We are focusing on MEMORIZING important BIBLE Facts. That being said, we needed a way to TRACK our KIDDOS progress. So, we decided on a BADGE EARNING SYSTEM. Each time the KIDDOS can RECITE the ASSIGNED MEMORY WORK, they will earn a BADGE to attach to their "BIBLE BOOKMARK." We titled our board, "WE KNOW THESE FASCINATING BIBLE FACTS!" We have BIBLE FACT CHARTS that the KIDDOS will use to help facilitate their MEMORIZING of the assigned FACTS. (These charts come from Hands On Bible Teacher and are available for purchase.) Each of our students has a "BIBLE" on the Bulletin Board with a VERY LONG Bible Book Mark. This is where the KIDDOS will place their "BADGES." We simply staple them to the ribbon. As you can see, the KIDDOS have already begun EARNING their BADGES. The KIDDOS have a LOT of MEMORIZING to do this year. There are so many IMPORTANT Bible Facts for them to memorize. The KIDDOS BADGES are just a little smaller than the BADGE seen on the board under the "EARN YOUR BIBLE KNOWLEDGE BADGE" banner. The KIDDOS are very excited about EARNING their BADGES. By the way, each time they earn a BADGE, I give them a STICKER to wear that reads, "I EARNED A BADGE IN BIBLE CLASS." This has encouraged others to ask the KIDDOS how they earn their BADGE. So, that gives the KIDDOS an opportunity to share what they have memorized!! Blessings, Ronda

I am a bit behind on the website....so, I am attempting to play catch up. Here is what we did recently. We are continuing to EXPLORE B...

We are moving forward with our EXPLORING BIBLE HISTORY. Are next lesson is about Joel prophesying in the land of Judah. I am sure you know the history to this lesson. There was a terrible PLAGUE of LOCUST in the Land of Judah. Joel told the people of JUDAH that the PLAGUE was NO ACCIDENT. They had NOT been obeying GOD and they were suffering for their disobedience. So much for the KIDDOS to learn...both the HISTORY and the APPLICATION. We MUST obey GOD!!! The KIDDOS will have three new WORDS for the WORD WALL. I want to make sure they UNDERSTAND what all three of these words mean.....So, I will explain the words and then have them HELP me use them in a sentence. We have a NEW CARD to add to our "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN" timeline. This is our MEMORY VERSE for this week. This verse comes directly from the text our lesson comes from. We will 'sing' this memory verse several times before class time is over. (BELOW is a video highlighting our TAKE HOME project. The MEMORY VERSE is being sung in the video.) I decided the best VISUAL would be to have a "SWARM of LOCUST" in our classroom. I printed SEVERAL clip art Locust/Grasshoppers and cut them out. Then set them up all over the floor of the classroom. (Leaving enough room for the KIDDOS to be able to carefully navigate through the locust...when they come into the classroom.) The KIDDOS have a new song to learn!!! I was blessed to write this song during our trip to Florida this past February. I sang it SEVERAL times in the car. Matter-Of-Fact, I sang it so many times, my husband was able to sing it. :-) If you follow this LINK you will be able to hear how this song goes. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201402483249792&set=vb.315861918469916&type=2&theater I decided that the KIDDOS would make a "LOCUST" for their TAKE HOME project. I printed the MEMORY VERSE on the wing. That way not only is a Locust, but a Locust with a purpose. I think it turned out cute. I have them all "put together"---except the heads and eyes. The KIDDOS will glue the head and eyes on during class time. If time permits the KIDDOS will be allowed to color their Locust, too. Then the KIDDOS will glue their "LOCUST" to a PAINT PADDLE. Adding it to the paint paddle turns it into a type of PUPPET. ---I will have the KIDDOS sing their Memory Verse while moving their "LOCUST" around!! Below is a video of the LOCUST moving about as I sang the Memory Verse. Our REVIEW GAME is called "LEAPING LOCUST!!" This game will be played by the KIDDOS rolling a die, pulling a question card, if they answer the question correctly they get to MOVE their "LOCUST" ahead the number of spaces that they rolled. If the LOCUST lands on a plant...they miss a turn. After all the LOCUST love to eat plants. The object of the game is to move the LOCUST from the start line down to the growing CROPS!!! (BTW, I made the LOCUST GAME pieces from CLIP ART, Binder Clips --with the silver parts removed and Avery Color Dot Stickers.) EASY to assemble. Next week we will review this lesson. The KIDDOS will add this project to their EXPLORER JOURNAL. The KIDDOS will COLOR the "CROPS" and then add LOCUST. I bought the Stickers and LOCUST at the DOLLAR TREE. The stickers were found in the School Supply area. The 3D Locust/Grasshopper came in a package of BUGS. I found them in the toys. I think this is going to be an exciting lesson. I know I am excited about teaching it this Sunday. Blessings, Ronda

