LDS Craft: Sugar Cube Temple

Looking for a fun LDS craft to do with your class or family? How about making a Temple or other fun LDS creation out of sugar cubes?

One year, for our ward's Christmas party, I made a model of the Salt Lake Temple out of sugar cubes. I put a strand of white Christmas lights inside to make it light up in the dark. Here are some enlarged pictures of the one I made:

• Sugar Cube Temple
• Lit Sugar Cube Temple

Items Needed:

• Sugar cubes (enough for your project)
• Hot glue gun with glue (adult supervision required!) NOTE: If you want your temple to be edible you can substitute the hot glue for icing.
• Graph paper (or make your own)
• Piece of cardboard (cut to the size of your project)
• Tin foil (optional)
• White Poster Board (optional)

Directions: Using the graph paper design your temple or project. Each square in the graph paper equals one sugar cube! Once you have your design worked out on paper you can begin to put it together on your piece of card board, which you can cover with tin foil if desired. Heat up your glue gun. When ready start with the base of your project. Put a drop of glue onto your first sugar cube and stick it to the piece of cardboard. Next put glue onto TWO sides of your second sugar cube, stick one side to the first cube, the other to the cardboard. Continue until your project is finished!

Notes:

• Make sure your piece of card board is larger than you sheet of graph paper as the squares on the paper will be smaller than the actual sugar cubes.
• Using the hot glue works great as it slightly melts the sugar and quickly solidifies, making your project sturdy.
• If you are adding lights to your project you will need to add them before you close off the areas you want to light up. Oh, and make sure you leave a small opening for the cord, which you will have to put through the opening BEFORE you surround it with sugar cubes or you'll have to undo some of your work which is almost impossible.
• For my temple I only made the surrounding walls and the six towers, the rest was hollow. I covered the top with a piece of white poster board that was glued into place.
• The angel Moroni was made from salt dough, but unfortunately he was too heavy and kept falling off. I would recommend using a lighter substance, such as Model Magic for your added decorations.
• If you're worried about keeping your project even on the card board you can either draw lines for a guide, or put the project together without gluing it to the cardboard until you're finished.

Update: I'm not the only one who's made a temple out of sugar cubes! The Nov. 2004 Friend has a small blurb under the "Friends in the News" section where one primary in Connecticut put together a sugar cube model of the Nauvoo Temple. There's a small picture of the temple as well.