D.A.T. #8 | Living Stones

Have you ever built a human pyramid? What would happen if someone on the bottom, or in the middle of the pyramid decided to leave and go home? I don't think the chances of the pyramid remaining standing would be very high!

Have you played Jenga? Or built a tower with blocks? What happens if you take out a block from the bottom? The tower becomes unstable and often collapses. 

Our readings today remind us that we are all 'living stones'. Living stones help one another and build each other up. Just like stepping stones on a path or across a creek help us to get across safely. If a stone is missing, it makes it harder to get across. Each stone is needed and important, just like we are all needed and important to the family of Christians.

Welcome to this week's D.A.T. (Digital Awesome Time)! Special welcome to Liam and Livvie, who have helped with our video message.

Check out this AWESOME song, written ESPECIALLY for us, by Siu! Thank you to her very talented kids, Vaiuli, Massey and Ílaisaane for helping produce such a great music video.

https://youtu.be/dIa3kteAt4k

Thanks to Carol and Siu, who have given us some great ideas for this week's challenges. Have a go at one (or more) of the challenges below. Send us your photos or videos - every time you enter you go into the draw to win a scrumptious prize!

Challenges

Challenge #1 | Puzzle Time

Do a jigsaw puzzle, with one or more members of your bubble. Take a photo and send it in!

Challenge #2 | Rock Art

Create a piece of art using small rocks or pebbles. 

Here are some videos of stone pictures, which might give you some inspiration:

Challenge #3 | Leaf People

Collect fallen Autumn leaves from your garden, or on a walk around your neighbourhood. Use the leaves to make a person. You could turn your whole family into leaf people. Or, use your imagination and create your own leaf animal or character.

Challenge # 4 | You Rock!

(a) Paint a stone with a message of kindness, or

(b) Paint a stone with a smiley face, or

(c) Paint a stone for each member of your family, or

(d) Collect enough stones to make a tic-tac-toe game. Paint half with noughts and the other half with crosses. Play a game with someone in your bubble. If you don't have paint, you could use felt pens.

Challenge #5 | Lego Build

It's pretty hard to build something out of Lego if you only have ONE brick! You definitely need lots of bricks of all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours. Just like we need all kinds of people in our church family.
Your task: Design and build your own creation out of Lego (or your choice of building blocks, or boxes).

Extra for experts: Can you build a brick rainbow?

Challenge #6 | Balancing Act

Balance one object on another object. Or, balance an object on a person, or a person on an object. Or, balance a person on a person! Take a photo and send it to us.

Challenge # 7 | Stack 'em Up!

Build a pyramid. You could use people (if you have enough in your bubble!), or cans, cups, toys... be creative!

Challenge # 8 | Hand-print Bouquet

Trace around your hands or make painted hand-prints to create a beautiful hand-print bouquet to give to a parent, grandparent or caregiver this Sunday.

Challenge # 9 | Three Ingredient Baking

Bake something using 3 ingredients. (If you leave one ingredient out, it's not going to work!) Here are a couple of options:

(a) Peanut Butter Cookies

using peanut butter, sugar and an egg

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/244614/3-ingredient-peanut-butter-cookies/

(b) Lemonade Scones

using lemonade, cream and flour - do some research for a good recipe and let us know!
https://www.foodinaminute.co.nz/Recipes/Lemonade-Scones

(c) Ice cream

using condensed milk, cream and vanilla - do some research for a better recipe and let us know!

(I'm pretty sure you can also add a chopped up chocolate bar for extra goodness!)

Easy Ice Cream Recipe:

2 cups (500ml cream

400g can (approx) sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour the cream into a bowl and whip until just stiff, do not over mix.

Fold the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla into the cream.  Spoon into a plastic container, seal with a lid and freeze until firm.

Challenge # 10 | Cuppa and a Chinwag
Make someone special a cup of tea, coffee or milo this Sunday. Sit down with them (without your phone, laptop or tv) and have a good old fashioned chat.