Frugal Fun Stickers

The Holy Spirit, our little boys and Crystal @ MoneySavingMom (see her post), inspired this idea:

All of our children have at one time or another "discovered" that bean leaves are like velcro stickers on your shirt. They love it for a time every year, tire of the fun and it goes away ... only to return another day - next year! Then it is fun all over again!

I enjoy watching the sparkles dance in their eyes as they discover this new phenomenon for themselves and come running to show Mommy what bean leaves can do ... and the wonderful costumes they've made. Ah-h, it blesses my Mama heart to watch their joy, never mind the fact that I knew very well what bean leaves do because I discovered it myself way back when.

This week, after seeing Crystal's post, then watching our twins "discover" the wonder, an idea formed in my mind (I just have to give all the glory to the Holy Spirit living in me, giving me the grace to be Mama to our many blessings):

I had the boys go pick about 3 dozen bean leaves. They "put on their costumes" and I got a plain colored blanket and hung it on the clothes line as a poster board. Then they each took a turn making their HUGE initial:

Timothy (see his happy face?):



Benjamin & Bronlin with butterflies on their tummies (we didn't realize until later that "butterflies" also starts with "B" - that was orchestrated by God alone, an added blessing!):



Next, Timothy "wrote" a message for us:



We ended with a game, "Alphabet Pictionary", by each of us taking a turn making a letter while the rest sat on a blanket and guessed as quick as we could.

Cost? Nothing!

But we reaped a harvest of rewards: fun, unity, learning (hehe - they didn't even know it).

If you don't have beans in your garden, find a friend or a neighbor who does and wouldn't mind sharing a few leaves - they may wonder at you, but just show them how much fun it can be.