorrow, it'll be flawless!! The assurance of knowing your child has arrived safely at Kids' Connection is great peace of mind!! Please contact Leanne at leanne@frcoc.org or at 737-4909 with questions or comments.

Text Notification!

Parents,

Starting next week Tuesday, September 20, you will be receiving a notification text that your child has arrived at Kids’ Connection. When your child checks in by scanning his/her name tag, you will get the automatic text stating, “(Your child’s name) has checked in for Kids’ Connection today.”

The number you’ll be receiving the text from is 605-622-0824. We would suggest adding this number to your contact list. Please do not try to reply to the text as we are unable to respond.

We are excited about this new technology. Please let us know if you are having difficulty receiving the notification.

'Praise and Play' today!

'Praise and Play' happens today at Kids' Connection from 4:00-5:00 with Mary Lundgren. Hope you can join us for all of the fun!

CAR WASH news!! We raised money for a Bible school in Ecuador last Tuesday by soaking, washing, rinsing and drying cars and trucks on the North parking lot of First Reformed Church. It was a beautiful, sunny day for a car wash! We hope to post pictures here soon, otherwise check out the pictures on the Kids' Connection Facebook page. Thank you to all of the hardworking children and volunteers who made this Car Wash a success! Thank you to all of the drivers for your donations to this cause of the KINGDOM! Most of all, THANKS BE TO OUR GREAT GOD for HIS amazing LOVE and GRACE.

CAR WASH

Kids' Connection Car Wash

Tuesday, September 13
4:00 pm- 5:15pm
North Parking Lot
First Reformed Church
Orange City, IA

Enter at the east entrance, Exit at the west exit

Freewill offering for Bible School in Ecuador

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN...

Rice Krispie Bars and No Bake Cookies with the 5th Graders

The First Week @ Kids' Connection

Tuesday, the 30th of August was the first day of Kids' Connection for the 2011-2012 school year! It was an awesome day!! 135 children walked through the doors with smiles, questions, excitement, anticipation, and for our new children, some apprehension. Our new computer check in system worked extremely well. (Thanks Jack!) We began the afternoon with a delicious snack provided by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, the Orange City Center. Next we gathered together to review the Fruits of the Spirit learned last year, introduce our new theme of the Lord's Prayer, and remind everyone of the behavior expectations at Kids' Connection. Then we were off to the craft tables to decorate our prayer journals, play pool, ping pong or Foosball, build Legos in the Lego room, weave potholders, fuse iron beads, paint/draw pictures, and/or build a wood project. The Kids' Connection area was buzzing with excitement and FUN!!

Thursday, the 1st of September, was a very hot day and our local schools let out early due to the heat. The church buses were not running that day so our numbers were down a bit. We had 91 children come to our air conditioned facility to enjoy the afternoon. We met together after snack time to learn the verse from 1 Peter 5:7-"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." We'll review the verse weekly! Mary Lundgren brought the children upstairs for Praises and Play. The children had a chance to run, exercise, and PRAY together! Thanks Mary!!!!

Thank you to all of the volunteers who make Kids' Connection a fun and safe environment each week! This program is what it is because of YOU!!! Thank you! Your smiles, patience and encouragement make each child feel special!

Next week we're baking cookies and making our own ice cream!! Yum! See you next week for more fun at Kids' Connection!!!

Kids' Connection, Thursday, September 1, is OPEN!

Our local schools are closing early today because of the heat. Kids' Connection will be open today at the regular time from 3:30pm until 6:00pm.
Please note that the Kids' Connection church buses will not run today because of the early dismissal.
First Reformed Church has air conditioning and volunteers anxiously waiting to see your child(ren) today! Come and join the fun if you are able!!

KIDS' CONNECTION begins Tuesday, August 30!!

Thanks for checking our Kids' Connection blog! Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 30, we open our doors at First Reformed Church for the most fun, the coolest after school club around!!! If you are in Kindergarten through 5th grade, you are welcome to Kids' Connection. It is very important that you have a child information form filled out in order for us to know that you're coming. Go to our church website at www.frcoc.org for forms and more information!

If you'd like to volunteer for Kids' Connection, there are forms at the same website for you to fill out. You need to be 6th grade or older to be a volunteer.

The First Reformed Church buses will be at your school to take you to Kids' Connection. The buses will be parked on the north side of your school waiting to take you to Kids' Connection.

Hope to see many of you tomorrow!!!

