Mothering Sunday

Mothering Sunday. That's what it used to be called. Now more commonly referred to as 'Mother's Day'. For the sake of Brenda (our fabulous play group tea lady), who prefers the old name, to the new, I have adapted this popular tea pot craft with a ditty that reflects the traditional name for this day.

In the UK, Mothering Sunday, is on the fourth Sunday of Lent. In the past, it was considered important for people to visit their 'Mother Church' the main church in their area. This of course, brought families together for the day, as domestic servants were allowed to return to their home church. Thus it has become associated with the idea of visiting home and taking a gift of flowers to your Mother.

Teapot worksheet

Equipment

• coloured card
• worksheet
• scissors
• single packet tea bags
• flower stickers
• pens 

Preparation:

1. Photocopy worksheet onto card.

2. Cut out teapot shape and round the top of the heart (enough to insert tea bag packet).

Method:

1. Children decorate teapot with stickers.

2. Help children select tea bag and insert into teapot.

3. Write child's name on the back and leave on the 'Home' table to be collected at the end.

NB Feel free to print/enlarge my image for non-commerical use. If you would prefer a more personalised teapot, with a finger print design, you might like to try this one: https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2015/04/teapot-craft-free-printable.html

Happy New Year! Calendar Craft

Happy New Year!

We always start the new year with a calendar craft and ever since I discovered how much our Mums love a hand print of their child, to keep for posterity, its been a hand print. Sometimes (as this year) accompanied by a poem, always with the date, though, so that, years later, they can place that moment in time.

This is this year's version ('scuse the shadow, it was a busy old morning, so I had to take the pic as quickly as I could, before the moment was gone).

And if you'd like to see the blank version, it's here:

This is the version we did two years ago, just before the pandemic struck!
 

As you can see, each one is unique! Just as it should be!

Equipment:

• coloured photocopy card
• curling ribbon/scissors
• hole punch
• calendars
• stapler (to attach calendars)
• poster paint/paint trays (we use 3 or 4 colours)
• sponges (for applying paint to hands)
• stickers
• wipes
• overalls
• pens (to label craft work)

Preparation:

1. Order calendars (before Christmas). You can get them from places like *Baker Ross and Amazon. Some local stationers may also stock them.

2. Prepare sheet for craft and photocopy onto coloured card (or onto plain paper, trim and stick onto card).

3. Hole punch holes in the top of the card for a ribbon to hang it.

4. Cut ribbon for hanging calendar.

Method:

1. Help children roll up sleeves and put on overall.

2. Show children how to apply paint to their hands (it comes out less splodgy when applied with a sponge) and then press hand on to paper.

3. Wipe hands with wet wipe. Give children option to try another colour.

4. Allow children to embellish with stickers.

5. Give children option of ribbon to hang calendar.

6. Adult to attach calendar with stapler.

7. Ensure children's name is on work, and put aside to dry, ready for Home time.

*Any resources listed purely for information purposes only.

Christmas Tree Crowns

Christmas is upon us, once again!

Every other year, the Church holds a Christmas Tree Festival and our toddler group always enters a tree.

This year, our tree's focus is based around the concept of the potential of each baby. 

In Jesus' case he was born to be kind, albeit not an earthly one. So this year, we made clay crowns, like these:

What child can resist a bit of bling, eh?

Equipment:

• Air drying clay* 
• Rolling pin
• Crown cookie cutter
• Drinking straw
• Paper
• Pen (for writing names)
• Paint brushes
• Gold paint
• Pot for paint
• Glittery bits (beads, sequins, gems)
• PVA glue
• Glue brush
• Glue pot
• Newspaper
• Overalls
• Baby wipes
• Scissors
• String or ribbon for hanging

Preparation:

1. Prepare pots of paint.

2. Roll out balls of clay. You could roll these out in advance, and keep sealed, but I did this on the day, as fresh clay is more pleasurable  and easier to use. I do this for them, as clay needs to be rolled evenly, and that can be hard for children to manage. If it is too thin, it will be more fragile, once dry.

