Christmas Art: Toilet Paper Roll Nativity Figures

This great idea comes from my dear friend, Asmic, who lives in Moscow. Asmic and I met around 15 years ago in Uzbekistan of all places. Sometimes when you meet someone, you just know you'll always be friends. And even though I'm terrible at keeping up long-distance relationships, our friendship has become even closer over the years. 

Asmic is a stay-at-home Mom to three children who is committed to providing her children with creative, educational play experiences. She has also begun to teach Godly Play in her homeland. She thought up this art project for a workshop on Christmas at a local school in which she shared the Godly Play Advent story.

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Asmic and her three boys.

Here is the tutorial that she's written for us:

Materials:
Toilet paper roll
Colored/scrap booking/ wrapping paper - stripes work best
Light brown, brown paper for faces, black, white, brown, grey - for hair and beards
Silver/gold paper
Crepe paper
Twist for headwear
String for hanging the ornament
Sequins for embellishment (optional)
Stapler
Felt pen
Scissors
Glue

Step 1. Measure out the colored or wrapping paper 16 x 9.5cm.  Cut and glue to the paper roll.

Step 2. Cut out and glue a circle for the face.

Step 3. Cut out the hair or a beard using a template. Ruffle the hair a bit. Glue the hair or beard to the roll.

Step 4. Cut the "headwear" out of crepe paper. Glue the upper edge to the top of the paper roll. Stretch out the lower edge to make it fluffier. 

Step 5. Put a twist/lace around the headwear and tie on the side.

If you want to hang the figure, staple a string on each end on the sides of the roll and tie the ends BEFORE you make the headwear band.

Step 6. Draw a face for your character. Also, cut a staff out of cardboard and staple on the side of the shepherd.

The process is the same for making a Wise Man.

The kids can make crowns of their own design. At our workshop the kids even didn't need a template.

Here are the templates we used. 

Here is a template for an angel:

Asmic's son "worked" on this template before she noticed, and then her husband scanned it with their son's additions. : ) 

Here are some pictures of the children's work:

Thanks, Asmic, for sharing such inspiring work with us!!

Linked to Eco-Kids Tuesday at Like Mama-Like Daughter and Organic Aspirations

and

Exploring Christmastide!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day and that you are now enjoying the Christmas Season. Though the stores may tell us that it's all over and done for, now is the time to enjoy the real Gift of Christmas. (For some lovely thoughts on this subject, I highly recommend Creighton University's  Celebrating the Christmas Season.) 

Since Advent can be packed with parties and other obligations, I have started leaving some of the fun activities like baking cookies until after Christmas Day. It's much more fun when we have some free time and Mom is not stressed. : ) 

Today, my kids and I baked some delicious Pepparkakor, Swedish spice cookies, together. We always use this recipe from Anne, a Swede who blogs about food - it's amazing!

You can see one of the Wise Men here and a camel.
Our Baby Jesus cookie cutter is missing,
so the kids sculpted one using a star as the manger (in the middle).
I'm secretly glad that we couldn't find that cookie cutter!

If you are have ideas for Christmastide, please share them with us - old or new posts! I have decided to keep this link up until Ephiphany.

If you participate, please link back to Explore and Express. Feel free to grab the button below or in the side bar. 

By participating in the link party, you give me permission to share your photos in weekly highlights.

Please do not link giveaways or advertisements for commercial items. Thanks!

Advent Club 2012 - Week 5

Und jetzt habe ich endlich geschafft über den Schluss von der AdventsAG zu schreiben! (Besser spät als nie!) In der Woche vor Weihnachten haben die Kinder ein Programm im Seniorenheim gestaltet. Bevor wir aus der Kirche losgingen, fragte ich sie, ob sie noch erinnerten, warum wir dies tun. Einer antworteten, "Wir möchten den Senioren und unserer Stadt etwas Schönes schenken," und eine andere sagte, "Wir möchten die Freude von Weihnachten weitergeben." Wie schön zu wissen, dass mitten in Adventsaufregung wussten die Kinder immer noch im Herzen den Sinn der Sache! I'm finally getting around to telling you about the grand finale of Advent Club this year. Our last week rounded up with a visit to a Senior Citizen's home near our school. (Readers might recall that we visited the same center at Easter this year.) Before we left the church, I asked the children again if they remembered why we were going and why we had put all of this work into a program for the Seniors. The kids answered things like, "We want to give the Seniors and our city a gift" and "We want to share the joy of Christmas with them".

