Recycled Triangle Beads: Wooden Candy Corn Pins

Recycled Triangle Beads:  Wooden Candy Corn Pins

Last summer I found these really dated wooden bead belts at a local craft/home decor store for a grand total of twenty five cents each so even though I’d never dream of wearing one (and I am NO fashionista!) I bought several just for the beads.

The round spacer beads I had an instant use for but I held on to the triangular ones for a while because the holes just don’t run the right way to use them as beads.

I really wanted some candy corn look-a-likes for a fall craft idea (more on this later) and after many attempts using paper, foam and felt that just weren’t what I wanted I thought of using the triangular beads from the belts. Even though I eventually decided NOT to use them on my fall door hanging I did use them as Trinity Candy Corn Pins.

I teach the children at the church I attend on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings so I have plenty of crafting opportunities and I really like to do crafts that will be kept and used.  Even though I do a lot of “paper and glue” type crafts I am always on the lookout EVERYWHERE I go and with everything I use for FREE AND CHEAP CRAFTING MATERIAL.  And this was just a perfect project for the kids – cheap, quick & easy and hopefully one that will be worn for years!

We put these on a card with a poem to make a great gift (and testimony) for a parent or grandparent.  I am sharing a poem I’ve had practically forever with you.  I have no clue as to the origins of the poem and I have rewritten it several times myself.  If it sounds familiar to anyone I’d love to know the author.  HappyBird’s Crafting Haven also has a slightly different poem (on a really cute bag header), Christian Candy Corn Poem, that is “not copyrighted so others can use and enjoy freely”.

Of course if you have been reading this blog for a while you KNOW I just can’t do a craft without a lesson to go along with it.  Following is the lesson I used to TRY to explain this to for and five year olds.  This is a very simplistic explanation of the Trinity and all the errors are mine, all the things I have right are from God!

TRINITY LESSON FOR CHILDREN

• “Tonight we are going to discuss one last “icon of fall”.  So far this month we have talked about what we can learn from some of the common things we see in the fall like that just like fall leaves we are all FALLEN and fall short of the glory of God,  how scarecrows can remind us we need not be SCARED for He is with us, that some of the FRUITS we should strive to have are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control, and that we need to let our light SHINE OUT for Jesus just like pumpkins made into jack o’ lanterns.”
• Start off the discussion by asking a question, “What is your favorite trick-or-treat candy?”  Let the kids name a few types of candy and then direct their attention to CANDY CORN.  “So how is the trinity (the three persons of God) like this piece of candy corn?” Direct the children to see that there are THREE different colors in a SINGLE piece of candy.  “Each of the three colors are different but the all make of the piece of candy corn.  Without any of the colors it’s just not candy corn.”
• “We talked earlier in this lesson series about the three persons of God and tonight we are going to explore it a little more.  Does anybody remember back to March (around St. Patrick’s Day) when we used ice, water and water vapor to help us understand that there is ONE GOD in THREE PERSONS?”
• Read the poem and the Bible verse and discuss how each of the persons of God is different but how they are all the same.  Explain that the candy is really not exactly like God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – that it is really a very simple object used to try to explain a very complex being and that we can never really fully understand God because we a human and He is divine but that the simple piece of candy (give the kids each a piece) can HELP us to start to understand Him.  Remind them that this is something we will all spend the rest of our lives trying to understand and that we will only understand it completely when we are in the presence of God.

CANDY CORN TRINITY POEM

YELLOW is for LIGHT that Jesus is.  We find this in John 9:5, NIV; Jesus said: “‘While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.'”

ORANGE is for the SON OF GOD that Jesus is.   We find this in Matthew 3:16, 17; “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

WHITE is for HIS WORDS which are so sweet.  We find this in Psalm 119:103; “The sweet taste reminds us of the sweetness of God’s Words!”

Thank you for reading (and I hope enjoying) this tutorial.  If you have any questions or something is not clear, please let me know so that I can improve the tutorial.   

Please take a moment to leave a comment or rate this post. I’d LOVE to hear from you!

Thanks again. 

buggalcrafts a.k.a. melba

This are the reclaimed beads from the belt.

Lighlty sand the triangular beads.

Cut a thin strip of yellow scrapbook paper or cardstock and Mod Podge it to the bead.

