We have set up this page to provide resources to help families during the coronavirus crisis. We aim to post new ideas every week which are appropriate for different age children and which you should be able to do with materials that you already have around the house.
Each link below will take you to an activity sheet which you can print out or read on-screen and do together as a family. We’re also posting a link to a video for teenagers as a discussion starter for families and we’re hoping to host some teenage discussion groups online. If you’re interested in this please email us for more details.
We will also be posting and emailing these out every Thursday – if you do not already receive emails from us then please send a message to info@stlukesonline.co.uk and we will add you to our mailing list.
ENCOUNTER
Under the new lockdown rules we have had to close the 7-11 age youth club until further notice – sorry.
THURSDAY 26th November
Winter is drawing in, the days are getting shorter and greyer so it’s good to spend some time creating colourful winter art to help to cheer us all up.
This Sunday is Advent Sunday when we remember our need for light in dark times. One of the ways we remember is by lighting a candle on an Advent wreath, we’ll be doing this in church and you can make a safe version for yourself at home.
THURSDAY 19th November
This Sunday we’re looking at a story that Jesus told about sheep and goats and so we’ve picked sheep as our theme for some craft ideas this week.
THURSDAY 12th November
This week we thought we’d give you some ideas for creating art with string.
Our Sunday services are all online at the moment due to the lockdown and we’re looking at a parable told by Jesus about making good use of your talents. You can watch the service here on Facebook or Youtube and we have a family ideas sheet to go with this which you can download here.
THURSDAY 5th November
This weekend is all about remembering those who have died while serving their country during military service. The symbol of remembrance is the poppy and so we have some ideas for poppy themed art and craft for you this week.
This Remembrance Sunday we’re not able to meet in church because of the new lockdown rules so we’ll be posting a service online at 10.45 on our Facebook page and Youtube channels. Jesus spoke about the enormous love of those who give their lives for others and that will be the focus for our Sunday service and for the accompanying activity sheet which you can download here.
THURSDAY 29th October
We had a lovely message from a mum this week saying how much she appreciated our craft sheets with some pictures of the art she had done with her daughter – thank you Sarah! This week we’re encouraging toddlers to play with paint and asking 7-11s to see how they can create art with pasta.
This Sunday is All Saints Sunday when we remember those who have blessed us in the past but who have passed away. If you have someone you’d like us to remember by name please feel free to email us. The Bible reading is all about blessing as Jesus gives a list of blessings which we call the Beatitudes.
THURSDAY 22nd October
We’re reaching the end of October and this weekend the clocks go back an hour so adults will get an extra hour of sleep, although small children often don’t realise there’s a change so will still get up early!! We’ve got some great craft ideas for you to help to keep them occupied in this early morning hours.
Our Sunday service is all about loving God and loving one another. You can download an activity sheet about this here.
THURSDAY 15th October
We’ve given you lots of ideas for paintings and flat art over the last five months but this is the first time we’ve got some three dimensional ideas for you to try.
This Sunday is St. Luke’s day and he is our patron saint, he was a doctor and writer and he wrote a gospel which tells us all about the life of Jesus as well as the Book of Acts which tells the story of the early church. Here’s an interesting modern painting imagining what he might look like if he was around today.
THURSDAY 8th October
The weather has been very changeable this week as you’d expect in Autumn so we’ve got some weather related craft ideas for you to try at home.
The Bible story we’re looking at this Sunday is one that Jesus told about guests being invited to a party who were so rude that they didn’t bother to turn up!
THURSDAY 1st October
There is definitely an Autumn feel in the air this week as the leaves turn brown and the wind and rain sweep them off the trees and along the streets. As the woodland turn brown it makes us think about woodland animals such as foxes, hedgehogs and owls and we’ve got some craft ideas for creating art on this theme this week.
This Sunday we’re thinking about the harvest and giving thanks. There’s a great harvest song you can dance around to here, and we’ve got a sheet full of ideas for you to download here.
THURSDAY 24th September
The weather has changed and it definitely feels as though Autumn has begun (which it officially did earlier this week anyway!). So our craft ideas for toddlers and 7-11 year olds has an Autumn theme to it.
