Daubing the Church Year

Isaac was given some daubers recently and the boys (and their friends) have been having a fabulous time with them.  It really is a fun way to work with paint when you don't want to smock up and have lots of mess afterward.  All this daubing gave me an idea.  

Generally in Godly Play we don't have crafts that you put together in a particular way.  But, the church year lesson does suggest you have materials for the children to make their own circle of the year.  I've done this in the past by having them glue bits and pieces, but this time we made a work option of daubing the church year.  Bingo Daubers can be used, we used the colors from this set and then used old postage stamp glue bottles dipped in paint for the white.  Alternatively, you can buy a set that you fill with Tempera paint like this.  (One of these sets is now on our Godly Play wish list.)

The prep is a bit intensive.  It took a friend and I two hours to make 15, but we were also figuring it out as we went,.  It would go quicker if we were to do it again (or if we had instructions which I'm providing for you below.)  It doesn't take the students long to finish the circle, and the children who chose this work option seemed to really enjoy it.

My boys didn't chose this work option, so I brought a couple home as I knew they would love making one.  They did!

For this work option you need::

Daubers (and paint if you are filling your own)

Floor Paper from the hardware store (a large roll can be purchased for around $10 - we made 15 and still have most of the roll left)

An 18 inch circle (We traced around a presentation bowl)

Markers in the colors of the church year 

 A white-out pen if you have one (I used a q-tip and white paint)

Red and White card stock for arrows 

Brads (I used a button and thick wire on the ones we did at home)

hole punch

To prepare::

1. Use a pencil to trace your 18 inch circle.  Cut your paper in a generous square around the circle 

2. Dip a dauber lid into black paint and stamp 52 circles on the outside of the circle. (Tracing a quarter would be the same size)

3. Using markers and white-out pen place a small dot of the colors of the church year in the 52 circles (4 purple, 1 White, 9 Green, 6 purple, 7 white, 1 red, 24 green).  With older children you can skip this step and let them follow an example.  

4. Cut two white and one red arrow for each circle.  I made mine 2 cm wide. 

5. Punch holes at the ends of the arrows

During the work time::

1. The student adds his or her arrows by putting them on the brad.  Then they push the brad through the center of the circle (you may need to help with this bit.)

2.  The student daubs the colors on the proper circles (a bit like paint by number)