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Storm bottles
You will need: full water bottles, glitter
Open the bottle of water and pour in about a tablespoon of glitter (a mixture of two colours is effective). Screw the lid on tightly and shake the bottle to watch the glitter spread throughout the water; wait and watch the glitter settle. This is a very simple craft but also a great way to explore the ‘storm’ and ‘calm’ elements of the story through play! Let the children play with the bottles, perhaps with some music on in the background. After a period of time of shaking and watching, ask the children to share any responses or things that have occurred to them through the process - be prepared for some fascinating insights!
Marble storm paintings (for 0-5s)
You will need: a box or tray with sides to hold moving marbles, paper, paints, marbles
For younger children, it’s great to use an interactive craft with a playful edge, to help them reflect on elements of the story. Put a piece of paper in the bottom of the tray and squirt small blobs of paint on it. Add two or three marbles or a small ball to the tray and shake! The paint will mix and cover the paper in unpredictable ways. Shaking the tray and then holding it still will help the children to explore ideas about ‘storm’ and ‘calm’ in both the story and in their own lives.
Junk box response
You will need: a collection of collage materials and recycling rubbish such as cardboard tubes and boxes, coloured paper, lolly sticks, matchsticks, tissue paper, foil, pipe-cleaners, straws, paper plates, plastic cups
After telling the story, encourage children to make a collage or model that reflects their response to what they’ve heard - for example, their favourite event or a feeling about the story. As a prompt to help them get started it might be useful to ask questions such as, ‘what do you remember most?’, ‘which part did / didn’t you like?’, ‘how does the story make you feel?’, ‘what does the story make you think / feel about God?’ Allow about 15- 20 minutes for making so that the children can get really creative. Some children may need a little help, especially if this is the first time you’ve tried something this open-ended, but others will go off on a profound tangent you had never imagined! The important thing is to encourage the children in their exploration and to reassure them that any response they have is a valuable one. Leave time to share the pictures and models as it’s always amazing to see what the children have picked up on and where the story has taken them.
Bubble paintings
You will need: small bottles of bubble mix and bubble wands, liquid or gel food colouring (various colours), paper plates
This is a unique way of creating art and can be linked to the peace Jesus brings to the storm, as it requires calm waiting. Don’t be surprised if children bring their own insights! Mix a different colour of food colouring into each bottle of bubble mix, experimenting with colour levels. The colours I’ve made in the picture are quite delicate and muted but you can go much brighter. Give the children a paper plate and encourage them to blow bubbles so that they land on the plates. Watch and wait for the bubbles to burst by themselves before blowing more. Sometimes this can take a while so allow plenty of space for reflection! Again, leave time for children to share their responses at the end.