3. Roll out clay (on sheet of paper) and cut out crown shapes. Remove excess clay from around cutter, before pulling cutter away. I roll out on a sheet of paper, which may sound wasteful, but sops clay from sticking to the table and makes it easy to transfer clay work away, once it is finished.

4. Make hole for hanging. The end of a drinking straw is ideal for this. If you do it in advance, the children will work around it, if you try to do it at the end, there may not be much space! 😄

I only roll out enough for one table, at first, as I don't want the clay to dry out.

Method:

1. Child paints crown gold. Yes it is on damp clay, but they will dry together. The paint will be a little thin, but using white clay means it will be fine.

2. Child adds glittery bits, by pressing them in firmly. It does not matter where they place them, or how many they use, the end effect will still be stunning.

3. Write child's name on sheet and remove to dry. This may take a day or two, depending on where you place it. 

4. When the crown is dry, paint it with PVA, across all the crown and round the edges, but not underneath. Try to keep the ole for hanging clear of glue.

5. Leave to dry (approx. 6 hours, depending on how thick your glue is).

6. Cut string or ribbon to desired length, ready to hang your ornament.

I balanced the clay crowns on small pots, whilst painting the PVA and leaving it to dry, so the edges didn't stick to the newspaper.

The completed tree!

*Resources:

Das Clay  (we use this one - widely available Hobbycraft, The Works, W
HSmith etc.)

Giotto gold paint (also available at The Range, I think)

Crown cookie cutter

Gold string for hanging (similar in Sainsbury's)

Please note: no Ads here. Resources listed, purely to help people find similar.

Camel Mask

Continuing with the theme of 'Stories Jesus told' (based on the parables of Jesus) this week we focused on the parable about fitting a camel through the eye of a needle.

In order to illustrate the story, we had a leader dressed as a camel and loaded up with baggage, trying to squeeze under a craft table. Let's just say you had to be there!

It seems like a ridiculous notion, but the story emphasizes the idea that what looks impossible to us, is possible with God. Jesus used the story to make a point about how the desire for possessions makes it incredibly difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. 

However, I love the explanation in this article, that points us towards the grace of God, in making that possible. However, it could also illustrate that Jesus welcomes us to come to Him just as we are. No amount (or even lack) of possessions should be a bar.

Like the sheep mask craft, I can see the potential here to make use of the masks as a prop for Nativity reenactments.

The masks we made were based around the mask template you can find here. I made mine slightly larger. They were photocopied onto card. You can find the fuller explanation below.

You can just about see the yellow card strip headband, if you look carefully!

Equipment

Overalls

Brown poster paint

Plastic trays for paint

Sponges

Photocopied masks 

Card strips

Scissors

Stapler

Googly eyes

PVA glue/spreaders

Baby wipes

Preparation

1. Photocopy mask onto card and cut out.

2. Cut card strips to appropriate size.

3. Mix paint.

4. Prepare glue pots.

Method

1. Overalls on, sleeves rolled up.

2. Show child how to use sponge to apply paint to camel.

3. Glue on googly eyes.

4. Fit card strip to child's head, using stapler to fasten ends.

5. Fasten mask to card strip.

6. Label and leave to dry.

Similar activity

Sheep Mask

The Precious Pearl

We all need to know we're special, important, valued. 

This week's craft reminds us of just that. It's based around the story that Jesus told about a very special pearl of such great beauty, that a merchant was prepared to give up everything he had, just to own it. We used the version retold by Mick Inkpen (see here, not an affiliated link, you can buy it other places also).

Traditionally this parable has been taught the other way around; that God is the pearl of greatest price and we must give up everything for Him. However, having heard John Wimber's interpretation; that God gave up everything for us, I can't shake it off. So that's the angle I went for with this. We are special, we are loved. And in this day and age, where it's too easy to compare ourselves unfavourably by comparison with others, we need to hear that message more than ever.

