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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Star


After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
Matthew 2:9-10 (ESV)


Preschool Activities

Regardless of who puts gifts under tree, even my little man knows that the star on top is the star of Bethlehem pointing all of our Christmas activities toward Jesus.

Way back at the beginning of our countdown alphabet, we had so much fun making playdough to explore the role of angels in our nativity story. So today, we made another batch of playdough. After making the dough, we added in some yellow food coloring and gold glitter. When the dough cooled we rolled it out and stamped it with a star-shaped cookie cutter.

At the last minute, I also put together a star-themed letter game.  I pulled out our ABC bottle tops and wrote STAR on a piece of scrap paper.  Then little man went on a hunt for the letters to build the word.


Family Activities
The Star of Bethlehem pointed shepherds and wise men to the baby Jesus. The star indicated the fulfillment of an ancient prophesy. The appearance of that star marked the birth of a King. But inquiring minds wonder just where that star came from. Answers in Genesis has another great video, What Was the Christmas Star, that addresses just that question. 

It's been a little cloudy here lately, but tonight, if the sky is clear, we'll head outside before bedtime to look at the stars. We'll look for some winter constellations and the North Star. I'll explain to my kids how the stars can help travelers to navigate by identifying cardinal directions. 

Service Activities
Visit with someone who cannot see and read to them the Christmas story. Stay to help them complete small tasks around the house such as cleaning or cooking meals that will be easy to reheat and serve. 


Snacks
Build a star with pretzel sticks and marshmallows.


Songs
I'm a Little Star
Twinkle, Twinkle Christmas Star
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem


Books
Only a Star, by Margery Facklam
Follow the Star, by Andy Mansfield
A Star for Jesus, by Crystal Bowman

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