Junk Night

I had found an idea in one of our playtime resource books - the title of which I can't think of right now so if anyone wants to know what it is, please say so in the comments and I'll go look it up - that uses old milk cartons and aluminum cans. I adapted them and came up with some new games for the Middle Schoolers to try. I cut some milk cartons so that they looked like scoops and we each decorated our own jug with Sharpies and then tossed a plastic ball across the room toward one another. I have a video down below. It was fun and this method of flinging things can be adapted for all sorts of games.
The other idea was to cut the tops off aluminum cans and then cut the cans in half. You need to be very careful with this one, because the cutting can create some jagged edges. Once the edges are ready - all smoothly cut - you hold the can with the bottom half toward you and throw it like a football. They really move and if there is any sort of dent or lip on the can, it will effect the way the can flies. We spent some time seeing what they would do and how far they would fly. They can fly very far if the can is not dented. We lost a couple of them and I suspect that a couple may be found someday when an unsuspecting reader takes a book off the shelf - I saw several fly in that direction!
The last game we played used rubber bands. I found a lot of styrofoam containers in the LOGOS closet and scattered them around the room. Ones closer to the group had a lower value than ones further across the room. Then, we shot rubber bands at them. The idea was to get as many rubber bands in the higher valued containers as possible. This didn't work out as well; we sort of degenerated into a rubber band war. I wasn't surprised because there is nothing more our group likes to do than throw or shoot things at each other!

This is the cans flying through the air.



Here are the scoops in action!

Mexican Fiesta Night!

Hola! Como esta?

That's about the extent of my Espanol, unfortunately. I could spend some time trying to find my old Spanish text and try to buffalo my way through some more, but MAN it's late and I don't want to do that.

So, you may have figured out we had Mexican Fiesta Night tonight!! Arriba, arriba, andele! *zip*

We had tres bien (00ps, that's Francais) tacos with all the trimmings and a wonderful dessert that I had never had before and really want to have again. It was like a doughnut, but long instead of round, a little thicker not as fluffy and coated with cinnamon which is a little bit of heaven. I'm starting to drool. [They were called churros. Yummmmmmmmm]

The Senior Highs went to Kim Peacock's house for the evening and had lasagna and an ice cream cake for dessert. (The food was great wherever you were tonight! But isn't that always the case?) They played board games and threw a ball around in the yard and watched "The Miracle Worker" - the original one starring Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke. I came in at the exciting ending where Helen Keller figures out what Annie Sullivan has been trying to teach her. I don't know why they were watching that - maybe someone could tell us in the comments?

The Middle Schoolers are working on something new for Worship Skills. Keep an eye out for this! We played a series of Oversized Games tonight. I got to thinking about Pick Up Stix and wondered if you could play it with dowel rods. The answer is: yes.


I also set up a Giant Hop Scotch pattern (which we didn't get to), Giant Marbles (which we played with a variety of playground balls), and Giant Jacks made of pipe cleaners (which we also didn't get to). It was fun!

Here are some more pictures of Mexican Fiesta Night! Enjoy!!