To download as a PDF, click here.
PROTECTION BUBBLES
You will need: bubble wrap with giant bubbles; fabric; felt; tissue paper; ribbon; wool; scissors or a craft knife
Even though the fire is incredibly fierce and burns up the soldiers who throw them in, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are protected from the flames by God. This is a great way to create artwork with something we usually use as a protective material! Unroll and spread out the bubble wrap so that a whole group of children can gather around it. Before you start, get an adult to cut a slit in the middle of each of the giant bubbles in the bubble wrap using scissors or a craft knife. This can be a bit fiddly, but it is worth it! Make sure that you only cut the back of each bubble, creating a pocket for the fabric to sit in. Ask the children to fill each bubble with fabric, wool or tissue paper, using the slit as an entrance point. As the bubbles fill, it will create a unique and colourful piece of artwork! As the children are creating, talk about God’s protection in the story and about those we know who help to protect us.
AMAZING GOD SENSORY PAINTING
You will need: a packet of cornflour; water; food colouring; forks
This is a very sensory process art activity that will bring with it some awe and wonder moments. The awe and wonder is a way in to helping the children think about the miracle that God did in the story and about how amazing he is. The colour mixing will add to the wonder of the activity!
Mix water into the cornflour gradually until it reaches a consistency where it’s a mixture of liquid and solid depending on how quickly you touch it. If you touch it slowly, your fingers sink in like water, but if you hit it, it responds like a solid (it’s a non-Newtonian fluid). The ratio is roughly 1:1.5 to 1:2 parts water to cornflour. (You will get the feel of it when you experiment.) When your cornflour is ready, dot the surface with drops of different coloured food colouring. Encourage children to play with the mixture with their hands and with forks. The colours will mix and they will love exploring the textures!
FOUR IN THE FURNACE PICTURES
You will need: yellow and red paint; paper plates; masking tape; cling film (optional)
The king and his advisors see a fourth figure in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and believe that he is like the son of the gods. This craft helps to emphasise the protection of the four figures and has the added bonus of creating some messy flames!
Cut four small pieces of masking tape and stick them on different parts of the paper plate. Put a few dots of yellow paint and red paint onto the plate and then use fingers to spread and mix the paint over the plate so that it completely covers the surface, including the masking tape pieces. If you want a slightly less messy activity but still one with a sensory feel, cover the plate and paint with a sheet of cling film. With fingers on top of the cling film, mix paint and cover the plate. When the paint is dry, remove the masking tape to reveal 4 blank spaces that have been protected from the paint.
STRONG WALLS
You will need: items for wall building eg wooden blocks; Duplo; paper cups; cardboard; pegs; stones; sticky tape
In the story of the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stand strong in their belief that they should not worship other gods. This craft explores the idea of strength.
Present children with a collection of wall-building materials and ask them to build the strongest wall they can. As they build, talk about what it means to be strong and how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego looked to God for strength in the story.
