Try out some of these themed ideas with your group.

01. Simpsons Doughnuts (or Do’h-nuts)

Keeping it simple just purchase plain ring doughnuts and get the children to decorate using a bright pink icing and adding sprinkles. If you have more time and resources then why not try making your own doughnuts before decorating.

.02 Character Quiz

Print out pictures of a number of different Simpsons characters, and put these up around your meeting place, giving the children an answer sheet get them to see how many they can name.

.03 Doughnut Relay

Split the children up into teams for this relay game. Set up a table 5 meters away from the teams and for each team place a paper plate with a mini doughnut on the table. Each team member must run to the table and eat the mini doughnut without using their hands, and then return to the team before the next team member goes. A leader will need to be ready with each team to put a new paper plate and mini doughnut out for each team member.

.04 Draw It

Split the children into teams and just like the game ‘Pictionary’, one child at a time from each team goes up and draws what they have been shown on the card. You will need a flipchart, whiteboard or just some paper for each team to draw. Download the ready-made cards at leaders.boys-brigade.org.uk/simpsonstheme.pdf

.05 Getting into the Bible

Ask the children why is it important that we have friends? What do you like to do with your friends?

Show the clip from Mr Plow (season 4, episode 9) from 16mins 38secs through to the end of the episode (4mins 26secs in total).

During the clip best friends Homer and Barney become business competitors, but a dangerous trick teaches Homer a valuable lesson. The key quote in the clip is when Homer says “When two best friends work together, not even God himself can stop them”.

After watching the clip, ask the children the following questions:

What did Barney do to Homer? (Stole his idea and started a rival business)

How did Homer feel? (Let down by his friend)

What did Homer do? (Sent barney up to plough Widow’s Peaks, stealing his customers whilst he was busy)

What lesson did Homer learn? (That friends should work together, and help each other rather than working against each other).

The bible has a very clear message about friends.

Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Explain that the bible tells us that a friend will help you when you’re in trouble or have a problem. A friend supports you in the bad and the good times. Ask the children if they can remember a time when a friend has helped them?

Let’s Pray…

Dear God,

Thank you for our friends,Thank you for the times when our friends help us upwhen we’ve fallen down.Help us to be good friends to others,always looking for ways to support them.

Amen

Have you got access to episodes of the Simpsons?

Many episodes of the Simpsons have good moral / biblical stories which will help get your children into the bible. So why not take a look and see if you could use as part of a series for your devotions time.

.06 Stand-Up/Sit Down

Test your group’s knowledge of the Simpsons with this great game. Get all the children standing in a line and read out two statements, depending on the statement they agree with they must either remain standing or sit-down. Those children that get the statement correct remain in the game and the next statements are read, this continues until there is only one player left. They are the winner of that round and should be given a small reward – a sweet or point on chart, etc. Restart the game with everyone involved. A set of statements is available to download (go to leaders.boys-brigade.org.uk/simpsonstheme.pdf), but why not add a few of your own in as well.

.07 Character Fridge Magnets

Get the children to make their favourite characters using Hama Beads (available to purchase from hamabeads.com and most toy retailers). The traditional way to use Hama Beads is by placing them one-by-one onto the pegs of a Hama pegboard. Once the desired pattern is created – and every bead is beside another – the design is then fused together using an iron and ironing paper. You will need pegboards for all children, unless you split into groups. Be aware of making designs too complicated or too big as they will take a long time to complete. Full instructions on using Hama Beads will be included with your purchase, and don’t worry you can use the pegboards again and again. Once you have your finished designs add a magnetic strip to the back so the children can take home and place on the fridge or other appropriate place.