REGISTRATION DAYS

Registration Days
Monday, August 22
Tuesday, August 23
Wednesday, August 24
7:30am-5:00pm
Please come to the Fireside Room (north side) at First Reformed Church to register your child (ren) for Kids' Connection. Take your completed registration form with you to register your child quickly and efficiently. We will need to snap a photo of your child for his/her new Kids' Connection name tag so please take your child(ren) with you to registration. You will also find a September calendar, newsletter, t-shirt order form and donation opportunities on the registration table.
We look forward to seeing you soon!!

AUGUST 2011!!!

It's August! And August means we're gearing up for Kids' Connection! Our first day is Tuesday, August 30. If you are in Kindergarten through grade 5, you are welcome to join us for snacks, games, crafts, baking, and other cool activities from 3:30-6:00. Meet all of your friends at Kids' Connection for fun and good times! A church bus will pick you up after school and take you to First Reformed Church where you will be welcomed by volunteers who are excited to meet you!

We are planning something new for Kids' Connection this year. You will be wearing a new name tag that needs your picture on it. Please come to First Reformed Church on either Monday, August 22 or Tuesday, August 23 or Wednesday, August 24 between 7:30 am-5:00pm to have your picture taken AND sign up for Kids' Connection. We are excited to see your smiles!! :)

Please remember to put these important dates on your calendars.

And, remember God loves you!!

Graduation Day

5th Grade Graduates!

2 Days of Kids' Connection Left

Our first year of Kids' Connection is drawing to a close. There are two big events left for the year:
1. Tuesday, May 24- We will celebrate GENTLENESS with a story from the Bible. Northwestern Bank will be coming to Kids' Connection to celebrate the children with May and July birthdays. Also that afternoon, Ron De Jong is treating us to rides on a flatbed behind his Percheron horses. This is the second time he has favored us with rides down Central Avenue. THANK YOU Northwestern Bank and Ron!!
2. Thursday, May 26, marks the first annual 5th grade graduation party. Our faithful 5th grade students have shown maturity and kindness throughout the year and they will be honored with a celebration of how special they are in God's eyes. Other fun surprises await all of the children on our last day of Kids' Connection for the 2010-2011 school year!!!
Thank you to ALL of the faithful volunteers, supporters, prayer warriors, bus drivers, snack providers, and partners in ministry for EVERYTHING!!!
Look for Kids' Connection to open its doors again August 30, 2011!

May you experience GENTLENESS in May...

GENTLENESS..."A GENTLE answer turns away anger..." Our verse for the Month of May is a reminder of GENTLENESS. We have learned at Kids' Connection that God has put all of the Fruits of the Spirit in our hearts and we need to live them out each day: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Tomorrow, May 10, Lisa Laird will come to Kids' Connection and share her puppet ministry with us. Her theme is GENTLENESS! Thanks so much Lisa for coming each month to introduce the new 'fruit' of the Spirit. We appreciate you!

We continue to collect toys for the children living in the Bronx, New York. Simply bring the new and/or gently used toys to Kids' Connection and put them in the boxes near the sign out table. Thank you!!

We hope to play outdoor games on Thursday, celebrate the Dutch culture and play BINGO on the 17th, celebrate May and July birthdays on the 24th and finally celebrate the 5th grade children with a graduation ceremony at 3:45 on the 26th. Our final day of Kids' Connection for the 2010-2011 school year is May 26. We plan to open again on Tuesday, August 30, 2011. Look for a mailing in early August with details and registration forms for the new school year at Kids' Connection!!

Our theme for the month of MAY is GENTLENESS. Some highlights for May include a toy collection project (see info below), a Cinco de Mayo celebration, and a 5^th GradeGraduation Ceremony on the last day of Kids’ Connection, May 26.

May Service Project for Kids’ Connection: We will be linked with the Fordham Manor Reformed Church in the Bronx, New York this month. Mity, a member of Fordham Manor, feels called to do Gods’ work among the homeless and less fortunate in the Bronx. Her ministries include clothing the homeless, feeding the hungry and blessing young children with food, clothing and toys. The children and volunteers at Kids’ Connection will be asked to help Mity with her ministry to young children by donating new and/or gently used toys for children in the Bronx. Bonnie De Jong met Mity on a mission trip to the Bronx in March 2011. Bonnie will join us on Tuesday, May 3, to tell us more about Mity’s ministry and more about the children and families she met while in New York. God calls us to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. Thank you!!!

In the game room...

Recycled Creations...

