Lone Lighthouse: Pre-Primaries and Toddlers

Materials

• 12 oz. white Styrofoam cups, 1 per child
• 2 oz. plastic soufflé cups, 1 per child
• 2 oz. plastic soufflé cup lids, 2 per child
• Small white flameless LED tea lights, 1 per child
• Lighthouse Roof pattern
• Red cardstock, 1 sheet for every 6 children
• Lighthouse Windows pattern
• Yellow cardstock, 1 sheet for every 16 children
• Lighthouse Verses pattern
• White copy paper, 1 sheet for every 16 children

Tools and Basic Supplies

• Office paper cutter
• Potato peeler or apple corer
• Glue sticks
• Craft glue
• Scissors
• Zippered baggies

Pre-Prep

1. Photocopy the Lighthouse Roof pattern onto red cardstock and cut out the roof circles (and along the line to the center of each circle), one per child.
2. Photocopy the Lighthouse Windows pattern onto yellow cardstock and cut out one strip per child.
3. Photocopy the Lighthouse Verses pattern onto white copy paper and cut out a pair of verses for each child.
4. Using a potato peeler or apple corer, poke a large hole in the bottom of each Styrofoam cup and remove the entire bottom.
5. In a zippered baggie for each child, place an LED tea light, a soufflé cup, two lids, a roof circle, a windows strip, and a pair of Bible verses. Place the baggie alongside a Styrofoam cup for each child.

Teaching Tie-In

Show the sample craft and say:

Today we’re making lighthouses. Have you ever been to a lighthouse? A lighthouse shines a bright light in the dark so sailors can see where they’re going. A lighthouse is sometimes the only light around, just like sometimes we’re the only ones around who love God and are shining our “light” to let others know about Him. Do you tell others about God? Do you let your light shine?

Class Time Directions

1. Take one of the plastic lids and snap onto the soufflé cup.
2. Apply craft glue to the bottom rim of the Styrofoam cup. Then turn the plastic soufflé cup upside-down and carefully center and press onto the bottom of the cup.
3. Apply a small pool of craft glue to the bottom of the soufflé cup. Then take the other plastic lid, turn it upside-down, and carefully center and press it onto the bottom of the soufflé cup.
4. Take the roof circle, overlap the ends to form a cone and glue stick together. The roof cone should be sized to fit snuggly inside the upside-down plastic lid.
5. Apply a bead of craft glue around the inside edge of the upside-down plastic lid. Then press the roof cone into the glue.
6. Cut out the Bible verses and glue stick to the outside of the lighthouse.
7. Cut out each of the windows from the windows strip and glue stick to the outside of the lighthouse.
8. Finally, to see how it works, turn on the tea light and place it under the lighthouse.

Tip Corner

• Pour craft glue into soufflé cups, for every 2 children, and use craft sticks cut in half to spread it.
• Glue dots can be used instead of craft glue.
• As an inexpensive alternative to the LED tea lights, use a clear soufflé cup and a strip of yellow construction paper coiled up inside to simulate the light.