Crafts
Option 1: Praying at Sunset
dark-colored paper, scissors, clothespins, sponges, washable paint in sunset colors, paper plates, white cardstock, white colored pencils, glue
Gather supplies. Make copies of praying hands on dark-colored paper and cut out. Make sponge stampers by clipping small pieces of sponge with a clothespin (at least one per child). Place various sunset colors of washable paint on paper plates. Make a sample craft.
Give each child praying hands and a piece of white cardstock. Place remaining supplies on tables. Have children write “Jesus prayed” on the hands with a white colored pencil. Have children paint the bottom 2 inches of the cardstock by dabbing the sponge in paint and pressing it to the paper. Next, have children use a different color to paint another 2-inch section directly above the first, being sure to overlap and blend the two colors. Have children continue painting in this way until the whole paper is painted with various sunset colors. When the paint is dry, children can glue the praying hands to the paper as a reminder that Jesus prayed the night before he was arrested and crucified.
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Option 2: Passion of Christ Story Wheel
paper plates (two per child), brass fasteners, colored pencils, scissors, glue
Gather supplies. Make copies of the following scenes: Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss, Jesus being arrested, and Peter denying Jesus (each picture should be small enough to fit on one-fourth of a paper plate). Cut a one-fourth-sized wedge out of half the paper plates (without cutting to the very center). Make a sample craft.
Place supplies on tables. Have each child take a full-sized paper plate and draw two perpendicular lines through the center to divide it into four equal sections. Have children color and cut out the different scenes, then glue them in sequential order onto the sections of their plate. Finally, assist children in using a brass fastener to attach a paper plate with the one-fourth section removed to the top of their full-sized plate. Encourage children to retell the story using the story wheel.
Option 1: Passion of Christ Story Wheel
paper plates (two per child), brass fasteners, colored pencils, scissors, glue
Gather supplies. Cut a one-fourth-sized wedge out of half the paper plates (without cutting to the very center). Make a sample craft.
Place supplies on tables. Have each child take a full-sized paper plate and draw two perpendicular lines through the center to divide it into four equal sections. Have children draw the following scenes in sequential order (one per section): Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss, Jesus being arrested, and Peter denying Jesus. Finally, have children use a brass fastener to attach a paper plate with the one-fourth section removed to the top of their full-sized plate. Encourage children to retell the story using the story wheel.
Option 2: Paper Plate Rooster
paper plates, brown watercolor paint, paintbrushes, cups of water, googly eyes, red feathers, scissors, pencils, red and yellow construction paper, glue
Gather supplies. Fill small cups with water. Make a sample craft.
Place supplies on tables. Have each child paint a paper plate brown. When it is dry, instruct them to fold it in half. Have children design and cut out red wattles and yellow beaks from the construction paper. Next, children can make rooster faces on one end of the paper plate by gluing on the wattle, beak, and googly eyes. Finally, have them glue a couple red feathers on the opposite end of the plate to form the rooster’s “tail.” Remind children that Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.
