The kids and I had so much fun putting together these simple homemade shrines for each of their rooms! This craft was so easy for them to do and put their own creative ideas into. We had most of the supplies around the house which made this Catholic craft even easier. Read on to learn how we completed this easy homemade shrine craft for kids!
Homemade Macaroni Shrine
Before we started in on our homemade shrines, we gathered up all the supplies and I did the (very little) prepwork. Once everything was gathered, we laid out our big drop cloth and got to work! Here is a list of supplies we used:
Supplies
- Old cereal box or thin cardboard
- Homemade Shrine Template
- Macaroni noodles or other dry pasta
- Elmer’s glue
- gold craft paint & brushes
- gold glitter
- sacred images (I just printed ours off at home)
Prepwork
There was very little prepwork for this project! Because cardboard is tricky to cut and my kids are a bit younger, I measured and cut out the template on my own. To make this easier for you, I have included a free template for you. Click here to download it!
In total, it took us a few days to complete this project due to drying time, but the timeline can be what fits in your schedule.
Creating your Homemade Shrine
Next is the fun part! The kids can take over and get as creative as they’d like! My kids used Elmer’s glue to glue down their macaroni pasta exactly how they wanted it. We then let it sit to dry overnight.
Once the glue was dry, we set to work painting! We used a metallic gold craft paint and a few different sized brushes so we could get in all of the nooks and crannies the noodles created. Again, we let them sit overnight to dry.
*Drying time could be quicker but my little guys have a bit of a heavy hand when it comes to glue and paint so the thicker areas needed more time to dry.
The next step was probably the messiest but made for a beautiful finishing touch…glitter! I had the children paint on more Elmer’s glue in the areas they wanted glitter. I helped them sprinkle the glitter and we let them dry overnight again.
Check out more of our fun homeschooling activities here!
Finally, I printed off an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Crucifixion and let them choose which spoke to them for their shrine. My boys chose Jesus, and my daughter chose Mary. You could definitely choose any sacred image, including saints!
I trimmed up the images and taped them to the back of their shrines using packing tape. The opening for the shrine should be approximately 4×6.
Displaying your Shrine
The most exciting part for our kids was choosing where they wanted to hang their shrines. Each of them chose to display their shrine in their rooms. Our boys hung their homemade shrine so it would be in their line of sight while they lay in bed at night. My daughter hung hers above her bed. You could display these sweet homemade Catholic shrines anywhere in your home or even give them as gifts!
I hope you enjoy this fun craft as much as we did. In Christ, Kristy
