Items filtered by date: May 2013

1-2-3 Come Make Some Vacation Bible School Crafts With Me

Having taught 3-year-olds in Sunday school, I discovered there is not a whole lot out there for this age group.

Crafts, that came with pre-packaged programs, were way beyond their skill level, attention span and time available.

Vacation Bible School programs were not really much different.  They had wonderful activities for older kiddo's, but again materials and crafts for this age group were lacking.

The director of our Children's ministry, asked me if I could design 5 quickie crafts with Bible verses for the 3,4, and 5 year-old age group for this year's VBS.

They group them together, as it's never that big of a group, despite having anywhere from 100-200 kids.

I love designing crafts and helping out, so this was a no brainer "Sure!"

Since I've had several requests for Christian teaching materials, I thought I'd post these, as they turned out really cute.

Their theme this year was Stand Strong in the Kingdom, so I made castles, crowns, and knight shields, however these crafts are general enough that they could work for just about anything.

So people wouldn't have to go out and buy a bunch of stuff, I designed the crafts trying to use materials I knew were readily available.

To make all of the projects pictured, you'll need: construction paper, card stock (for the shields), aluminum foil, scissors, glue sticks, crayons, rhinestones, glitter, curling ribbon, foam, a stapler, hole punch, brass brads, pipe cleaners, tooth picks, Elmer's glue, sticky notes, scrap paper (to use as work mats, newspaper works wonderful) and gold glitter.

I find it best with this age group to skip giving directions. Simply hold up your sample and say, "I'm so excited! We're going to make a castle today!"

Whatever craftivity you are doing with little ones, do NOT pass out all of the materials at once.

This is not only overwhelming for them, they also won't sit still long enough for you to say, do this first, only using these materials. ie for the castle:

1. Pass out castle. Have them cut out.  Have them pre-cut for 3's.
2. Pass out pre-cut triangles. Have them glue the triangles to the castle.
3. Have them cut the door.  Remind them not to cut this completely out, but STOP so there's a hinge.  Show sample at each step.
4. Pass out the door verse and have them glue it behind the castle door.
5. Pass out turrets. Have them roll the turrets. Staple to the castle.
6. Pass out brown crayons to color the door and write their name on their castle.
7. Read the verse together and explain why they did the project, so they can share that info with their parents.

I thought it would be cute to add a toothpick flag. These can be pre-made; ask the child where they want their flag.  

Scotch tape it to the back. Do not let 3's hold the toothpicks.

I made the flag with a sticky note.  No glueing necessary and it wraps right around the toothpick!

Children who finish early can work with a helper learning their verse.

Preparation for these projects is simple.  Run off the templates on construction paper, and pre-cut the smaller pieces to expedite things.

I traced a child's "praying" hand once on a folded sheet of paper and then cut once to make 2.

For the "lamp unto my feet" you need to fold the yellow lanterns in half horizontally for easier cutting. I traced a child's foot with their shoe on.

Click on the link to view/download the Kingdom Crafts.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think will help others. My "Pin it" button is at the top of the page.

"So many books; so little time." -Frank Zappa

1-2-3 Study Community Helpers and Shapes With Me!

Whenever I'm working on a theme, I try to design things that cover a variety of standards. 

Making a booklet featuring community helpers that would incorporate the 8 2D flat shapes, that students need to recognize, was a lot of fun. 

I could have listed a lot of community helpers who work with a rectangle shape, but thought a teacher using their blackboard, was the most appropriate.

This activity will help with the Common Core State Standard:K.G.1 as well as a variety of reading standards.

Students read the sentences; trace and write the shape word, trace and draw the shape, and then cut & glue the appropriate picture to the box.

The booklet makes a nice Daily 5 activity.

Click on the link to view/download the Community Helpers Take Shape easy reader.

After I completed the 2D shape booklet, I thought it would be fun to design a community helper easy reader featuring 3D shapes.

Click on the link to view/download Community Helpers Shape Up.

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"Be a rainbow in someone elses cloud." -Maya Angelou

7 pages. Common Core State Standard:K.G.1 Students read the sentences; trace and write the shape word, trace and draw the shape, and then cut & glue the appropriate picture to the box.

2 pages. An interesting and fun way for students to learn about community helpers, is by choosing one and interviewing them.

1-2-3 Come Make a "Berry" Special Card With Me!

Are you looking for a quick and easy "craftivity" card to say thank you to special volunteers, room helpers, secretaries or perhaps a student teacher?

I think you'll enjoy this "berry" special strawberry, perfect for the end of they year and summery weather.

Run off the cover and inside of the card on red construction paper.

If you are making more than one card for a number of people, have students sign the master first and then run it off.

Include a group photograph to make it even more special.

Choose a student, perhaps the child of your room helper, and trace their hand on a folded sheet of green construction paper.

Cut once and add the 2 "leaf" sprays to the top of the cover.

So that the card flips up, hinge the two strawberries together with a staple.

If this is a gift, you may want to include it with a basket of strawberries that are in season and rather inexpensive at this time.

This card also makes a sweet keepsake card for Mother or Father's Day.  Simply have students write Happy Mother's Day or Happy Father's Day on the back of the cover that flips up.

A fun activity to do with your students, is to melt chocolate in a mini crockpot or microwave and have children make chocolate covered strawberries for mom, dad, or those special volunteers.

Click on the link for an easy recipe. Chocolate covered strawberries.

Click on the link to view/download the Volunteer Thank You Card.

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My "Pin It" button is at the top of the page.

"Be the light that helps others see!" -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Sail Away Into Summer With Me!

Are you in the home stretch and dying to scream: "Woo hoo! School is out for summer!"?  I always liked to give a little something to my kiddos on the last day.  

If you'd like to do something that won't break the budget, I think you'll enjoy the Sailing Into Summer pencil fan-boat.  I've been making little fan boats since I was a child (some 50 years ago-oh my!)

In those days, I’d use a Popsicle stick for the mast, but I thought it would be sweet to include a pencil, marker or candy pixie stick, as the pole, to add that little something extra.

I doubt many little ones will catch the play on words with "fantastic" but I just had to include it.

I've also made a template for the beginning of the year, (Sailing into a new school year...) if you'd like to make these treats for your open house or the first day of school.  You could also have your current students make these for your next year's kiddos.

Here's How:

    Run off the boat template on assorted colors of construction paper.

Cut them out; write your students’ name on the front and then sign them.   Run off the “Have fun sailing into summer. I hope it’s fantastic!” sail, on white card stock and cut them out.      

    I colored the mast brown, but you can skip that step and use a glue dot to fasten a wooden pencil, marker, or candy on top.

    If you don’t have glue dots, simply cut 2 slits and insert your treat.  For a bit more pizzazz, I colored the sunshine with a yellow marker.

Fold a sheet of white copy paper 6 or 7 times. I made my width a little less than an inch.  Cut off the excess leaving a 1 inch margin. 

Glue the “sun” sail to the top of this tab. Pinch the top of the folds and staple them together so that they come to a point at the top of the mast.

Place on your students’ desks or tuck in their backpacks on the last day of school. 

Click on the link to view/download the Sailing Into Summer (or a new school year) "craftivity."  Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.  My "Pin it" button is at the top.

"In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can." -Michael Korda