That's a LOT of Fish!

We're making an undersea scene

 that you

can tweak to use what 

materials are easier for your child. 

For older preschoolers, you can use foam fish that you

put IN the bag of water.

For younger hands, you can substitute 

fish stickers and stick them to the outside of the bag.

You will need a sandwich-size ziplock baggie,

some blue food coloring, 

and some foam fish.

You only need a little water in the bag.

AND, you only need 1 drop of blue food coloring

since there isn't much water.

Then, let your child add in the fish.  

And there should be a lot, 

because Peter caught a lot of fish

when Jesus told him to go fishing!

Once the fish are in, carefully press out 

all the excess air so the bag lies flat.

If your child is younger, you can 

put tape over the seam to prevent

accidents.  

When the bag is flat on a table, you can

let the fish "swim" around, while you

talk about how many fish 

Peter caught when Jesus helped him.

Jesus can do anything!

The Brightest Star!

The Wise Men followed a bright star to find the child King. 

 Your child can make his own 

bright star to remind him of those early travelers. 

This is a super, NOT-messy craft!

Though you can adapt it to be messy, 

if you like.

As is, you need a sheet of laminating paper,

colored tissues paper, scissors, hole punch

and some yarn to hang your star.

For a messy version, you can 

glue the tissue paper to

card stock.  Your choice.  

Help your child mark off a

Star shape on the laminating sheet

and cut it out for them.

Tear pieces of tissue paper to 

brighten your star.

Peel the protective cover off the laminating 

sheet and lie it sticky side up on the table.

Let your child arrange the tissue scraps

in whatever arrangement they like

to cover the sticky surface.

Use a hole punch to make a

hole to thread a piece of 

yarn to hang your star.

Hang your star where you and your 

child can see it and talk

about what it would be like

to follow a star to find the One 

who was born to be King!

Cupcake Angels!

The angel brought great news to some shepherds;               Jesus is Born!

You can make your own angels

to share the Good News, too!

 

You need a cupcake liner, regular or jumbo size will work.

And a paper doily for wings,

card stock for the face

and a halo; a pipe cleaner, or glitter, if you're brave! 

This craft is posted by several sites online,

and there are endless variations! 

Use what you have and experiment!

Flatten the cupcake liner then fold it in half.

Fold it in half again, using a dot of glue  

near the top of the middle to help hold it

Cut a circle for the head

and two wings from the doily.

Let your child draw a happy face

(this angel is very happy!)

And wrap a small piece of the 

pipe cleaner for a halo.

You can glue anything shiny or even

glitter, if you dare, for the halo.

Glue the wings to the back

and the head to the front! 

Now your angel is ready to share

the good news:

Jesus is Born!

A Manger Scene

When Baby Jesus was born there was no room for Him,

 in an inn, so Mary's baby boy had to sleep in a manger.  

This is an easy craft for your child to make 

his own manger scene.

You'll need a piece of cardstock for a background,

craft sticks, popsicle sticks or coffee stirrers,

a pompom, wiggly eyes, a felt blanket

and some tacky glue.

This is a great craft for kids that love glue.

You have to use lots and that's just fun!

 

Make a nice blob of glue and cross your

craft stick to make a manger.

Cut strips of the brown paper for 

hay. 

Show you child how to fold the strips

like this:

Time for more glue!

It takes a decent amount to catch

all the "hay" to stick.

Glue the wiggly eyes to the pompom

and glue a felt square, or paper, 

for a blanket.

Then let it dry!!! 

Enjoy the Christmas story with your child!

A Christmas Message

The angel brought a special message to Mary;                God was  giving her a baby!                                            Jesus was going to be born!

Your child can decorate an envelope to bring special messages 

this holiday season.

You need a business-size envelope

crayons, markers, stickers or stamps.

index cards, hole punch, ribbon

and scissors.

First, mark off 2 3/8 inch from each corner of the flap

The pointed flaps are even better,

but I had this kind, and they work, too.

Let your child decorate the envelope using

whatever you prefer, markers,

crayons, stickers, anything will do!

Fold the edges of the envelope to the middle.

Decorate those flaps, too!

Punch a half-hole on each side,

about half-way down the length of

the flap.

Thread a long piece of ribbon through the holes,

inside your flaps.

Cut the index cards in half.

Let your child decorate a message:

Baby Jesus is going to be born,

A heart for I love you,

Or whatever they want to share with

someone as a special message.

Slide the "message" inside the envelope

and fold and tie.

Now your child can deliver special

messages to those he loves

just like the angel brought 

Mary a special message too!

The Thankful Tree

Fall brings a great opportunity to

use the abundance of leaves

to talk with your child about God!

This activity let's you use leaves to

remind you of all the places you can 

go where God is with you,

Everywhere!

You only need construction paper,

scissors, markers and glue.

Let your child draw a tree trunk & branches

Cut out a lot of leaves; use whatever

is your child's favorite color!

As you go through your week,

write the places that you go

on a leaf.

Leave the "pile" of leaves sitting

at the bottom of the tree.

You can put the back on the tree

as you go!  

Your tree will be "growing"

leaves, as the ones around you 

will be losing theirs! 

Talk with your child about how MANY 

leaves there are, 

and how MANY places we go.

And God is with us in all of them!

God is Always With Me Book

Your preschooler can make a book         

that will remind him that

everywhere he goes,

God is always with him! 

His book can have as many pages as you 

would like to make.

Each page represents a place where he goes often.

You can decorate each page in a variety of ways,

your child can draw a picture of the place,

or you can use stickers,

or pictures from a newspaper or magazine.

Construction paper for the pages and 

white paper for each picture,

double-sided tape or a glue stick,

scissors, hole punch, and yarn to hold it all!

Cut the construction paper in half, lengthwise,

then fold those pieces in half to make your book.

Orange and brown make a fun fall book.

You can use as many pages as you want to make.

Punch two holes on the left side,

through all thicknesses,

for threading the yarn to bind it.

You can title the  book for your child!

Cut white paper rectangles for each

page.  You can use glue stick 

or double stick tape to fasten 

them to the construction paper.

If you are using stickers or pictures 

from magazines or newspapers, 

put one picture on each page

to represent a place where your child goes.

Or your child can color the places 

he goes.

Thread two pieces of yarn through 

the holes and tie to make a binding.

Now you can look at his book

and talk about the places he 

went today.

And remind him that 

God is always with him,

 every place he went!