Jesus Calms the Storm Jar

Preparation

Make 1 Jesus Calms the Storm Jar in advance. (Follow the instructions below.)
You will need to show kids your sample craft.

Note that weight/density of your foam and tape may be slightly different from what we used, so you will need to test your Jesus Calms the Storm Jar in advance. If your sailboat doesn’t return to an upright position after your “storm”, replace the Nickel with a Quarter. Alternatively, use two Nickels instead of one.

You will need for each child:

• 1 piece of Polystyrene Foam (also known as Styrofoam or EPS)
  Thickness: ½ inch.
  Pre-cut to 2 x 1 inch for each child.
• 1 Nickel
• 1 Toothpick
• 2-inch Cloth Bookbinding Tape
• Scissors
• 1 plastic jar pre-filled with some bluish water (water tinted with blue food coloring).
• Hot glue or sticky tape to seal the jars (optional)

You will also need a sharp instrument to help kids poke a small hole in their boat to insert the sail.

Making Jesus Calms the Storm Jar

For the boat
1. Cut a piece of Cloth Bookbinding Tape, about 4 inches long.
Place the tape on the table in front of each child, sticky side up. (Warning: the tape can be very sticky!)

2. Place the Polystyrene Foam in the middle of the tape.

3. Place the coin in the middle of the foam.

4. Hold the coin in place with 1 hand, then use the other hand to wrap 1 side of the tape around the foam. Press the tape down firmly, ensuring there is as little air trapped inside as possible.

5. Repeat with the other side of the tape.

The side with the coin is the bottom of the boat. The coin will help the boat to remain upright in the “storm”.

For the sail
1. Cut another piece of tape, about 2½ inches long.
Place the tape on the table in front of each child, sticky side up:

2. Place a toothpick in the middle of the tape. Ensure that about ¾ inch of the pointed end of the toothpick is outside the tape.

3. Hold the toothpick in place and fold the tape over.

4. Cut the tape to make a triangle-shaped sail.

Final Assembly
1. Have an adult poke a small hole in the middle of the top of the boat.

2. Insert the sail into the boat. Tilt the sail at a slight angle. This will prevent the sail from sticking to the surface of the water after the “storm”.

4. Place the sailboat in a jar and close it tightly. For younger kids, you may like to seal the jar with hot glue or sticky tape.

5. Shake the jar to create a storm.

6. Stop shaking to make it calm again.
The boat should always return to an upright position.

Sunday School Lesson

This craft is taken from the following Sunday School Lesson:

• Jesus Calms the Storm (Mark 4:35-41)