I am EXTREMELY excited!!!!!! My excitement stems from the fact that this upcoming Sunday begins my NEW Quarter with the KIDDOS. We are continuing to EXPLORE Bible History. We will be wearing our "Explorer Hats" and singing "We Are Bible Explorers." We do this at the beginning of each NEW Quarter. Since we left off with David and Goliath...we will be picking up with David and Jonathan. I love the story of David and Jonathan because it is truly a story of BEST friends. We learn so much about TRUE friendship when we study the friendship of David and Jonathan. Home Connection Workbook We have a few NEW additions to this Quarter's Material. I have added a "HOME CONNECTION" Workbook. I hope the Workbook will spawn more interaction between the parents and children as they review the lessons that they have learned. I am looking forward to seeing the response to the new Workbook. I will keep you posted on the reaction of both the PARENTS and the Kiddos. Memory Verse Sticker Page The inside of the Home Connection Workbook is fill with Puzzles, Memory Verse Work, Questions, etc. I have also included a Memory Verse Sticker Page....The Kiddos will place a sticker in each square IF they know their Memory Verse. Assigned on 1st Sunday Assigned on 2nd Sunday THIS is this weeks and next weeks Home Connection Workbook Pages. The Kiddos will have from Sunday to Sunday to complete the pages. (I am currently teaching each lesson for 2 weeks.) The first week we introduce the lesson...the second week we will REVIEW the lesson, making sure the KIDDOS really understood what they learned. Now on with what we will be doing during class THIS Sunday. To introduce the lesson on David and Jonathan I am going to ask the KIDDOS if they know what the meaning of the word FRIENDSHIP. We will add the word FRIEND to our WORD-WALL. I will also, ask them if they know what the word JEALOUS means. We will add that word to our WORD-WALL too. We will have several CARDS to add to our Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? WALL. Because, I like to make sure the KIDDOS can answer these questions about our lessons we have a entire WALL of our Classroom dedicated to the Who? What? When? Where? and Why? of each lesson. As we get into the story I will be using these visuals. They were easily made...I used a clip art program, a bit of manipulation of the pictures then printed and laminated them. Because, I wanted them to stand up, I stuck them to these picture easels that I bought at the Dollar Tree. I LOVE having eye catching VISUALS.... We will also be singing the song, "DAVID AND JONATHAN WERE BEST FRIENDS." by: rld. The KIDDOS will be making their OWN Quiver as their TAKE HOME project. These are made from PRINGLES and Yarn. The arrows are made from a variety of colored cardstock. Each arrow has a quality of GOOD FRIENDSHIP on it. The kiddo will color and add the stickers. I know the BOYS are going to be VERY EXCITED about this activity. :) Our Memory Verse is Proverbs 17:17. I thought this was a PERFECT MEMORY VERSE for this lesson. The KIDDOS get a MV card just like this one. They can color the picture and take it home as a reminder of the need to MEMORIZE their Memory Verse. During Class we will sing this to the tune: Frere Jacques. I have added a "NEW" place to our MAP. I added "The Stone of Ezel" which is said to be in a field between Ramah and Nob. I love having a KID friendly map up in our room. Review Game is a BOW and ARROW Game!!! Questions For Our Review Game Target For Our Review Game Our REVIEW game will surly be very exciting!!! The kiddos will get an opportunity to SHOOT an ARROW!!! My plans are for the kiddos to ANSWER one of the question from the lesson (I printed them on ARROWS to go along with the lesson.) after which they will get the opportunity to shoot an arrow at the target! (The bow and arrow are a nerf style product. I purchased