Messy Christmas!

This page takes you through the various activities we had at Messy Church on 07 December 2013. Have a look and try a few!

Advent candle

Decorate the candle and add the numbers 7 to 24 with 7 at the top and 24 at the bottom.  Write small so that you can fit them in – you may need an adult’s help.

Take the sheet home with you too and use through the rest of December as you wait for Christmas

Mary and Joseph were waiting for Jesus to born.  What would that have been like?

Pregnant Mary biscuit

Take a gingerbread person.  Put a marshmallow in the tummy and then cover it with a dress made out of icing

Mary  hadn’t expected this to happen.  The plans she had were messed up.

Can you think of something unexpected that has changed your plans?

Hobby Donkey

Stuff a sock for the head.  Stick on eyes, ears and put a rubber band round the nose.

Use a tube to attach it to a stick.

Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem before Jesus was born for a census.  They may have travelled with a donkey.  Their plans were messed up.

What different ways have you travelled?

Cotton bud sheep

Stick cotton buds into clay to make a sheep and add a face

The shepherds were looking after sheep in the fields when angels appeared to them

What do you think the sheep did when the angels appeared?

Christmas Crackers

Take a tube, some paper and a picture from the Christmas story.  Roll the paper round the tube to make a cracker.

When you pull this cracker remember you are celebrating Jesus birth

When Jesus was born even angels celebrated.

How do you celebrate Jesus birth?

Wooden decoration

Colour in a star or an angel to make a decoration

Jesus was born in a place for animals because they couldn’t find anywhere to stay.  It wasn’t decorated nicely.

How would you decorate a room for a baby?

Card angel

Take a cut out angel.  Fold paper for the dress, and draw in the hair and the face.  Put on glitter for the wings.

If you want to put it on a tree, attach a tube to the back

Angels appeared to shepherds to tell them Jesus had been born and they were afraid

What do you think it would be like to meet an angel?

Handprint angel

Make two handprints next to each other.  They are the angel’s wings.  Then draw in the angel’s face.

An angel told Mary that she was going to have a baby  She was very surprised.  Angels often say surprising things.

Have you been told anything surprising?

Horrid smells

See what horrid smells you can make by mixing things together

Jesus was born in a place for animals because they couldn’t find anywhere to stay.  It might not have smelt very nice.

What is the worst smell you can think of?  What might be the nastiest smell in the Christmas story?

Pastry manger

Put a jelly baby Jesus into a pastry manger.  Wrap it in icing to make a blanket

Jesus was put in a manger when he was born.  A manger is used to feed animals

What would it be like in a manger?

Spaghetti straw

Put some spaghetti into the paint.  

Put your paper in a box and place the spaghetti on it.  Then shake it around to make a pattern.  You can use the tongs to move it a bit more

It looks like straw in the stable where Jesus was born

What would be the messiest thing in a stable?

Tea Towel shepherd

Decorate a tea towel to make a shepherd’s head cloth

The shepherds lived out in the fields looking after their sheep

What would you like about being a shepherd?

Wooden nativity

Take pegs for Mary and Joseph.  Put some straw on a piece of board for the stable.  Add a cardboard manger and put a wooden baby Jesus into it

Joseph and Mary had to stop in a stable because there wasn’t any room for them in the inn

Have you ever been somewhere where farm animals live?  What was it like?

Playdoh baby

Make a baby out of playdoh and put it into the box

Jesus was put in a manger when he was born.  A manger is used to feed animals.

What would normally be kept in a manger?