Ideas for a Craft on God's Justice

Parchment 10 Commandments

God's justice cannot be known without knowledge of God's rules. This activity for kids illustrates and modernizes the basic tenets of Christianity as put forth in the Bible. First, tear the edges off a piece of paper and crumple it into a ball so that it will appear old and worn. Next, put the paper into some cold coffee or tea to stain it. Once the paper has absorbed some of the liquid and become brown, set it aside and let it dry. A hair dryer can help speed along the drying process. Now the children can use markers or paint to re-write, in more modern language, the 10 commandments that God revealed to Moses.

In the Bible, God sends a massive flood to cover the earth because of man's wickedness. Only Noah and his ark full of animals and friends survived the deluge. It is an example of God's justice. This activity for kids will help remind children of ways to be obedient to God. Begin with a template of an ark for each child, either hand-drawn and photocopied or printed from the Internet. Once the children know the story of the ark, they should tear strips of paper and write ways they can be obedient to God on them (i.e. "respect my parents"; "don't lie"; "put God first"). Then, the kids should glue their strips to the ark (don't overlap the strips too much) as if they were assembling their own life-saving boating. When this is done, the children can decorate their ark and hang it in a place where it will be visible to remind them to be obedient to God.

Hand puppets are a fun and crafty way to learn about God's justice. Sock puppets are fun and easy to make (assuming a stockpile of old socks) and decorate, or kids can use paper and Popsicle sticks to create their puppets. To illustrate an example of God's justice, have students make puppets to tell the story of Job, who was tested by God. After learning the story of Job, students can make puppets to reflect Job, Job's family, goats, Satan and other characters in the story. When the puppets are finished, have students act out the story.

The story of the Tower of Babel and King Nimrod illustrates the ways in which God's justice punishes man's hubris. This activity is good for teaching young or older children about the pratfalls of pride. Have students construct their own Tower of Babel; they can use building blocks or older students can use paper, straws and other materials. When the towers are complete, they can be decorated in any way the students like. Now, students can re-enact the story, portraying different characters and culminating in the destruction of the towers.