Religious Crafts

Sooner or later, year-round Sunday School or other weekly get-togethers for youth and their leaders require crafts. And that's true, right on down to the learning level of three-year-olds. Not only do crafts help illustrate scriptural stories and concepts, they keep wriggly kids more focused. When a teacher loses the attention of a class, it's very hard to regain it.

A 30 minute class can seem like an eternity, when the more aggressive children want to run the show. Team-teaching is often the way to corral the restless ones and enlist their help with the crafts projects. Depending on the age of the class, scissors should usually be the blunt-tipped kind to preclude injuries. "Runs with scissors" isn't just a joke on a grown-up's yearly evaluation at work.

Kits are available from which to cut out pictures of Noah's Ark and its passengers, the Christmas story or Easter. In addition, Adam and Eve, Jonah and the Whale, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, and many others can be cut out and colored by younger children. Older children can glue together paper, foam or wooden crosses, or make small woven cradles for Moses as a baby.

Stained Glass Windows

Many churches, synagogues and mosques have stained glass windows. Teaching older children about stained glass makes for a fascinating lesson or two. A teacher can have them create their own versions using black construction paper, colored tissue paper and glue. Another version involves melted crayons, with adult supervision. Encourage them to choose their favorite colors, not colors you would select for them. Sand art is another way of creating the windows.