Solomon Builds the Temple

This past Sunday, our Pre-School classroom listened to the story of how King Solomon built the Temple. Inspired by today's rain and most children's love of building, I thought I'd share an indoor activity today. 

The next time you and your little one are building with blocks, why not try making different church buildings. As you work, you can talk about how church buildings can be very different from one another. Share with your little one that Solomon prayed to God, and God told Solomon how to build the Temple. You could even try to build what you imagine the Temple looked like, including the two very important rooms: the "inner holy place" with an altar, and the "most holy place" which contained the ark of the covenant.

BIG & little

Throughout October, our toddlers have been learning the story of David and Goliath. Part of the lesson yesterday in our Sunday School class was a sorting game. The poster pictured Goliath on one side, and David on the other. The objective was to sort the picture cards of small things onto David's side, and pictures of very large things onto Goliath's side. 
Today I'd like to share an even more active game for playtime. You will need two tubs, baskets, boxes... some sort of container. One should be much larger than the other. You will also need some toys and stuffed animals, or pictures printed onto cardstock. Young children are pretty concrete thinkers, so if you are using printed pictures, try to print them so that naturally large items print larger on the page than naturally small items.

Ask your kiddo to sort the large items into the large tub, and the small items into the small tub. It might be easier to hold up the two items you are comparing at the same time. For example, hold up a large firetruck and a small car while asking which one is a giant like Goliath, and which toy is small like David. 
As your little one cleans up, remind him/ her that even though David was little, he knew God would help him defeat the giant Goliath.

a bag of prayers

Have you ever found something that's just so neat, you want to share it with everyone? I discovered a book called Paper Bag Prayers by Bernadette McCarver Snyder. In the book she explains how she used to put small, everyday items into a paper bag to help children learn that they can talk to God about anything, anytime. I have enjoyed reading the book so much, and it has helped me to spend some of my "idle" moments focusing on God in my daily life. It's been interesting to see the prayer path that one simple item can inspire. I am putting together a paper bag to keep in the minivan for some of those waiting times with my littles.

I think my favorite part about the concept behind Paper Bag Prayers, is that there is no age limit. It's a great exercise for anyone! I prepared these bags for our staff meeting this week, and I hope that everyone finds the challenge as wonderful as I did. 

Dear Lord - 
Thank you for everything you've given us, even the little things. We are humbled by everything you've created, and we thank you for giving us the curiosity and knowledge to create our own trinkets, toys, and devices. Please help us to use that curiosity and knowledge for good, and to help spread your word.     Amen

a Prayer Walk

So yesterday was Columbus Day, which for my darlings meant a day off from school. I brought them with me to work for about as long as two active boys can entertain themselves "quietly." Then we enjoyed a late lunch with family. After that I really needed to go grocery shopping, but walking to the park for an impromptu playtime was much more appealing. (Hmmmm... dragging them through the store while they ask for everything... OR... trying to touch the clouds with our toes by swinging as high as we can... tough decision!) 
For our walk home, we tried a Prayer Walk, and it was a wonderful experience! In addition to the bug-studying, stick-finding, and flower-picking, we stopped on the sidewalk in front of each house we passed on our street, held hands, and said a short prayer for each neighbor. We started with "repeat-after-me," and then after 2 or 3 houses, they were able to say the prayer along with me. 

Now, I didn't have any milk, so we couldn't have cereal this morning... and while I'd decided to serve toast instead, we didn't have any bread either. So... toaster pastries for breakfast, a sandwich on a burger bun for lunch... it's all ok. This ended up being a great way to add more prayer time as a family, and an excellent way for active children to pray. I encourage you to give it a try with your little ones!

Fall Family Festival

S'mores??? Count me in!!   ;)  
You KNOW you want to come... bring your friends, kids, co-workers, and neighbors too! 

God loves me

Here's a simple song we are learning in our Nursery room... you remember the tune to The Farmer in the Dell, don't you? 

To keep your child's interest as you repeat the verse, clap your hands to the beat as you sing it the first time, then dance in a circle the second time through, sing very softly the third time, etc. Have fun!!

Psalm 23:6

Wow... it's October already! And that means we will be working on a new Bible verse. 

We will be listening to several Bible stories and working on a variety of activities, all to teach the littles that God's love is with them every day.