Keepsake Cross

Materials ††

• Corrugated cardboard, one 5x5-in. piece per child ††
• African or animal print fabric, one 5x5-in. piece per child ††
• Black masking tape, approximately 25 in. per child ††
• 2-in. long 1/8-in. diameter tree twigs, 1 per child (Juniors and Primaries) ††
• 3-in. long 1/8-in. diameter tree twigs, 1 per child (Juniors and Primaries) ††
• 22 gauge silver floral wire, one 18-in. piece per child (Juniors and Primaries) ††
• Colored wood cross beads, 1 per child (Pre-Primaries and Toddlers) ††
• Glue dots, 2 per child (Pre-Primaries and Toddlers) ††
• Colored small craft feathers, 2–4 per child

Tools and Basic Supplies ††

• Glue sticks ††
• Scissors ††
• Stick pens ††
• Finishing nails ††
• Utility knife and straight edge ††
• Wire cutters ††
• Pruning scissors ††
• Office paper cutter or fabric scissors

Pre-Prep

1. Using a utility knife and straight edge, cut corrugated cardboard into 5x5-in. squares, one per child.
2. Tape edges of each cardboard square with black masking tape.
3. Using an office paper cutter or fabric scissors, cut the fabric into 5x5-in. squares, one per child.
4. Cut the silver floral wire into 18-in. lengths, one per child (Juniors and Primaries).
5. Using pruning scissors, cut twigs into 2-in. and 3-in. lengths, one of each per child (Juniors and Primaries).

Teaching Tie-In

Show the sample craft and say:

Before we make our cross today, I’ve got a question for you. What do you think is the number one wisest thing you can do in your life? Take answers. The wisest thing you can do in your life is to trust in the Lord. Does anyone remember today’s verse? Take answers. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” What do you think it means to trust in the Lord with all your heart? Take answers. Explain that you need to first place your trust in the Lord with your life and ask to become His child by repenting of your sin and believing that Jesus died and rose from the grave to pay the penalty for sin on our behalf. Then explain that once you’re His child, you grow to trust Him with all the little and big things in your life.

Class Time Directions

1. Glue stick the fabric square to the cardboard.
2. (Juniors and Primaries) To assemble your twig cross, first, lay the wire horizontally in front you. Then lay the longer twig vertically over the exact center of the wire. (You may need to bend the wire in half first to find the center point.) Next, wrap the left side of the wire once around the twig and then the right side once around the twig. Remember to always wrap as tightly as you can. Now, lay the shorter twig horizontally across the longer twig just above the wire loops on the longer twig. Then, take the left side wire and wrap it twice diagonally (bottom to top) around the two twigs. Then do the same thing with the right side wire. Finally, with the wires pointing away from you, above the shorter twig, and on either side of the longer twig, wrap the left side wire once around the longer twig, doing the same with the right side wire. The excess wire will be used to attach the cross to the cardboard and make a hanging loop.
3. (Juniors and Primaries) To attach your twig cross to the cardboard with the wire, first position it where you like it and then use a pen to mark two holes for the wire to go through. Next, use a nail to poke through the fabric and cardboard. Then, push the two ends of the wire through the holes and twist together tightly on the back. Finally, with the excess wire, make a loop for hanging.
4. (Pre-Primaries and Toddlers) Position the wood cross bead where you like it and then attach it to the fabric with 2 glue dots.
5. To decorate, place some feathers around the cross as desired and attach them by applying glue stick to the fabric and pressing the feathers into place.

Tip Corner

• Tiny black hair rubber bands can be used to hold the twig crosses together while the kids wrap them with silver wire.
• Because the twig cross is a bit challenging, you may want to use wood cross beads for the Primaries also.
• Craft feathers come in a variety of sizes. Buy smaller craft feathers if possible, but if working with bigger ones, trim as needed with scissors.

Super Simple Idea

Try the following Oriental Trading Company craft kit. (Call 1-800-875-8480 or visit www.orientaltrading.com.)

• God Is My Rock Craft Kit (IN-13596710)—Manufacturer does not recommend this for children under 3 years.