Crafting for Christmas: Nativity Story Sacks

Having heard about a travelling nativity at a children's work course earlier in the year I thought it would be great fun, but having got to the middle of October without doing anything about it I had pretty much shelved the idea.

Let's face it with getting ready for Christmas, helping out in a satellite warehouse for operation Christmas child, and planning a Christmas fair for school while getting ready to move house I really don't need another project.

But at the beginning of the week something changed, I am not really sure when or why but come Tuesday I had pretty much decided to give it a go - but would accept that it couldn't be hand made -at least not all of it!

So what is a travelling nativity? Essentially it's a nativity crib that is passed from house to house in advent giving children the opportunity to learn the real meaning of Christmas - in essence it's a story sack!

The key thing for me was that it should not be precious, something to put on a shelf out of harms way but that it should be something to play with, to interact with, acting out the story in play. This great set from playmobil is actually a reasonable price especially compared to the cost of some nativity sets. The kings are sold separately and haven't arrived yet but complete the scene nicely.

 

I included two versions of the story, one in the form of a book, they will be encouraged to open the advent windows during their visit and read the story together.

The other is in the form of cards with the relevant verses on the back from a great website 3dinosaurs.com

(Many of the resources I have used have come from this site definitely worth visiting.)

The cards can be used on the ring to tell the story but older children could use them to tell the story, or to put the story In order.

I have included some additional resources:

Pairs Game

Flash cards

Simple jigsaw

Colouring sheet (aware that some children may not have resources at home I included all that they would need to complete the worksheets.)

For the younger children I included a drawing template encouraging them to think about what they might give Jesus. For the older children this included a writting excercise.

Advent candle

Finally it would be great for each child to have their own nativity, so I included a card version to cut out and colour.

The Sunday school coordinator mentioned that it woul be nice if each family could add to the decoration on the bag, there didn't seem to be an easy way for them to do this so I came up with the idea of them decorating a tag and adding it to the bag, the tags could be a prayer, a verse, a quote from the children or simply something they have enjoyed.

So with the bag sorted it now needs to become mobile, this is a first so not sure just how well it will work but the idea is that people will sign up to take part, we will then put together a schedule each family will have the bag for a few days they will then arrange to visit the next family and hand over the bag.

So we will see - I will report back in the new year when Christmas will have come and gone, the shoeboxes will have been checked, the fair will have passed , the girls will have left school (having delivered the requested three trays of homemade cupcakes ) and we will have moved house!!