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Tea-bag painting
This is a very sensory way of painting, involving a lot of touch and smell as well as sight! Put each type of tea bag in a different dish and pour on some hot water to make the tea start to infuse. Put some cold water in and leave them until the tea bags are at a good temperature to squeeze and hold by hand. It works better if most of the water has been squeezed out of the tea bags before you start to paint. Talk about the things that God has made in creation and the senses he has given to us. Remind children that tea comes from a plant and encourage them to smell the different tea bags and experiment with the different colours that the tea bags make on the paper. When they are happy, get them to use the tea bags (by dabbing on the paper) to paint pictures of things they would like to thank God for.
Treasure picture
This activity helps children explore God’s amazing creation as a source of beauty and a canvas to create on. It might also lead to discussion about ways in which we can take care of creation. Take the children outside to look for and collect ‘treasures’ from nature: for example stones, leaves, flowers, pine cones, sticks. Give the children time and space to explore the colours and patterns they find. Let the children use their treasures to create pictures, using the ground as a background for their piece. This is a great way to explore the textures and colours of creation! Encourage the children to take photos of their artwork so that they can come away with a record of what they’ve done. Then return the objects back to nature.
Play-dough modelling
You will need: a version of the creation story from Genesis chapter one, playdough, mats (optional)
After telling the story, speak to the children about their reactions, their questions and their favourite parts. Give each child some play-dough and let them respond to the story through modelling. This might take the form of representing one particular event, something that has struck them the most or even the whole story! Leave time for the children to share and discuss their responses. Some children might like a visual prompt to remind them of the story, so a story mat with space for modelling is available to print out (and laminate for repeated use) on the Link page.
Nature paintings (for 0-5s)
Lay out tubs of paint and the natural objects and give children free reign to explore ways of using them to create paintings – no paintbrushes allowed! It is amazing how inventive children can be with this activity and how much they enjoy using the different shapes and textures. It will get very messy, so be ready with table coverings and aprons! Use the time to discuss with the children the natural world that God has made, linking it to the creation story in Genesis chapter one. What are their favourite items to paint with? What do they most like the feel of? This craft could be a jumping off point for prayers thanking God for nature and the rest of creation.
