When I was a kid I loved making God's eyes or Ojos de Dios. They are easy and quick to make and I find the repetitive motion soothing. I also liked that when we made them at school, I felt like a part of my Mexican culture was being celebrated. Ojo de Dios is an ancient spiritual symbol made by the Huichol peoples of western Mexico. In its simplest form, it is a weaving made with yarn of several colors and wood. The four points symbolize earth, fire, air and water. They are created as a celebration or a blessing, they symbolize a spiritual eye that is able to see and understand what a human eye cannot.
This is a great craft that you can make with your kids especially around Cinco de Mayo as it provides an excellent opportunity to talk about Mexican culture. Even if you've never made an Ojo de Dios before, I promise you, you'll be able to make one quite easily with the following instructions.
Read more ¿Qué más?: 8 Crafts to make your kids proud of their Latino heritage
Supplies
- two wooden sticks
- yarn in different colors
- scissors
- glue
Instructions
Glue the two wooden sticks together in the shape of a cross and let the glue dry.
With your first color of yarn create an "x" with the yarn around the intersection of the sticks. Go around in one direction once and then wrap it three times around in the other direction.
Continue in a counter clock-wise direction by wrapping the yarn all the way around one stick then continuing on to the next stick and wrapping it all the way around and so on and so forth. Do this to create as many rows as you would like.
To switch colors tie a new color of yarn onto the yarn that you are working with and then continue the process with the new color. Do not cut off the old yard until you have done a few rows and are sure the knot between the yarns is secure. You can switch colors as often as you like.
When done you can secure with a knot.
If you are more of a visually inclined person. Here is a simple video that will show you how to make a lovely Ojo de Dios:
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