Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts

Saturday 11 April 2020

Magnificent Butterfly Resurrection Easter Bonnet

Although PanPanic ensured there was no Easter Hat Parade at school this year, they still held an Easter Hat Slideshow.

And we did our own parade at home.




Why we made the Butterfly Resurrection Easter Hat

As always we take the opportunity to both learn about Jesus' sacrifice and develop faith-sharing skills. I think it is important to practice sharing your faith from a young age. There are too many who shy away from proclamations - but I want to make sure Tahlia grows up to be bold and unashamed of the Gospel.




This year our Easter bonnet featured an empty tomb with a myriad of butterflies. Butterflies have long been a symbol of the resurrection because caterpillars seem to die in their cocoons and emerge shortly thereafter possessing a far superior body. We included so many butterflies as Jesus' resurrection gives us the reassurance that He is able to do the same for anyone who places their hope and trust in him.




Inside the tomb we see what Mary saw described in John chapter 20. I have heard that the angels sitting at either end of the stone where Jesus had been laid are supposed to remind you of the Ark of the Covenant which had two angels on top with their wings touching each other. On top of the ark between the angels was called the Mercy Seat and this was where the Shekinah Glory of God's presence shone. We tried to emulate this in a way, but the light was also supposed to give the impression of angels rejoicing and reflecting the angel-party mood I imagine was going on in Heaven despite the disbelief and grief on Earth.

How we made the Butterfly Resurrection Easter Hat

Two of my favourite butterflies


This video gives the basic gist of how we made the base of our butterflies from pipe-cleaners, although we did make a few changes. Next we wrapped the wings in lace and secured it with hot glue. We also added beads to the ends of their feelers. I knew we would need a lot, so we started making these well before Christmas, but even so we did get a bit of help from some friends to make so many. Tahlia hot glued all bar one of the little ones in place and did an excellent job don't you think?


by One Little Project


We had one little one left over so she did wear it as a ring.




The large butterfly on top was also made from pipe-cleaners and wrapped in lace.




We started the layers from the outside edges first so that each layer overlapped the next without getting in the way.




This hat is the third in a series where we have re-used the same paper mache hat we made in Kindergarten.  After removing last years beautiful felt flowers we gave it a quick vacuum to remove the dust and debris.




This year we enclosed the arch/doorway from the last two years to form the empty tomb. We marked where we wanted the tomb to go to and used plastic shopping bags to pack the space to be filled. Then we covered that section with three or so more layers of paper mache before removing the shopping bags and covering from the inside as well.




We also marked the edge of the entrance to the tomb on paper and formed a base for the stone out of cardboard cereal box. This got covered with layers of paper mache too.




The tomb and stone were painted inside and out in white by Tahlia, and I touched up the sky and grass after the damage done by removing the felt flowers from last year.




I had been hoping to find a frosted plastic box in a jewelry store but had no luck. Happily, and perhaps Providentially, we attended a wedding a few weeks before the hat had to be finished. The wedding favours came in a perfectly sized white box with a transparent lid. I managed to take a photo for you with one chocolate left in there before they all got demolished. Each box had two chocolates inside originally!




After removing the divider, three LED rings fit exactly inside the box - we bought this 6 pcs LED Rubber Rings from AliExpress (not an afiliate link). I bought extra in case some did not work and I'm glad I did as all the rest broke very quickly. The box is fixed in place with blu-tak so it can be removed to allow the rings to be turned on and off.




The angels were bought from a craft store but I have seen similar in dollar stores too - they were hot glued in place.




See the other Easter Hats in this Trilogy

  1. Hosanna! Palm Sunday Easter Bonnet - focuses on Praising Jesus' ability to save
  2. Spectacular Spring Lamb Easter Bonnet - focuses on the first Passover and the Cross
  3. Magnificent Butterfly Resurrection Easter Bonnet - this one!




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I would love to see and share your Christian themed Easter Hats!

Thursday 26 March 2020

Psalm 28 - Shepherd Them Quiet Book Page

Psalm 28 was written by David and praises God who rescues him when he puts his trust in the LORD.


Memory Verse: “Save Your people,
And bless Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
And bear them up forever.” Psalm 28:9 NKJV. 

Materials needed to create the Shepherd Them quiet book page:

  • A4 felt background sheet - I used tan
  • Betty Lukens Felt book 01 Bible Stories available at Koorong
  • sewing thread to best match the page
  • scissors!
Cut out all the pieces for this page and the page itself from the Betty Lukens set. The Betty Lukens FAQ section has posted a cutting tips PDF.

Sew the Betty Lukens page onto the background felt along three sides, leaving the top edge open to form a pocket. Pop the pieces inside the pocket (or better yet - play with them)!

Finished!




Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sew version.

A very easy quiet book page!
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

  • Psalm 28 - Praise God that He is willing and able to hear our prayers, save and shepherd us
  • Imaginative Play - make the lambs play and eat the grass, play the harp with David
  • Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
  • Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination




Read the Chapter

Psalm 28

Devotional

We all know that we don't deserve to have the Master of the universe listen to our beck and call. And yet this Psalm is all about praising Him because He hears us.

The sole reason given in this Psalm that God answers our prayers is that we trust Him. He loves to come through for us because of that.



Psalm 28:1-2,6-9 Song
"To You, I Will Cry, O LORD"
(Esther Mui) Christian Praise Worship Lyrics




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Have you asked God to be your shepherd - will you trust Him to lead you?

Sunday 4 November 2018

Genesis 12 - Abram's Journey Quiet Book Page

In Genesis chapter 12, God tells Abram to go to a place He would show him. I have included a few verses from chapters 11 and 13 here for convenience.



Memory Verse: "The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you." Genesis 12:1

Materials needed to create Abram's Journey quiet book page:

  • A4 felt background sheet. I used deep blue.
  • brown felt, plus tan scraps
  • sewing thread to match, plus blue for the rivers
  • a shoelace
  • crotchet rings
  • my free template



First place your map UPSIDE DOWN on your brown felt and trace around it with a pen.  This way the pen side will be face down...




...and the map will be the right way when placed on the background felt. Sew it down.

Next mark each point at which you will turn when sewing the rivers. I placed my template on top of my felt version and pushed in a pin at each turning point. I started at the branched ends and aimed for the entrance point of each pin when I got to each subsequent pin.




Sew down your pyramids and crotchet rings where indicated. For the crotchet rings I set my machine to zero length on zig zag stitch and secured them with about 20 stitches.

Measure the length of shoelace needed by threading it as shown in the first picture and  leaving enough of an end to stitch it down underneath the zigurat. Melt the ends of the shoelace to prevent fraying before using zig zag stitch to secure it to your page . Place the ziggurat over the end of the shoelace and sew down.

Finished!


Difficulty Level = Intermediate

This is a very easy quiet book page to sew, except for sewing the rivers. You might find this part easier if you do it by hand.


Key Learning Areas and Skills

  • Genesis 12 - This page tells the story of how Abraham obeyed God and moved his family to Canaan
  • Threading - thread the shoelace through the places mentioned that Abraham stopped at on his way
  • Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
  • Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination


Read the Chapter

Genesis 12


Devotional

Abraham had already moved from Ur to Haran when God called him to move again. Moving can be a hard thing, particularly when leaving family - although sometimes it is the reason for the move! Perhaps it was one reason that God wanted Abraham to move, although maybe not. Whilst it is recorded in non-Biblical sources that Abraham's father was an idol worshiper and even owned an idol shop, it does seem that God waited until his death before instructing Abraham to leave.

It is also difficult to trust God and take those first steps when you can't see the end of the road. But God asked Abraham to go to a place that He would show him. Abraham didn't know where the road ended. But He decided to trust God anyway.

It ended up being a bit like a wander in the wilderness for him, and although he eventually ended up living in the promised land, the only piece of it he owned was a burial plot. I assume he could not build a house on land that did not belong to him, and that he continued to live in a tent for the rest of his long life.

There is a lot of pressure on people these days to buy their own home and people who are not able to often feel unsuccessful and like they lack something to show for their efforts. Circumstances are far from perfect and though someone works hard, often things don't work out how we plan. God wants us to remember that this earth is not our home - we are wanderers here. And if we live in a tent for the rest of our lives here that is quite OK. One day we will possess a 'mansion'.


Abraham's Exciting Journey - Song for the Kids




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Monday 24 September 2018

Genesis 50 - Joseph's Bones Quiet Book Page

Genesis 50 contains Joseph's dying words where he expresses his faith that God will make good on His promise to bring Israel out of Egypt. Joseph  asks his descendants to bring his bones with them when they leave.




Memory Verse: "So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, “When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here.” Genesis 50:25.