This Sunday we continue to think about working as Jesus told a story about two brothers who had different approaches to their work. Find out more here.
THURSDAY 17th September
What’s your favourite animal? It might be your pet or an animal you’ve seen at the moon but what about animals that you could only dream about? Lots of children love dinosaurs and we’ve got loads of ideas for dinosaur craft and recently unicorns have been really popular with primary school children so we thought we’d give you some ideas for unicorn art.
This Sunday you may be surprised to discover that Jesus had something to say about the world of work, equal pay and workers rights, although he didn’t say anything about the pressures of working from home during a pandemic!
THURSDAY 11th September
Our craft activities for children have double impact as we’ve got loads of ideas for art made from fruit so you can create something beautiful which is also a tasty and healthy snack!
The Sunday service will be all about forgiveness as Jesus modelled forgiveness and taught about it to his disciples with a story about someone who was forgiven a big debt but was very mean to someone who owed him a small amount.
THURSDAY 3rd September
We’re remembering everyone going back to school in our prayers this week and for many this means leaving behind newly acquired pets as there’s been a big increase in pet ownership during lockdown. So we thought we’d give you some ideas for pet themed activities this week.
This Sunday we’re thinking about some advice Jesus gave to his friends about ways to resolve arguments and we’ve got a family discussion and craft sheet about this here.
THURSDAY 27th August
This week it’s all about YOU! We’ve got craft activities about the things that interest you and all sorts of artistic ways to express yourself.
On Sunday we’re going to be asking about who you follow and what it means to follow Jesus.
THURSDAY 20th August
We spoke too soon last week as the weather got colder and windier almost as soon as we’d posted the jungle ideas. This week, as well as praying for all those who’ve been caught up in the exams confusion, we’re beginning to think about going back to school with craft ideas using letters and patterns.
This Sunday we’re going to be asking a very important question – who do you think Jesus is? There are lots of ideas about this in the Bible and have been many other ideas throughout history but what do you think?
THURSDAY 14th August
It’s continued to be hot and sunny until today but it’s still very humid and clammy, perfect weather for animals from other countries such as chameleons, snakes, lions and toucans. Our art sheets have lots of ideas for ways to create wonderful pictures of animals like these.
This Sunday we’re thinking about the story of a woman who was extremely persistent with Jesus.
THURSDAY 6th August
It’s been so hot and sunny this week, perfect for the holidays, we’re so lucky to live by the beach and be able to go and cool down in the sea. To help you stay cool we have some icy ideas for toddlers to play with and some dotty art ideas for any older children. This Sunday we’re looking at a story about Jesus being so cool that he can walk on water! You can read about that in the activity sheet and follow the links to hear the story.
THURSDAY 30th July
It’s been great to go to the beach to enjoy the lovely hot weather this week, especially when the tide is low and there are great stretches of sand to play on. Sometimes you can find some really interesting shells in the sand and we’ve got some arty ideas using shells this week or if you can’t find a shell you can use pasta which sometimes comes in a shell shape!
This Sunday we open for public worship for the first time since March and we’ll be focussing on Jesus feeding 5,000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish – HOW? Have a look at the Sunday sheet here to find out.
THURSDAY 23rd July
This week we’ve been thinking about baking because some of the stories Jesus tells are about yeast and bread. But don’t worry you don’t have to do any baking yourself because all the craft ideas use cupcake cases!
THURSDAY 16th July
How do you feel about creepy crawlies? They are essential to our ecosystem and can be really beautiful, especially if you use them as inspiration for some art.
This Sunday we’re looking at a parable that Jesus told about wheat and weeds.
THURSDAY 9th July
The weather this week hasn’t been so hot but it was very sunny in June and you may have had an ice lolly to help you cool down. This week we’ve got lots of ideas for arts and crafts using lolly sticks.
On Sunday we’re thinking about a story Jesus told about sowing seed. You can watch a video of that story here and there’s a family resource sheet here.
THURSDAY 2nd July
Have you been swimming in the sea recently? We’ve got lots of sea based arty ideas for you to have a go at this week.
This Sunday we’re thinking about welcoming others and being inclusive, although St. Luke’s won’t be open for Sunday services for a few weeks yet.
