Buttons

1.         Create and decorate a clothing button container.
2.         Start a collection of clothing buttons. Variety is more important than quantity, though each child should have approximately 50 buttons.
3.         Decorate with buttons and/or complete a button craft.
4.         Play “Button, button, who has the
button” game.
5.         Have a ‘Button Trade Night.”
6.         Read and discuss Hebrews 13:16.


Purpose:
Bring the children together in a common practice of sharing.

Resources:
Library for button crafts and history.

History of buttons:
http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/buttons/buttonsarticle.html

Crafts:
http://www.craftyjan.com/page13.html#Button%20Star

Helps

1. Can container of our choice, such as oatmeal box, tin, shoe box, cloth bag. Decorate with buttons, paint, paper, etc.
2. Ask family, friends and church members for buttons.
3. Suggestions are: Sew buttons on clothing, glue buttons on to a frame, punch holes in heavy card stock and secure    button on back to create a card to send someone or to display buttons. Sew on small buttons to decorate napkins, place mats or napkin rings. Stamp a design on cloth and add buttons.  See resources for more button crafts.
4. Stand in circle and start passing the button around. When stop someone in middle of circle tries to guess where the button is. If guesses right, person holding button goes to the center.
5. It is important to make this a sharing event and avoid competition. Suggestion: Make teams, giving each team a specific amount of buttons and specific designs to make, but they have the option of trading buttons with other teams different to complete their projects, which gives them a sense of sharing with others.
6. Talk about how the children can be like Jesus by sharing with others.