Cup cake cases are lovely for crafts! They can be used to make lots of things including caterpillars! Just flatten them and glue them slightly overlapping each other. You can make patterns by alternating two colours or use one colour or go for multicoloured! You can even use metalic cases. Use what you have. Add a smiley face and some grass (I’ve used tissue paper). You can add some smaller circles at one end too.
To make a flower card – you need some petal/flower shapes, stems, flower pot shape and a blank card. If you don’t have pre cut shapes you can use small cup cake cases or cut out petal shapes from paper/magazines. If you spray your flower shapes with some perfume before using them you will have a perfumed card!
Glue on the flowers and stems. Then glue on the flower pot to cover the end of the stems. You can add detail to the flowers with pencils/felt tips if you wish.
Paper plates are just so great for craft ideas (and can be used as storytelling props too) This simple paper plate idea can be used as both. The craft is for a child and adult to make together while talking about the Easter Story.
You need – paper plate, tissue paper or similar in green and blue, white paper on which to draw the hill and the tomb, brown paper circle for the stone, brown paper strips for the cross, some crayons/pencils, glue and scissors. (Obviously if making with younger children use children’s safety scissors and make sure you keep a watchful eye. Scissors should always be used with care while sitting down).
Begin by covering the top half of the plate with blue paper and the bottom with green.
Draw two hills on the white paper. Colour one green. Make the other into the tomb by drawing the entrance and colour brown. Cut out and stick in the middle of the plate covering the sky/grass join.
Add the cross to the green hill and the stone infront of the tomb entrance to one side to show that the tomb is empty.
It would be great to make this while talking about the Easter story or reading the story together.
This year Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is on the 16 February. It’s time to enjoy some pancakes!
(From the Be-Ro Home Baked Recipe Book – details at the end of the post). This is the recipe I use at home. Our family likes to eat these with lemon juice and sugar (that’s me), sugar (my son) and jam (my husband)
If you would like your own copy of the Be-Ro book then send a cheque for £2.99 payable to ‘Premier Foods Plc’ to
PO Box 10681, Hinkley, LE10 9GH (UK only)
It is winter where I live but there are still leaves to be found and a few conkers, acorns and winter flowers. These were collected from my garden and arranged into a heart shape.
If you like, you can draw a heart outline and then arrange any leaves, twigs or flowers that you find.
If it’s too snowy (or just too cold!) to find objects outdoors look in your home. I’ve used cotton and fruit! You might like to use toys, building blocks, crayons – anything you like. Your heart shape can be really small or huge. It’s up to you. You can choose random objects or select items of one colour .. lots of variations. Take a photo before you put everything away.
This story is from Matthew 2:1-18
To tell the story you need – some Wise Men, toy camels and a star. You can add some actions too – stars with hands (like in twinkle, twinkle little star), running, looking, kneeling.
The story
Bible Truth for Toddlers – Jesus is King
Far away from where Jesus was born there were some Wise Men. They read books and knew a lot. They loved to look at the stars in the dark night’s sky. One night they saw a new star! They looked at the new star and they looked at each other. ‘Wow! they thought, ‘this new star means that a new king has been born in Israel. Let’s go and worship him’.
So they packed their things and set off for the important city of Jerusalem. They travelled for a long time. It took days and days to get there. When they arrived in Jerusalem they asked everyone they met, ‘Where is the new baby king?’
Now, there was a king in Jerusalem called King Herod but he wasn’t a baby; he was a grown up and he wasn’t at all happy. He didn’t want a new King! He heard that there were men from a far away place who were asking people, ‘Where is the new king?’ This upset him and it upset the people who were living in Jerusalem. He sent for the men from the temple. ‘Where is this new King to be born?’ he asked. The men from the temple knew the answer because it was written in the Bible. ‘In Bethlehem.’ they said.
Herod sent for the Wise Men and he told them to go to Bethlehem and find this new King and then come back and tell him where the new King was so he could go and worship him too.
So off the Wise Men went. It wasn’t too far to go now. As they got nearer something very special happened. The star was there again and this time it went before them and shone right over the house where Jesus was. The Wise men had found Jesus and they knelt down and worshiped him. They took their treasures out of their bags and gave them to Jesus. They gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh. These were special gifts for a King.
The Wise Men never told Herod where Jesus was. God warned them not to in a dream and they travelled home.
Herod didn’t want to worship Jesus. He wanted to get rid of him. An angel told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and run away to a different country till it was safe to go back home.
Joseph did what the angel said and took Mary and Jesus to somewhere safe far away from Herod. When the danger was past they went to back home to Nazareth.
Some star craft ideas
For a star craft – decorate a star wreath shape and add some tissue paper for a stained glass window effect. Or use Christmas card pictures to decoarate a star.
Make a Wise Men stained glass window. For instructions see this blog post Christmas stained glass – paper plate!
Paint a star shape. This is a wooden star but card would be fine too.
This is a very easy recipe called 1-2-3 biscuits from ‘Cakes and Cake Decorating’ by Rosemary Wadey.
The recipe
2oz/50g butter
1oz/25g caster sugar
3oz/75g plain flour
To make
Cream butter and sugar together and then gradually add the flour. Knead till smooth. I made this in my mixer but it is easily done by hand.
Chill the biscuit dough for at least an hour. If you miss this it will be very difficult to roll out and cut into biscuit shapes.
Once chilled roll out on a floured surface. Cut into shapes. I used a christmas tree shaped cutter. Bake at 150C /300F /Gas 2 for about 25 minutes (less if you have a fan oven. Check often anyway). They should be lightly browned. I have a gas oven that has a mind of it’s own so please don’t take my timings as exact!
Once cooked allow to cool and then decorate using icing (icing sugar and water mixed- add water little by little). I added green colouring jell. Decorate any way you like. And enjoy!
