Esther Blacklight Story

Esther

One way to tell a story is by using blacklight.  A super easy way to make a blacklight story is to simply cut out pieces using flourescent paper. I used flourescent poster board so the pieces would be sturdier.  You can use copy weight paper and glue it onto black paper for a similar result. (I like to test my paper under the blacklight before cutting out my pieces as I have found some papers react to the blacklight differently than I thought they would.)

I cut out these pieces using patterns from a book entitled Shadows of Imaginality by Beverly Scott and Jana Smith.  (The book is no longer in print so they graciously gave me permission to put the patterns on the blog.  A huge THANK YOU goes out to them as I use these patterns for many things!)

I enlarged the patterns for the people to make them larger.  I did not have a table pattern so just free-handed a table with items on it. 

The children love the fact they they can move them and tell the retell the story using these pieces and a blacklight.  The people can be flipped over to be facing a different direction too.

Use these patterns for the scene.

Another option for this story is to print out the patterns as they are.  Cut around them.  Place the black pieces on an overhead projector and have the life size images showing on the wall.

Adam and Eve Craft

Adam and Eve

Genesis 2

For this craft, we purchased these die cut people purchased at a teacher's supply store such as Mardel's; though you could easily find a gingerbread man type of pattern on the internet.  The kids cut Eve's clothes out of animal print tissue paper and glued them on using a glue stick.  For Adam's clothes, they used a leaf stamp. When they were finished, the children drew hair or glued yarn hair on each one (not pictured here).

Moses Climbs Mt. Sinai

Moses Climbs Mt. Sinai

Exodus 19 - 20

Moses gets to climb Mt. Sinai (with the help of a few strings).  Watch the video to see the full effect.

Instructions:

1. Print and cut out the Moses in color or in black and white.  Then Ten Commandments are not connected.  This is on purpose so that when you begin telling the story (when Moses is at the bottom of the mountain), he does not have the Ten Commandments. When he reaches the top, tape the Ten Commandments onto his hands and help him "climb" down.
2. Cut two pieces of a straw about 2 inches long.
3. Tape the straw to the back of Moses at a slant.  Make sure the widest part of the slant is at the bottom. See picture below.

1. Cut two pieces of string around 22 inches long.
2. Slide one piece of string through one straw.
3. Tie a bead on the end of the string so it won't go back through the straw.
4. Repeat those steps for the other string.
5. Tie the other end of the strings to a popsicle type stick that has grooves in it so it won't slide on the stick.  (See picture below.  These sticks were found at Hobby Lobby.)

1. Cut another piece of string about 12 inches long. 
2. Tie it around the center of the stick but tie the string in one large loop like a necklace or bracelet.  Since there is no groove on the stick to hold it in place, tape it in place.
3. This string can be hung on a doorknob and Moses can climb there (without the mountain).  This is what I do when I allow the children to make one of these to take home.  They don't make a mountain.
4. To make Moses climb, pull on each string alternately like in the video.  
5. To let Moses come back down from Mt. Sinai, just let the natural weight of Moses slide down the string by letting the string go.

The Moses pattern was made with clip art from the book Bible Story Clip and Copy Patterns by Corbin Hillam.  This is one of my favorite books to use as patterns for many, many things!  This precious book is no longer in print, so Mr. Hillam has graciously allowed me to give you the pattern for free.  He has produced a CD with the art from this book.  The drawings are fantastic!  If you would like to purchase a CD for $15, you can contact him at corbinhillam@yahoo.com.  It is well worth the money!  Other items by him can be seen at www.corbinhillamdesign.weebly.com.

Cake Decorations as King's Palace

We used cake decorating steps and cake decorating pedestals to make a storytelling prop for telling stories that include king's or queens.  This could be used for the story of Esther, Hezekiah's Illness, or many other stories with kings and queens.

Aaron's' Staff Turns to Snake Storytelling

Aaron's Staff Turns to a Snake

Exodus 7:8-13

I found these large plastic snakes in the toy section of Dollar Tree.  (I found some similar ones that are much, much smaller in the birthday party favor section.) When telling the story, I give each of the children one of the small ones.  They hold it so that you can only see the blank yellow side.  This is the "staff" or "rod".  

I use the larger snake. Actually, I purchased two of them, disconnected the head from one of them, and joined the two snakes to make one really long one. I hold the head in my hand and let the rest fall straight down by my side showing the blank side.  This is Aaron's rod.

When I throw down my "rod", I make sure to turn it so that it falls with the snake skin showing.  My rod turned into a snake.

Then Pharoah's magicians did the same thing.  So the children toss theirs down and all of theirs become snakes as well. 

I let the children take the little snakes home so they can retell the story.

Jesus Heals the Ten Lepers Shadow Story

Jesus Heals the Ten Lepers

Luke 17:11-19

This story is told using an overhead projector.  

1. Print the pattern pieces.
2. Cut out the people.  Print six of the people standing in a group with their arms down.
3. Using a hole punch, punch leprosy dots out of four of those pictures of people standing in a group with their arms down.
4. Turn the overhead projector on and show only the pieces listed above when telling the story.
5. Pulling the overhead projector backwards makes the people look more life- size if you want.  

Click on the top picture to print out the instruction page.

Special thanks to Beverly Scott for permission to share the Shadows of Imaginality patterns!

What is a Miracle?

My friend, June Hill, was attempting to explain to her students what a miracle is.  In an effort to demonstrate a miracle, she performed this magic trick.  At the end, she explained that what she had done was a simple magic trick. She showed them how she had done it.

She told them that miracles may look like magic tricks because they are surprising, but they are not magic tricks.  Instead, miracles are surprising events that take place due to supernatural powers from God.  She went on to teach a series of lessons on the miracles of Jesus.

The first thing she did was put a penny in the middle of a blank sheet of white paper.

Then she got a clear drinking glass and a rolled up a black piece of construction paper (that had been taped to stay rolled up).

She put the rolled up construction paper over the drinking glass.

Then she picked up the glass (with the paper still on it) and placed it on top of the penny.

When she took the piece of black paper off the drinking glass, the penny had disappeared!

The trick to this illusion is that she had attached a piece of white paper to the bottom of the drinking glass before she set the drinking glass on the larger rectangle piece of paper.  When the glass was set on the larger white paper, no one could see the white paper attached to the drinking glass.  Placing the black paper over the glass helped keep the children from seeing the white paper on the bottom of the glass when she moved it and placed it on top of the penny.