Stations of the Cross boxes

Inspired by Catholic Icing and this post, I thought this would be a wonderful project to do with the 4th graders in the religious education class at my parish, which I am co-teaching this year.  

So here's my version of these neat little keepsakes.  I really hope the kids like them.

I knew the boxes would be the biggest challenge because of the price.  But I happened upon these aluminum food containers at our Dollar Tree.  They are 6 x 9 x 2 inches, and have a cardboard lid.  At 3 for $1.00, I knew they would work.

I lined the bottoms of the boxes with some purple fabric that I have.  Felt would work too.

 

I used these pocket stations of the cross, but instead of folding them accordian style, I cut them all out and stapled them at the top, like a little flip-style notebook.  I chose the black and white ones because I figured the kids could color them.  I typed up the symbol for each station, and glued them to the back of the pages.

 The symbols I used for each station are:

1.  A piece of rough twine

2.  A wooden cross (this one is made of balsa wood and the kids can color it)

3. A band-aid (actually 3 for the 3 times Jesus fell)

4.  a blue ribbon for Our Lady's mantle attached to a laminated holy card of Our Mother of Sorrows

 5. a wooden heart

6.  an image of the Holy Face transferred onto a piece of muslin cloth (the kids will actually be able to iron these on themselves during class)

 

7.  another band-aid

8.  a tissue for the weeping women

9.  another band-aid

10.  a piece of purple felt for Jesus' purple cloak

11.  3 nails

12.  a plastic crucifix

13.  a picture of the Pieta (these were one of the stickers that was on the cool sets I found at the Dollar Tree.  I just stuck them to some pretty paper.)

14. a rock for closing the tomb

 

I also found these stickers at our Dollar Tree, of all places, and got enough that each child could have a set to decorate their box.  The top corner sticker of the one set is cut out because it is a picture of the Pieta, so I used it to make the symbol that will go in the box.

 

And it all fits nicely in the box

 

and here's the lid decorated with some of the stickers: