Soap Scoop Chariot

This soap scoop chariot was used to tell the story of Moses and Crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 13:17:22).  This was Pharaoh's chariot. A brown one could be used to tell the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40).  I made one for each of the children to use to retell the story.  I used clothespin people to put inside.

Materials:
Laundry soap scoop
Gold poster board
Two brads
Gold spray paint

Instructions:

1. Spray paint the soap scoop gold.  Let dry.
2. Cut circles out of the poster board.
3. Poke a hole through the wheel and the soap scoop.
4. Insert the brad through the hole and open the ends so it will stick.
5. Add your own people to ride inside!

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Flipchart from Border

I found this border at a local teacher supply place.  It makes a great little flipchart.  I just cut the pieces apart, glued them in groups on different pages, and used my label machine to make the words.  (You could just as easily type up the words, cut them out, and glue them on.)  It's a simple flipchart I use when teaching creation.  I like it because the people are of many different cultures and nationalities.

The same concept could be used if you find a border with animals on it.  You could make a small flipchart about Noah's ark and the animals that went on the ark.



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Parking Your Car

Right before I tell the Bible story, I like to help the youngest children get focused by doing a few activities that I call "Pre-Class" activities.  These are generally the same every week because young children like routine.  This activity is one of their favorites.

This project was made from a shoe box. 

The inside of the shoebox is shown.

(See instructions below.)

 

When we are using this, I have a plastic bag full of small metal cars.  I let each child pick out a car they will drive to the church building that day. 

When each child has a car, we sing some songs such as the following:

The wheels on the car go round and round

Round and round, round and round

The wheels on the car go round and round

On the way to Bible class.

We sing many verses such as

The horn on the car goes beep, beep, beep...

The lights on the car go blink, blink, blink...

The people in the car go up and down...

The wipers on the car go swish, swish, swish,

and much more.

While we sing, the children "drive" their cars on the table.

After singing a few songs like that, each child is asked to "park" his/her car in the church parking lot so we can go in and learn about God.  Each child drives their car into a parking space, we put it away, and begin telling our Bible story for the day.  This is great for setting the mood!

Instructions for making the project:
1. Get any shoe box that has the lid attached.
2.  Open the shoe box and cut the edges off the lid but keep the lid attached.  See picture below.

3.  Turn the box around to where the open flap is sitting on the table like the top picture above (that has the cars on it). 
4.  Get scrapbook paper that looks like the outside of your church building.  The church building where I worship has bricks so I chose bricks. 
5.  Laminating the scrapbook paper will make your project last longer.
6.  Cover the outside of the shoe box with the scrapbook paper. I hotglued mine.
7.  Take a good picture of the outside of your church building.  Print in large enough to take up as much space inside the shoebox as possible.  (See 1st photo above.)  Laminate if possible.  Cover the empty space around the photo with leftover brick scrapbook paper.
8.  For the parking lot, I found a clipart that looked like a parking lot, blew it up printed out two pages, laminated them, and taped them together.  I typically just set the parking lot page on the lid of the shoe box while using it without attaching it.  I found it easier to store that way. (I store the bag of metal cars in the box as well.)
9.  Purchase some metal cars. 
10.  Enjoy!

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Plexiglass Picture Frame Storytelling

This is a fun and creative way to tell a Bible story.  The story I was telling when I used this was the story about Jesus pulling the tax money from the fish.  Matthew 17:24-27

1.  Get a plexiglass picture fame (8 1/2 x 11 or larger).  I just happened to have this 11 x 14 one in the garage.
2.  Find a very simple coloring page that illustrates part of the story you are telling.  I found a picture of a hand holding a fish for this story.
3.  Trace that picture lightly with a pencil onto a white piece of printer paper.

This is a picture of the pencil drawing on the back of the page and the back of the photo frame.

4. Set that paper in the frame with the white page facing where you would normally see a photo. The picture you traced should be seen on the back only. (You can barely see the outline of mine except the tail of the fish which I will explain in a moment.) I had a small white mat that I added to the paper to tape my picture to so it would stay in place but you could just tape the top and the bottom to the frame as it is.

This is a picture of what you are drawing on the back while telling the story.

5.  Turn the frame so that the children only see the white side of the page.  As you tell the story, use a heavy, dark marker and trace over the outlines you have on the back of the page.  Hold it so that you can see the pencil lines but the children can't.  They should only see the white page. 

This is a picture of what the children are seeing.

6.  As you are drawing, the dark lines you are drawing begin to show up on the side that the children can see.  It's as if the picture is magically appearing.  Draw slowly while you are telling the story.  By the time the story is finished, the picture should be finished as well. Pin It

Ten Plagues

Ten Plagues

Exodus 7-12

I found this large bag of flies at one of those stores where all items cost $1.  When telling the story of the Ten Plagues, I put the plastic flies on the plate of snacks.  When it became snack time, I went to get the snacks and was dramatically grossed out and showed the children what happened! They were horrified at the sight.  We discussed how the Egyptians felt about the flies everywhere.  Then we pulled out another plate of snacks to eat without the flies all over it.  The first thing they told their parents when the parents picked them up was about the flies all over their food!  Made an impression on them.

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Pharaoh from Party Blower

Pharoah

Exodus

This is a fun and easy way to make a Pharaoh.  Just let the kids draw a face on it with a marker.  When Pharaoh gets mad at Moses and "blows his top," have the children yell "No, I will not let your people go!" and blow on the party blower.

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Jesus Changes Water to Wine

Jesus Changes Water to Wine

John 2:1-11

I found these neat color changing cups.  They come in white, blue, and orange at the place I saw them.  The neat thing about these cups is that they change colors with a change in temperature.  For example, the cup is white but when you add ice cold water, the cup changes to red. (Blue changes to purple and orange changes to red.)  If you pour the water out, the cup returns to room temperature and turns white again.  You can use this cup over and over!

When telling this Bible story, I show them that I have a container of plain water (must be very cold - you could have ice in it to keept it cold) and that there is nothing in the cup.  In the part of the story where Jesus turns the water to wine, I pour the ice cold water into the cup and the cup immediately begins to turn red.  The kids are amazed!  They always ask, "How did you do that?"  I never tell them the secret because they may have siblings who come to my class the next year.  I want to keep it a surprise for them as well.

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