it at our local Walmart.) Next Sunday we will be REVIEWING this lesson and doing our EXPLORER JOURNAL Activity!!! The Explorer Journal Activity will consist of a Picture of David and Jonathan....the Kiddos will color it and add a BOW (made out of popcicle sticks) and a small arrow. I LOVE their LOVE of their Explorer Journals. I have had parents tell me that their past Explorer Journals have become some of their FAVORITE books to look through. I love it because it takes all those projects that have a tendency to end up in the floorboard of the car or left behind in the pew and keeps them in a SPECIAL place for the children to TREASURE! We are looking forward to an exciting Quarter. Please keep checking back and see the exciting times we are having during BIBLE CLASS. Blessings, Ronda

Our continuing Exploration through the Life of Jesus Has brought us to the time when Jesus is Preaching the Sermon on the Mount. We did a previous lesson on the Beatitudes, Letting Our Light Shine, The Golden Rule and now we are learning about THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS. . This is always a "fun" lesson to teach KIDDOS. They seem to really understand the point JESUS is making in the story. We added NEW CARDS to our DO You Know? Wall. My Expectation is for the KIDDOS to be able to answer each of these by the end of the lesson. Our VISUAL Aid for this lesson was an easy choice. I used rocks and sand for our foundations and placed a laminated paper house on each. During the lesson, when we got to the part of the storm, I poured water over both houses. As you can see the house on the sand fell. I ended up moving the visuals into a glass casserole dish...that way I could really pour a lot of water all over the houses and not worry about water getting all over the table. I did laminate my houses...so, I can reuse them in the future. It worked out perfectly. We had three new words to add to our WORD WALL. I chose STORM, BUILDER, & FOUNDATION. Those are important words for the KIDDOS to understand for this lesson to make more sense to them. We Added a NEW Card to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN Timeline!! This is the SONG we learned with this lesson. The KIDDOS really enjoyed singing this one. I like that it teaches the message about WHO we need to build our life on!! The song can be heard by clicking the following link. The WISE BUILDER SONG....BY RONDA DUVALL Our MEMORY VERSE was Matthew 7:24! To hear the MEMORY VERSE song click on this link. Matthew 7:24 Memory Verse The Kiddo's made a "HOUSES BUILT ON A ROCK" for their TAKE-HOME project. I was excited for the KIDDOS to get to make this TAKE HOME project. It's a great visual reminder for BUILDING OUR LIFE ON THE LORD!! We want to be WISE BUILDERS! This week our REVIEW Game was a FUN one!! The KIDDOS had a paddle with both a well built house and a crumbling house on it. We would read a circumstance card to the KIDDOS...they would have to choose if the person on the card was building their life on JESUS or not. If the person on the card was building their life on JESUS, they would hold up the strongly built house. If they person was NOT building their life on JESUS, the KIDDOS would hold up the house that was crumbling and falling down. The KIDDOS did REALLY well with this game and enjoyed spinning their houses!! As you know, the second week of the LESSON is when we REVIEW. It gives me opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It also, gives opportunities for the KIDDOS who missed class the first week to "CATCH UP." This is the Week we SAY our MEMORY VERSE from MEMORY and We do an ACTIVITY we add to our EXPLORER JOURNAL. This LESSON'S EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY was simple one...ON one side the page had a ROCK foundation that the KIDDOS added. On the other side the KIDDOS spread glue and added sand. Then the KIDDOS built a good strong house from nicely cut craft stick upon the ROCK and a HOUSE in pieces (I broke several craft sticks to give them the broken down look) upon the sand. The KIDDOS LOVED making this EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY. I am thoroughly enjoying teaching through the Life of Christ. The KIDDOS are learning so much about JESUS our LORD. Blessings, Ronda

I just wanted to share a FUN, and EASY to make Review Game. I figured this would be a great time to share this idea since I saw a bunch of ...