Mod Podge thin strips of orange and white scrapbook paper or cardstock to the bead. Allow to dry.

Turn the bead over and trim the stips. I considered wrapping the strips around the edges but in practice they turn out caterwompus. If you would like the edges covered, use the same method as the front to cover them.

Apply a layer of Mod Podge to the front and allow to dry.

Club VBS 2012 – SpaceQuest

Club VBS 2012: SpaceQuest

One of the themes for Vacation Bible School this year is Club VBS: SpaceQuest, an out-of-this-world experience!  It was the theme we used at my church and it was such a BLAST!!!
VBS got here so much quicker than I EVER expected it too – and I was totally NOT READY for it! But fortunately I am not the one in charge – God is!!! He so blessed me for the week and took care of each night – lesson, craft, games, helpers, and all.   And the kids, the helpers, and even me all had a wonderful time!

Here are my versions of the outer space decorating, activity and craft ideas I found on-line.

These would make great rainy day activities or add up to a super-fantastical outer space birthday party!

Moon Shot

My “rocket ship” is a little different than the one I modeled it from.  The only box I had available was not quite tall enough so I had to cut the top part-way off it off, flip it up and reinforce that part with a broken hula-hoop.  Never throw ANYTHING away!  I also added the SpaceQuest logo from the clip-art on LifeWay’s VBS site and put a starry night backdrop behind it. It didn’t turn out looking too terribly bad – from the front that is!!!

Plastic Cup Rocket Launcher

This is so super easy, and SO fun to do!  The kids really loved these.  It’s also very inexpensive and would make a great party game.

Instead of having the kids I taught (age 3) draw a rocket on their own I found calendar “die cuts” of rocket/space shuttles at the local teacher supply store (also a great place to find cheap room or party decorations).  I also found some later at the Dollar Tree for, well, a dollar!  The kids added accents to the space ships with crayons.  They can also add their own “logo” to the ship either with a sticker or crayons.  The “rockets” really look like they are blasting off when you launch them.

If you are going to have the children draw their own rockets use white cardstock.  The “rocket” will stand up better than plain paper with heavy use.

Instead of using a slit in the directions I used the “hole-punch” method described in the comments and found this works GREAT!

I also found astronaut calendar cut-outs which could be taking a “moon walk” instead of blasting off.

Comet Toss

I really love this craft as it is so easy to do and you can go so many ways – our solar system, random planets, moon-scape scene, etc. – AND you can use whatever materials you have on-hand to decorate it!

Luckily I found a big piece of black felt in the Children’s Church Supply Closet and I had some fabric scraps from a DIY “solar system fabric book” that came in a BIG bag of fabric remnants I bought at an estate sale so this was essentially free.

I cut the planets out and glued them to a felt backing with fabric glue for re-enforcement and then glued them to the felt.  Be aware that the balls will not stick to the fabric planets.   As I did not have all the fabric planets and wasn’t too concerned about being accurate I just glued them down randomly.

I also added felt planets and stars cut from felt scraps and to add some “sparkly” added several foam outer space glitter stickers.

I left off the “orbit lines” of the planets for scoring as the kids I taught are 3 years old and I really didn’t want to make it a game where you scored points.

I push-pinned the game to the edge of a bulletin board and let it hang down.  For “asteroids” I used Ping-Pong balls with self-adhesive backed Velcro pieces attached to them.  You really, really need to use adhesive backed Velcro as you just CAN’T easily glue Velcro to plastic balls.

This would also make a great “Pin the Astronaut on the Moon” game.  Glue a large felt moon to black felt and then add a Velcro strip to the back of foam astronaut sticker.   Add craters to the moon with darker grey felt circles.  Further decorate the background with fabric paint and/or felt stars, planets, comets, etc. and of course a U.S. Flag!

It could also be cute to make a super cute Outer Space Scene “rearrange-able puzzle”.  All you need is an 11”x7” inch piece of black felt and felt star, moon, comet, planet, astronaut and space ship “stickers” for the kids to rearrange.  If you are particularly handy you can make a pocket for the “stickers” to reside in. Glue a piece of ribbon on the back of one side of the felt so the space scene can easily be rolled up and secured for transport.

