Welcome to Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent!
If you have a Lenten take-home bag, all the materials you need for this activity are within… and if you don’t, you might have these materials at home already! We have plenty of extra supplies for this craft at church, so don’t worry if you’re entering into this after Ash Wednesday. We found the following supplies to be all you need:
clay
craft stick (tool for shaping clay)
multicultural skin tone crayons
Here is a quick video from me, Ashley Wade, to help you manage this activity and begin your season of Lent.
On Ash Wednesday (March 2, 2022) create a Holy Table or shelf in your home where you and your family can gather each week. It could be any table or shelf. In your bag you will find a candle and a purple underlay (felt). Place these items in your chosen spot to help create a sacred space in your home where you can gather to explore and wonder about God’s presence in our lives. Children may make small clay people. After the clay dries, they can use the crayons to color the skin tones. The activity from buildfaith.org offers different wonderings that parents can use to engage kids with this activity. (Clay dries to touch overnight, completely in 72 hrs.)
A prayer for Ash Wednesday…
On this day of ashes, we remember where we came from. The Bible tells us we came from the dust of the ground. Science tells us we came from the stuff of stars. May we believe in the mystery of both. We came from dust and from stardust. We are both. At the end of our lives, all living things return to the earth – including us. Our spirits belong to God, now and forever. Amen.