Goin' buggy

Lutheran, The, Apr 2001

Sunday school projects for Easter morning

Youngchurch

Want to go buggy this Easter? Or maybe sticky is more to your liking? Either way, here are some projects to brighten your Easter morning.

Reformation Lutheran Church, Milford, Del., goes buggy. The congregation orders caterpillars in Lent from Insect Lore, Shafter, Calif. (800-LIVE BUG; www.insectlore. com). The company sends caterpillars that are timed to go into the chrysalis stage two weeks before Easter. That way the youth have butterflies to release on Easter morning.

At Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Ind., youth made colorful butterflies out of clear plastic pop bottles. They were studying the symbols of the church (their altar has a butterfly carved on it). Since the stages of a butterfly's transformation can remind us of Jesus' death and resurrection, this is a good Easter project. To create the butterflies:

1. Make a paper butterfly pattern (any size you wish) and tape it to, clear plastic pop bottle.

2. Cut along the pattern with sharp scissors (teachers/adults should do this). The inside of the bottle is the butterfly's back side.

3. Fold the wings up, making a crease along each side of the body.

4. Paint the back of the butterfly with water-based or fabric paints. Use cotton swabs for painting. Let dry.

5. Apply glue to the front and sprinkle with glitter for a translucent and shiny look. Let dry.

6. Attach a magnet to the butterfly's back or punch a hole in the body to hang it from the ceiling.

This next idea went over big at Jackson Park Lutheran Church, Milwaukee. While the craft book said to use a poster board for the torn-- paper mosaic, this congregation expanded it into a 7-by-5-foot effort.

In Lent, the youth began to glue torn pieces of colored paper and grocery bags to the empty mosaic. Soon parents and others started adding pieces. Several weeks and dozens of glue sticks later, the mural-depicting the three empty crosses and the words "Jesus is alive"-was ready to hang in the sanctuary.