Paint By Shape

Tuesday:	Paint By Shape
Preschool Lesson:	Adam and Eve Sin

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• Paint
• Brushes
• Cleaning supplies

Preparation:

Find a simple coloring picture for the day's lesson, perhaps something with the snake talking to Eve. Create a key associating each color of paint with a shape: circle, triangle, square, star, etc. Mark each region of the picture with a shape indicating which color it should be painted. Photocopy. Use crayon or marker to go over the colors on the answer key, in case some of the preschool children cannot read all the color names.

Instructions:

This craft is just like paint by number except there are shapes instead of numbers. Have the children paint in the picture of Adam and Eve with a snake in the tree, using the colors indicated by the shapes.

Lesson Tie-In:

The picture they are painting is a scene from the Bible lesson.

Garden Stone Craft

Friday:	Garden Stones
Bible Lesson:	The church was begun in order to witness for God in all parts of the earth.
Memory Verse:	Acts 2:32
Preschool Lesson:	The church is made up of people (Acts 16)

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• cement mix
• sand
• disposable open-topped containers (e.g., you can use the bottoms of old milk jugs)
• decorative objects (colored stones, shells, large glass beads, etc.)

Preparation:

Experiment ahead of time to determine the ideal ratio of cement mix to sand. Premix them.

When it's almost time, start adding water a little at a time, stirring, until the mixture is wet through but still thick. (A hand placed in the mixture and removed should leave a visible print and not fill in immediately.)

Spray each milk jug with Pam or other cooking spray before putting the mixture in, it will keep it from sticking when the kids try to remove it. Have the mixture ready in the bottoms of milk jugs when the kids come. Do not do it so early that it begins to dry. Timing is everything. Station a helper at the sink (or hose) to assist with hand washing.

Instructions:

Assist them in putting their hand print or (bare) foot print into the crete and then allow them to push decorative objects (colored glass beads, stones, sea shells, tiles) into the surface before it dries. Give each child a limited supply of decorations so that you have enough reserved for all age groups. Tell them they have to dry for 2 or 3 days in the milk jug and that they can cut the jug off or slide the stone out after that time.

Lesson Tie-In:

The stone itself does not correlate with the lesson, but you can ask them questions about the Bible lesson while they do the craft. There should be some time available while they are waiting for the cement to set firmly enough that they can remove their hands and feet.

Abraham and the Stars Window Hanging

Thursday:	Abraham & the Stars Window Hanging
Bible Lesson:	We should have faith like Abraham. God's promise to Abraham is a blessing to us even today.
Memory Verse:	Hebrews 11:6

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• black paper
• star constellation pictures
• pushpins (elementary and teens)
• junk cardboard (elementary and teens)
• coloring-book picture of Abraham with one arm raised, looking at the stars.
• posterboard or colored construction paper (for frames)
• star stickers (preschool only)
• string or yarn

Preparation:

Find a suitable coloring-book picture of Abraham and photocopy it, as well as some
star constellations.

Create a pattern for the frame.
For preschool, you should pre-cut the frames
and may want to pre-assemble some parts of the craft as well.

Instructions:

For elementary and teens, give each person one of the
constellation pictures (you can have different ones and let them
pick) with a sheet of black construction paper attached to the back
with tape around the edges. They also each need a push pin and a
piece of junk cardboard. Have them push the push pin through each
dot on the picture (using the cardboard as a backing so the pin
doesn't go into anything it shouldn't, such as fingers or the
table). When every hole has been punched, remove the constellation
picture from the front, leaving the black paper with its star
pattern of small holes.

For preschool, have them stick star stickers directly
on the black paper. You can show them the constellation pictures
for reference if you want.

Have them trace the frame pattern onto the colored
construction paper or poster board and cut out their frame.

The star pattern goes behind the frame (or between
front and back halves of the frame if you have time to let them cut
two) and attaches with either glue or tape. The Abraham image
should be cut out (so it's just Abraham) and placed on the front
of the craft, so that the black paper sky with the star holes
is in the background. If you have time, they can color Abraham
before gluing him in place.

Attach a piece of string or yarn to serve as a
hanger. The craft can be hung in a window so that the light
shines through the pinpoint holes, making the stars shine.

Lesson Tie-In:

God promised Abraham that his descendants would be too
numerous to count, like the stars.

