a little Easter craft

As you may have guessed from our views on Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny isn't something we hype up during the Easter season, and it's not something we do with our family. Easter, even more than Christmas is just such a sacred time, and our entire faith hangs on the sorrow of Good Friday, and the triumph of the empty tomb. We don't want to take away or add to what is already so meaningful, but little rhythms like traditions and decorations help kids hold holidays dear, which is why we love our Advent candles, our birthday cake for Jesus, and for Easter, our readings from the Gospels and the little wooden crosses we made this year.

This was a really simple craft that we did together a couple of weeks ago. There's still time to do it this week or weekend as a small way to bolster the Easter spirit in your home. Everything needed came affordably and easily from Dollarama, except the glue gun and hand saw, which I already had.

You will need:

 - thick dowels and a means to cut them (saw, knife, strong hands)
 - hot glue gun and glue
 - yarn or twine
 - clay
 - decorative moss

First I cut the dowels to the size I wanted for my cross, then glue them together and reinforce with yarn, fastening with a final drop of hot glue.

Then I used about half the package of Dollarama clay on each cross, formed it into the shape I wanted, and pushed my cross in to make a hole. Take out the cross for a minute and put a drop of hot glue in the hole you've made and then pop the cross back in to it will be doubly secure. Decorate with moss, if you like. I've also been displaying Easter verses on our Letter Play board which more or less lives in the kid's room.

I made two crosses, one for our mantle and another that's in the kids room. One was more minimal with thinner yarn and no moss, and I thought I'd like the nondescript cross more but in the end I prefer the mossy one. The one in the kids room will probably stay there even after Easter, because they've already told me they love having it there. Once, as I was disciplining one of our kids, I was able to use it as I was reminding them that they are forgiven and loved, despite their wrong doings. I drew their attention to the cross up on the shelf and said, "hey look up there, what does that cross have to say to you today, even after such disobedience?" and their tender heart replied, "because of what Jesus did on the cross, even when I sin, I'm still with God! Nothing can take me away from Him, right?"

Blessed assurance, right indeed. Wishing you and yours a reflective, celebratory, beautiful Easter. Bask in the finished work of Jesus, the curator of forgiveness and the author of love.