One of the most joyful new things I did last year was starting a monthly intergenerational faith formation hour before worship. The number of participants ranged between 10 and 30 for a congregation with a worship attendance of approximately 80. Preschool children, retired grandparents and everyone in between enjoyed learning and creating together. I used Vibrant Faith’s Seasonal Intergenerational lessons for the content. Below is an add-on activity we used in the month of November with the theme of Gratitude.
After using the activities from Vibrant Faith, we created 4 x 6 inch art pieces that were beautiful enough to give as gifts, simple enough for all ages to be successful, and open ended enough for all to enjoy. Here are directions for the pictured gratitude quotes with mini-paintings:
Supplies:
Watercolor paper cut into 2.5 inch squares
Natural colored cardstock in 4 x 6 inch pieces
Inexpensive 4 x 6 inch frames
Painters tape
Brushes
Calligraphy markers
Watercolor paint
Glue dots
Bible passages about gratitude
Fan (to speed drying)
Plastic trays or tablecloths
Directions:
Tape the watercolor paper to a plastic tray using the painters tape. Create an even border around the edge so that when the paint is removed, there will be a white frame, approximately ¼ inch on all sides. Use watercolors to create an abstract design on the watercolor paper. Set aside to dry.
Choose a Bible verse to write on the natural colored card stock with the marker, being sure to leave enough room for the square painting. When the squares are dry (you can speed this up by placing the paintings in front of a fan) remove the tape and attach the squares to the cardstock with glue dots.
Insert the project into a frame (another option is to make it into a greeting card). In under 15 minutes (depending on paint dry time) you will have a beautiful, meaningful reminder to be thankful through the month.
Christine V Hides 
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