6 Theme Nights for March

Johnny Appleseed Night

Games

Play games with apples. Have an apple toss where two clubbers stand a specified distance apart from one another and throw an apple to each other. Teams step back (to lengthen the distance) after each throw. Team that throws the apple the furthest wins.

Apple Pie Game – Crumple red construction paper into balls (also adding a brown stem and green leaves if you’d like). Make several for each team. Teams will also need a medal (not glass) pie plate. Person at the line must fill his pie plate with apples (however many needed to make the task fair – not too many and not too few) and then run around the circle. If one of the apples falls out, he must stop and pick it up before continuing to run.

Large Group Lesson

Johnny Appleseed AKS John Chapman (birthday, March 11) traveled throughout an area now known as Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, etc.  planting apple seeds. His goal was to help provide food for those pioneers heading west – but he also made money from his trees. He would sell them to the settlers and if the settlers could not afford them, he would trade for food or clothes.

Johnny Appleseed also preached God’s Word to those he came in contact with, often stopping at the settler homes and sharing the gospel.

Another lesson option would be Proverbs 25:11. Although there is discussion among theologians what those apples were –  the meaning is clear. Our words should be of value and full of grace.

Memory Challenge Night

Did you know that there is such a thing as a USA Memory Championship? Well, to be truthful, I didn’t either until I looked it up for this blog post. The competitors go through a variety of competitions – remembering names and faces, numbers, poetry or random words. (Look it up on the web, what the competitors do is amazing.)

Why not have your own memory championship?  Let the kids know it will be fun –and no one will be put on the spot.

Games

Object memory – Put several objects on a table and cover with a cloth. At the signal, remove the cloth and give clubbers a minute or two to look and “memorize” the objects on the table. Make sure everyone has equal time. Cover the objects again and see who can remember the most.

Name game – Have clubbers sit in a circle. Give everyone a piece of paper and a pencil. See how many clubbers can write down everyone’s first name. (This is a fun game, but also encourages kids to get to know each other.)

A quick look at the website will give you more ideas. (Having an occasional night like this, might give your non-athletic clubbers an opportunity to shine.)

Verse Bee – You can also have a “verse bee” with kids working together as teams. You read (or quote) the first half of a verse and see which team can finish it.

Large Group Lesson can be on Psalm 119:11 – hiding God’s Word in our heart.

Dog Show Night

March is the month the world’s largest dog show takes place. Lots of kids love dogs – so why not have a dog show night at club?

Kids could bring stuffed dogs for “show.” You could give homemade ribbons for the prettiest, the cutest, the funniest, the smallest, the biggest etc.

Games

Bone Game – Buy an inexpensive box of dog bones. (Generic brands are usually fairly cheap.)  Place a bucket (or other container) in the middle square (one for each team).  Teams line up behind their line, each holding a dog bone. At the whistle the first clubbers runs in and puts her bone in the bucket, runs back and tags the second team member, etc. Last clubber runs in for the pin.

Agility Course – Or you could set up an agility course – clubbers jump over a low hurdle, crawl through a “tube” of chairs, run back and forth between pins, etc.

Large Group Lesson

You have a few options.

1. If someone in your church raises/trains dogs, you could invite them to come and talk about the importance of obedience. He/she might have a dog they could bring to demonstrate obedience to the kids. (Check for allergies or other safety concerns.)

2. Dogs are used both in the Old and New Testament as a rather graphic picture of sin. As dogs return to their vomit, so we go back to that old, putrid bad stuff that we know we should avoid. Proverbs 26:11 and 2 Peter 2:22.

3. Talk about the many varieties of dogs that God gives us to enjoy.

And three quick suggestions

Wind Night

Games could be blowing ping pong balls balloons. Large Group Lesson could be about God dividing the Red Sea (Exodus 14)

March Night

Large Group Lesson could be about marching around Jericho. (Joshua 3)

John 3:16 Night

This idea is from Kelly Forrester, a commander from Chesapeake, Virginia. Every year on the club night closest to March 16 (3/16), they have John 3:16 night, a night was a special emphasis on the Gospel of Christ.