Preschool Liturgical Year Boxes~ (Part 2) ~a Safe Candle Craft

Some time ago I started making these liturgical year preschool boxes . I keep trying to come up with some more interesting things to go into the boxes. Evan is only 2, so I don't plan to do too much with them this year, but I want them ready for next year.

The most recent thing I came up with is this.....

Evan has a strong interest in my candles. I really have to watch him around them. So for our mini prayer time together (just Evan and I), while he explores his LY box, I thought he might like a safe candle to use in a candle holder he makes himself. I purchased the battery run tealites at the craft store. Then I purchased clear plastic cups.

I got out my collection of religious stickers and just let Evan have fun with it. For this one, I let him use whatever he wanted from my assortment. This candleholder could be used for ordinary time. So, once I find time to make his Ordinary Time box, we'll put the candle holder and battery tealite inside.

I have stickers with different images of Mary on them, too. I'll get them out next time for him to make a candleholder for his Marian box.

So far, the Marian box is the only one I've painted and decorated, which, as I've said before holds a Mary Matching Card Game, a small statue of the Blessed Mother, a plastic rosary, a wooden Mary figure and a paper doily.
If you want to make these candleholders with an older child, there are more options in how you could create them. Bits of tissue paper, glitter glue, and nail polish would give them a fancier look. But with Evan being only 2, we are going to stick with stickers this year. It still looks lovely, even in the dark.

And it becomes a mini-altar when I put the cover of the box, with Mary's image on it, behind the candle. We set it up like this and prayed for a couple of minutes together. We talked about the Rosary, as he held it in his hands. For now we explore the box together, every once in a while, so that it's special every time. At this point we just do a short prayer, and practice making the sign of the cross. Then we discuss what's in the box. He's at least getting familiar with the names of the items and learning to honor Mary.

I have items put aside for the Saints box and the Ordinary Time box. I still need to get things for the Advent and Lent boxes as they become available in stores. Plus I have a few more homemade ideas floating around in my head.

I'll keep you posted as inspiration strikes (and time allows)!

And if you have any ideas for additions to these boxes, please let me know!

TTFN

~Tina