Painted Ark Scene

Wednesday:	Painted Ark Scene
Bible Lesson:	Sin brings a penalty. Jesus paid our penalty so that we can be saved.
Memory Verse:	1st Corinthians 15:22

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• large paper (11"x17" is barely adequate)
• cardboard or posterboard (for stencils)
• paint and brushes

Preparation:

Prepare large cardboard stencils of the ark. These should be a bit too large to fit entirely on the paper. On the ark drawing shown here, there are internal lines; cut out short segments of these in places so that the kids can draw lines on their ark to better show the shape (otherwise it will look like a blob).

Prepare cardboard stencils of various animals, scaled down so that they are an appropriate size compared to the ark. Large animals, such as elephants and giraffes, work best.
You can find sillhouettes of many animals at the Open Clip Art Library.
Scale some of them to appropriate sizes, print them out, and trace them onto cardboard to make the stencils.

For preschool, go ahead and trace the outlines onto the paper ahead of time, so they can just paint.

Instructions:

Hand out the stencils for the kids to trace around on
their large piece of paper. They should place the ark first and
then place animals around it.

Allow them to free-hand draw a path from the ark
door to the bottom of the paper and, if they have time and space,
some trees to show scale. Make sure they put their name on the back
before painting, and allow the teens to add more detail to the
animals and the ark with a pencil. Remind everyone that the ark is
really much larger than the stencil but it just wouldn't fit on the
paper. When they have successfully drawn a scene allow them to
paint it in and lay to dry. Display a scene of your own so they can
see what it can look like. (Some variation of animal placement is
expected.)

Lesson Tie-In:

The picture they are making is a scene from the Bible
lesson. The ark saved Noah and his family from the flood, just as
Jesus saves us today.

Cross Wall Hanging

Tuesday:	Cross Wall Hanging
Bible Lesson:	Humans are sinful and require salvation. (Genesis 3)
Memory Verse:	Romans 3:22

Age Groups:

• teens
• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• wooden bases (perhaps 6"x8" or so)
• nails
• metallic thread or fine wire

Preparation:

Get a volunteer to cut the wood into appropriately sized pieces
and sand and varnish it ahead of time to make the bases. You will want to
go ahead and make one copy of the craft for reference and to familiarize
yourself with the winding pattern.

For younger children, you may want to pound the nails into the bases ahead of time. Teens should be able to do their own nails.

Instructions:

Hand out a plank of wood, a pattern, pencil, and nails
to each teen. Have rulers available (or use a hole puncher to make
holes in the pattern at the nail spots, so they can draw through
it). Have them put a pencil marking where each nail goes according
to the pattern. Show them how to pound the nails into the wood,
leaving each nail sticking out the same amount in a cross pattern.
(Some teens may need assistance getting the nails started.) When
they have this completed show them how to wind the metallic thread
or fine wire around the nails in a pattern. Make sure they put
their name on the back of the plank. If sufficient time and thread
or wire are available, you can let them do a second or even a third
winding.

Lesson Tie-In:

The cross represents the penalty for sin and the means of salvation.

Wax-Dipped Origami

Monday:	Wax-Dipped Origami
Bible Lesson:	God created the world and deserves our worship. (Genesis 1, Acts 17)
Memory Verse:	Acts 17:24

Age Groups:

• teens

Supplies Needed:

• brightly colored paper
• folding instructions
• wax
• something to heat the wax (e.g., an old crock pot)
• sewing needles
• thread

Preparation:

Go to your local public library and find origami folding instructions for a number of things that God created: different kinds of animals and birds and fish, maybe even plants and trees. You will want to test out the instructions ahead of time to ensure that you are able to follow them, so that you will be able to help anyone who has problems. Try to find options with different levels of complexity and difficulty, in case some of your teens are more ambitious than others. If most or all of the instructions you find call for squares (which is typical), you may want to use a paper cutter to cut the ends off the paper so that it is square. (If using letter-sized 8.5x11" paper, cutting 2.5 inches off one end will give you an 8.5" square.)

You can also find videos on the internet that demostrate various origami, e.g., an elephant, a flower a raven, a crab.

On the day, you will need to start melting the wax well ahead of time, as it may take a couple of hours (depending on what you use to melt it).

Instructions:

Have the teens select one of the available origami options and the color of paper they desire and fold the paper according to the provided instructions. You may need to help them interpret the instructions. When they have completed folding, have them pull a length of thread through a point near the top edge of the piece, using the sewing needle, and knot it (leaving a few inches of loop). The thread helps with the dipping and becomes a hanger thereafter. Then assist and monitor the wax dipping process; each piece of origami should be fully emmersed in the wax, hanging by the thread, but it does not need to be under for any length of time, as long as it's entirely covered. Hang to dry.

