Service Projects
Cards to Comfort
At Christmas, our club members make cards for inmates.
-Club Leader in Virginia
Baby Presents
In December we had a “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” party. We brought baby presents to Jesus in the manger, which were then given to our local crisis pregnancy center.
-Club Leader in Illinois
Home Visits
We went caroling at the homes of three seniors. This was followed by refreshments at one of the club members’ homes.
-Club Leader in Ontario
Wreath Sellers
The kids in Pioneer Clubs sold wreaths and garlands at Christmastime and earned $150 for Pioneer Clubs Around the World.
-Club Leader in North Dakota
Just the Kids
Video Skit
At our Christmas Party, we videotaped the club members acting out the Christmas story.
-Club Leader in Alberta
Christmas Cookie Contest (with a twist)
Have a cookie decorating contest with people (the pastor? Club leaders?) being the cookie faces. Give them googles to wear, and let the kids decorate their faces with frosting and candy. Give everyone a prize, such as Sweetest Face, Most Likely to Cause Cavities, and so on.
O Christmas Tree
Let your preschoolers help make a special Christmas tree for the club room. From heavy cardboard, cut out a life-size Christmas tree. Paint it, if you wish. Invite each child to make a decoration to tape to the tree. Add a finishing touch by stringing lights on it.
Birthday Party – For Christmas, we had a birthday party for Jesus, including cake and gifts. The gifts were promises from the children of what they would do to help someone else.
-Club Leader in Washington
Ornament-Making
Our club members make ornaments each year for our church’s Christmas tree.
-Club Leader in New Brunswick
Inviting Families/Other Guests
Family Party
We always invite entire families to our Christmas party and ask them to bring one or two dozen cookies. Last year, each club gave a presentation. One group sang and the other two performed skits. The Pathfinders’ play was out of the Pioneer Clubs Skits book. The Trailblazers’ skit completed their Acting Award, which they happened to be working on before the party.
-Club Leader in Wisconsin
Bethlehem Marketplace
Our kids enjoyed a field trip to a “Bethlehem Marketplace” at Christmas.
Note: Bethlehem Marketplaces are re-creations, usually sponsored by churches, of parts of Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Visitors may be able to see tradespeople at work, sample Bible-times foods, peek into an inn, “barter” for goods, meet centurions, discuss rumors that a special baby has been born, pet animals, and see Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
-Club Leader in Wisconsin
Seniors Dinner and Concert
Every year, club members look forward to inviting their grandparents and neighbors to this event. Each club performs in a mini-concert before our full-course Christmas dinner. For the meal, club members sit between the seniors and give them a handmade gift when the night is through.
-Club Leader in New Brunswick
Christmas Family Night
Invite parents or families to carol sing and a time of making ornaments. You’ll need plenty of old Christmas cards, circle patterns, triangle patterns, scissors, pencils, staplers, glue, and ribbon. Each family traces around a pattern to cut circles out of Christmas cards. Each circle is folded as shown and stapled to similarly folded circles until a globe is formed. A ribbon for a hanger completes the ornament.
-Club Leader in Ontario
Gingerbread House Party
Have a gingerbread house party for club members and parents. Send an invitation home and get responses from parents so you will know how many to plan for it. It will be helpful to recruit someone who makes gingerbread houses to supervise the event.
Supplies: gingerbread, frosting, pastry bags and tips, candies (M&Ms, peppermint swirls, candy canes, mint leaves, round colored candies), cardboard squares covered with tin foil, boxes large enough to contain the gingerbread house upon completion (optional).
Do Ahead: Gather supplies, bag the candy so each parent and child will receive the same amount, bake the gingerbread pieces needed for each house, prepare frosting.
Each parent and child receives a cardboard base covered with tin foil, a bag of candy, gingerbread house parts, and a box (optional). Put the pastry bags on the tables where your house builders will work. You might also encourage club members to bring other items (pretzels, gum drops, etc.) to use on their house.
When everyone is ready, explain how to construct a house using the gingerbread parts and frosting. Show how the candy decorations can be added when it is constructed.
As an added dimension, you might want to include the club members’ Pals. This would give Pals an opportunity to meet club members’ parents.
-Club Leader in New Jersey
