Flame: Creative Children's Ministry

This is one of our most popular crafts at last week's Messy church and was a hit with all ages- from adults down to the youngest children.  These sun catchers are great to colour and display in your window.  Let the light shine through! You will need: Clear acetate, Sharpies or permanent markers, copies of the picture sheet. To print the sheet click here .  Print off the picture sheet and either  1:Photocopy it onto clear acetate, cut out the individual pictures and let children colour them with markers or  2. Lay clear acetate over the top of the picture sheet so that children can trace over the outlines of the pictures with black marker before cutting out the picture and colouring the rest of it in. Have fun!

We are getting ready for our light party next week and a light themed Messy Church as well!  This is one of the activities for Messy Church that we just might have on hand at the party as well.  Play dough is always a favourite. If you want to print out the mat, click here. Remember to laminate the mats if you want to reuse them in the future :-)

I came across something on Pinterest the other day that amazed my non-scientific brain... You can draw an electrical circuit with graphite pencils!!  No need for wires or anything.  This, of course, got me thinking on prayer activity lines :-) Here is how to help children pray that they can be the light of the world, bringing hope to dark places- in a very individual way! “You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid...  your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5: 14, 16 You will need: paper, Graphite pencils (they MUST be graphite or this won't work- I tried! You can get them from art shops/ drawing supplies.  I got these ones ), a 9V battery, a 3mm or 5mm LED bulb (see this Amazon link ), sellotape. Draw a simple circuit first to test the idea out.  Imagine that you are drawing two wires instead of using physical ones. First draw a l...

This is an activity that can be done by children of all ages and is a great illustration of Christ's light shining thorugh us. You will need : oil in small containers (I used vegetable oil), cotton buds, paper in various shapes.  Children might like to cut the paper in the shape of their initial or of something that speaks of their own personality. Use cotton buds to 'paint' oil onto the paper in whatever designs the children like.  Children might want to write words about themselves or words about Jesus. When the oil is dry, blu-tack the paper shapes to the window and let the light shine through the designs! Talk with the children about being light in the world.  We let the light of Jesus shine through us through the things we do and say, just as the light shines through the patterns we made with the oil.  You might like to create a group design on a larger sheet of paper, where children draw or write actions or words they can use...

This is a really easy way to pray and is very tactile!  It would work well when praying for any situation, but would be especially good when exploring the idea of being salt and light in the world.   You will need: a tray with sides (e.g. a roasting tin), table salt, lolly sticks Pour the salt into the tray until the bottom is completely covered.  Smooth over to make the surface flat. Use a lolly stick or a finger to write an initial or to draw somebody or something you would like to ask God to bless.  As you say 'amen,' out loud or in your head, smooth the salt over again.

This week we've been looking again at being the salt of the earth and talking about how, as disciples, we can lead 'salty' lives of compassion for others and love of God.  I wanted to get across the idea of having to grow as disciples and that this will take time, so I had a little bit of an experiment with growing salt crystals! Here's what you do... Put some salt in the bottom of a jar (probably a bit less than shown in the picture!)  Pour in some water to fill about 1/4 of the jar and mix with the salt.  Not all of the salt will dissolve and you will be left with a thick salt layer at the bottom of the jar.  This is fine! Tie a string to a pen or pencil (as in the picture) and dangle the string in the water.  Let the pen rest over the top.  Put the jar/pen/string somewhere warm and wait!  Over time, evaporation will happen and salt crystals will start to form on the strings.  The picture below shows a few days growth only. U...

I'm thinking about light at the moment, especially Matthew 5:14-16 where Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world and that we should '... let your light shine before others,  that they may see your good deeds  and glorify  your Father in heaven'. This is a great, easy craft to to with the children when thinking about this passage.  I came across it first at a 'Light Night' Halloween alternative event at Southwell Minster a few years ago so I have no idea who thought it up, but it wasn't me! You will need: Old or blank CDs, paint pens, blu tack, tea light candles  Decorate the shiny side of the CD With paint pens, remembering to leave some of the shininess showing so you can talk about reflecting light! Blu tack a tea light to the middle of the CD and light the candle! Talk to the children about light being very visible and brightening up what is around it.  How can we help to bring light to the lives of the people around us?  How ...

Lanterns and lamps appear in many Bible stories and they're so easy to make, but I've always been disappointed that it's difficult to put a light in a lantern without risking the whole thing going up in flames!  It seems such a shame to make a craft about light and then not to give the children a light to put in it!  Here 's a solution I've come up with.  Depending on the age of the children, you  might want to assemble some parts beforehand.  You will need: a clear plastic cup, a battery operated tealight, an A5 sheet of coloured paper, 2 small strips of the same colour paper, a pipe cleaner (preferably the same colour as the paper, Stickers or other decorations, a stapler and some scissors. Fold the paper in half lengthways.  Cut a series of slits through the fold, but make sure you leave a space between the end of the slit and the edge of the paper,  Cut off the top part of the plastic cup and discard it.  Put small holes in the ...

I'm not the most scientific of people, so the idea of play dough being a conductor of electricity never really occurred to me.  However, I came across this video   on Pinterest recently and it really got me thinking! Play dough conducts electricity because it contains salt and the electric circuit lights up the light- how perfect for teaching salt and light! I picked up a kit (click here to see the one I got, though you can pick up the components separately!) that contained, amongst other things, a battery pack and some LED lights.  This is what you will need: Play dough (homemade is best as it has a high salt content) Dough made with sugar and flour (I put a green tint in mine to differentiate it) Battery pack (with batteries inside!) LED light Make 2 balls of the sugar dough and insert one wire into each.  Connect one leg of the LED to each ball (make sure that the longer leg goes to the red wire side).  Switch the battery pack on and nothi...

The reflective coloring sheets I've been posting have been really popular and this is my first specific request! Not perfect but it carries the message I think :-)  This could be used as part of a lesson on being salt and light or just as a general reflection on the verse. For the printable version click  here . Please let me know how it goes if you use the sheets.  I'd love to hear!  

Today we are looking at salt and light in Beacon club and Powersource (Mattthew 5: 13-16). Here are some creative ideas to open up discussion and put the point across... Being Salt: Salt and shake crisps This idea came from an  Urban Saints Energise  lesson plan and it was an amazingly simple and effective illustration.  The only problem is finding salt and shake crisps nowadays (big supermarket needed!) Open an bag of crisps and let the children taste them plain.  A lot of the children at this point said 'Yuk'!  Then open another packet and do the salt and shake routine.  Get the children to taste them now- much better!  This really put across the point of 'being salt' being about making things better for people somehow and putting some flavour into life. Being Light: Glow in the dark stones The object of choice to talk about light seems always to be candles, but it struck me that something glow in the dark was more to the point! ...