Faith and Learning: A 25 Year Nativity Tradition at CAK
What comes to mind when you think of Christmas? For many of us, the birth of Jesus is the first image we see. We can easily imagine Mary holding her sweet baby Jesus with Joseph and the animals looking on. Years ago, CAK’s elementary students started a sweet tradition that is still going strong today - making their own nativity out of clay one piece each year!
Back in 1995, then elementary art teacher Margaret Moran decided to have the kindergarten, pre-first and first-grade students make a baby Jesus out of clay as a Christmas project. Laurel Clothier, who is still teaching first grade, suggested Margaret have each grade level make one part of the nativity. That way, by the time they “graduate” from elementary school, they have a complete nativity set! The following year, the Kindergarten class made baby Jesus, Pre-First and 1st grade made the lambs, 2nd grade made angels, 3rd grade made Mary and Joseph, 4th made a wise man and 5th grade made the stable.
For such a fun project for the students, it is a lot of work for the art teachers! Each figurine has to be dried for a certain period of time and then fired in a kiln. This kiln currently resides in the Middle School art room. So trays of the nativity figurines have to be walked over to the Middle School so they can dry and then be fired. In addition, the clay can’t be overworked or it will create air bubbles and can explode while in the kiln.
Margaret has had more than one mother tell her, “If my house was burning down, I would rescue those figures first! I am so glad the tradition lives on in the Elementary School”
It is such a special thing to have your children hand make the nativity scene that helps us remember what Jesus did for us by coming as a baby. Margaret is still putting her own boys two nativity sets out, and her boys are currently 31 and 33 years old!
We pray that you are blessed this Christmas season by your clay nativity set!
Back
For such a fun project for the students, it is a lot of work for the art teachers! Each figurine has to be dried for a certain period of time and then fired in a kiln. This kiln currently resides in the Middle School art room. So trays of the nativity figurines have to be walked over to the Middle School so they can dry and then be fired. In addition, the clay can’t be overworked or it will create air bubbles and can explode while in the kiln.
Margaret has had more than one mother tell her, “If my house was burning down, I would rescue those figures first! I am so glad the tradition lives on in the Elementary School”
It is such a special thing to have your children hand make the nativity scene that helps us remember what Jesus did for us by coming as a baby. Margaret is still putting her own boys two nativity sets out, and her boys are currently 31 and 33 years old!
We pray that you are blessed this Christmas season by your clay nativity set!
Christian Academy of Knoxville
Knoxville's premier preschool to 12th grade private, college preparatory, Christian school located in Knox County, Tennessee.
© 2024 Christian Academy of Knoxville