Searching for "creative play"

Kid Art: Painted Mason Jar Scented Oil Reed Diffuser DIY

Kid Art DIY Painted Mason Jar Scented Oil Reed Diffuser

If you’ve been following along on our journey through The Jesus Storybook Bible during Lent, welcome back. Today I’m sharing how the Bear painted a mason jar to create a reed diffuser diy to help us better understand the story of the sinful woman anointing Jesus, “Washed with Tears” (Mark 14/Luke 7/John 12). Read on to find out how to create your own scented oil reed diffuser with your kids. It was a fun interactive art project for the Bear, and now he gets to enjoy the essential oils diffusing in his room. Mason jar reed diffusers make a fabulous child made gift for mother’s day or grandparents.

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Pottery Barn Inspired Tulle Tutu Easter Basket DIY Tutorial {Fabulously Frugal}

DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Tulle Tutu Easter Basket

Last spring I fell in love with a gorgeous white Easter basket from Pottery Barn Kids that came with a pink tulle skirt around it. I was *this close* to paying way too much money for it, justifying the purchase with thoughts of the Pearl Girl’s first Easter holiday. Thankfully I came to my senses and decided to make one myself. It was so easy to put together and cost less than $10 to make. Read on to find out how to make your own tutu Easter basket DIY and be sure to link up your latest frugal post to our Fabulously Frugal Link Party.

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Teaching Kids to Give

Giving our money, time, and love to others is an outpouring of God’s love for us. Teaching our kids to have giving hearts is important to us, because it will enrich their lives and help them to be people of gratitude rather than entitlement. Teaching kids to give can be a challenge, but it is worth it. We talk about giving, model service in front of them, give them opportunities to serve with us and each other, and try to lead by example. This week I got the kids involved in a giving project for my very favorite non-profit outreach ministry (YoungLives – a Christian outreach to teen moms & their babies), and tied it in to a story from The Jesus Storybook Bible.

A Lesson on Giving with Easter Eggs

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DIY Resurrection Eggs for Toddlers and Preschool Kids

DIY Resurrection Eggs for Teaching Toddlers and Preschoolers about Easter - Made to Go with the Jesus Storybook BibleEaster is one of my favorite holidays, bringing a joyful celebration of faith to our family every year. Though the holiday itself is filled with joy, the season of Lent reminds us of the suffering of Christ and is difficult to teach to young children. While teaching about Christmas is easy, because babies are fun and easy to celebrate, the Cross and Easter are a bit of a challenge. I created a set of DIY Resurrection Eggs for toddlers and preschoolers and paired them with stories from The Jesus Storybook Bible to help us teach our kids about the real meaning of the holiday. We still celebrate with bunnies and chocolate and cute Easter outfits, but this activity is simple to create and really explains it in a way kids can understand. Be sure to check out our other fun ideas for Easter here.

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Jonah and the Whale Hide and Seek Game

Playing a Special Game of Hide and Seek to Bring the Story of Jonah and the Whale to Life for Kids

We’ve loved reading the Jesus Storybook Bible with our kids and creating interactive play ideas to bring the stories to life for them. Today we played a game of hide and seek to give them a new perspective on the story of Jonah and the Whale. You can read the activities we’ve done to go with the stories of Samuel and David, the Tower of Babel, and Moses and the Red Sea. Read the entire series with activities for all 40 stories in the Jesus Storybook Bible Interactive Play Series here.

Reading the Jesus Storybook BibleWe read the story “God’s Messenger: Jonah and the Big Fish” from the Jesus Storybook Bible together, and then played a game of hide and seek. The Bear would hide while Pearl Girl and I looked for him, then we swapped. After several rounds, I brought the game back to the story.

Here’s what I asked him: Did I find you every time? Yes. Did I ever stop looking for you? No. Why did I keep looking for you? Because I love you and never want to lose you. God feels the same way about you and He felt the same way about Jonah. When Jonah ran away, God even used a storm and a big whale to bring him back because God never wants anything to get between His children and Him.

It seemed to really make sense to him, and it was a super fun way to spend a morning.

A Jonah and the Whale Hide and Seek Game to Bring the Bible Story to Life

 

How do you bring the Bible to life for your kids?
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Bringing the Story of King David & Samuel to Life by Anointing and Blessing Your Kids

We did something really special and fun with our kids this weekend that we’d never done before but definitely will do again – we gave them a blessing and anointed them with oil. It was simple and sweet and our whole family loved it. I felt funny about it at first and thought it might be kind of weird, but it was really the most special thing. We are trying our best to teach our kids about Jesus and bring the bible to life for them using the Jesus Storybook Bible, and this was another way to accomplish that. We simply read the story of Samuel anointing David as God chooses him as Israel’s future king and then gave our kids a blessing. I’ll share with you how we did it so you can try it with your family. Be sure to check out the entire Jesus Storybook Bible Activity Series here at My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

Bringing the Story of Samuel and King David to Life by Blessing and Anointing your Kids

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Getting Rid of Cable without Losing TV Entertainment ~ Fabulously Frugal

Frugal Living Tips Getting Rid of Cable without Losing TV EntertainmentWe got rid of cable television over two years, and quite honestly we don’t miss it. We were paying over $100 a month for so many channels we could never watch. When we sat down and looked at our budget we knew something had to give so that I could quit my job and stay home with the kids. Cable was first on the chopping block. We found three easy ways to keep our tv entertainment while cutting cable, and I’m sharing them with you today as part of the Fabulously Frugal Link Party. Link up your latest frugal post below and hop around to visit the others to find so many great ideas.

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Kid Art: Painting with Plastic Wrap Two Ways

Kid Art Painting with Plastic Wrap Two Ways for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Art play is a great way to get your kids creating and expressing themselves. We love to try new painting techniques in our home preschool, and found two different way to paint with plastic wrap as part of a month long Painting Challenge. With this challenge, it is all about the process of kids creating art, not a Pinterest perfect finished product. We had so much fun and the kids really loved the reveal after peeling off the plastic wrap at the end. Read below to find out what we did, and visit the Painting Challenge page over at Messy Little Monster to find 34 other fun painting techniques to try with your kids.

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A Preschool Water Experiment to Teach about Moses and the Red Sea Using the Jesus Storybook Bible

God Makes a Way Moses and the Red Sea - A Preschool Water Experiment to Teach the Power of God through the Jesus Storybook BibleThis week we read the Jesus Storybook Bible version of Moses parting the Red Sea during our home preschool, and got the kids involved in a little water experiment to help bring the story to life. Our Moses and the Red Sea preschool activity is part of the Jesus Storybook Bible Activity Series. Kid Blogger Network writers are sharing a different interactive activity to go with each story and you can find them all here.

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Top Ten Leprechaun Approved Preschool Activities for St. Patrick’s Day

Ten Leprechaun Approved Preschool Activities for St. Patrick's DayWhile we don’t make a huge deal out of St. Patrick’s Day at our house, I still love incorporating the holiday in to our daily preschool fun with the kids. I’ve gathered ten of the best preschool activities for St. Patrick’s Day so you can celebrate the wearing o’ the green with your little ones in style. Be sure to check out the rest of the Top Ten Rainbow and St. Patrick’s Day Learning Themed Posts from the Kid Blogger Network at the bottom of this post.

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