Splatter stars
You will need: paint; water; straws; black paper
This craft helps children to connect with God telling Abraham that he will have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. Pour paint into pots and water it down slightly so that it is easy to drip it onto paper. Dip a straw into one of the pots and then drip paint from the end of the straw onto the black paper. Take another straw and blow the paint from the centre of the drop outwards until it makes an abstract star shape. Repeat with other colours of paint and make lots of stars! Encourage children to use colours to represent different people in their family and use the time to open up a conversation about families and what it means to be in God’s family.
Solid promises
You will need: 250ml milk; three tablespoons of vinegar; a sieve; a spoon; a bowl; kitchen roll; access to a kitchen
This is a simple but fun craft with a real ‘awe’ factor when the children see the curds and whey separating. The fact that something solid is made from the liquid helps children to reflect on the fact that God’s promises to Abraham are solid and firm and that Abraham can trust God to do as he says. Heat up the milk until it is hot but not boiling and pour it into a bowl. Add the vinegar to the hot milk and start stirring. Very quickly, the milk will separate into solids (curds) and liquid (whey). Use the sieve to separate the curds fully from the liquid. This is, in itself, a fascinating thing to do! Next, squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the curds with your hands and use the kitchen roll to absorb even more. When you have removed as much moisture as you can, flatten the curds out with your hands and use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of it. Using stars would fit with Abraham’s story, but let children choose what they feel is appropriate to their own personality. Encourage children to reflect on what promises are and what it means to trust God. Make sure you risk assess this activity!
Bubble wrap shoe painting
You will need: a roll of paper (lining paper is ideal); paint; bubble wrap; sticky tape
This craft helps children to explore the theme of Abraham’s journey and the fact that God is with him, protecting him and providing for him, just as the ‘shoes’ are protecting the feet of the children as they journey across the paper. Roll out a length of paper across the floor, long enough for several children at once to be walking across it. Dot blobs of paint along the paper. Make ‘shoes’ by wrapping bubble wrap around children’s feet and taping it securely into place. Make sure that the ‘bubble’ part of the wrap is on the outside of the shoe or you won’t get the textured effect when painting. When the children are equipped with ‘shoes’, ask them to walk across the paper, through the paint and wait for a painting masterpiece to emerge! Speak to children about journeys they have been on and who looked after them on their travels.
Tent making
You will need: chairs; tables; sheets; blankets; cushions
This is a very simple craft that will, hopefully, help the children to reflect on Abraham’s journey and the need to improvise a ‘home’ while on the move. It’s definitely a craft to do in small groups and will need some cooperation. Ask children to improvise tents by draping sheets and blankets over chairs and / or tables. Make them as comfortable as possible by adding cushions to sit on and any other kind of decoration the children feel is appropriate. Sit in the tents and talk about what it must be like to travel away from home. Ask children to reflect on what Abraham might have been thinking and feeling as he journeyed to an unknown place.