We are moving right along in our study of Genesis. The KIDDOS are enjoying Exploring the Book of Genesis. This week we will be learning about Adam and Eve's SIN and the consequences of their sin. This is our DO YOU KNOW? wall. In my opinion when the KIDDOS can answer these Who? What? When? Where? Where? Why? and How is this important to me? questions then they have a real grasp on the lesson. We have a new card to add to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN timeline. We have a new word for our WORD WALL. I want the KIDDOS to understand the meaning of the word SLY. Since I will be using this word during the story as a description of the serpent. The KIDDOS memory verse is James 4:19. We will sing it to the tune: "Ten Little Indians." The KIDDOS TAKE HOME project is this spiral serpent. They will color it, cut it out, add a tongue and an eye. The KIDDOS Review Game is simple. They will get to PICK a piece of fruit from the tree...and then answer the question. I purchased the fruit at Hobby Lobby a LOOONG time ago. I made the tree by printing out a poster size clipart from Printmaster. I then printed out questions on sticker paper and attached the questions to the various fruits. The fruit is attached to the tree with Velcro dots. Oh, that snake---it is a PET toy and came from Dollar Tree. I have had it for a long time...so, I do not know if they still have them there or not....I will try to check and see if they still have them the next time I am at Dollar Tree. I enjoy having items for the KIDDOS to place in our GOD AWESOME PLAN boxes....This week they will be adding a snake....This way when we REVIEW the book of Genesis---when I get the snake out they will be able to tell me WHAT event the snake represents. Of course, I will teach them that it represent the FALL of ADAM and EVE...The CONSEQUENCES of SIN... and a WARNING of SATAN'S SLYNESS. Next week will be our REVIEW week. The KIDDOS will be doing this activity to add to their EXPLORER JOURNAL. They will color the picture, add the SUN and FLOWER stickers and the SERPENT in the tree. The KIDDOS will get to choose their FLOWERS and the color of their serpent. I hope you can see the 3D flower sticker and sun. I think the KIDDOS will LOVE making these. This is a SAD lesson for me to teach...however, there are so many important LESSONS for the KIDDOS to learn. They must learn to OBEY GOD. They must learn that GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING. They must learn that LYING never solves anything. They must learn that BLAMING others is NOT acceptable. They must learn that SIN has CONSEQUENCES. My prayer is they will learn and apply these concepts. Blessings, Ronda

Our continuing Exploration through the Life of Jesus Has brought us to the time when Jesus performs another miracle. JESUS HEALS THE PARALYZED MAN. We added NEW CARDS to our DO You Know? Wall. My Expectation is for the KIDDOS to be able to answer each of these by the end of the lesson. We had two new words to add to our WORD WALL. I chose PARALYZED and FRIEND. We reviewed the WORD AMAZED!! Those are important words for the KIDDOS to understand for this lesson to make more sense to them. Our VISUAL Aid for this lesson was literally made out of a box. I cannot even remember what was originally in the box....but, I knew I needed to keep it because of the nice "VIEWING WINDOW" it had. I'm always thinking, could I use "THIS" in Bible Class....before I throw thing away. I Just decorated the box with paper I had purchased at Dollar Tree....The box already had the plastic front, which made it great for a "DIORAMA." The people were copied out of a copyable clipart book, that we have owned for a really long time. The KIDDOS really enjoyed my using this DIORAMA while telling the story. This is the SONG we learned with this lesson. This song was fun to sing using the paralyzed man on the mat that we used for our review game...the KIDDOS loved "LETTING HIM DOWN GENTLY" as we sang the song. The song can be heard by clicking the following link. "Through The Roof" song--by Ronda Duvall Our MEMORY VERSE was Mark 2:12! To hear the MEMORY VERSE song click on this link. Memory Verse Song MARK 2:12 We Added a NEW Card to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN Timeline!! The Kiddo's TAKE-HOME project was a