Announcements for the Week of 4/11/11- FAMILY CELEBRATION WEEK

Greetings families!

We are embarking on a very special week, CELEBRATE FAMILY WEEK, in honor of the people who support and love us. Everyday this week I encourage you to make some special time for your family to spend together; I will be providing ideas on the blog to help ignite your imagination on ideas for good fun quality time!

Monday night is a great time for Family Game Night! Grab some of your favorite games and spend the evening laughing together!

"Different Options for Different Ages

Well, the sky’s the limit. Bear in mind that all good games have a few things in common: they’re easy to understand, they’re different every time they’re played, and they take an appropriate amount of time. For younger kids, games that you can play several times in an evening are ideal. Older kids may enjoy a game of Monopoly that can take the whole evening. In all cases, make sure that everyone feels involved and engaged in the process. If you’re trying out a new game, you might want to have an old favorite as a back-up in case the new one isn’t right for your family.
Game Types for Every Family
Now, the fun part: playing! With over 5,000 games on the market at any time, the choice can by dizzying, but here are some ideas:

• Classics The advantage to these is that everyone knows them, or almost -- and they’ve stood the test of time. Check age gradings, but some suggestions are: Monopoly, Clue, Sorry, Othello, Battleship, Boggle, Parcheesi, Operation, Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, Trouble, Sorry, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit. Many of these have special interest editions now.
• Strategy Games These games are great for families that like a little more substance to their games. Often story-based, one of the best we’ve seen this year is Parthenon from Z-Man Games where players race to build their civilizations.
  
• Multi-Faceted Games These are games that combine different kinds of skills. Great for diverse families where everyone gets a chance to shine. For older kids and adults, check out Cranium. Cranium Family Fun, Hoopla and Whonu? work for the whole family.
  
• DVD Games Definitely one of the hottest trends in the whole game business Our favorite is Scene It? from Mattel in different versions that cover movies, TV, music, sports and Harry Potter. Pop in the DVD and you simply play along. Choose the version that’s right for the group you’re playing with.
• Skill and Action Games For when you just want to have some silly fun. Try Captain Bones Gold from Spin Master, and Ker-Plunk from Mattel. These are great for kids with tons of energy, and the different outcomes keep families engaged.
  
  Have a fun and relaxing time together!" ( article from Kaboose).

My prayer for your family this week is that you would have lots of quality time together, lots of laughter, lots of great discussions and lots of celebration about the fact that you get to share life together! Coming up this Sunday, it is Palm Sunday. We will be talking about how God gave His life for us in City Kids, the memory verse is "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13 NIV). Make time this week to help your family memorize this verse and talk about it. The greatest faith development in kids starts at home. Your kids will love the talks you have with them about God.

Happy Monday!