Jesus Was Born: Luke 2:1-20

Christmas storybook

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Daniel 3

Daniel and His Friends Obeyed God: Daniel 1

Ezekiel Told About a Future Hope: Ezekiel 37

Jeremiah Prophesied a New Covenant: Jeremiah 17:1-10, 31:31-34

Joel, Prophet to Judah: Joel 1-3

Jonah, Prophet to Ninevah: Jonah 1-4

Isaiah Preached About the Messiah: Isaiah 53

God Called Isaiah: Isaiah 6

Elisha and Naaman: 2 Kings 5

Elijah Ran from Jezebel: 1 Kings 19

Elijah Confronted Evil Ahab: 1 Kings 18

Praises of God's People: Psalm 1, 100, 110

Solomon Thought About Life: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Solomon Built the Temple: 1 Kings 6-8

Wisdom for God's People: Proverbs 1:1-7, 3:1-12, 4:10-19

Solomon Asked for Wisdom: 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12, 3:1-15

God Made a Covenant with David: 2 Samuel 7

David and Jonathan Became Friends: 1 Samuel 18:1-12, 19:1-10, 20:1-42

Israel Demanded a King: 1 Samuel 8-10

Eli and Boy Samuel: 1 Samuel 1-3

Craft: "Samuel grew" book

Just as Samuel grew in the grace and knowledge of God, so should we!

Supplies: cardstock, felt, yarn, rubber cement, hole punch, scissors, Sharpie

Template: 

Draw three coat outlines on a 9- by 12-inch sheet of cardstock.  Draw a line that divides the cardstock in half horizontally.  Cut out the coats.  Above the smallest coat, write "Samuel grew"; around the middle coat, write "and the Lord was with him."  On the other side of the sheet of cardstock, write "1 Samuel 3:19" above the largest coat.  Cut a 4-1/4 x 4-1/2- inch square of patterned felt.

Direct the children to cut the sheet of cardstock down the line dividing it in half.  Fold each piece in half vertically to make four "pages" and slide the bottom folded half inside the top folded half.  On the last page, instruct the children to paste the felt square.  The felt should be visible through each of the coat outlines on the first three pages, and the coats grow larger as the pages turn.  Punch six holes on the left side of the booklet, and let the children lace them with yarn to hold the book together; tie the yarn on the back side.

Ruth and Boaz: Ruth 1-4

Craft: paper-and-grain stand-up Ruth

God provided for Ruth, even though she was an outsider to his people.

Supplies: cardstock, scissors, tape, glue dots, dried grain

Template:

Print the template on cardstock.

Instruct the children to cut out the pieces.  Affix the cone with rubber cement, glue, and/or tape; then use glue dots to attach the head and arms.  Cut a stalk of dried grain and tape it to the inside of Ruth's encircling arms.

Samson: Judges 13-16

Craft: edible barbell

Samson ate some strange things -- honey from a dead lion? -- but the source of his strength was God.

Supplies: pretzel rods, Fudge Stripe cookies, Gummi Savers

Give each child one pretzel rod, four cookies, and four gummi candies.  Instruct them gently to stretch two of the gummi candies and slide them on the ends of the pretzel rod.  Follow them with two cookies on each side (turn them side to side as you slide them on rather than pressing them on straight, or they will break) and two more Gummi Savers to hold the "weights" on the bar.

Deborah and Barak: Judges 4-5

Craft: tambourine

Deborah praised God in song for giving Israel the victory!

Supplies: small coated paper plates, plastic lace, jingle bells, tiny seashells, hole punch, glue dots

Punch holes evenly around the edges of two plates.  

Give each child two plates, a few tiny seashells, a length of plastic length and four jingle bells. Instruct them to place the seashells inside one plate, then invert the other plate over it so the holes match up.  Use glue dots to secure.  Direct the children to lace the edges closed with the plastic lace, stringing on jingle bells if desired.

The First Judges: Judges 3:7-31

Craft: Ehud's dagger

God chose people for the special job of rescuing Israel!

Supplies: paper towel tube, foil, craft foam, glue dots, duct tape, scissors, tape

Cut an 8-1/4 by 2-1/2 inch rectangle from craft foam.  Trace a circle the same diameter as the paper towel tube on either end, and cut out.

Instruct the children to flatten one end of the cardboard tube.  Tape it with duct tape to keep it flat, then cut it into a point.  Tape a sheet of foil vertically to the tube, leaving space on the unflattened end uncovered, and wrap it around.  Fold down the foil over the point and secure with glue dots.  Direct the children to slide the unwrapped end of the tube through both circles in the craft foam to make the handle.