Materials needed to create the Joseph's Bones quiet book page:

  • A4 felt background sheet - I used aqua
  • gold coloured material that won't fray - I used pleather but it was difficult to sew due to it's stretchiness (made easier by gluing first)
  • clear craft glue if using pleather to make sewing easier - I used polyacetic acid & ethylene resin based glue
  • gold trim
  • gold ribbon - melt the ends to prevent fraying
  • sewing thread to best match the colours
  • two buttons - I found some ivory ones with black etchings that somewhat resembled hieroglyphics
  • felt in gold/straw (or near enough), black, skin colour, and white/glow-in-the-dark
  • glow-in-the-dark paint if using white felt
  • decorative material or ribbons etc for the coffins
  • white ribbon for wrapping Joseph's mummy
  • my free template
Trace the sarcophagus, coffin head and death mask pieces using the template onto the back of your pleather using pen - this will avoid puncturing the pleather unnecessarily. Cut them out. Glue the front and lid of the sarcophagus to your gold/straw felt, inserting small strips of ribbon to form hinges along the top edge of the lid and loops for your buttons along the bottom edge. Make sure you make big enough loops to fit the buttons through easily. You can use pins to keep the ribbons in place if you need to but make sure it is where you will be sewing so you don't have holes where they will be visible. Leave to dry overnight.




Sew the pleather to the felt on all sides for the lid, reinforcing where the ribbons are. Only sew the top edge for the front. Cut them out ensuring you do not cut off the ribbons. Next glue the sarcophagus back to the background page, inserting the other ends of the ribbon hinges from the lid. Sew down once dried overnight. Then sew the front on the bottom and sides to form a pocket. To complete the sarcophagus, hand sew your buttons on.




Cut scraps of pleather to fit underneath the face holes of the coffin heads and death masks. Glue the death mask pieces to the gold/straw felt, layering a scrap in position under the front piece with the face hole. Leave to dry overnight, then sew down around the face hole and edges. Cut out the pieces and sew together along the top curve.




Decorate your coffin bases as desired and glue and sew on the head pieces. Sew together by the sides excluding the head or from the center of the head at the top to the center of the base at the bottom to form pockets.




I sewed the black one the first way as there was no reinforcing on the base and the other way for the blue/green coffin as it had a double layer due to the material.





I also used glue under the decorative material on this one as it is very thin material and very prone to fraying. To ensure there would be no fraying I did a tight zig zag stitch around those edges too.




For the mummy I doubled the skin coloured felt twice, inserting a wide white ribbon between the under body piece before sewing the two doubled pieces on top of each other along one straight side edge.




To make the bones I drew around the template pieces onto my white felt with a black pen and painted the glow in the dark paint on.




Glow-in-the-dark felt would make this step easier - not that it was hard, but as it is unavailable in Australia and I could not find a seller online, this was my solution. To finish, simply cut out the bones and glue them in place on the inside of the body.

Done!


Difficulty Level = Intermediate.

If you are using pleather the glue is imperative. It will be a nightmare without it as you will get bunching and/or stretching out of shape. Also, DO NOT attempt to use tape instead of glue - you will end up with the dodgy sewing featured below and have to start over.




Key Learning Areas and Skills

  • Genesis 50 - Joseph showed his faith by instructing his descendants to take his bones with them when God brought them out of Egypt!
  • Imaginative Play - wrapping and burying an Egyptian mummy is pretty fun, not to mention golw-in-the-dark bones!
  • Buttoning - open and close the sarcophagus lid
  • Wrapping - wrap the ribbon around the body
  • Sequencing & Spatial Awareness - order the pockets the wrapped body goes into - death mask, small coffin, large coffin, sarcophagus
  • Science - could incorporate a lesson about UV light and glow in the dark phenomena
  • Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
  • Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination




Read the Chapter

Genesis 50




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If you know of any earlier patterns or other information, I'd love to hear from you!


Devotional

There are Jewish legends about Joseph's bones that tell stories about the Israelites forgetting to take them with them when they were about to leave Egypt. The stories were written well after the fact and there are variations in the details, but basically the story goes that the pillar of cloud/fire would not move when they were all assembled ready to leave. The great-granddaughter of Levi realised that they had forgotten Joseph's bones. She was the only person old enough to remember where his body was laid. Apparently the Egyptians had sunk his coffin into the Nile River in an attempt to bless it, so Moses had to perform a miracle to get it to float so it could be retrieved. Only then did the pillar move forward to lead them out of Egypt.

Whether the story has some truth to it I don't know, but I did find it rather interesting.


You can see the monument at Joseph's burial site in this video.


Our actions follow from what we believe to be true. Joseph gave instructions about his bones fully believing that God would bring the Israelites out of Egypt. God had told Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years (Genesis 15). He also brought them to Egypt to keep them safe throughout famine. That which brought blessing also brought suffering. And you can see in what Joseph says on his deathbed that he believed both that Israel would suffer in Egypt even though throughout his lifetime it had been a blessing and that God would come to their aid and bring them out of Egypt. Indeed they did need God to come to their aid to secure release from Egyptian slavery. The story of Exodus shows what great lengths God went to keep His promise. He will surely keep the remainder of His promises and bring us out of this world of suffering and into His eternal life of blessing. May our actions demonstrate our faith to our children and peers like Joseph's did.








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Which is your favourite coffin?