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This thread is for posting Miscellaneous resources and lesson ideas for teaching "about" the Bible.

If your idea or resource is a better fit for one of the workshop topics in this forum, please post it there.

Last edited by Neil MacQueen
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Storytelling/Art (Younger children)

Link Dead - Jean's story seems to have disappeared completely off the internet so I've added it below as it's too good to be lost.

It notes the first idea comes from a 1984 issue of Bible Teacher's Mailbox Swapshop

About a caterpillar and the different colours of his body to represent the entire Old Testament.

Next is a story called "The Book Worm" by Jean Taylor of Searcy, Ark, which you can use with the caterpillar - very nicely done!

THE BOOK WORM

by Jean Taylor of Searcy, Ark

 

Once there was a little worm who didn't like to live in the trees. He tried the grass and flowers, but he didn't like them either.

One day he went into a house, and there he found a book. He liked the book. It was a telephone book, and he was so happy. He read and read. But after a while, he got tired of reading names and numbers.

He found another book. It was one of Daddy's books. It told how to fix cars and dripping faucets. Now that wasn't interesting to Worm because he would never have a car or a faucet.

Worm wiggled over to another book. It was Mother's. It told about how to make a cake, cookies and meatloaf. Worm could just see himself falling into a bowl and being beaten by a mixer. When he read the words "Bake at 350°," Worm almost fainted. He would get baked for sure.

He quickly went to another book. It was Billy's book. It told about "Three Billy Goats Gruff," "Three Bears and Goldilocks," and about "Three Little Pigs." Oh, he was so happy. He read these stories for three days. But on the fourth day, he didn't want to read them anymore. He knew them by heart. He could say them without reading them.

He must find another book. He had noticed that everybody in the family read out of one special book everyday. He decided to read it.

It was a true book about real people named Noah, Moses, David, Goliath, Jesus, Paul, and many, many more. It even told how God made the world. Worm read the book everyday. Sometimes he re-read the stories and found things he had missed. Worm decided this must be the best book of all.

Do you know what book it was? The Bible! He could read it all his life and never learn everything in it. God's Book is the best book of all.


Update: an ART idea we did to go with "The Book Worm" story above.

  1. I found an open book graphic and inserted the text "BIBLE" at top left side of open bible.
  2. Print or copy onto white or beige cardstock (8 1/2 x 11).
  3. On page background have them draw a favorite bible story or stories, really young children you could also use bible story stickers. Standard Publishing has stickers of Jesus' Life.
  4. Someone had given me a box of precut circles in 5 different colours (5 cm diameters), how lucky was I!
  5. Kids created "Book Worm" reading the bible by gluing a head (1 circle) and five body parts onto page.
  6. Each body circle had a letter written on it B I B L E to spell out bible.
  7. Draw on feet, eyes, glasses, antenna, etc. or glue on pipe cleaners, etc. for further effect.
  8. Finished art shows "Book Worm" reading his favourite book the bible!
  9. How elaborate their creations will depend on the age level.

(Older kids adaption - you could have them pick a book of the bible to research, then illustrate a scene from a story from the book they chose.)

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Last edited by Luanne Payne
Thank you for you help. God bless you! The worm story I used years back. I still have the crocheted worm wearing a small baseball hat with a "J" for Jesus on the front.


Jerrie Lynn

Other resources ...


<Posted by rhondab>

Here is a web resources that might be helpful to you.

A pattern to make a Books of the Bible wreath is available at: http://www.dltk-bible.com/mbiblebooks.html


<Posted by Sunday3>

We don't do a strict rotation model, but do use lots of the same principles and lots of ideas from this board. You might be interested in some of the ideas in our series about the Bible, including great graphics on the different types of literature in the Bible, a text icebreaker game, epistemology for 8-yr olds (How do you know what you know?) - with brainteaser illustrations. Take a look at Icebreaker Games

Exchange Volunteer removed links that no longer worked.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

Books

There are a lot of good resources that are out there on this topic. Three off my shelves include:

  • Opening the Bible with Children, by Patricia Griggs
  • Teaching Children Bible Basics by Barbara Bruce
  • Bible Basics:Lessons for Life by Phyllis Wezeman

Any of these resources will give you activities & lessons that can be used in a variety of workshops. I'm sure there are several other resources out there like these with lots of activities.

Kim

Last edited by Rotation.org Lesson Forma-teer

Another good resource is:

  • Learning to Use My Bible Teacher's Guide (Ages 7-10) by Abingdon Press, 2012, #Learning to Use My Bible (Ages 7-10) by Abingdon Press, 2012, #9781426744235. (uses CEB version)

It's an 8 session program for children in 3rd and 4th grades, but has wonderful resources and activities that could be incorporated into a workshop lesson plan. Even comes with a cassette tape (I think, it could be extra) with some good songs. Good stuff. 