THURSDAY 26th June
This week we’re getting inspiration from artists who have used patterns of spirals and circles to help them create wonderful works of art. This is a great way for you to make your own art.
This Sunday we’re thinking about listening to God through the wonders of nature.
THURSDAY 18th June
We’ve got lots of ideas for families to do things outside this week so let’s hope the weather cheers up! Little ones can have a go at painting with water, or leaves, or a bicycle. Older children can make all sorts of things to harness the fun of the wind. Our Sunday sheet for families focusses on Jesus telling us not to be afraid.
THURSDAY 11th June
Our craft this week is strictly about the birds! You’ve probably noticed the birds singing during lockdown because there’s less noise as everyone stays in and there’s less traffic. As life begins to get busier we don’t want to forget this so there are lots of bird related creative ideas for families in our sheets. On Sunday we start a series of readings from the gospel of Matthew and the Sunday sheet introduces this.
THURSDAY 4th June
We’re into June already and restrictions are beginning to ease and some children are going back to school but we’re still providing ideas for creative things to do at home for a range of ages. Our focus on craft this week is abstract art using a whole range of things including masking tape, black pens, melted crayons, ice cubes and even spaghetti! This Sunday is also a bit abstract as it’s Trinity Sunday – a really tricky concept to understand which is all about God being 3 and 1 at the same time. The Sunday family sheet gives you some ideas to help understand this as well as some helpful videos to watch.
THURSDAY 28th May
We hope you’re managing to get shopping OK and getting enough fresh fruit and vegetables to keep yourselves healthy while we’re all still indoors quite a lot. You an use fruit as art material before you eat it and there are lots of ideas for arty fruit projects in our craft sheets this week. This Sunday is Pentecost when we remember the Holy Spirit descending on the disciples as tongues of fire and changing their lives, you can find out all about that story in our Sunday sheet.
THURSDAY 21st May
The weather has been so fantastic and hot that we thought you might like to get creative with lots of craft ideas for pictures of the sun. On Sunday we’re not only thinking about the sun but all the wonderful things that God has created for us to enjoy on the planet earth.
THURSDAY 14th May
Last week we had loads of ideas for rainbows, this week it’s loads of ideas for clouds which also fits in with our service on Sunday which features Psalm 147 which says – “God covers the sky with clouds, he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.”
THURSDAY 7th May
We’re used to seeing rainbows almost everywhere we go at the moment as a symbol of hope and of support for the NHS so this week we thought we’d give you some ideas to help you create your own rainbows. On Sunday we’ll be focussing on Psalm 146 which is all about praising God so our activity sheet has links to songs you can sing along to and some singing themed colouring.
THURSDAY 30th April
This week we have craft ideas that have something to do with parts of your body. For under 5’s it’s all about feet, for 7-11’s we’ve got an activity about faces. There’s also an activity sheet to go along with the Sunday service which includes a really catchy song you might like to listen to and maybe even dance along with. You can find that here.
THURSDAY 23rd April
This week we have different types of play dough for you to make and the children to play with and homemade games for 7-11s to make and play.
THURSDAY 16th April
Post-Easter we thought you might have things like egg boxes lying around so we’ve put together some family craft activities using these.
We are posting services on Sunday at 9am and 10.30 on Facebook and Youtube and in the afternoon there is an online discussion group for teenagers – email us on info@stlukesonline.co.uk for more details.
THURSDAY 9th April
Today is Maundy Thursday when we remember the Last Supper that Jesus held with his disciples.
Below you will find some Easter resources for toddlers, 7-11s and for any families who want to do something on Easter Day.
We will be streaming services from church from midday-3pm on Good Friday and 10.30am on Easter Sunday on Youtube
THURSDAY 2nd April
THURSDAY 26th March
There are still opportunities to get involved in creating art to become part of the mural which will be produced to beautify the New England Bridge. You can download the worksheet for this here and email any artwork to info@stlukesonline.co.uk
We have set up this page to provide resources to help families during the coronavirus crisis. We aim to post new ideas every week which are appropriate for different age children and which you should be able to do with materials that you already have around the house.