Das schönste in der Vorbereitung dafür war, dass fast all die Ideen und Aufregungen von den Kindern selbst kamen. Wir haben nur ein paar Vorschläge gegeben, meistens darüber wie sie die Weihnachtserzählung strukturienen konnten.  
The most wonderful thing about this process for me was that almost all of the ideas for the program came from the children themselves. I only gave a couple of suggestions here and there, mainly about how to structure the telling of the Christmas story. 

Zuerst spielte eine 5.Klässlerin "Leise rieselt der Schnee" mit der Geige und wurde von dem Gemeinde-Kantor mit dem Akkordeon begleitet. Here a fifth grader plays "Leise rieselt der Schnee" ("Gently falls the Snow"), a German Christmas carol, on the violin and is accompanied by the church's cantor on the accordion. 

Fünf von den Kindern trugen eine Gedicht, "Zum 4.Advent", vor. 

Two second graders, a third grader and two fourth graders 

recited a lovely poem entitled "Zum 4.Advent" ("Fourth Advent").

Wir dürften noch die Gedicht, "Die Zwei Wurzeln" von Christian Morgenstern, geniessen, die von einer 4.Klässler vorgetragen wurde. Here another fourth grader recites "Die Zwei Wurzeln" ("The Two Roots"), a winter poem by the beloved German poet, Christian Morgenstern.

Danach spielten zwei Jungs "Jingle Bells" auf der Ukelele und dem Trommel.

We were also treated to "Jingle Bells" on the drum and ukelele by these two boys. 

Einige von den älteren Kindern erzählten die Weihnachtsgeschichte mit den Salzteig-Krippe, die wir zusammen gebastelt haben. Then, several children told the Christmas story with the help of the salt dough figures that we made and the boards from the Godly Play Advent story.

Die Figuren aus Salzteig sind total süß, oder? Die Krippe wird beim Seniorenheim bis Dreikönigstag aufgestellt. Aren't the salt dough nativity figures lovely? They will be on display at the Senior Center through Christmas. 

Zum Schluss sangen wir "In der Weihnachtsbäckerei", "Ihr Kinderlein kommet" und "Macht Hoch die Tür" gemeinsam mit den Senioren. We also sang several well-known carols together with the Seniors: "In der Weihnachtsbäckerei", "Ihr Kinderlein kommet" and "Macht Hoch die Tür".

Ich war megastolz auf die Kinder, weil sie sich so bemüht haben das Programm vorzubereiten. Das war eine große Leistung für Grundschulkinder, die vor den Feiertagen meistens schon total durch sind! I was very proud of the children, because they worked so hard to put this program together and did it with so much joy. No small feat for elementary school children in the last week of school before the holidays who are tired and worn out!

Ich glaube, die Senioren haben's auch genossen. Einige kannten wir schon von der OsterAG und sie strahlten als wir sie begrüßten. Der einzige Nachteil war, dass es dismal nicht so persönlich war als zu Ostern. Wir waren Teil eines größeren Programms und der nächste Sänger war gleich nach uns auf der Bühne. Leider konnten wir nur ein paar Senioren die Hände geben und dann müssten wir gehen. Im Nachhinein bin ich der Meinung, so ein Projekt passt besser zu einer anderen Jahreszeit, wann es weenier Druck auf den Seniorenheim gibt große Unterhaltung zu besorgen. The seniors also seemed to enjoy our time together and beamed with delight at seeing the children. We saw several of the same ladies and gentlemen who were with us at Easter. The only thing I would have wished to be different was that we did not have as much personal time with the Seniors on this visit. We were a part of a bigger program and right after us another singer was already performing on the stage. We only had time to shake hands with a few people. If I had it to do over again, I would not probably not try to visit at Christmas, but do it at another time of year when there is less pressure on the Senior Centers to provide entertainment. 