Quilt and Paralyzed man with yarn on each corner. The KIDDOS could lay the man on the quilt and lower him down. This weeks REVIEW Game was another Dramatization style game. I would have four KIDDOS answer questions from the lesson....They would then go get a corner of the "mat" and we would lower him down by answering more questions from the lesson. Then we would repeat the process until all the children had a chance to be one of the four friends. As you know, the second week of the LESSON is when we REVIEW. It gives me opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It also, gives opportunities for the KIDDOS who missed class the first week to "CATCH UP." This is the Week we SAY our MEMORY VERSE from MEMORY and We do an ACTIVITY we add to our EXPLORER JOURNAL. This LESSON'S EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY was a variation of something I had seen....I just made it on my computer using clipart I have purchased. The KIDDOS added ropes to the four friends hands and colored their "movie strip." These will be placed in the KIDDOS EXPLORER JOURNAL. The KIDDOS take home their EXPLORER JOURNAL at the end of a TOPIC. So, this one will stay in the classroom until we complete our Lessons on the LIFE OF CHRIST. We are enjoying our continuing Exploration of the LIFE of CHRIST. I am enjoying teaching the LESSONS and I know the KIDDOS are loving learning about our LORD! Blessings, Ronda

We recently had our Lesson about Jacob and his AMAZING dream!! I LOVE this Bible Story!!! Our DO YOU KNOW? Wall was filled with the information that I feel the KIDDOS NEED to know. If they are able to answer these questions I feel they understand the LESSON. Our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN timeline is filling up with the stories about the Patriarchs. We added "BETHEL" to our MAP WALL. We sang "JACOB HAD A DREAM." I love for songs to teach the story. This one reminds the KIDDOS how JACOB was part of GOD'S AWESOME PLAN....JESUS would come through his family!!! Our Memory Verse is Romans 8:31. This is one of those verses that gives KIDDOS comfort and courage. Remember those paper bracelets I bought at the Dollar Tree a few months ago. Well, we are putting them to use!! I write the KIDDOS Memory Verse on them and we place them on their wrist, before they leave the classroom. http://handsonbibleteacher.blogspot.com/2014/12/bible-class-supplies-found-at-dollar.html The KIDDOS made little LADDERS as their TAKE HOME project. Years ago, I was able to buy little ladders at Hobby Lobby...however, when I went looking for them a few moths ago, they no longer carried them. So, I decided to make them. I used dowels (I have a bunch in the resource room) and small popcicle sticks. Glued them together and TA-DA....we have ladders!! To make them stand up, I wrap a rock in Crayola Model Magic Dough. The Kiddos glued on the Angels. The angels were coded to read, "I AM WITH YOU." Genesis 28:15 Our VISUAL served a secondary purpose. It was also, our REVIEW GAME. The KIDDOS loved "PLAYING" this game. They would pick an angel and remove it, answer the question that was written on the back and then hand it to me. Once all the angels were removed and since the angels were going up and down on the ladder, to represent the "going up" we had the KIDDOS answer a different question from the angels and put it back on the ladder!! They LOVED it!!! The following week the KIDDOS made these to add to their Explorer Journal. The ladders are made from long skinny popcicle style craft sticks and short colored craft sticks. The angel stickers are just printed from my computer and ran through my sticker maker machine. The KIDDOS, also, glued on a ROCK for Jacob to sleep on. We had so much fun and excitement with this lesson!!! The KIDDOS really enjoyed it!!! Blessings, Ronda

Do You KNOW? Wall. BULLETIN BOARD We have begun our EXPLORATION of the Patriarchs. I am excited. The KIDDOS are excited, too. They LOVE new adventures!!! The KIDDOS "NEW" Explorer Journals are READY!! These are used to keep their Explorer Journal Activities. The KIDDOS get to take them home at the end of the study. Our "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN" timeline had Abraham and Sarah added to the PATRIARCHAL time period. I went with something very simple for our TABLE TOP Visual. I am using one of the toy tents my hubby bought me...using-toys-to-teach-bible-stories with "Abraham" and a laminated number 3 that highlights the 3 SPECIAL promises that GOD made to Abraham. We will be talking about those 3 SPECIAL promises a LOT!!! :-) NOW, on to the BIG 3D visual!!!! I am so excited to get to use this TENT!!! I bought it several years ago. I LOVE the colors and thought it would be GREAT to use when I taught on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I found the tent on clearance at Target. It is supposed to go on top of a twin bed.... but, I think it is perfect for this lesson!!! Just for fun, I added a blow up palm tree, I purchased it at Dollar Tree several years ago. **The KIDDOS had SO MUCH FUN getting in the TENT as we REVIEWED our lesson. We took pictures of each of the KIDDOS. This is one of the KIDDOS favorite songs to sing....we normally sing this song at the beginning of a NEW Quarter....we put on our EXPLORER HAT and march around the room singing, "WE ARE BIBLE EXPLORERS..." The KIDDOS will be learning several songs about Abraham. I like to start with this one...it is SHORT and easy for the KIDDOS to remember. I LOVE to hear them SING!! This is the KIDDOS Memory Verse...we sang it to the tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb. I will share the KIDDOS NEW Memory Verse Tracking System, soon!!!! The KIDDOS Take Home project is a NUMBER THREE...it highlights the SPECIAL Promises GOD made to Abraham. The KIDDOS colored their 3 attached Abraham with a brad and glued the 3 to a paint paddle. The KIDDOS would hold them up every time I asked, "HOW MANY SPECIAL PROMISES DID GOD MAKE TO ABRAHAM?" Then I would have them tell me the PROMISES!! They did really well. Our REVIEW GAME is a MATCH GAME. I used stars with pictures of various things that went along with the story. We PLAY this as a CLASS REVIEW...the KIDDOS answer a question from the lesson....one KIDDO gets to turn over a set of stars....if they match, we stack them together and leave them laying out on the floor...competition at this age in NOT a great motivator. The KIDDOS Explorer Journal Activity is very simple and is BASED on their Memory Verse. The KIDDOS colored some of the stars, added 3D stars and then glittered some of the stars....BTW, the GLITTERING was their FAVORITE!!! We keep it under control by giving each KIDDO a cookie pan...we then guide them with their GLITTERING SKILLS. :-) We have had a few other changes in the classroom...so, I will share pics. I normally have a star pocket chart under the light switch....but, I want the KIDDOS to work on their CHRONOLOGY of Bible Events in Genesis....so, I decided to hang up our GENESIS VELCRO BOARD....that way if we have a few minutes, waiting on parents to pick up KIDDOS, we can PUT the STORIES in ORDER. There is something about VELCRO the KIDDOS LOVE!!! I decided to move our REVIEW GAME CRATES from under the white board to the area right by the KIDDOS cubbies.... they are "out of the way and yet easy to access....so, for now, that is where they will be staying. I LOVE the "BACK to SCHOOL" time of the year!!! It always seems to inspire me to make changes in my BIBLE CLASS ROOM!!! Blessings, Ronda

This past Sunday we had a new lesson! Our lesson was about KING UZZIAH, also known as Azariah. Uzziah begins his reign at the tender age of 16 years old. He starts out as a good and godly King of Judah. He has wonderful influences in his life. His father Amaziah, was a godly King and Zachariah, the PROPHET were strong influences in his life. Uzziah built up and strengthened the Nation of Judah. His armies were so strong that, other nations paid tribute to King Uzziah. He was know for his military strength. Uzziah was also know for his love for the LAND of Judah. Matter-of-fact, he loved the land so much that he planted crops and vineyards all though out the land of Judah and dug wells for all of his livestock. He was a very successful king. "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN" Card. However, after Zachariah, the prophet died--Uzziah begins to "CHANGE." His FAME, SUCCESSES and FORTUNE goes right to his head. He becomes arrogant and full of PRIDE. HE makes a BIG mistake when he entered the temple and offer incense upon the altar. THIS was WRONG. The priest tried to stop him...but, his PRIDE got in the way....GOD punished him and he was cursed with leprosy. What a sad story. So many lesson for us today. PRIDE is a dangerous thing! I want to make sure the KIDDOS understand the difference between PRIDE and humility. So, we added these "new" words to our WORD WALL! We learned a new song this past Sunday. The KIDDOS loved singing this one. :-) If you want to hear this song you can click this link... Uzziah's PRIDE Song. I love it when the KIDDOS ask to "SING IT AGAIN, Ms Ronda." We have a new Memory Verse for this lesson. We sung this Memory Verse to the tune: "If you're happy and you know it..." Most of the KIDDOS were able to tell me the Memory Verse before Bible Class time was over. Our MAP WALL/REVIEW WALL is beginning to fill up. I love displaying our PAST "EXPLORER JOURNAL" activities and MEMORY VERSES this way. It make it so easy to review past lessons. I wanted something "different" for VISUAL AIDES. So, I decided to go small and magnetic. I used CLIP ART and my own drawings to make these visuals. Printed, Laminated and added Magnetic Tape to the backs...This makes them easy to attach to a COOKIE SHEET. As I told the the story, I placed the PIECES onto the cookie sheet. I used the FRONT of the cookie sheet to display UZZIAH'S successes and then flipped the cookie sheet over to tell the REST of the STORY. The KIDDOS LOVED THIS VISUAL!!!! So, during the REVIEW LESSON, NEXT WEEK, I am going to pass the pieces out and have the KIDDOS place them on the cookie sheet!! The clip art I used came from PRINT MASTER computer program, SELF DRAWN Clip Art and http://www.freechristianillustrations.com/clipart.html. (I am in NO WAY affilated with this clip art company. I do not receive any PERKS, COMPENSATION or FINANCIAL benefits by posting this link. I only post the link as a service to my readers.) Our Interactive Bulletin Board is BURSTING with NEW information for the KIDDOS. We have added MORE SMILING (GODLY) KINGS and a NEW PROPHET! I use this Bulletin Board WEEKLY!!! We refer to PAST KINGS and EXAMINE the CURRENT KING we are learning about. The KIDDOS LOVE seeing the SMILING KINGS placed on the board. We have a NEW PROPHET.....I am amazed by the KIDDOS ability to REMEMBER who the PROPHET prophesied too!! (PLEASE ignore the cords....I was using my HOT GLUE gun and Computer the day I took this pic.) Our "TAKE HOME" activity was super simple to make! I found these "Design Your Own Cups" at Walmart. I bought them during their Valentines Clearance Sale... I got most of them at 75% off. However, I did manage to find a few of them when they dropped to 90% off!!! I love Clearance! I designed the insert on the computer....I made one for Girls and one for Boys. To ADD to the "SPECIALNESS" of this activity, I allowed the KIDDOS to use my MARKERS. (OF COURSE they got the "SPEECH." "Do not draw on yourself, Do not draw on your clothes, Do not draw on the table, Do not draw on each other, Put the caps back on before getting a NEW color.") We had no Marker Catastrophes this week!! The KIDDOS also we given 3D Glittery Heart Stickers to add to their insert. They LOVED this project and were so excited to show them to their parents. Our REVIEW GAME this week is: "PRIDE goes before a FALL." The KIDDOS will PULL down a PIECE of the word PRIDE. I have questions on each piece...if the KIDDOS answer the question correctly they get to PULL IT DOWN....I have found KIDDOS love PULLING OFF items. Next week during our Review Week the KIDDOS will be making a Leprosy covered Uzziah. The KIDDOS will color King Uzziah, add a Censer Sticker (this was made from Print Master clip art.) and then add the "Leprosy." The "Leprosy" is Paper Hole Reinforcers. After the KIDDOS stick on the "Leprosy" they can color the "hole" red or yellow. By the way, the Censer Sticker is 3D. I forgot to take a picture of how the censer seems to POP up off the page. I used FOAMY double sided sticker dots to make these appear to POP off the page. This was a wonderful lesson to EXPLORE with the KIDDOS. I LOVE seeing the KIDDOS "GET" the POINT to a lesson. I had one of my KIDDOS say, "Uzziah should have given GOD the credit." Could not have been happier!!!! Blessings, Ronda