Lesson Tie-In:

Each of the origami choices should be something that God created, which ties in (albeit loosely) with the Bible lesson on creation.

Inflatable Origami Creation Box

Monday:	Inflatable Origami Creation Box
Elementary Lesson:	God created the world and deserves our worship.
Memory Verse:	The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. Acts 17:24

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• crayons (or something to color with)
• photocopies of the pattern (see image)

Preparation:

Familiarize yourself and as many of your helpers as possible with the folding instructions ahead of time, until you are comfortable demonstrating how to fold the box without looking at the instructions.

Instructions:

Hand out the photocopied page. Have the children color by number. Once they've colored it, have them cut out the square and fold it according to the folding directions (below). Once each child has folded his box, he can hold it by opposite corners and blow into the small hole in the top, and the box will inflate.

Folding Directions:

1. Color the pictures on your creation box paper, with the colors according to the numbers in each shape. There is a list at the top of the page that tells what color to use for each number. After coloring, cut off the top and edges, along the lines, so that you have one big square.
2. Fold the square along one major diagonal, with the markings on the outside. Crease, then unfold.
3. Fold along the other diagonal with the markings on the outside. Crease, then unfold.
4. Bringing the top down to meet the bottom, fold the square in half horizontally, with the markings on the inside. Crease, then unfold.
5. Using all the creases you have made, fold into a triangle shape, as shown. The left and right halves of the triangle should each have two flaps, formed by the top and bottom corners of the square.
6. Fold the front flaps up, so that their tips meet at the top of the triangle, as shown.
7. Flip the triangle over, and fold up the flaps on the other side in the same way, forming a diamond shape, as shown.
8. Fold the left and right corners of the diamond shape inward to meet at the middle, as shown.
9. Fold down the top corners to meet in the middle as well.
10. Fold down the top flaps again, tucking them into the pockets in the tops of the side flaps.
11. Flip over and repeat the same steps on the back side.
12. Hold the box by the edges of two flaps and blow into the bottom end (i.e., the end with the small hole in it). The box should inflate into a six-sided paper cube, with one day of creation pictured on each side. See if you can match up the six sides of your cube to the six days told in Genesis 1.

Lesson Tie-In:

The pictures on the six sides of the box represent the six days of creation.

Colored Sand in a Bottle

Friday:	Colored Sand in a Bottle
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2nd Timothy 4:7-8

Age Groups:

• elementary
• preschool
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• small (clear) glass containers with lids or corks
• colored sand

Preparation:

You can actually dye sand, but the colors come out fairly muted in my experience. Brighter colors can be achieved by rubbing colored chalk into the sand so that chalk dust mixes with the grains. You can also use salt instead of sand.

Instructions:

Give each teen one glass container (skinny jar, cork-lidded vase, etc). Allow them to pour in different colors of the colored sand, in layers, to make a design. Tilting the container when inserting some of the layers may result in a more interesting design. When the design is complete, fill the remainder of the container with plain sand and attach the lid.

Posterboard Crowns

Friday:	Crowns
Bible Lesson:	Fishing All Night
Shape Lesson:	The Crown: Heaven

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• yellow posterboard
• gold glitter
• gemstones (can be construction paper)

Preparation:

Pre-cut the posterboard into bands (strips) with decorative protrusions along one edge, so that when the ends are brought together a crown shape results.

Instructions:

Give each child one of the posterboard crown shapes. Allow them to decorate the crown by glueing gemstones and stuff on it it, maybe beads or gold glitter. When they finish, fit the crown to their head and staple it together. Let the teacher hold onto the crowns until time to go upstairs.

Potato Painting

Friday:	Potato Painting
Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2nd Timothy 4:7-8

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• raw potatoes, cut in pieces
• paint, paper, damp paper towels

Instructions:

Each child gets a hunk of paper. Put several pieces of potato with each color of paint – each piece should stay in the same color. Children dip the potato pieces in the paint and stamp it onto the paper, picking it up and down like a stamp, to create a scene depicting heaven.

