He Is The Light

(John 8:12) 
       Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, I am the light of the world; he 
      that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. 

To me, the perfect craft for this verse is a stained glass window. Don't worry, I'm not really going to give the kids glass; there are other options!

Hobby Lobby sells replacement glass that is plastic in precut standard sizes for only about $2.39 each. I wish I had a picture to show you, but alas, I do not. It is usually located over in the framing section close to the hanging hardware. My Hobby Lobby only stocks two or three of each size at any given time, and I did not plan far enough ahead to place an order for the quantity I needed, so I had to come up with another solution for the glass.

Luckily, I just happened to have a box of overhead projector transparencies that I have been hoarding for at least six years knowing one day I would find a use for them. :) They were a little thin, but all-in-all, they worked just fine for this project.

Materials:  

u One picture frame for each child. I found these lovely 5 X 7 frames at the Dollar Store.

u A pattern. A coloring book page, a hand-drawn image, or other simple traceable pattern. I drew my image.

u Safe clear plastic or other transparent material cut to fit the frames to replace the glass that came with the frame.

u Window paint suitable for use by children. We used Crayola Window Crayons. Do not use the Crystal Effects version (the pack on the bottom in the above picture). They did not show up well at all.

u Screw eyes: 2 for each frame.

u Scotch tape if using transparency.

u String for hanging (optional).

At Home Before Prep:

1. Remove and discard the glass from each frame.

2. If using transparencies: cut the sheets to fit the frames.

3. Using a sharpie, trace the image onto each transparency or piece of plastic.

4. Attach two screw eyes on the top of each frame to serve as the hanging hardware.

   

Class Instructions:

1. Give each child one transparency (or plastic) and one frame.

2. Instruct the children to color the image using the window crayons working either from top to bottom, or from the center out while rotating the image, to prevent their hand or arm from touching the colored surface.

3. When the children have finished coloring their "glass", insert it into the frame. If using the replacement plastic, bend the prongs that came on the frame to hold into place. If using transparency or other film-type material, use scotch tape to hold it in place.  

4. Add string and hang in a window. That's all there is to it!
(I did not intend on providing the string, but one of the kids found a roll in our storage closet and wanted to use it. I was thankful it turned out that way because it allowed the kids to go home and immediately hang their stained glass masterpiece.)

In retrospect, I wish I had drawn a cross with the sun behind it. I was trying to keep the image very simple so we would have time to finish all the painting in one class period, but honestly, adding the cross would have worked, too. Live and learn, right? I'll redraw my template and include a cross next time.

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