Advent is a special time when we get ready for the big celebration of Jesus' birth. The season of Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas and lasts until Christmas Eve. Advent is a time to enjoy small, meaningful moments as we prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus.
Virtue: Hope
Saint: St. Nicholas
Bible Verse: “Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage.” Psalm 27:14
Daily Craft Leader Video - Day 1
Mini Advent Wreath
Theme Connection:
The Advent wreath is one of the most popular symbols and Christian traditions during the Advent season. (show an Advent wreath) The wreath is circular and made of evergreen branches to remind us of the never-ending love of God.
The wreath has four candles and sometimes a fifth candle (the Christ candle) in the middle. We light a candle each Sunday during Advent, starting four weeks before Christmas. Each candle reminds us of the light that Jesus brings into our lives and helps us focus on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love as we get ready for Jesus’ birth.
You’ll Need:
- Small plastic plate
- Clear plastic cups or plastic wine glass (4/child)
- Battery-operated candles (4/child)
- Purple, pink, and green tissue paper
- Clear tape or modge podge
- Advent Wreath Labels
- Glue dots or tape
- (Opt.) Evergreen branches (fresh or artificial)
Activity:
1. Tape (or modge podge) purple tissue paper on 3 cups and pink tissue paper on one cup. Tape the word Hope on the first candle, Peace on the second purple candle, Joy on the pink candle, and Love on the last purple candle.
2. Place a piece of tape or glue dots on the bottom of each plastic glass and assemble them in a circular shape on the plate.
3. Insert a little votive candle into each cup.
4. Take the green tissue paper (or evergreen branches) and tape them around the edge of the plate to form the wreath.
Church Year Fridge Magnets
Theme Connection:
Calendars are helpful as they provide a structured way to track the passage of time according to days, weeks, months. The church calendar works in a similar way with an annual cycle of Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, and Easter. Creating liturgical year fridge magnets will be a helpful and continuous reminder of the church’s liturgical rhythm throughout the year!
As you introduce each magnet, give a brief description:
Advent: Preparing for the birth of Baby Jesus (purple)
Christmas: Celebrating Jesus’ Birth (white or gold)
Ordinary Time: Growing in Faith (green)
Lent: Focusing on prayer, fasting and almsgiving (purple)
Easter: Rejoicing in Jesus’ Resurrection (white or gold)
Pentecost: Coming of the Holy Spirit (red)
You’ll need:
- Church Year Fridge Magnets (1/child)
- Liturgical Year Overview (1/child)
- Adhesive magnet strips or dots (12/child)
- Markers or colored pencils
- Stickers, colored tape, gems, small pompoms, etc.
- Clear bag
Prep:
• Print the PDFs on cardstock paper and cut them out
Activity:
1. Decorate each magnet using markers, stickers, etc in the proper liturgical color for the appropriate season in the church year. (For Advent, decorate with purple stars, purple gems, purple tape, etc.)
2. Attach adhesive magnet strips or dots to the back of the cardstock.
3. Put all six Church Year Magnets and one Liturgical Year Overview in a clear bag for each child.
The Great Journey Adventure Gear
Theme Connection:
Our life is a great journey with Jesus. Each day is a new opportunity to walk with Jesus, learn from Him, and share His love with others. He is the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6 We have hope knowing that Jesus leads us and walks with us every step of this great journey of faith!
1) Backpack
A backpack is helpful to take with you on a journey. In the time of Jesus, a backpack or satchel was important for travelers as it was used to hold basic necessities such as food, water, and personal items. These bags also helped protect items from dust, sand and dirt. You can decorate a backpack as a reminder of your journey of faith with Jesus. Wherever your journey takes you, always know that Jesus is right there with you, protecting and guiding you every step of the way!
You’ll Need:
- Plain canvas backpacks (1/child)
- Stencils (crosses, hearts, footprints, etc.)
- Fabric markers or fabric paint
- Cardboard (to insert inside the item to prevent bleeding)
Activity:
1. Insert a piece of cardboard inside the craft item to prevent the markers from bleeding through to the other side.
2. Use fabric markers or paint to write your name, encouraging messages or words like “The Great Journey with Jesus”, your favorite Bible verse, “Hope (the virtue of the day), etc. on your backpack or bucket hat . Use stencils to add shapes or symbols that represent your journey with Jesus and remind you of your faith. You can include crosses, chalice, hearts, or footprints.
2) Bucket Hat
In Jesus’ time, people often wore head coverings or pieces of cloth for protection from the sun, dust, or sweat, especially on long journeys. As you decorate a bucket hat for the Great Journey VBS, it can remind you of your journey of faith with Jesus.
You’ll need:
- White cotton bucket hats
- Fabric markers or fabric paint
- Foam stickers, gems, etc.
Activity:
1. Decorate your hat.
2. Wear it at VBS this week.
Jesse Tree Garland
Theme Connection:
Creating a string of garland for a Jesse Tree is a wonderful way to learn about the stories of the Bible leading up to the birth of Jesus during Advent. We can learn about the genealogical and scriptural roots of Jesus, by reflecting on the story of salvation history from creation to the cross. Each day of Advent is assigned a different character/symbol from Jesus’s family tree (the Jesse Tree). Jesse Trees have three main parts: A tree, symbolic ornaments, and passages of scripture readings to go along with them.
You’ll need:
- Jesse Tree Ornament Cards
- Parent Instructions/Lesson
- Wooden clothespins (24/child)
- Colored markers, tape, stickers, gems, pom poms, etc.
- Burlap string
- Resealable plastic bag
Prep:
- Print and cut the Jesse Tree Ornament Cards in color on cardstock paper.
Activity:
1. Decorate the wooden clothespins using markers, stickers, gems, etc.
2. Clip your ornaments to the string to create the Jesse Tree Garland.
St. Nicholas Hope Chest
Theme Connection:
During Advent, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Nicholas. He was known for his kindness, in helping those in need. One story that tells how St. Nicholas secretly provided money for three poor sisters by tossing gold coins through their window, which landed in their stockings. This act of kindness led to the tradition of placing coins in shoes (or stockings) during the Advent season.
Let’s follow his example by sharing our treasures and spreading hope by making a St. Nicholas Hope Chest (or smaller Hope Bags). Throughout the VBS week, we’re going to work together to fill it with nonperishable food items from home to donate to a local food bank, homeless shelter. Remember, a little generosity can make a big difference! St. Nicholas, pray for us!
(Opt.) Share a personal story how you were blessed by someone’s generosity! If the group is large, consider forming smaller groups to work on a few Hope Chests
You’ll need:
- Large cardboard boxes (1/group) or brown paper grocery bag (1/child).
- St. Nicholas Hope Chest Poster
- St. Nicholas Hope Chest parent note
- Colorful wrapping paper, stickers, ribbons, etc.
- Markers, glue sticks, tape, scissors
Instructions:
1. Decorate the Hope Chest with wrapping paper, stickers, etc.
2. Keep the box by your group banner in the main assembly. Remind kids to bring non-perishable food items from home.
Suggested non-perishable food items: canned goods, pasta, rice, cereal boxes, granola bars, etc.
3. As they decorate the chests, encourage kids to think about the people who will receive the food.
Ask questions like:
• How do you think this food will help someone?
• Why is it important to share?
4. Gather everyone in a circle and close with a simple prayer asking for blessings on the food they are donating and for the people who will receive it.
