Ten Things in My Australia Day Box!
My Australia Day Box comes out every January in preparation for our national holiday celebrated on the 26th of the month. It keeps all my Australiana in one place so I don’t have to go digging around for it. I didn’t celebrate Australia Day in Kid’s Church until I joined a large church in an outer city suburb. The Church ran a holiday program until school began and the Australia Day holiday provided the inspiration for a Fun Day.
Everything in my Australia Day Box has been tried and tested over the years. I replenish the box with post Australia Day supermarket specials!
1. Bunting
Bunting brings instant festivity to any room. I hang my Aussie flag bunting above the Kid’s church stage to set the scene for our Australia Day Spectacular
2. Balloons
Balloons in green and gold, or with the Australian flag printed on them, are cheap and have many uses. Decorate your Kid’s Church foyer to create excitement as families sign in. Use them for balloon games with an Aussie twist. Here’s a few ideas…
Hot Air Balloons
The children need to keep a balloon in the air for as long as they can. A volunteer starts by calling out something Aussie, like ‘meat pie’, and bats the balloon to a child. That child then has to yell out another Aussie word, like ‘lamington’, before he bats the balloon to someone else and so on. The children need to think fast and if they can’t call out a word and the balloon falls to the ground…they’re out! You can make the game harder by specifying which body part the children can use to bat the balloon. Only their head for example.
Relay Games
- A race where the children must run with a balloon between their legs
- Break into teams and each team must pass balloons along under their legs and over their heads
Balloon Pop
Divide the kids into two teams and line them up at one end of the room. At the other end have two boxes filled with balloons, one for each team. On ‘go’ one child from each team runs to their box, takes out a balloon, and has to pop it in some way: jumping on it, sitting on it or stomping on it. Once the balloon is popped, the child runs back to their team, and tags the next team member to run. Add a little prize inside each balloon if you want to. Remember some children hate popping balloons so let them sit this one out at a distance.
Water balloons are great fun, too! Perfect if you have outdoor space.
3. Australian Flag
These days cheap and easy to find, an Aussie flag makes a great display behind you on the stage or hung on a wall or from the ceiling.
4. Inflatable Beach Ball
I’ve used it for indoor volley ball games and in place of balloons in a relay race or obstacle course. Any Aussie themed inflatable toy is great value and can be used in lots of ways. Inflatable kangaroo, inflatable crocodile, inflatable hand. All easy to store if they survive the morning!
5. Gumboots
For my gumboot throwing competition. Who can throw the gumboot the furthest? I have cute little yellow gumboots for younger children to throw. Gumboots are pretty indestructible.
6. Thongs
For my thong flinging competition. Also useful in a relay race. Readily available at cheap shops.
7. Billy Can
(I just love a billy can! Must take me back to camping and picnics as a child. One of the adults would always swing a billy of tea and we kids would look on in awe. We’d practice with buckets of water until we were old enough to do the real thing. If you are too young to know what I’m talking about, look it up on You Tube.) Anyhow, a billy adds an Aussie touch to water relay games. Or for volunteers to use to dispense morning tea snacks.
8. Toy Native Animals
I like to provide a corner for children who need quiet or a rest. A blanket, cushions, books featuring Australian animals or landscapes and a few soft toys make a calming space.
I also have a koala money box I use to take up the offering before games begin. The children think it’s a lot of fun and so cute!
9. Aussie Flag Toothpicks
Stick one of these toothpicks into any food and it’s immediately Australia Day fare. Look great in mini meat pies or lamingtons.
Use Australia Day paper plates, cups, serviettes and tablecloths, too.
10. Stickers and Face Paint
As children sign in, before the Australia Day Spectacular begins, I set up tables for volunteers to do simple face painting. Add coloured zinc cream to noses, and stickers to t-shirts.
What will you put in your Australia Day Box?
Check out: How to Celebrate Australia Day in Kid’s Church’