Three years ago, I had eye muscle surgery to correct a lifelong eye disorder. As I was packing my overnight bag, my younger daughter came into my bedroom, holding her favorite stuffed animal, a Clifford, the big red dog. puppet. “It’s time I let go of this,” she said, “And I figure you need him more this week than I do.”
I had to turn my head so she wouldn’t see my face crumple. Clifford had been her life long bed buddy. Clifford went everywhere with us. We even backtracked ten miles on a vacation because Clifford had been left behind at a motel.
Why was Christine willing to give up her favorite stuffed animal for me? I suppose because Clifford was so precious to her. It was the best she could give me to show her deep love and concern for me.
That’s what Christmas is all about. God loved us all so much, He gave the best He could give us – the irreplaceable life of His one and only Son, Jesus. If our Christmas celebrations end at the manger, we’ve missed the point of Christmas. Christmas is about a baby who grew to be a man who threw his life across the beams of a rough hewn cross. Jesus gave his best – and his all – for us. As you wrap your gifts for those you love and unwrap the gifts you receive, may you remember the gift of a baby and worship Him as the King of Kings, your Savior and your Lord.
Here’s a Christmas tree ornament craft to remind you and your students inside the classroom of the meaning behind this holiday season:
Supplies
3 inch Styrofoam balls
Straight pins with colored ball heads
¼ inch ribbon.
Stick the pins in the pattern of a cross, keeping the pins close together. Cut a 4-6 inch length of ribbon and attach the ends to the top of the ball with a straight pin, looping the ends together so you make a loop with the ribbon that will hang on a tree.
Showing posts with label Christmas craft project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas craft project. Show all posts
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
Christmas: Children's Service Project
Visiting nursing homes with your class of children is always a much needed appreciated service project. This year, add an extra touch by making homemade Christmas cards.
We did this yesterday at our church. Instead of letting the children make up their own ideas, I designed two sample cards for them to copy. This way, we kept cards consistent in their message, I had more control over what art supplies were used, we were able to put a specific message in each card that proclaimed Jesus as the reason for the season, yet the cards allowed for some individual creativity. We had 96 cards to make. That’s a lot for a small youth group so we had to have something was fairly easy for the children to put together.
Here’s what we did:
1. For the high school class, I had them cut out a snowflake from a folded 4 inch square of white paper. They folded a blue piece of construction in half, glued a four inch piece of red tissue on the front, then glued the snowflake, slightly tilted on top of the red tissue. They used glitter glue pens to decorate the snowflake. On the inside, they wrote, “May Jesus give you a beautiful Christmas. (signed, name of church.)
2. For the elementary class, I had precut 2 inch wide piece of green paper that fit eon the front of a folded red piece of paper to look like ribbon on a package. I allowed children to put a tuff of tissue paper in the center. On the inside, they cut and glued small squares of construction paper to look like presents. They glued small loops of yarn on top of the presents. They wrote, “Jesus is the best gift of all. Merry Christmas. (Signed. Name of church.)
Why didn’t I let the younger kids use the glitter? Years of teaching experience have taught me glitter, glue and young children are a toxic mix, especially when you don’t have much time! Yet the high schoolers loved it and added some creative touches I didn’t expect.
Why glitter glue pens? I adapted this idea from a craft idea on a website that suggested mixing glue, glitter and water together, then paint the mixture onto the snowflake. In my sample card, I found out very quickly – this doesn’t work.
Why the sample cards? As a curriculum writer, I know how easy it is to suggest activities that you haven’t actually tried out. Unless you have experienced making a craft a certain way before, always, always, make a sample of the craft project. Some children do best by looking at what you want them to make. Also if it is an idea that just won’t work, you find it out in the middle of the week, not in the middle of the class session.
We did this yesterday at our church. Instead of letting the children make up their own ideas, I designed two sample cards for them to copy. This way, we kept cards consistent in their message, I had more control over what art supplies were used, we were able to put a specific message in each card that proclaimed Jesus as the reason for the season, yet the cards allowed for some individual creativity. We had 96 cards to make. That’s a lot for a small youth group so we had to have something was fairly easy for the children to put together.
Here’s what we did:
1. For the high school class, I had them cut out a snowflake from a folded 4 inch square of white paper. They folded a blue piece of construction in half, glued a four inch piece of red tissue on the front, then glued the snowflake, slightly tilted on top of the red tissue. They used glitter glue pens to decorate the snowflake. On the inside, they wrote, “May Jesus give you a beautiful Christmas. (signed, name of church.)
2. For the elementary class, I had precut 2 inch wide piece of green paper that fit eon the front of a folded red piece of paper to look like ribbon on a package. I allowed children to put a tuff of tissue paper in the center. On the inside, they cut and glued small squares of construction paper to look like presents. They glued small loops of yarn on top of the presents. They wrote, “Jesus is the best gift of all. Merry Christmas. (Signed. Name of church.)
Why didn’t I let the younger kids use the glitter? Years of teaching experience have taught me glitter, glue and young children are a toxic mix, especially when you don’t have much time! Yet the high schoolers loved it and added some creative touches I didn’t expect.
Why glitter glue pens? I adapted this idea from a craft idea on a website that suggested mixing glue, glitter and water together, then paint the mixture onto the snowflake. In my sample card, I found out very quickly – this doesn’t work.
Why the sample cards? As a curriculum writer, I know how easy it is to suggest activities that you haven’t actually tried out. Unless you have experienced making a craft a certain way before, always, always, make a sample of the craft project. Some children do best by looking at what you want them to make. Also if it is an idea that just won’t work, you find it out in the middle of the week, not in the middle of the class session.
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