Solar System Canopy

I modeled this after an Oriental Trading Company product I REALLY, REALLY wanted but just couldn’t afford.  I had given up on this idea but a couple of days before VBS I found a bed canopy on sale for less than $10 at Justice.  I had purchased a small glow-in-the-dark solar system model from the Dollar Tree eons ago in the event that one of my kids would need to do a Solar System project in school.  I also found some glow-in-the-dark planets and stars like you would “glue” to the ceiling at you guessed it – the Dollar Tree!

First I pinned them on with safety pins but that just looked “tacky” and there was the (however remotely possibility) safety issue if one of the pins snapped open and stuck one of the kids so I tried sewing them on with a needle and thread but that was taking FOREVER!  So after giving up and moving on to suspending the planets from the top of the canopy some brainstorming I “sewed” them on with FISHING LINE!!!  It worked perfectly and you don’t even need a needle!  Someone I had put glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling for a previous VBS probably around 25 years ago.  Can you believe they were still there? So after hanging the canopy from a hook in the ceiling I was all set for a starry night.

WOW, did the kids love this!  They had the best time sitting inside the canopy and counting down to blast off to see the stars – – – and listen to the Bible story.  Just in case I had one child scared of the dark I got some of the battery operated push on lights shaped like stars and moons from my favorite store.  They MAY have liked those more than the stars on the ceiling!

Collecting Moon Rocks

This was another one of the games we played that the kids LOVED.  They had a blast looking for the “hidden” moon rocks.  I used plastic whiffle balls but as my son pointed out moon rocks “aren’t white and don’t have holes in them – that’s pumice!”  He is a little bit of a smart aleck takes after his mom!  Wadded up balls of aluminum foil would work equally as well.  Provide some astronaut gloves (i.e.; adult gardening gloves or leather work gloves) and a “specimen bag” (any type of bags you can find).  Be sure to have the kids do the “moon walk” (i.e.; take big and bouncy steps)!

Decorating on a Shoestring

For some cheap decorations I stopped a local teacher supply store and picked up some solar system posters for a dollar each.  I also found some great bulletin board posters, cut-outs & borders at the Dollar Tree.  I set up the room in stations: Moon Room (Reading), Bible Dress-Up, Mission Central, etc.

For cheap Bible dress-up clothing I asked church members for old t-shirts and scarfs.  Cut the tees down the front, turn them inside out and then tie them with a fabric belt, scarf, sash, or tie.  I also made some belts by braiding some torn t-shirt strips.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by.  I hope you found an outer space idea or two that suits you.  I’d love to see your space craft projects – either your version of these or a totally new one to me.  Send your photos to me at buggal1989@yahoo.com

Happy Crafting!

buggalcrafts a.k.a. melba

Preschool Sunday School Project: Miriam Watching Over Baby Moses

Preschool Sunday School Project: Miriam Watching Over Baby Moses

I looked at a lot of “Baby Moses” art projects preparing for a lesson this Sunday.  I particularly liked this one because it shows Miriam watching over baby Moses and THAT, not Moses as a baby, was the focus of the lesson!  I found this project on DLTK’s Bible Activities (and if you have never visited the site do so today, is totally FANTASTIC!).

You will note some differences in my project and the instructions because, as you already know, I JUST CAN’T follow directions to the letter!

Please visit the link above for instructions and a template for the figures.  The changes to the project I made are detailed below.

1. First I used a paper plate colored blue instead of paper as a base. This provides a more stable base. However a paper base allows the project to be folded for storage. So both ways are great!
2. Second, I cut around the figure of the baby and pasted it on a brown construction paper oval so Moses is in a basket. I also colored the center of the coffee filter blue and then colored the inside AND the outside of the coffee filter with three different colors of green with brown accents (Hey! “My” kids also had some Kentucky blue grass growing in their bulrushes!).
3. Next I also cut around Miriam and to make some bulrushes for Miriam to hide in I cut rectangles from two colors of green construction paper. Fold a one inch tab in the green papers before cutting fringe to be the individual rushes so there is a base to glue to the plate.  Then, idea courtesy of one of my kids, I glued her between the two layers so Miriam is hiding IN the bulrushes!
4. And lastly (and a last minute idea!), I added some glitter glue to the water for a little sparkle, because what preschool kid doesn’t like a little glitter?

Thanks for taking a look.  Please drop me a line and let me know what you think about this preschool Bible craft!

buggalcrafts a.k.a. melba