18 terrific food creations that are sure to spice up
your Bible lessons!
From the moment Jesus first broke bread with his disciples to last
Sunday when a Sunday school teacher shared a snack with a room full
of kids, the Christian experience has been passed from one hand to
another in the form of food and fellowship. Food is one of God's
many gifts -- a true blessing that serves many purposes. It
nourishes, satisfies, and prompts us to share with others. Food is
a delicious, tangible reminder of the blessings God has given
us.
And food is a lot of fun! Food looks, smells, and tastes great --
and it's the perfect way to make your Bible lessons even more
memorable and exciting for kids. These 18 amazing -- and simple --
food creations are sure to intrigue, engage, and entice the
children in your ministry as they explore the Bible. And each food
craft comes with suggested Bible connections to help you get the
most out of your munchables!
Alert: Some of the following snacks contain peanuts or
peanut products. Check for allergies before allowing children to
create or consume any items.
Gone Fishin'
Ingredients: Pretzel sticks, peanut butter or cream
cheese, paper plates, Goldfish crackers, and a knife.
This is a fun, active snack that illustrates how difficult it can
be to "catch fish"! Use the knife to spread peanut butter or cream
cheese on a paper plate. Fill another paper plate with Goldfish
crackers, and place it next to the first plate.
Have kids dip one end of a pretzel stick into the peanut butter or
cream cheese. Then, using their pretzel stick "fishing rods," have
kids "catch" Goldfish crackers by touching the dipped pretzel ends
to Goldfish crackers and picking them up to eat. Monitor kids to
prevent "double dipping."
Bible Connections: Follow Me, Mark 1:16-20; Catching Fish, John 21:4-7.
Apple Boats
Ingredients: Apples, thin cheese slices, toothpicks, paper
plates, and a knife.
Core and quarter the apples. Push a toothpick through opposite ends
of a cheese slice to create a "sail." Place the apple wedges on
paper plates, skin side down. Insert a "sail" into the center of
each apple wedge.
Bible Connections: Jesus Stills the Storm, Mark 4:35-41; Walking on Water, Matthew 14:22-27; Catching Fish, John 21:1-14; Paul Shipwrecked, Acts 27.
Baby Moses Baskets
Ingredients: Large biscuit shredded wheat cereal,
marshmallow creme, peanut butter or Nutella hazelnut spread, melted
butter, mixing bowls, mixing spoon, wax paper, jelly beans, and red
licorice whips.
For every four servings, place one cup of crumbled shredded wheat
cereal in a bowl. In another bowl, stir one cup of marshmallow
creme and one tablespoon of peanut butter or Nutella into 1½
tablespoons melted butter until the mixture becomes syrupy. Pour
the marshmallow mixture over the shredded wheat cereal, and mix all
the ingredients together. Form four equally sized balls from the
mixture and then place them on wax paper. Use your thumb to indent
each ball, creating a "basket." Use a 3-inch piece of a red
licorice whip to create a handle and attach it by sticking it into
the top sides of the "basket." Put a jelly bean in each basket to
represent baby Moses.
Bible Connections: Baby Moses, Exodus 2:1-10.
Alternative: Fill the baskets with Goldfish crackers and
white jelly beans to represent the leftover baskets of fish and
bread when Jesus fed the 5,000. Or place the indented balls on
their sides to represent Jesus' tomb.
Pools of Fish
Ingredients: Blue Jell-O gelatin, boiling water, cool
water, gummy sharks, clear plastic cups, a mixing bowl, and a
mixing spoon.
Combine the gelatin and boiling water in the mixing bowl, following
the directions on the package. You'll need enough gelatin for each
child to have ½ cup. Add cool water, and then pour equal amounts
into the clear cups.
Refrigerate the cups until the gelatin begins to thicken. Suspend
gummy sharks in the middle of the gelatin cups, and then place the
cups back in the refrigerator until the gelatin is set.
Bible Connections: Creation, Genesis 1:20-23; Jonah and the Fish, Jonah 1-2; Follow Me, Mark 1:14-20; Catching Fish, John 21:1-14.
Sunshine Cupcakes
Ingredients: Yellow frosting, cupcakes, candy corn, orange
Tic Tac mints, plastic knives, and red licorice whips.
Spread yellow frosting on the cupcakes, and then arrange candy corn
pieces around the cupcakes' edges to create the sun's rays. Add two
orange Tic Tac mints for eyes and a red licorice whip for a
smile.
Bible Connections: God Creates Light, Genesis 1:14-18; The Day the Sun Stood Still,
Joshua 10:12-14; Easter Morning, John 20:1-9.
Baking Bread
Ingredients: Bread dough, cookie sheets, a clean work
surface, access to an oven, oven mitts, and nonstick spray.
Give each child a fist-sized piece of bread dough, and have kids
each roll the ball into a "rope." On the cookie sheets, have kids
shape their ropes into ovals, crossing the ends to create fish
shapes. Once kids have perfected their shapes, bake the bread
according to the recipe directions.
Bible Connections: Boy Shares Lunch, Mark 6:30-44.
Amazing Animals
Ingredients: Chocolate pudding, small paper cups,
chocolate cookies, resealable plastic bags, plastic spoons, and
gummy animals or animal crackers.
Have kids each fill a small paper cup ¾ full with chocolate
pudding. Give each child one chocolate cookie. Have kids crush the
chocolate cookies inside the resealable plastic bags. Use the
chocolate cookie crumbs to create a "dirt" layer on top of the
pudding layer. Insert gummy animals or animal crackers in the
"dirt."
Bible Connections: Creation, Genesis 1:24-25; Noah's Ark, Genesis 7; Sheet Full of Animals, Acts 10: 9-23; Animals in the Stable, Luke 2:7.
Alternative: Fill celery sticks with peanut butter or
cream cheese. Top the celery sticks with animal crackers.
Cracker Kids
Ingredients: Round crackers, Cheez Whiz processed cheese
spread, pretzel sticks, and paper plates.
Have kids cover one side of a round cracker using the Cheez Whiz
processed cheese spread. Place another cracker on top of the first.
Then kids can stick pretzels between the crackers for arms and
legs. Finish the treats by drawing a face on the top cracker using
Cheez Whiz processed cheese spread.
Bible Connections: God Makes People, Genesis 1:26-31 and Genesis 2:7; Jesus Loves Children, Mark 10:13-16.
