Spirituality Page: Arts and Crafts

Author's Biography: Theresa has been nice enough to donate several articles and chants to PaganParenting.com

Mask Making

The horned god with horns from little hands cut out of construction paper. This craft is a neat one as it can be adapted to be a hat, a mask or just wall art, have the child make either a hat out of construction paper or a face out of a paper plate for a mask and the trace around their own hands for the horns. (OK OK I stole the Rudolph idea J)

Making paper chains for the May Day Festivities

Have the child cut a lot of even strips of construction paper in suitable colors (I'm sure you know what those are in your particular case) and glue up paper chains. These can be used as ropes for the May Pole, just pretty decorations, or a lively and delicate game we call "I caught your heart".

"I caught your heart" is played by the children trying to catch each other in the chains, sort of like tag, but the trick is to not get caught unless you want to, and don't Break any one else's chain either. Note: Just keep the glue, tape and staples handy for fixing broken chains. Note: We always have the Breaker help fix the broken chain.

The catcher chants, "I'm smart I'm smart I caught your heart!" and the catchee chants either "You're right you're right so hold me tight" whereupon they hug and then separate again. Or "It's not true! I'll be caught but not by you!" Whereupon the captor hugs the captor, and sets them free again. This becomes a learning situation that we have found provides endless opportunities for discussing our own and other people's personalities and feelings as well as a lot of general merriment.

Paper Plate Pentagrams

Cut out the sections of a paper plate to form a pentagram Then color and hang. Note we've discovered a wheel of the year just won't fit adequately on a paper plate. Try the cut out side of a large cardboard box or a piece of poster board for that.

Pop up God and Goddess card

Take a stiff piece of paper or craft paper, construction paper, etc. (but it really needs to be pretty stiff for this) and fold it in the direction you want the card to open. Now along the folded edge cut two sets of parallel lines about 2 inches long and an inch apart for each set. Space the sets about 3 inches apart to give you plenty of room to work with. Next open the card and push the cut out sections inside so that they are folding into the card exactly opposite from the way the card folds. Now make or cut out pictures of the God and Goddess (or anything else) and glue them to the inward folded bits of card making sure that they can lie flat without bending when the card is closed. When you open the card the pictures Pop Up.