crafting with grandma - Jesus Loves Me I Spy Bottles

Christmas will be here before we know it, so if you are looking for a special craft/gift idea you could use to involve your grandchildren in making to celebrate   how special and loved they are to you and to Jesus, consider making Jesus Loves Me I Spy Bottles! I found a link on  Pinterest for making I Spy Bottles, and thought you could make them unique and special for Christmas by doing the following things -

• Be sure to have a clean, clear plastic bottle (water bottle or soda bottle) for each grandchild
• Provide rice or dried peas - enough to nearly fill each grandchild's bottle
• Look in dollar stores for small items - crayons, toys, small tools, craft items, etc. which represent each of your grandchildren - their favorite color, their favorite animal, their favorite thing to do, etc. and which connect with Christmas - but make sure each item is small enough to fit through the opening to their bottle
• Order some  Christian Symbol Beads with symbols - crosses, Bibles, hearts, etc. 
• Wrap all the supplies and then after your grandchildren open their gifts, help them assemble their bottles by filling with rice/peas part way, adding their special things and then adding more rice/peas to fill about an inch and a half from the top. Cap with the bottle lid and allow your grandchildren to shake and try to find the special things they put inside! (Help them make a list of their special things before they put them in the bottle so they know what they are looking for when the bottle is completed)

Talk with your grandchildren about how each item represents them . . . ask about why they like their favorite color, why their favorite animal is their favorite, and why they like to do the special things which make them unique! Share with each of them some of the  unique and special things you love about each of them and then pray and thank God for giving each of them to your family and for creating each of them to be the unique and special person they are! Pray a blessing for each of your grandchildren - "Dear Jesus, thank You for loving _____. Thank You for allowing children to come to You. Please help _____ know, love and walk with You all his/her life! Thank You, Amen!" Have fun and celebrate your grandchildren on this Christmas!