You should provide them with a list of things the Bible says about heaven. For example:

• pure gold as pure as glass
• streets of gold
• river flowing from the throne through the middle of the city
• tree of life on the banks of the river
• many homes (John 14)
• great, high wall
• twelve gates, three on each side, always open
• each gate is a giant pearl
• the city is a square, as long as it is wide
• the foundations are decorated with gemstones (rubies, emeralds, and so on)
• no night, the glory of God gives it light

Lion Faces

Wednesday:	Lion Faces
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Bible

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• paper plates
• construction paper
• yarn (yellow, orange, or brown)
• glue and cotton swabs

Preparation:

Cut out the needed pieces (see image) from the construction paper ahead of time. Cut short pieces (2-4 inches each) of yarn for the manes.

Instructions:

Give each child a large paper plate and construction paper eye, nose, and mouth pieces. Let them glue these in place. (Put some glue on a small paper plate and let the children use cotton swabs to brush the glue on – no bottles of glue.) Show them where to glue them. Give them pieces of yarn about three inches long to glue around the edge for a mane.

Painted Silhouette

Wednesday:	Painted Silhouette
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: we should study God's word and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	John 3:14-15

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• squares of white cloth
• black paint, brushes, and pencils
• stencil of a boy reading the Bible
• stencil of a girl reading the Bible
• lengths of dowel rod

Preparation:

Find silhouettes of a boy reading and of a girl reading. (It should be possible to find these with an image search on the web.) Trace each silhouette onto posterboard and cut them out, creating the stencils. Depending on the number of children you have, you may need multiple copies of each stencil, so that several children can trace them at once.

Instructions:

Children place the stencil on their cloth and trace around the edge with a pencil, mount a dowel across the top (for hanging), and paint inside the lines.

Watercolor Painting

Tuesday:	Watercolor Painting
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Lions

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• Paper suitable for painting on, with a coloring page copied onto it (depicting a scene from the Bible lesson).
• Watercolor paints and brushes

Instructions:

Give each child a copy of the picture from the lesson, on a somewhat heavier grade of paper. Let them paint it.

Suncatchers

Tuesday:	Suncatchers
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness
Memory Verse:	1st Thessalonians 2:13

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• overhead transparencies OR transparent report covers
• photocopied scenes (from the lesson, or runners)
• permanent markers, various colors
• yarn or decorative string
• posterboard (for frames)
• transparent tape

Preparation:

Cut out posterboard frames ahead of time. Each frame consists of a matching pair (front and back) of posterboard rectangles, larger than the transparent sheets by a couple of inches in each dimension, with a hole in the middle just smaller than the transparent sheets. Pair them up and punch the holes for the yarn through both the front and the back together.

Instructions:

Each child or teen gets a transparency sheet and chooses a photocopied scene, such as a runner, Daniel praying, or cetera. Have them each tape their transparency to the photocopied scene paper (to hold them still) and color the scene onto the transparency with the permanent markers. They should use a black marker last to trace the outlines, then remove the paper and tape, and use the yarn to weave through the pre-punched holes to attach the frame to the front and back of the suncatcher in a decorative fashion. A length of yarn can be left at the top for hanging in a window. The front and back parts of the posterboard frames may be glued together where they hang out beyond the transparency.

Baked Rock

Monday:	Baked Rock
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness
Memory Verse:	1st Corinthians 15:58

Age Groups:

• teens

Supplies Needed:

• rocks (at least as large as a fist)
• old crayons
• aluminum foil
• you also need the use of an oven

Instructions:

Preheat oven. Each teen gets a two-pound rock (approximately). They color the rock (except the underside) with crayons; they color designs on it (depicting something from the Bible lesson, ideally) and also fill in the background, so it's all colored, except the underside. Then place the rocks on a foil-covered cookie sheet or pan, and bake them just until the crayon melts together into a smooth design. Let it cool, and afterward they can take it home and use it as a doorstop, paper weight, or conversation piece.

Felt Pennant (Preschool Version)

Monday:	Felt Pennant
Bible Lesson:	David and Saul: God is in Charge
Shape Lesson:	Ball: God made the world.

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• black felt
• scraps of felt in other colors
• dowel rods (short)

Preparation:

Pre-cut the pennant shapes out of black felt, and shapes of things that God created out of other colors of felt, e.g., yellow sun, white moon and stars, green plants, etc.

Instructions:

Each child gets an oblong isosceles triangle of black felt, plus small pieces representing things God created. Help the children glue the things God made onto their pennant. Remind them that God made everything, and these things they are gluing onto their pennant are just examples. Attach the finished pennant to a dowel rod. After Bible School, they can take their pennant home and hang it on a wall.

