Flame: Creative Children's Ministry

Next Sunday some of us will be celebrating Candlemas or the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.  This is where Simeon and Anna meet the saviour they have been waiting for and Simeon states that he has seen God's salvation-  A light to reveal your will to the Gentiles      and bring glory to your people Israel.  Luke 2: 32 This presents the opportunity of lots of light to be used!  Here is a craft that might come in useful, helping children to explore what it means to reflect the light that Jesus brings. You will need: old Cds, permanent marker pens, a torch or lamp, a dark room Switch off the lights in a dark room and then switch on some torches and lamps. Speak to the children about what a difference it makes when you bring light into a dark place. Scary things don't seem so scary any more. Jesus was the one who came to bring light to the dark places of the world- to help people to feel less afraid and to give them hope.  This...

We have a baptism coming up where there will be a lot more children than usual in the congregation. We want to do something that will help the children to engage with what is going on, so I've come up with a play dough mat to help them explore the signs and symbols they might see being used: A cross to represent the sign of the cross made in oil on the candidate's head A dove to represent the Holy Spirit A heart to represent God's love for us Water to represent cleansing and being born to new life Candle to represent being sent out in the light of Christ This mat could also be used when discussing baptism symbols with children before baptism (if they are old enough!)- the pictures prompting conversation about why each symbol is important and what it means. Click here to print off the mat. Have fun exploring!

I ran a prayer workshop the other day and was looking for a way to make some tactile finger labyrinths that children could play with.  Lego was the obvious solution! I made some simple spiral labyrinths with a square baseboard and a circular one I bought over Christmas and I really loved the effect. Children can build them themselves and then use them when reflecting on God and thinking about journeying with Him through life.  This might work especially well with visual and kinaesthetic learners. I think I'll try some more complicated labyrinths when I have another go!

For Epiphany I wanted our children's group to make a traditional King Cake- puff pastry with a ground almond filling and a hidden ceramic baby Jesus.  See Here for t he traditional version. However... I realised that a lot of children are a bit picky about almonds and we have to be careful about nut content at church.  So- what better than golden syrup as a replacement?!  The golden syrup, of course lends itself to the story of the wise men bring gold as one of their gifts. If you'd like to make a Golden Syrup King Cake, try this recipe out! Ingredients: 320g Puff Pastry sheet (from the chilled section or a frozen one that has been thawed) 200g Golden Syrup 50g white breadcrumbs Egg or milk to glaze * You will also need a ceramic baking bean wrapped in foil to represent baby Jesus. 1. Preheat the oven to 170/340/ Gas 4. Open out the pastry sheet and cut off a section at the end for decorations.  Cut what is left into rough halves and place on a ba...