Joshua's Final Encouragement: Joshua 23:1-24:28

Craft: Me and My House drawing

We must all choose every day whom we will serve!

Supplies: print-out of picture, crayons

Instruct the kids to decorate the picture, drawing themselves and those who live in their home.

Achan's Sin and the Defeat of Ai: Joshua 7-8

Craft: Achan's tent

We can't hide our sin from God!

Supplies: construction paper, wash cloth, sandpaper, patterned felt, foil, gold craft foam, mounting tape, glue, Sharpie, hole punch

Write the Bible verse on the top of the construction paper.  Cut the wash cloth in half diagonally; then make a slit from the cut side to the opposite corner to make the tent flaps.  Cut a rectangle from sandpaper and a strip of mounting tape.  Cut a small robe shape from the patterned felt and a rectangle from the craft foam, and use the hole punch several times on aluminum foil to make silver circles.

Instruct the children to place the mounting tape on their construction paper.  Next to it they should glue the silver circles and the craft foam bar.  Then, direct them to put glue only on the neck of the robe and place it so it covers the foil circles and can be lifted up from the hem to reveal them.  Stick the sandpaper rectangle to the mounting tape to cover everything else.

Next, instruct the children to put glue along the finished edges of the washcloth and glue it over everything else as the tent.  To find the stolen goods Achan hid, open the tent flaps and look under the sand.

The Promised Land and Jericho: Joshua 2-4; 6

Craft: ram's horn trumpet

God caused the walls of Jericho to collapse when the priests blew their trumpets!

Supplies: party horn, toilet paper tubes, masking tape, scissors

Remove any tinsel or cardboard from the party horn so only the noisemaker remains.  

Give each child a noisemaker and three toilet paper tubes.  Instruct them to cut one vertically.  Wrap one end of the cut cardboard tube tightly around the end of the noisemaker, and let the other end be wider; secure with masking tape.  Crumple one end of the second cardboard tube, and insert the crumpled end into the wide end of the first tube, so that the trumpet curves upward; secure with masking tape.  Repeat with the third cardboard tube, and secure with masking tape; then wrap the whole horn with masking tape.

Jesus's Crucifixion and Resurrection: Matthew 26:36-28:10; John 18:1-20:18

Craft: Calvary stand-up

Supplies: paper plate, cardstock, crayons, foam cross stickers, Sharpie, tape

Trace a circle on orange or yellow cardstock the same size as the center of the paper plate, and cut it out.

Measure a straight line inches from the edge of the plate and cut in in two pieces.  Write "He is risen!" in Sharpie across the top of the larger of the two pieces.

Have the children color the back of the smaller piece brown, green, black, etc. to be the hill.  Have them color the edge of the larger piece yellow, orange, or pink to be the sun's first morning rays.

Tape the cardstock circle to the center of the larger piece of plate.  Fold the extra circle back to help the craft stand up.  Tape the hill across the front of the larger piece of plate; the large piece should be concave and the small one convex to help the craft stand.

Have the children stick three foam cross stickers to the top of the hill in front of the rising sun.

Jesus's Triumphal Entry: Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19

The Bronze Snake: Numbers 20:1-20; 21:4-9

Craft: bronze snake

God in His mercy provided a remedy to the consequences of Israel's sin!

Supplies: wooden spoon, rope, floral wire, googly eyes, gold rickrack, gold duct tape, glue dots

Saw the end of the wooden spoon off the handle.  Cut three lengths of rope and one of floral wire.

Direct the children to bundle the three ropes and the floral wire together around the stump of the spoon handle; secure with glue on the handle and tape.  Tape the ropes in the middle and at the other end; then wrap the snake from head to tail in gold duct tape.  Stick the eyes on the back of the spoon and secure a length of rickrack from the underside to serve as the snake's tongue.

The wire makes the snake "poseable."

God Reminded His People of His Covenant: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; 8:1-11:1, 26-27

Worship Only God: Deuteronomy 1, 3:23-4:40

God Gave Rules for Sacrifice: Leviticus 1-27

The Tabernacle Was Built: Exodus 35:4-40:38

The Ten Commandments -- Love Others: Exodus 20:12-17

The Ten Commandments -- Love God: Exodus 19:1-20:11, 31:18

The Golden Calf: Exodus 32:1-35, 34:1-9