Sunday School > Crafts > 3 Foam Nativity Crafts
Note: If you are making the bath toy or refrigerator magnet, the figures all need to be in a single layer, so a wider barn is needed. If you are making a Christmas tree ornament or decorations for a wreath, you need a solid barn so you have a surface to glue the figures to. To make a solid barn--don’t cut the middle out of the arch, or use the flat barn pattern made for paper.
Magnet Nativity Set
Glue magnets to the backs and you have a nativity set your kids can play with--to rearranging the scene as many times as they like. Good for Sunday school, too!
Centerpiece
This nativity set is made of foam so it is not breakable, but it is fairly easy to knock over, so it is for display, and not to play with.
Bath Toy
As long as the bath wall is wet, the figures will stick to it! Larger pieces may also need the edge of the tub to help hold them up.
How to Make the Barn and Figures
Materials Needed
Barn:
-
1.Brown arch for barn
-
2.2 yellow stars (one to go on the roof, and another to be the straw in the manger)
-
3.Brown square for the manger
-
4.2 green hearts for bushes
People:
-
1.Blue rounded rectangle for Joseph
-
2.Red rounded rectangle for Mary
-
3.Orange heart for Mary’s headdress
-
4.Small white oval for Baby Jesus
-
5.2 small circles for faces for Mary and Joseph and a tiny circle for the baby
-
6.black beard and mustache for Joseph (if you can’t find black foam, color them with black permanent marker, or use brown foam.)
How to Assemble:
-
1.Glue the faces onto the bodies. Mary’s face should be glued to the upside down heart that will make the headdress.
-
2.Glue on Joseph’s beard just below the face, then the mustache on top of the face and beard.
3.Glue the “straw” star onto the manger.
4. Glue the baby onto the star and the face onto the baby.
Note about Glue: Obviously you will need some form to fasten the pieces together. The quandary is what kind to use. A glue gun works great, but is best for adult use, since the glue gets hot enough to burn you. For children, all purpose white glue applied with a toothpick may be the best option, but you do need to let the pieces dry before moving them. If you can buy glue dots, that would be perfect! They are little dots of glue fastened to a roll of nonstick paper like double stick tape--no mess, no spills. Simply press the piece (red circle in photo) against the dot, then place the piece where you want it to stick. It is that easy! Glue dots are sold in craft stores and on line at Oriental Trading Company. Double stick tape may be the next best option (not for the bath toy) especially if an adult is cutting the pieces for the children.
Foam is such a great material for crafts for kids! It is stronger than paper, comes in bright colors, is easy to cut and glue, and it’s cheap!
Note: When cutting foam, the pattern pieces need to be cut out ahead of time, unlike fabric or paper where you can cut through both at once. If you don’t, the paper gets pulled into the foam as it is being cut and leaves a ragged edge.
Note: Permanent markers do not write well on foam, and if you try to persist seems to ruin the marker from writing on other things either. So if you want to draw eyes or other details, paint is your best option. To draw eyes on the sheep, you can dip the blunt end of a bamboo skewer or toothpick into black paint, then dab once to make an eye. If you don’t like the way they turn out, wash off before the paint dries and try again.
Barn for Bath toy and Magnet Versions
Barn for Centerpiece