Here's the craft. Very simple, because our kids this year seem younger than ever and need the very basics. This became evident when we did the craft, as only this one had what I would call 'legible' hand prints! The kids just got their hands in the paint and went mad. But why not? It's all good sensory experiential learning! And I can remember my daughter doing the very same at that age! 😆

Equipment:

Floor covering

Overalls

Baby wipes/bowl of water & disposable hand towels

Poster Paint

Paper Plates (paint pallettes)

Photocopy sheet

Preparation:

cover floor with heavy plastic sheeting

photocopy sheet with heart onto A3

paper plates (paint palettes) with blobs of paint

lay out overalls

get bowl of soapy water ready

Method:

1. Demonstrate to child how to apply paint to hand and hand to paper.

2. Let chaos ensue.

3. Clean up and leave artwork to dry on the 'Home' table.

Oh and here's the sheet I used!

Songs to accompany this craft?

I know Jesus Loves me (Ishmael)

God Love you and I love you and that's the way it should be (Anon)

123, Jesus loves me (Anon)

Sheep Mask

We're back! The toddler group is up and running and this term, we've based on our theme on 'Stories that Jesus Told' (aka the parables). Whether you consider yourself religious or not, there are some great stories right there, with lost of lessons to each us all.

We've been using a great little book which retells the stories in an accessible way, by Mick Inkpen. See here (not an affiliated link, there are other places you can buy it).

A perennial favourite is the parable of 'The Lost Sheep'. Having done easy, peasy sheep crafts to death (or so I thought), I decided the time was right for a sheep mask/headband craft. Headbands are actually probably more comfortable for most kids to wear and save on the job of getting the holes in the right place, without jabbing someone directly in the eye.

I've made it easy for myself, by making it a one page photocopy page. The headband bit can quickly be guillotined off, and for the most part, the rest is fairly straightforward to cut out, and if, like us, you have less people in at the moment, its not too arduous a task, if you're sat watching telly of an evening.

Feel free to use, but please retain attribution.

Equipment:

Headband sheet photocopied onto card

Scissors

Cotton wool balls

PVA glue, pots and glue spreaders or lollysticks

Large googly eyes

Stapler

Baby wipes (for cleaning up)

Preparation:

1. Photocopy sheet.

2. Cut out shapes.

3. Prepare glue pots (Playdoh pots work well, because you can seal them with their lids).

Method:

1. Show/guide child in adding cotton wool balls and googly eyes.

2. Join headband parts together, using shaded areas.

3. Wrap head band round child's head to size, mark length required.

4. Remove headband from child, staple headband together, Trim excess card and leave to dry.

 Oh yes!! And did I mention that it could also make a great prop for a Nativity, later in the year? 

And in the meantime, why not use it as a prop for singing. 'Baa baa black sheep,' anyone?

Other useful posts:

Sheep craft collage

Sheep craft printing

Paper Plate Chickens

Not so long ago, the Queen gave a great message about how Easter isn't cancelled, just because of the Coronavirus lockdown. In the same way, neither is Spring, or, for that matter, Summer!

Blossom is bursting out, and whether we can see it or not, young animals are being born.

So, today I thought I'd share our chicken craft, that we did this time last year.

You can accompany this craft with Dora's Chicks, if you have access to the book, or you and your child could have great fun, singing, 'Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken lay a little egg for me!'

Song

Spot the missing feature!

Equipment:

• Paper plates

• Googly Eyes

• Feathers

• Red Cardboard to cut out wattles and combs

• Yellow card for beaks

• PVA glue & glue spreaders

• Scissors

Preparation:

Cut out some Wattles and Combs for your paper plate chickens, from red (or maybe even pink) card.

Cut beaks from yellow card.

Gather some pictures of chickens for the children to look at.

Method:

1. Fold Paper plate in half.

2. Assist children to look carefully at the chicken pictures and think about where to place, eyes, wattles, combs and beaks. You may end up with all kinds of variations, including multiple eyes, but I tend to let that go, as art and craft should really be about allowing the children the opportunity to express themselves. It can also be a great way to assess their understanding.

3. Attach feathers, as desired, using PVA glue.