Jesus' Birthday Present...

Each year, on the Sunday before Christmas, we have a birthday party for Jesus during Sunday School opening.  The kids wrap up a box with money inside (from piggy banks, etc.)...and put it up front on the steps in front of the pulpit... and we have a birthday cake and sing "Happy Birthday!"

So, we made our birthday boxes...using two empty toothpaste boxes, ripped up tissue paper in red and green, glue, paint brushes, ribbon, tape and glue sticks.

First, tape one end closed so no coinage can slip through.  Then paint/glue on your tissue paper.

This is a VERY sticky proposition....but it's GOOD for kids to get messy.  I'm always a tiny bit surprised when Mom's say they don't do crafts like glue and play-doh because it's messy.  I think, "Yeah, sooooo....then you teach them to help clean up!"  We had glue ALL over the table...and it scrubbed right off.  I should have taken a picture of that...

Later that night...DadE broke out our coin can (where we save all our spare change)...and they loaded their boxes full.  It was fun!!

They dried nice and hard...and we tied ribbons around and glue sticked them down...so they wouldn't slide off.  Then I taped the other side shut...again, no coinage losses.  All the monies are going to go to our missionaries.  We send them something special at Christmastime.

I'm sure the church treasurer is going to LOVE me for this one!!  Hehe...