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The saying “Mad as a March Hare” may well resonate with those of us in Children and Families Ministry this year as so many big things fall into March this year. To help us with some ideas and planning, check out the Spring Newsletter by clicking the image above.

Click on the image to download, or you can read the online magazine version here: https://bit.ly/3DUj5xu 

Catch up with our Spring Newsletter with ideas for Mother’s day, St Patrick’s day and Easter. Download it here. 

They explore the wonder of God’s Creation and are suitable for all ages.

You can access the complete resource here:

Great Big Muddy World Pack (Complete Resource)

QR Codes connecting the trails to the wondering and activity sheets can be found here:

Great Big Muddy World QR Codes

Superhero Valentine Craft

Because Valentine’s crafts can so often exclude boys, we have focused on boy friendly craft ideas.  This one can be found at Zakka Life: http://zakkalife.com/?s=superhero&submit=Search.  It’s simple, it looks great, you can pritstick the superhero mask (templates available on the website!) or just use a heavy black marker.  Now for the Biblical principle:  this craft would be great if you were looking at superheroes from the Bible (people who were ‘super’ or ‘heroes’ because they listened to God and followed him), then whoever you give the lolly to is reminded that they are super when they put God first.  Another idea would be ‘I won’t mask my love for God’ or ‘Jesus is cooler than the coolest superhero’, which could start with a discussion on which superhero you would like to be and why and lead on to looking at how Jesus is more than a superhero; He is God and He is Love.  The power of Love is more powerful than even the most amazing superhero powers.

Bird Valentine Craft:

Matthew 6:26: Look at the birds. Your father in heaven cares for them.  And you are worth far more than the birds’.

We found this craft pinned by a crafter here: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/his-eye-is-on-the-sparrow/ and www.beautifullybellafaith.com.  It’s a Love Flamingo!  It can be used to explore our worth and value to God.  The children can make it and write on it, ‘You are Loved’ on the front, followed by the Bible verse from Matthew about God’s care of us and then give it to someone in the congregation that they think needs to hear that message today.

Friendship Bracelet Craft.

This is a great idea for those working in classroom settings.  We linked it back to Dollar Store Crafts.  It’s important because it means everyone is included.  Ask everyone to pick a classmate’s name out of a hat.  Then each child can make a bracelet for that person with the sentence ‘Our Class would ‘knot’ be the same without you [insert child’s name here] From, [insert other child’s name here].  If it is not age appropriate to make the bracelets, it might be better to buy some pre-made.

To go more in depth, ask the children to think of one word of encouragement about the person they are giving their bracelet to and to write it on the back of the card.  We are called by God to love one another, to encourage one another, to build each other up with our words.  It would be a good time to talk about words and their power to make people feel loved and special and their equal power to make people feel unwanted and alone.  As a symbol of unity and of our efforts to love, you could knot the bracelets together and hang them in the classroom as a reminder that we are all connected, everyone is welcomed and has something special to offer, and we build beautiful things when we use kind words.

Jigsaw Valentine Craft: