Happy New Year!

 May your family have a joyful and blessed New Year!

Catholic Sprouts: Nativity Set

 Catholic Sprouts has a free download, a Nativity Set.  It looks similar to their Felt Nativity Set.  You could use the free patterns to create a fun, felt set for kiddos.  Have you seen the preview for CatChat’s Great Journey?  Look at the Program Overview to see the outline for Advent and Christmas.  The kids could make their own nativity sets.  Fun, right?

St. John Paul II

When we teach CCD or help with VBS, we include saints.  One of our favorite saints is St. John Paul II. There are so many resources for St. John Paul II!  Here is a tryptych—perfect for CCD!  You need copies printed on card stock and markers or colored pencils.  Make a paper bag puppet.  This purchased pattern set is worth buying.  I use the template for Faith and VBS to make any Saint we are studying.  My favorite is St. JPII.  Catholic Icing also has How to Draw St. Pope John Paul II.  Fold a Bishop’s Mitre.  Color his image.  Let’s celebrate a great Saint!

Merry Christmas!

 The children at Kadena AFB in Okinawa held a lively, eight minute Christmas pageant.

CatChat has a new VBS.

 Check out CatChat’s VBS Series.  There are now seven programs, including the latest one, The Great Journey with Jesus.  Look at the preview material.  This series is great!  Our church has been using these programs for several years.  We do add a few things—but never subtract!  I like a few more hands-on activities in Faith and a few crafts with a bit more substance, such as peg dolls.  We keep Saints Bingo, song practice,  or games on hand for after Snack, when kids can get a bit restless.  By all means take a look!

Make Ornaments!

 Rob and I are subbing the next two weeks for CCD.  I have a plethora of ornaments to make—and book marks.  The kids are going to make presents!  Many of the families. In CCD struggle.  I want the kids to have an opportunity to make presents for their families.  I searched my boxes of VBS and CCD materials and located a bunch.  I buy these small crafts on clearance or Temu.  Keep an eye on c,ear ace after Christmas.  I can’t wait to see their faces!

Scrape Painting Ornaments

 Are you familiar with Scrape Painting? Make ornaments and add Christmas stickers.  I was hunting for squeegees when I saw Craft Stick Scrape Painting.  I adapted Ghost Scrape painting to make the Holy Family—perfect to put on ornaments or Christmas tree.  I like to use crafts with Bible lessons.  It helps kids to remember the lesson. You can see my efforts to make the Holy Family.  BTW craft sticks work well as scrapers.  The tricky part is getting small dots.

Reconciliation Craft

 What a hit!  Rob and I did this craft with two CCD classes this morning.  The kiddos loved the little jewels and shiny paper.  I gave the classes smaller gold doilies to fit better on the paper.  The stickers with the difference graces typed worked well, too.  I had to send home mini kits for the third grade class as we ran out of time.

Catholic Icing for the win!  This Sunday, we’re subbing for two classes.  I’m doing the same craft, the Reconciliation Craft, or Treasures of Penance.  One group is studying Penance; the other class is working toward First Communion.  The teacher and directors have asked for extra help preparing for Confession or the Sacrament of Reconciliation.    I made an example.  I used a pen to write the treasures or graces of Confession.  I think a marker will be better. I printed copied of the Act of Contrition and some stickers with a few of the graces.  Some of the kids are still emerging readers and writers.  We’ll see if the kids like the craft.

New Ten Commandments Craft

 Okay, 5is craft is new to me.  Here is the inspiration.  I use inexpensive lunch bags, instead.  I also made it a crayon resist project, too.  I tested both white and yellow crayons.  The white worked better on the brown bag.  Take a look!

Crayon Resist

 Last night Rob and I subbed for the high school confirmation class.  They were studying gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit.  I like to to an activity or craft every class. We did a crayon resist with these instructions and template.  I had more paper available for original designs.  We used both white and yellow crayons with water based markers. A few teens uses pencil over crayon, which works, too.   Take a look!  I’ll continue to try new ideas with kids of different ages to see what resonates with different groups.

 

Kings of Israel

Rob and I are subbing for fifth grade this Sunday.  The kids are studying the Kings of Israel.  Crafting the Word of God has two perfect crafts:  Solomon’s Temple and the Ark of the Covenant (also here).  We’re teaching fifth grade Chapter Nine.  We’ll try to carve out time to do the Ten Commandments craft, too.  I‘love post more pix Sunday.

New Saint Game!

 Last night we volunteered for the All Saints party, Halloween.  My friend,  Christine, decorated her trunk with milk jugs of saints.  I want to do this as a game for VBS or Faith Camp.  Toss rings on to the milk jugs.  Voila! You have a game.

Flip Books!

 I’m wrestling with flip books.  I was making animation books for my Biology Co-op class.  Wouldn’t it be fun to make flip books with Bible stories?  Look to Him and Be Radiant has Bible Story Post it Flip Books.  I just tried a simple flip book with Post-it notes and was unsuccessful. However, I only used nine images.  Several sites say that you need 20-30 images.  I had to dig to find a few ideas.  Here is a video tutorial for the Ascension of Jesus.  Here is Bartimaeus.  (BTW you should look at the craft section at Jesus Without Language’s web page and Craft Gallery.  I’ll update this post as I find more flip books.

Make Chaplets!

 These Chaplets are so fun!  Rob and I subbed for CCD this morning.  I’ve made these bracelets during Faith Camp; they were a hit during VBS this past summer, too.  I still like to field-test activities with kids to gauge difficulty and time involved.  After our lesson, we had 30 minutes.  All 24 kids finished at least one Chaplet.  A few finished two or three. I buy beads and religious medals in bulk.  The kids love the freedom to make as many little Chaplets as they desire.  These simple bracelets can be used as Sacrifice beads or to pray a decade of the Rosary.  One tip: put a little nail polish on the ends of the yarn to make it easier for kids to thread the beads.  Take a look!

Buy Costumes!

I have a few costumes for VBS and Faith Camp.  The kiddos love to dress up as angels and the Blessed Mother for prayers.  I like to have simple costumes for Armor of God or to act out the Good Samaritan story.  I’ve been comparing prices for costumes and props.  Boy, you can’t beat Temu!  My Armor Of God set is missing a sword.  I had to borrow one the last time I used it.  I ordered a basic black and another white graduation gown to use for skits, along with a Pharaoh costume.  I can add a head dress, veil, or halo to embellish the gowns.  See what the thrift store or bin store has.  Be sure to see what the Halloween stores have after Halloween on clearance.

Foil Crafts

Another craft I’m dying to try is  this Miraculous Medal Craft and the St.Benedict Medal Craft.  Here are St. Benedict medal templates.  You need to use foam. I plan to use the foam as backing for the aluminum craft.  Based on my experience with younger kids—7-9 years old, use simple symbols for success.

More about DIY Scapulars

 I was inspired by Saint Martha’s Guild DIY Scapulars and tried making a few.  I bought some fabric from Spoonflower, shown below.  The scapular I wear has a St. Benedict’s Medal; one of the fat quarters from Spoonflower is a panel of medals.  The only requirement for the Brown Scapular is that it be brown wool and rectangular.  I’m excited!