Perfect Nativity Set for Children!
I love nativity sets for Christmastime and I love the ones that children can handle. They are so curious and want to act out the story several times a day. I think it's important to have a set that is hands on.
My friend brought her wood nativity set to church for singing time with the children. I loved it and asked if I could trace the shapes. I fell in love with the palm tree, but made mine have a large base so it would be taller than the people. I also added a cow. I drew them out onto 3/4" pine boards and took them to my dad's house. My daughter and I took turns using the band saw to cut them out. It was pretty tedious, but worth it.
We sanded the edges and they were ready to paint. In my head, I was going to paint these so well and add some gold shimmer to the wise kings...but then, I decided to just hand these over to my (12 year old at the time) daughter and let her have carte blanche to do whatever she wanted to with them.
I let her use a picture of my friend Amy's set for reference, but gave her all the
Plaid Apple Barrel paints and told her to have at it.
She worked at the table while listening to Christmas music.
I love her artistry and creative vision. I told my daughter that this would be her nativity set and when she moves away, she can take this with her. Her future family will love it too!
She painted and then outlined each image with black sharpie. Her unique style came through in the faces and shapes. Mary may need a little bandsaw work, since she didn't feel the space...but she is so cute!
She just made all the shapes work!
They look great! After the painting and outlining, they were taken outside for a clear coat spray.
We probably need to design a stable for absolute perfection. But until then, it's darling.
I love that she feels accomplished and excited about her very own nativity set.
Do you love nativities? How many do you have?
Can children play with them?
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Here's some more fun Nativity sets!
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