Lesson One: Craft

I must admit, I don't like crafts for several reasons. They can be messy, involving a lot of clean-up. They can require supplies that are expensive, especially as your Children's ministry grows. It's hard to find crafts that keep a 9-year-old interested but are not too difficult for a 4-year-old. And crafts take preparation, sometimes a lot of preparation: cutting out shapes, gathering supplies, making a sample craft, etc.
So I've tried cutting out the craft altogether. When our Children's ministry grew to over 10 children, I decided the craft wasn't necessary. Unfortunately, the children disagreed with me. They hounded the daylights out of me: "When are we gonna do a craft?" "Why haven't we done a craft?" "It's been a LONG time since we did a craft!" The other reason I re-incorporated a craft time was because of the Native American children that were coming to our church. This group is often very quiet and reserved, but I found that once I brought out the supplies for our craft, their little faces would light up like a Christmas tree! They love to work with their hands, and I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to teach them God's Word in a way they can relate to.
It's still very tricky to keep a craft time from becoming a free-for-all, especially when we have 20 or more children in our small room. But I feel that it's worth the effort. For "Pirates and Princesses," I determined to keep the crafts as simple as possible and for the most part, they've been a success. Just keep in mind that crafts can be adjusted to any situation, so be creative and don't feel tied to a particular instruction. Keep it fun - for the kids and you!


Craft:
Beads of Paradise

Supplies: Elastic Cord or Licorice candy strips
Lifesavers candy, Fruit Loops, Cheerios, or any food with a hole in it.

Measure the elastic cord around each child’s wrist, allowing an extra few inches for the knot. Thread on the candy. Tie ends in a knot and slip onto wrist.

OR

Rings

1. Cut a heart shape from craft foam or use pre-cut shapes.

2. Cut a 4-inch length of pipe cleaner. Bend it in half and push the ends through the foam from front to back. Slip a bead on the pipe cleaner before pushing through to the other side, if desired.

3. Place the ring on your child's finger to measure the size. Twist the pipe cleaner ends together until the ring fits comfortably. Remove the ring and trim and tuck any excess pipe cleaner.

4. Glue on faux jewels, buttons, craft foam shapes, or other items for decoration. Allow the glue to dry. Use a marker or pen to write a few words on the back of the ring, if you like.