THE children of Kilkhampton Primary School and the Pre-School learned a new way of experiencing Christmas at St James Church, Kilkhampton.

Once inside the church the children were able to visit six different areas/stations, created and manned by people from the village, where they engaged with scenes of the events leading up to the birth of Christ in the stable.

The first station encouraged the children to think around a candlelit Advent crown where they then wove lametta in and out of pinecones. They also reflected on how people prepare their homes and hearts for Christmas.

The second station was Mary’s kitchen. The children heard the story of the angel visiting Mary and created their own angel shapes out of tortillas.

The third station saw the children thinking about going on a long journey, like Mary and Joseph, by tracing on a giant map the route to Bethlehem to find no room at the inn.

The fourth station gave the children the chance to sample the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They wrote down what they would like to give the baby Jesus, put it in a box, and presented it to him in his crib at the end.

The fifth station was a hastily abandoned log fire, with a shepherd’s crook nearby. The children were asked to guess who might have been at the scene in front of them. They also scratched messages of peace on to a silver shaped angel.

The final station involved everyone, gathered around the crib, presenting their gift boxes from earlier in the day. They then reflected on the idea that Jesus is sometimes called ‘God’s gift to the world’.

The Christmas experience ended with all participants singing a carol together.