Messy Church - Stapleford Parish: December 2014

Wise men follow the star!

This page takes you through the various activities we had at Messy Church on 13 December 2014. Have a look and try a few!

Sock Baby Jesus

Take a sock and fill it with stuffing beyond the heel. Poke your finger to the side, fill it with a little ball of stuffing and put a rubber band over it to make an arm. Then do the same on the other side. Put a rubber band round the neck fill the head and then another rubber band above it. Turn the top down to make a hat.

Wrap it in cloth and place it in a tray with hay.

Jesus was a baby but the wise men knew he was a king

Have you a baby in your family? What are they like?

Tube King

Decorate the tube to make a king. Add a beard and crown.

The wise men were very important people from other countries

How many different countries can you think of? These people came from the East. They may have been from the area of Iraq, but we don’t really know.

Crowns

Make a crown out of card and decorate it

The wise men were very important people from other countries

What sort of clothes do important people wear?

Star decoration

Stick two stars together and decorate them

The wise men saw a special star appear in the sky. They knew it meant a king was to be born.

Do you ever look up at the stars on a clear night? Stars do not actually twinkle. They only appear to twinkle due to the Earth's atmosphere deflecting the light that reaches our eyes.

Bookmarks

Thread a needle with gold thread. If you sew through the holes you will get a star pattern.

The wise men saw a special star appear in the sky. They knew it meant a king was to be born.

Stars are usually between 1 and 10 billion years old. The light from stars takes millions of years to reach Earth, therefore when you look at the stars you are literally looking back in time.

Pipe cleaner stars

Take 3 pipe cleaners and wind them around each other at the middle. Thread a bead on each end. Bend the end over so that it doesn’t come off.

The wise men saw a special star appear in the sky. They knew it meant a king was to be born.

Each galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars and there is estimated to be over 100 billion galaxies in the universe. So the total number of stars in the universe is mind boggling, estimated to be at least 70 sextillion and possibly as high as 300 sextillion, that's 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000!!!!!

Compass

Roll out the clay and cut out a star with a cutter. Then press a compass into the middle of it

The wise men used the stars to find their way to Jesus

How would you find a place you haven’t been to before?

Camel on Stick

Take 2 camel heads facing in opposite directions and stick them together with a stick between them. Then stick on fur and draw the camel’s face

The wise men came from the east of Israel. They may have travelled with camels.

Humans have used camels as a means of transport for thousands of years. They can carry about 500 pounds on their backs, earning these beasts of burden a nickname, "ships of the desert."

Camel races

Decorate your camel with finger prints.

The wise men came from the east of Israel. They may have travelled with camels.

Find someone to race your camel with. Throw a dice to move forward on the board.

Camel Biscuits

Ice your biscuit to look like a camel

The wise men came from the east of Israel. They may have travelled with camels.

Camels are well adapted to their environment. They have a third, clear eyelid that protects their eyes from blowing sand. Two rows of long lashes also protect their eyes. Sand up the nose can be a problem, but not for camels. They can shut their nostrils during sand storms.