April 2, 2020

Boredom Busting Stories for Your Family Part 1

Spud and the Figs

This all Australian series is set in a leafy suburb of Brisbane. Three close friends learn God’s love is available to everyone, even those they think don’t deserve it. Tom, Anthony and Johnno have their comfortable world turned upside down by Spud, the school outcast. Spud destroys the boy’s tree house. It’s an amazing tree house, built in the boughs of two overlapping Moreton Bay Fig trees at the bottom of Tom’s yard. Tom is devastated. But he, Anthony and Johnno eventually realise their reaction will ultimately determine Spud’s future. What are they going to do?

Spud and the Figs is told in seven short chapters. Some of the chapters use a frame narrative: a Bible story within a story to give children context for Biblical truths so they can apply them to their own lives. The Bible stories include Zacchaeus, Jonah, The Good Samaritan and The Prodigal Son. You can use the discussion points at the end of each story to create a daily devotion for your children.

You’ll find the chapters, with accompanying royalty free photographs of Tom, Johnno, Anthony and Spud here: https://cooeekidsministry.com.au/spud-and-the-figs/

Crafts and Activities:

After reading a chapter of Spud and the Figs why not try some of these craft and activity ideas?

Design your ultimate tree house on paper
Make your own tree house, cubby house or fort outside
If you’re indoors make a cubby house by rearranging furniture or hanging sheets between furniture (maybe you could read the next chapter of Spud and the Figs by torchlight!)
Play handball (Tom and his friends like to play it at school)
Make scones
Put on your own play about the Prodigal Son (like the Tom’s Church is doing). You’ll need a script, costumes and actors. Why not film it and send it to family?
Research Moreton Bay Figs and other trees
Take leaf and bark rubbings
Make nature crafts like bird feeders
Try some carpentry
Use rope to learn how to tie knots (could you make a rope ladder?)
Bake some biscuits, store them in a tin, and have a picnic in your tree house
Make damper and cook it in the coals of a campfire

Damper Recipe:

Damper is traditional Aussie bread made by swagmen, drovers, stockmen and travelers. It is baked in the coals of a campfire and is delicious eaten with golden syrup. As kids we took the damper dough and molded a small amount around one end of a thick stick. We held the stick over the coals and when the damper was cooked, slid the damper off the stick, and poured golden syrup in the hole. Yum! If you can’t have a campfire, damper can be cooked in an oven.

Ingredients:

3 cups Self-raising flour

Plain flour for kneading

1-2 teaspoons salt

90gms butter, melted

½ cup water

½ cup milk

Extra milk for glazing top of dough

Golden syrup

Method:

Preheat oven to 210° C (moderately hot)
Line oven tray with baking paper
Sift flour and salt into large mixing bowl; make a well in the centre.
Combine butter, water and milk and add to flour
Stir with a knife until just combined
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly
Transfer dough to the tray and press out to a 20cm round
Use a sharp knife to score 8 sections 1 cm deep on top of the dough
Bake for 10 minutes
Reduce heat to 180° C (moderate) and bake further 15 minutes or until damper is golden and sounds hollow when tapped
Serve with butter and golden syrup

I pray this series, ‘Spud and the Figs’, has eternal impact on your kids as they learn how important it is to share Jesus with everyone. God bless you!