As part of this years update the shepherd is getting a new craft to go with the range of musical instruments. If you want something for the nativity scene then why not make these cute and incredible easy signposts. Open for customisation this craft ties into the shepherds idea of running between witnessing the angles and discovering the baby, but it can also be used for any lesson that includes travelling, from Abraham to the apostle Paul.

I’ve included a sheet full of direction arrows but you could cut shapes from card, coloured paper, or even use sticks with words written on. You will also need plasticine and something as a post, a lolly or craft stick works well – the tall one is a set of disposable chopsticks.

Construction is easy – cut out your signs and run a glue stick along the post to attach. You can use glue dots if you have a round post. Then stick the end in a lump of plasticine.

The first page of the PDF includes signs like Nazareth, Bethlehem and the baby. I’ve even included traditional refereed to places like the inn and the stable. These are set out in sets of three for the craft stick approach. The second page is blank signs so the children need to think up which signs may have been there.

The end of the first page of the PDF contains an extra 2 sets with these words- just as a bonus!

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Gift= WITNESS

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The Angelic song that filled the air was bound to be hummed by the shepherds for many years after. This craft concentrates of ways we may try and make the tune ourselves. This page explains how to make a range of simple instruments, you could set up different instruments on each table and have the children chose which one to make, or you could just chose one instrument type and make it as a group. Each instrument is rated , or with 3 being the loudest!

Probably the simplest and arguably the loudest instrument is a reed pipe. You can make this with nothing more than a straw and a pair of scissors. Squash the end of the straw flat, the easiest way to do this is by flattening it between your front teen and lower lip, but you could use a finger nail and finger tip – try not to mangle it. You then want to cut the end into a blunt point with a pair of scissors. This may take a little trail and error to get right. This is basically it, place the reed end inside your mouth (so your lips are on the un-shaped straw)and blow hard. you’ll get a rasping sound a little like a bazooker. you can also suck air from the other end to produce the same sound. If you want to play a tune you need to make finger holes. do this by lightly bending the straw and cutting a small section out, either with scissors or a hole punch.

Another fast and yet surprisingly efficient straw instrument is the panpipes. The simple construction requires nothing but a selection of straws of different length attached together. after cutting different length straws put a line of double sided tape along both craft sticks, you’ll be surprised how well these hold the straws. sandwich them together and wrap a small piece of tape round each end. If you want to make sure they don’t move use cardboard squares as spacers. They have quite a quiet sound though it tend to be quite tinny. They are easier to operate than the reed pipe too.

No musical ensemble would be complete without a stringed box, this one is made from a yoghurt pot, though other containers would work. I used craft wire though you could use any wire, stiff string, or elastic bands. start my making small notches in the edge of the container to help the wires lay neatly apart. Wrap the wires round one craft stick and then across the top of the pot and round the next craft stick and back again. use 2 elastic bands to secure the craft sticks under the lip of the pot and then pull the wires tightly. It will make quite a pleasant sound, and it’s also relatively quiet. I also successfully tried this on a egg box top, securing the sticks with sticky tape and wrapping each wire individually. The bigger box made a much less tinny sound.

Lastly I just had to add these simple percussion castanets. To make these all you’ll need is two buttons (or tiddlywinks work well too if you don’t have a button stash) and a piece of sturdy card. Take a strip of card about as long as your hand, and twice the width of your thumb. Fold the card in half, open it out again and sew or glue your buttons onto the inside ends. Fold back in half and have fun clicking. These make a pleasant little click of a sound and could be used to keep tune to a song.

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The hero in this story is the Shepard. This lesson is written as one of three Christmas lessons for those of us who don’t necessarily have 4 or 5 weeks of Christmas story teaching time, often because other Christmas events and special services take our time.
 

The Sheep Game – this is a computer game that can be played vis an internet connection or, by using the downloads page, saved onto a computer or desktop. The basic game takes only seconds to play and could be played in turn by a group of children. A video projector and a wireless mouse would work well if the resources are available or could be borrowed. click here for the sheep game website
 

That looks like a… – the idea of this game is to identify a picture while only being able to see a small amount. Take a large envelope and cut a small hole in the side (a hole punch will do this neatly, don’t worry about having holes on both sides). slip a picture into the envelope and give it to the children. the children will probably try and more the picture about to see as much as possible. Have the last picture be one of an Angel.
 

Hum it – As a time filler or as a game in itself, the theme of this lesson is the sounds the shepherd heard, the song of the Angels. Have the children hum a song and see if their peers can join in with the words. let them sing for 30 seconds and then have someone else hum a song. link into the lesson by talking about how tunes get ‘stuck in your head’
 

The Sheep Game (on the ground) – If you want a more energetic version of the computer game then why not act it out on the ground. Build a pen using chairs and decree one child to be the sheepdog
 

Bahhh, Mehhh – This is a separation activity, you will need 2 sheep pens or clear areas. Denote one child a shepherd and send them out the room or blindfold them if that’s not possible. Separate the children into 2 groups and tell one group to say only ‘Bahhh, the other group to say only ‘Mehhh’. Have the children mix themselves up and wander round the room making their sounds. The shepherd needs to guide each ‘sheep’ into it’s correct pen. Once in the pen the sheep can not leave it.
 

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Here are the images you need for the hero’s attributes linked to The Shepherd (Luke 2).

Each hero’s page set contains a high quality graphic of the character, a take home bible card and a colouring page.

The images are displayed small here, click on the image you wish to have, then save the image that loads.
(Please note : these images have no watermark but are not copyright free, they are only intended for classroom use.)

English

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