Melinda und ich bedanken uns bei den Eltern, die uns mit ihren Kindern vertraut haben, und bei den Kollegen in der Kirche, die uns und den Kindern unterstützt haben. Es war eine wunderschöne Erfahrung!  Many thanks to the parents who allowed Melinda, my co-teacher, and I to invest in their children and to the colleagues at the local church who graciously worked alongside us!

For more Advent Club fun see:

Week 1

Week 2

Weeks 3 + 4

Merry Christmas!

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year."

 - Charles Dickens (via Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol)

Have a very Merry Christmas and may you keep the light of Christ with 
you wherever you go the whole year round!

Exploring Advent and Christmas continues!

I have so enjoyed all of the great ideas that have been posted on this link-up party! It's been like opening up a present each time someone has entered a post. Here are some of the things that have caught my eye since returning from Holland.

April from April's Homemaking shared this beautiful Star of Bethlehem ornament that she made out of discs cut from last year's Christmas tree! It is definitely on my list for next year's Advent Club crafts.

Hillary from Featherglen shared her St. Nicholas story that she told at the Advent Club she organized for the children in her life. She also has lots of other ideas in the post about how to bring St. Nicholas to life!

Hanna at Like Mama - Like Daughter has a treasure chest of Christmas ideas at her blog. I especially liked this thumbprint Christmas tree for the younger ones. Such tactile fun - in fact, I think I might like to try it myself!

Kat from Mom on the go in Holy Toledo also has a ton of great St. Nicholas ideas. My favorite was this cut and paste puzzle for preschoolers.

Mama from You know what Mama . . . has been telling different Bible stories for each day of Advent. Below is a beautiful watercolor placemat that she used for the Creation Story.

Lacy from Catholic Icing posted this amazingly simple and delicious Baby Jesus cookie idea. I already showed it to my son and we are planning on doing it at our Christmas Eve Brunch!

And last, but not least, Storyteller from Wonderful in an Easter Kind of Way shared about how she picked out some very meaningful gifts, like the Advent Magnet Set below,  for her godchildren.

(Linked up to Friday's Nature Table at The Magic Onions)

Please keep sharing your ideas for Advent and Christmas with us! 

I'll be posting each week until New Year's. We all love to have a pool of ideas to gather from, so please share old or new posts. 

If you participate, please link back to Explore and Express. Feel free to grab the button below or in the side bar. 

By participating in the link party, you give me permission to share your photos in weekly highlights.

Please do not link giveaways or advertisements for commercial items. Thanks!

Advent Club Week 3 / Week 4

Unsere 3-te Woche der AdventsAG fing ein bisschen chaotisch an! Durch ein Misverständnis würden unsere normalen Räumlichkeiten doppel-gebucht und wir müssten schnell einen anderen Ort finden. Wir zogen dann in die aus 2 Zimmern bestehenden Sachristei der Kirche, aber nach dem Aufbau merken wir, dass das 2-te Zimmer auch für eine Probe gebraucht war. Gut, dass wir so flexibel sind! Alles hat trotzdem gut geklappt, aber die Kinder waren natürlich durch den Raumwechsel ein bisschen aufgeregt und abgelenkt. This third week of Advent Club was a little crazy! We arrived at our usual place to set up only to find that it had been double-booked for another Christmas gathering. We moved to the sachristy of the church, a nice two-room suite, only to find that a rehearsal was set to take place in one of the rooms. Good thing we're flexible! Because we were in a totally different place, the kids were overly excited and had a bit more difficulty concentrating. 

