As the 12-day Nativity was launched this year, I invited a few friends and family to try one of the activities in the book. Here's what Nicole and her family did:
I have three boys, ages 7, 5, and 3, who are energetic and have
attention spans like fruit flies. We kept our shepherd activities short and
sweet, but they had a lot of fun and are still talking about what we learned on
family night.
We talked about what shepherds do, and how they get to know their
sheep--individually. My husband brought a bunch of their stuffed animals
downstairs and the boys could each easily pick out which ones belonged to
them--they knew because they love them and spend time with them. We made a
connection with how Jesus knows and loves us each individually, and how we come
to know Him by reading His words and living like He lived.
Next, we headed over to the kitchen table where I had laid out
reusable canvas shopping totes, bread, water, and candy cane ornaments. We
didn't bother covering the ornaments with anything because we're lazy like
that, and if I were on my A-game I would have tied in how candy canes are a
symbol of the shepherd's crook, but the boys were happy with their makeshift
crooks.
We explained we would have a shepherds' picnic, and that the shepherds
ate simple meals while watching over their flocks. The boys then each packed a
bag and we spread a blanket on the floor for a picnic. We let the sheep (the
stuffed animals from before) "graze" on the edge of the rug, and the
boys had to keep an eye on them while they ate. We talked about how shepherds
had to drop everything they were doing to go after lost sheep, and how we can
do the same with our willingness to follow Christ. My husband randomly
scattered the sheep, and the boys had to go after them and bring them back to
the fold with their crooks. This was a scream! They watched vigilantly, and
even teamed up to help one another.
I loved how I could adapt the activities from the book to fit my
boys' needs. We're excited to make The Twelve Day Nativity part of our
Christmas traditions.
Thanks for this experience--we loved the spirit it brought to our
home!