Mosaic

Monday:	Mosaic
Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Anointed
Memory Verse:	1st John 2:3

Age Groups:

• elementary

Supplies Needed:

• lightweight dried beans, corn, plastic beads, airsoft beebees, or similar items, in various colors
• posterboard
• photocopied outline pictures (scenes from the Bible lesson and/or runners)

Instructions:

Each child selects one of the available scenes and glues a copy to their posterboard. Then they fill in each area with a color of beans or whatever, in a paint-by-number fashion (e.g., an object that should be yellow could be filled in with corn) to assemble the mosaic. They can also put a solid-color frame around the edge, if time permits, with another color of beans.

Gift Cards

Friday:	Gift Cards
Preschool Lesson:	Elisha and the Shunnemite: we should serve others.

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• heavy paper or cardstock

Overview:

The children will make hand-made personal greeting cards for people in the church (sick people, the pastor, the elderly, widows, whoever). This is a service to the church, which correlates with the Bible lesson. The greeting cards can be sent along with the gift baskets that the older children will be assembling.

Preparation:

You will need to determine ahead of time who you are making cards for. Pre-print an outline drawing of something nice on the portion of the paper that will be the front cover of each card, and have an adult write a short personalized message on the part of the page that will form the inside of each card.

Instructions:

Explain to the children what they are doing, and why, then help them color the picture on the cards, fold the cards, and sign all their names inside all the cards.

Gift Baskets

Friday:	Gift Baskets
Elementary Lesson:	Footsteps of Service: Epaphroditus and the Shunnemite
Memory Verse:	Philippians 2:4

Age Groups:

• elementary
• teens

Supplies Needed:

• baskets
• greeting cards (The preschool group can make these.)
• card stock and ribbon for the bookmarks
• left-over pencil can and cross necklace materials
• trail mix ingredients and plastic bags
• flowers or plants
• pots, pot paint, and potting soil
• aprons or canvas tote bags
• fabric paint
• molds, soap and scents (or wax and wicks)

Note:

This is a more difficult and more expensive craft than usual. In addition to the extra materials, you will also need extra help, to oversee the various tables.

Overview:

The children will be assembling gift baskets for people in the church (sick people, the pastor, the elderly, widows, whoever). This is a service to the church, which correlates with the Bible lesson. You can send them out along with the greeting cards that the preschool children make.

Preparation:

Print on the cardstock a basic (outline drawing) pattern for the bookmarks.

Explain to the children what they are doing, and why, then divide them into groups and assign each group to a table. Each table will make one or two items for the baskets. Each basket will get one of each thing.

Instructions: Bookmark & Trail Mix Table (Elementary)

Set out the ingredients for the trail mix (select from items such as Chex cereal, pretzels, M&Ms, peanuts, raisins, walnuts, cheese crackers, wheat/snack crackers, etc.) and a large bowl. Let the kids open the packages, mix the ingredients together in the bowl, stir, and scoop some into each bag. Let them tie off the bags with ribbon (or seal them if you are using Ziploc bags) and place one bag in each basket.

See the bookmark craft instructions from the God's Sheep materials. Have the kids make and place one bookmark in each basket.

Instructions: Cross Necklace Table (Elementary or Teens)

Let them make cross necklaces like the ones they made earlier in the week and place one in each basket.

Instructions: Pencil Can Table (Elementary)

Let them make pencil cans like the ones they made earlier in the week and place one in each basket.

Instructions: Potted Plant Table (Teens)

Let them paint the pots, then have them gently transplant the plant into the pot and surround it with the potting soil. When they are finished, place it somewhere to dry, and it can be added to the baskets later.

Instructions: Soap Table (Teens)

Use the Soap Molding instructions from the God's Sheep materials. Let them mold one or two pieces of soap for each basket. Alternately, if you prefer, you can have them do candles instead.

Instructions: Apron (or Tote Bag) Table (Teens)

Have them take the special paint for writing on cloth and, after carefully planning what they're going to write, they can go ahead and decorate. Give them suggestions for what to write, like VBS 2010 and a small footprint.

Finishing Up

If there's extra time, they can sign all the cards. When each basket has one of everything, make arrangements for the baskets to be delivered to their intended recipients.

Preschool Cross Necklace

Wednesday:	Foam Cross Necklace
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Snakes in the Desert: We should look to Jesus to save us from our sin.

Age Groups:

• preschool

Supplies Needed:

• leather strap or other necklace material
• craft foam (pre-cut into pieces the right size for each child)
• cross stencil

Instructions:

Help the children trace the cross shape on their pieces of craft foam. Help them cut it out, punch a hole, and attach it to the necklace string.