Die Geschichte diese Woche war "Das Geheimnis von Weihnachten", auch von Godly Play.  Mittels Gemälden von Giotto, die heute in der Scrovegni Kapelle hängen, hörten die Kinder Teile der Weihnachtsgeschichte, die oft übersprungen werden. Ich erzählte den Kindern, diese Geschichte ist sowie ein Gleichnis, aber nöch größer. Es ist ein Geheimnis - das größte Geheimnis sogar -  wie Gott ein Mensch wurde und zu uns in einem Baby kam. The Godly Play story we heard this week is called "The Mystery of Christmas" and uses paintings by Giotto from the Scrovegni Chapel to tell some parts of the Christmas story that sometimes get overlooked. I tell the children that this story is like a parable, but even bigger. It's a mystery - the greatest mystery of all - how God became a man, how God came to us as a baby. 

Ich habe die Gemälde in Goldpapier eingepackt, damit die Kinder die Geschichte mit den in goldenen Kisten gesteckten Gleichnissen verbinden. Die Geschichte ist ein Geschenk von Gott und ist kostbar.  I wrapped the story materials in gold paper, so that the children make the connection that, like the Parables, this story is a gift and is precious.

Ein Blick auf das Material: 
Below is a closer look at the materials:

Im Uhrzeigersinn von oben:
The pictures represent from the top middle counterclockwise:

1. Die Verkündigung des Engels an Maria / The Annunciation
2. Marias Besuch bei Elisabeth und die Geburt von Johannes dem Täufer / Mary's visit to Elisabeth and the birth of John the Baptist
3. Die Geburt Christi / Jesus' Birth
4. Die Darstellung im Tempel / Simeon and Anna recognize Jesus as the Messiah in the temple.
5. Die Drei Könige / The Three Kings
6. Kindermord in Bethlehem / The Slaughter of the Innocents
7. Die Flucht nach Ägypten / The Flight to Egypt where Jesus is brought to safety.

Danach sangen wir Weihnachtslieder und übten fürs Programm im Seniorenheim. Afterwards we sang Christmas songs and practiced for our visit to the Senior Center in two weeks. 

Unter anderem im Seniorenheim werden die Kinder die Weihnachtsgeschichte mit den eigenen Worten erzählen. Um dies zu tun haben die Kinder angefangen Krippenfiguren aus Salzteig zu basteln. Für die Kreativphase hat jedes Kind eine Person oder Tier in der Geschichte ausgesucht zu gestalten. One of the things that the children are going to do at the Senior Center is to tell the Christmas story in their own words. We also began making our own nativity set to as a gift for the Seniors and to use to tell the story. So during the Creative Phase, each child picked a person or animal to make out of salt dough. 

Ein Hirt und Schaf.
An unpainted shepherd and sheep.

Ein Engel.
An unpainted angel.

In Woche 4 war ich auf einer Fortbildung in Holland gewesen. Melinda, meine Co-Lehrerin, und William, mein Ehemann, haben den Kindern weitergeholfen für den Seniorenheimbesuch vorzubereiten. During Week 4 I was at a Godly Play Training in Holland, so Melinda and William (my husband) helped the children in preparing for the program at the Senior Center. Thank goodness that I have such a great people that I can depend on! 

Die Kinder haben die ausgetrockneten Krippenfiguren angemalt. Die sahen so toll aus! They finished painting their nativity figures. Their finished work looked so charming!

Danach haben alle die Weihnachtsgeschichte, Lieder und Gedichte fürs Programm geübt. They also rehearsed the Christmas story, songs and poems for the program next week.

Beim Üben der Weihnachtsgeschichte. Wir benutzten
die Holzfiguren, weil die Farbe an unseren immer noch nass war.
Going over the Christmas story. We used the wooden nativity figures,
because ours aren't dry yet.

Wir üben die Gedichte. Practicing one of the poems.

Nur noch eine Woche! Only one more week to go!

For more Advent Club fun, see:

Week 1

Week 2