All that we behold is full of blessings.    William Wordsworth

Thanking God... thanking others.
Unlike countries like Unites States, Australia has only recently set aside a National Day of Thanksgiving. This day provides the opportunity to honour those in the community- teachers, police, emergency services, and more- and make a difference in their lives by thanking them for their service, their love, their dedication. The special focus of this day is to thank God... and thank each other.

While it's important to teach children to thank others, it's even more important to teach them to thank God for all that He has done for us.
 Make this simple 'Thank You' peek-a-boo book for little ones as a fun activity that makes gratitude real to them.
Teach little ones to give thanks with a Give Thanks Peek-a-Boo book.
You can create your own Peek-a-Boo book for little ones to enjoy while learning to be thankful.... and it only takes minutes to make.
Adventure in a Box is my inspiration for this project.. (It's a great site for ideas and inspiration.) I've altered the concept a little to create a more durable book- especially helpful if you intend using and reading it frequently in your toddlers' kidmin area.

Here's what you'll need:
* One scrapbook album 20cm x 20cm (8" x 8") I found an album with an additional square pocket on the cover to include a photo of my grandson which made it more personal.
*Page printables (see file below)
*washi tape
*double-sided tape
*4 window-faced envelopes

When I searched for a photo album for this project, I found that the less expensive albums contained photo pockets with a backing page that couldn't be removed, making it impossible to create the 'peek through' page. However, the scrapbook albums did have page sleeves with removable backing sheets in each, which was great. Print all the pages from the FREE printable file below. You will need to print multiple copies of a couple of pages, but this will be indicated. Cut out each square/rectangle. The first page of the printables contains the front and back cover. Cut out each rectangle. Adhere the first to the cover of your scrapbook album using double sided . Except for the peek through page, the rest is really easy.

Are your celebrating Mother's Day, this year, with your church and your children's ministry? While it continues to be an important date on the family calendar and promoted heavily by shops and businesses, some churches do not place a huge emphasis on Mother's Day. Everyone has their own ideas and viewpoint about celebrating Mother's Day, but our church maintains a strong focus on building and strengthening families and highlighting those important nurturing roles within families- mothers, fathers, grandparents, carers. So Mother's Day continues to be an event promoted within our kidmin, church and the wider community.

What about those without their mothers? 
Last year, during our Mother's Day breakfast, I noticed a young girl sitting quietly and  occasionally wiping the tears that slid down her flushed face. I slipped beside Ellie and asked how she was going. She lifted her damp little face and told me that she really missed her mum. I knew that, a  couple of years ago her mother had taken own life under tragic circumstances leaving three young, heart-broken kids. 

I asked Ellie about her favourite memories of her mum- what did she like to do, what was her favourite colour, what did she like to cook for breakfast? Ellie brightened and began to speak about many of the wonderful memories she had of her mum and her family. Later that morning, Ellie eagerly jumped up to help hand out the gifts we'd prepared for all the ladies (and teen girls) in our church family.

Why is Mother's Day still important?
 Yes, some kids are without mothers. Some women want desperately to be mothers. But everyone has a mother, and celebrating Mother's Day is helpful in so many ways:

•  It serves as a timely reminder of the far-reaching influence of families and provides a wonderful opportunity to encourage and thank our mums.
• It recognises the difficulties of parenting and reminds mums (and dads) that this parenting role is not just a trial run that we can redo if we mess up. Regularly, we need to seek God's help in purposefully training and guiding our kids.
• Mother's Day also reminds us to watch for, encourage and include those within our church family who may be experiencing heartache and disappointment, especially during such times of family celebration.
• It highlights the legacy of grandparents and the extended impact of mothers on the next generation.
• I think, too, it's a reminder to those older women within our church families of the valuable, supportive role they can fulfill in others as they take time to befriend and mentor younger women and mothers. 

Our plans for Mother's Day
So... we will be inviting mothers and families from our church and the community to our annual Mother's Day Breakfast and the Mother's Day service. It's free for everyone. We will have a small gift for all the women and teen girls, too, that the kids will hand out. Our worship service will include an inspiring, perhaps even humorous, movie clip and the message will relate particularly to women. The kids will make a special gift for their mothers/grandmothers/friends and our social media will have a Mother's Day focus leading up to the Mother's Day event. 
Are you celebrating Mother's Day? What are you planning for this special event?

Some resources
Here are some of the resources that I've prepared for Mother's Day, and if you'd like to download and use them, you're very welcome.

1. Save the Date slide.  This slide is great to include with your church announcements as a reminder that Mother's Day is only weeks away. You could also use it for your social media. Find it below.
2. Mother's Day slide. Announce your Mother's Day event with this PowerPoint slide or again, use it on social media. The slide can be edited so that your own details can be included. Find the file below.
3. Mother's Day flyers/invitations. These flyers have been produced and saved as a PowerPoint slide to enable you to easily edit the information and details. Open the file- edit the information- print the slide. Then cut in half and trim each flyer as required.

Extras  If you are planning a Mother's Day breakfast, you might also be interested in using the lovely menu printable and questionnaire from Crafting Chicks. You'll find the link by clicking on the image. This beautiful table arrangement for a Mother's Day brunch would be a wonderful addition to your tables and can be found atDesign Improvised.  If you're looking for gift ideas for Mother's Day, check out these suggestions onPinterest.