I'm a fan of decoupage (mod podge gluing) tissue paper to just about anything --plastic bowls, jars, picture frames, lanterns, etc. Easy for all ages, fun, and you can get quite creative with it. Love the hard finish the mod podge gives the final product.

So imagine my glee when I came across ANOTHER use for Mod Podge and Tissue Paper:  Creating A Decoupaged MAP with built up areas for mountains, etc..  This is an easy and fun to create map project using shades like brown, yellow, green, and blue tissue paper for the terrain

It's also REALLY EASY to fold the tissue into peaks, hills, and mountains --then Just add Mod Podge and it dries nice and stiff.

You could start with a real map copy of Israel for the story you are teaching, such as, Mary and Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Choose a map that has the terrain coded in color. Glue it to a piece of foam core or cardboard, and then begin to build up layers of tissue to create map features.  And yes, you can even create tiny people out of twisted/folded tissue and glue them to your map. Done it!