Apostles Craft: Fishers of Men

Altoids tins are the coolest, aren't they?  I use one for my prayer rope supplies, one as a travel sewing kit and we even carry some lego guys and pieces in another one.  They're just the perfect size for your purse, backpack or glove compartment.  That's why when I saw this adorable idea for a little felt fishing set, I knew I'd be making one a few.  The first thing I thought of when I first saw it on Pinterest was what a perfect activity to use during the Apostles fast!It only took about an hour from start to finish and required minimal assembly.To make one you'll need:

• Altoids tin
• sharp scissors
• dowel rod (I cut mine into three and sanded the ends)
• baker's twine
• stainless steel washers (be sure they're not aluminum because those don't stick!)
• small magnets (mine are from Hobby Lobby.  there's 12 #10 strength for $5.99 before 40% off coupon)
• felt (you can use just one sheet and make the fish the same color or get 12 different colors)
• hot glue gun
• printer
• double sided tape

The first thing I did was cut and sand the dowel rod.  Then I added a tiny line of hot glue to the end and wrapped the bakers twine around it.  Then I knotted the end and tied the other end to a washer.Next, I cut out my fish.  I tried a few different ways when cutting them to see how they would glue best and I found that by folding the edge of the felt lengthwise and cutting the bottom from the tail up worked best.Once all twelve of my fish were cut out, I placed one a magnet in the front middle of the fish but not too close to the edge so there was room to glue.Then I piped a line of hot glue all around the edge and quickly pressed it together.  The last thing I did was type up a little paper that has the verse from Mark 1:17 and says, "Follow Me and I will make you become fishers of men."  and also the names of Jesus' 12 Apostles.You can click this link to download and print the PDF:  Fishers of Men CraftThe boys all love this!  Even Ace who I didn't think would really care made sure to tell me he wanted a pole so he could play too.  :)Our Rules to Play:

1. Everyone gets a pole and we start with the youngest player.
2. Each player has to name an apostle.  If he names one correctly, he gets a chance to fish.
3. Then the next player goes and so on.
4. The person with the most fish at the end wins!
5. Sometimes, as an extra bonus I ask the winner to recite as many of their names as they can remember.

It's really simple but they enjoy playing and it's a great way to learn the names of all the Apostles.  If we're playing at home, we finish up by reading a chapter from the book of Acts.  This has been such a fun way thing for us to do during this fasting period!  I hope you all enjoy it too!