• Bible school crafts should be both fun and educational.arts and crafts image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com
  
  Bible school crafts should be fun and interesting. A western theme--evoking images of honorable, God-fearing, hard-working families--is a complementary platform for innovative crafts that reflect Christian principles. Most of these projects don't take much financial investment or time, making them suitable for any group. Providing children with crafts they can take home encourages and helps them to share the lessons they've learned during the day with their parents and siblings.
  
  

Armor of God

• To reflect the armor of God discussed in Ephesians, children can create their own armor from paper cut-outs and string. Modify the armor of God to suit a western theme with the following ideas: the boots of peace, the lasso of the Spirit, the vest of righteousness, the shield of faith and the belt of truth. You can find patterns online for the different areas of the armor of God and use construction paper, a marker and scissors to create each element. If the craft is for young children, you may need to do the cutting for them.
  
  

Bookmarks

• Help the kids create bookmarks for their Bibles with western-style fonts and other symbols of the West, such as horseshoes, a cowboy and cacti. To simplify the craft, provide the kids with plain, pre-made bookmarks fashioned out of cardstock, which they can then simply decorate and personalize as they wish. Laminate the finished bookmarks and punch a hole through the top of each so the children can loop through a string or ribbon to complete the craft.
  
  

Light of the World Candle Holder

• Make western-themed candle holders by asking the children's parents to save old milk jugs. Clean out the jugs and cut a large hole in each, opposite the handle, to create an opening through which a child can place a small tea light candle in the bottom of the container. Have the children decorate their jugs with a western theme. Use print shop software to make stickers that say "I am the Light of the World," which the kids can affix to the jugs. Send the kids home with their candle holders for their parents to light at appropriate times.