Moderator updated (2014) new ISBN and adds additional resources to go with above:

  • Learning to Use My Bible Class Pak (Ages 7-10) by Abingdon Press, 2012, #843504027872 (Uses CEB version).
  • Finding Your Way Through the Bible - A Self-Instruction Book for Elementary Boys & Girls, Abingdon Press, 2012, 9781426744228. (Uses CEB version)
  • Finding Your Way Through the Bible -  Self-Instruction Book for Older Elementary Students, Abingdon Press, 2007, 9780687645473.  (Uses NRSV version)

Note: Uses Common English Version Bible called CEB Deep Kids Blue Bible which comes in different covers.

Last edited by Luanne Payne
quote:
Originally posted by Kim Trimboli:
There are a lot of good resources that are out there on this topic. Three off my shelves include:

Opening the Bible with Children, by Patricia Griggs

Teaching Children Bible Basics by Barbara Bruce

Bible Basics:Lessons for Life by Phyllis Wezeman

Any of these resources will give you activities & lessons that can be used in a variety of workshops. I'm sure there are several other resources out there like these with lots of activities.

Kim


80 Questions

The resources Kim posted are good resources! And I consulted them when I designed my Bongo Loves the Bible software some years ago.

UPDATE: "Bongo" software is now available FOR FREE
to the supporting members of Rotation.org. Learn more!

During that process, I also developed 80 questions "about the Bible" in four levels of difficulty that were designed to be "what every 4th-6th grader SHOULD know about the Bible."

That game also has a "How the Bible Came to Be" game in it, designed with older children and young confirmands in mind. Tooting my own horn here, but it's a subject near and dear to my heart.'

<>< Neil

P.S. 
I've written a four to six week Rotation curriculum "About the Bible" which can include using the Bongo software or not. It's posted here.

Last edited by Neil MacQueen

Bible Bingo

The following site you can make up bingo cards and it prints off as many different bingo cards as you need (see directions below).
Bingo Cards

  • click Here To Begin
  • Choose 5 x 5 Picture Bingo Card
  • Next Step Choose Theme
    • Bible Bingo
  • Next Step Choose Color
    • Black & White (or colour)
  • Next Step Choose Vocabulary
    • Yes! I would like to add some specific vocabulary words
  • Next Step Choose Title
    • Enter your custom title here: BIBLE
  • Next Step Vocabulary
    • Insert a word (BIBLE BOOK NAME) for each box (30 total), any left blank you get the picture.
  • Next Step - Print Bingo Cards
    • Print Call Sheet
    • Print Bingo Card (the bingo card will open in a new window)
  • File Print
  • To print a new card-Right Click outside Card Frame-Select Reload
    It will automatically mix them up. File Print.
  • Repeat until you have enough bingo cards.


I did 30 cards and they were all different. I inserted the cards into clear binder sheets and kept in a binder. This also kept the cards clean.

On the calling board we used checkers to place on the ones we had called. For game pieces the kids used candy (each given there own little dish of candy) that went with whatever story we were doing if I could find something.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

How The Bible Came to Us

We did a rotation unit on "How the Bible Came to Be" two years ago. We relied on a book from David Cook (www.davidccook.com) called HOW THE BIBLE CAME TO US, by Meryl Doney, Lion's Children's Book, 1997, 9780745920986.

The pages about early writing on clay tablets then scrolls then the printing press led to a SCIENCE workshop in which the kids practiced writing a Bible passage with each method.
(How Writing Began Ch 6 & From Clay to Books-Ch 7)
*(Revolutionary Times-Ch 12 - Make Your Own Printing Block)

We turned the pages about the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls into a television news show in our DRAMA/STORYTELLING workshop.
*(God's Secretaries Ch 8)

The kids tried their hand at illumination during the ART Workshop. Monks would illuminate their copies with gold leaf.
*(Monks and Manuscripts Ch 11 - Make Your Own Decorated Psalm)

We used the GAMES Workshop to help the kids understand the difference between the Old and the New Testaments and how to look up stories.

*Moderator added chapter titles and activities from the book being referenced, that the poster may have used.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

Free Printable Bible Timeline Card Game: https://livingwaterbiblegames....bletimelinegame.html

Two version of the card can be printed: Easy and Hard.  The game play is similar to "Uno."

There are two sets of cards in the game: Bible story cards that when drawn get placed in order on the table for all to see, and "action" cards (skip the next player, reverse, etc) to add an element of fun.  The goal is to be the first to run out of cards. The Bible stories are mostly "majors" not obscure stories.

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  • Bible Timeline Game Cards

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