Things You'll Need
4 large cardboard boxes such as file cabinet boxes or refrigerator boxes
Duct tape
Utility knife
1 or 2 rolls brown contact paper
10 cans spray on textured stone colored paint
Plastic dropcloths
Easter Sunday is the day Christians commemorate Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Understanding this to be true is one of the basic tenants of the Christian faith. As the Apostle Paul wrote "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." How to give kids raised in the church new insight into this teaching each Easter is a challenge for youth group leaders and Sunday school teachers. One idea is to have the teens build a walk-through tomb. Then have them tell the Easter account to the younger children during Sunday school while leading the youngsters through the tomb.
Step 1
Place the boxes into a tomb shape. Because tombs in Israel in 1 BCE were caves, the boxes should form a three-sided structure. Open flat each box. Use two boxes to make the walls of the cave and the third to form the top of the cave. Tape the boxes in place.
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Step 2
Cut a large "stone" out of the fourth box. Open the box so it is flat. Using a utility knife cut the cardboard into a roughly round shape the length and width of the box.
Step 3
Cut the contact paper into 12-inch squares. Peel off the backing to the contact paper. Crumple the paper and press it onto the cardboard. This will give the tomb and the stone a three-dimensional look when it is finished.
Step 4
Lay the dropcloths down and move the structure on top of the cloths. If you are building the tomb indoors make sure the area is well-ventilated. Spray the structure with the stone- colored spray paint. Let it dry according the manufacturer's directions on the can.
Tip
You can decorate the tomb with plastic vines once it is dry. Ask your local hardware store to order stone-colored spray paints if it doesn't already carry those colors. Krylon and RustOleum both make stone-colored paints. Brown contact paper can be ordered online if your local craft store doesn't carry it. You can use a roll of brown Kraft paper and duct tape instead of the contact paper if you desire.
Warning
If you are working indoors and you are letting the teens do the spray painting (you know that is the fun part) cover the walls as well as the floor with plastic dropcloths.
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