Pine Wood Derby Race

We had 12 race cars at the 1st Annual Pine Wood Derby Race this afternoon at First Reformed Church! What a great time! The boys voted on their favorite cars for "Best in Show". We then awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons for "Best in Show" cars and after every car raced, we awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of the entire race. Congratulations! All of you were winners!!!

Thanks Parents for your efforts in helping your son or grandson create a fast and beautifully painted car. Thanks to Don Wynia for letting us use his track. Thanks to Lois, Suzanne, Mark, Rick, Galen, Claudia and Pastor Tim for their help with setup, clean up and encouragement!!

Watch for pictures soon!!! :)

Sand Dollars, Sock Pets, Spanish, Some Cool Marble Mazes

I hope your child received a sand dollar and a sand dollar poem about Easter. What a marvelous story of symbolism and FAITH. April is our month to celebrate the fruit of FAITHFULNESS. Our theme verse is John 3:16. We are working on memorizing the verse and applying it to our hearts!

The children created adorable sock pets using rice, ankle socks, movable eyes, pompoms, felt and more. Also, the boys were able to create marble mazes using wood, markers and nails. The boys were carefully coloring and pounding in nails. The entire project will be completed next week. Thanks to the Kidzone (the FRC Sioux Center after school club) for the sock pet idea and to Norm Plender, and Galen Kleinwolterink for preparing the wood for the boys, and to Jim Aberson, JR Siebersma and Stan Van Otterloo for the hammers and patience!!

Thanks again to Claudia for teaching Spanish to 6 enthusiastic young ladies! We are excited to hear your songs in Spanish!!

Volunteers: Thank you, thank you for sharing your afternoon with us at Kids' Connection! The children are blessed by your presence! Welcome to the 5 Senior students from Unity Christian High School this week, too.

The Pine Wood Derby race is scheduled for this afternoon at 2:00! Anyone is welcome to watch and cheer on your favorite car!!

Faith and Faithfulness

If your child was at Kids' Connection on Thursday, he/she should have come home with a 'Resurrection Egg' set. We will fill 'Resurrection Egg' sets again this coming Tuesday for the children who were not able to be at Kids' Connection last week. The 12 days before Easter begin on April 13. We hope to have the 'Resurrection Egg' sets in the hands of all of the children by that date. Enjoy that special time with your child(ren)!

This week at Kids' Connection, the children will hear the stories of FAITH and FAITHFULNESS from the Bible. Our verse of the month is taken from John 3:16-"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." What a promise of salvation!

Pinewood Derby is coming Saturday, April 16 beginning at 2:00. Come for racing, food and prizes! Everyone is a winner!!!

Claudia, our missionary from Ecuador, is teaching Spanish to a group of 5th grade girls every Tuesday and Thursday at Kids' Connection. Thanks Claudia!!

Girls, Goodness, Gadgets, Giggles, Gift books, Glory!

Girls- We had GREAT time last Friday evening at the first annual 'Girls Get-Together' for Kids' Connection girls, grades 2-5. The girls experienced foot care, massages, hand care, new hairdos, scrap booking, and value in God's eyes!! Thanks to all of the professionals for their help in making the night eventful for all of the girls!!

Goodness- March was Goodness month! We celebrated the fruit of the Spirit of goodness by coloring and decorating place mats for the nursing home residents and hospital patients on Orange City. April is FAITHFULNESS month. Faithfulness means doing the right thing over and over and over. We will also emphasize FAITH to celebrate Easter. Your child will come home with a 'Resurrection Egg' carton filled with numbered eggs telling the story of Easter, Jesus' resurrection. You will need to begin on April 13 in order to 'tell' the beautiful story. We will be assembling the cartons on Thursday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 12. One person per family will assemble the carton. Rejoice!!!

Gadgets- on Saturday, April 16, the boys, grades 2-5 will enjoy a Pine Wood Derby race at Kids' Connection. The deadline to sign up is tomorrow, April 5. Please pick up a pine wood car kit when you return your forms at the Sign out table.

Giggles- Tomorrow at Kids' Connection, Lisa Laird will be introducing FAITHFULNESS to the children with her puppets.

Gift books- A man named Howard Bomgaars started a ministry in memory of his wife, who died recently. He and his children started collecting children’s books to bring to the Banquet in Sioux Falls. Howard’s late wife believed every child should have the opportunity to read. They have already collected many books, however, the Banquet is in need of so many more. We are hoping that the children at Kids’ Connection would be interested in donating some of their used books for this ministry. You will find a box to deposit your books for the Banquet.

Glory- Easter is all about Jesus! Glory to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!!