Our continuing Exploration through the Life of Jesus Has brought us to the time when Jesus is Preaching the Sermon on the Mount. We did a previous lesson on the Beatitudes, Letting Our Light Shine, The Golden Rule and now we are learning about THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS. . This is always a "fun" lesson to teach KIDDOS. They seem to really understand the point JESUS is making in the story. We added NEW CARDS to our DO You Know? Wall. My Expectation is for the KIDDOS to be able to answer each of these by the end of the lesson. Our VISUAL Aid for this lesson was an easy choice. I used rocks and sand for our foundations and placed a laminated paper house on each. During the lesson, when we got to the part of the storm, I poured water over both houses. As you can see the house on the sand fell. I ended up moving the visuals into a glass casserole dish...that way I could really pour a lot of water all over the houses and not worry about water getting all over the table. I did laminate my houses...so, I can reuse them in the future. It worked out perfectly. We had three new words to add to our WORD WALL. I chose STORM, BUILDER, & FOUNDATION. Those are important words for the KIDDOS to understand for this lesson to make more sense to them. We Added a NEW Card to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN Timeline!! This is the SONG we learned with this lesson. The KIDDOS really enjoyed singing this one. I like that it teaches the message about WHO we need to build our life on!! The song can be heard by clicking the following link. The WISE BUILDER SONG....BY RONDA DUVALL Our MEMORY VERSE was Matthew 7:24! To hear the MEMORY VERSE song click on this link. Matthew 7:24 Memory Verse The Kiddo's made a "HOUSES BUILT ON A ROCK" for their TAKE-HOME project. I was excited for the KIDDOS to get to make this TAKE HOME project. It's a great visual reminder for BUILDING OUR LIFE ON THE LORD!! We want to be WISE BUILDERS! This week our REVIEW Game was a FUN one!! The KIDDOS had a paddle with both a well built house and a crumbling house on it. We would read a circumstance card to the KIDDOS...they would have to choose if the person on the card was building their life on JESUS or not. If the person on the card was building their life on JESUS, they would hold up the strongly built house. If they person was NOT building their life on JESUS, the KIDDOS would hold up the house that was crumbling and falling down. The KIDDOS did REALLY well with this game and enjoyed spinning their houses!! As you know, the second week of the LESSON is when we REVIEW. It gives me opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It also, gives opportunities for the KIDDOS who missed class the first week to "CATCH UP." This is the Week we SAY our MEMORY VERSE from MEMORY and We do an ACTIVITY we add to our EXPLORER JOURNAL. This LESSON'S EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY was simple one...ON one side the page had a ROCK foundation that the KIDDOS added. On the other side the KIDDOS spread glue and added sand. Then the KIDDOS built a good strong house from nicely cut craft stick upon the ROCK and a HOUSE in pieces (I broke several craft sticks to give them the broken down look) upon the sand. The KIDDOS LOVED making this EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY. I am thoroughly enjoying teaching through the Life of Christ. The KIDDOS are learning so much about JESUS our LORD. Blessings, Ronda

Recently my KIDDOS were working hard to earn their Bible Badge for knowing the Seven Ones of Ephesians 4:4-6. To see our Bible Badges Display Board just click on the link. When memorizing these important Bible Facts, I like to help my KIDDOS by coming up with a song and an 3D visual aid. You can hear the song and see a fun visual aid by clicking this link I purchased all the Paper Mache Numbers at Hobby Lobby. I waited for them to go on sale at 50% off. I had originally thought I would be buying WOOD numbers....but, when I found these I was excited!!! They are light weight and it was easy to glue the pictures to them. After the KIDDOS earned their BADGE, we added these to our Bible Bucket Reviews...this becomes an Early Arriver Activity. (EAA) This allows independent review time!! I love it when the KIDDOS pick up a Bible Bucket Review and PRACTICE reciting FACTS they already had memorizing. I am thrilled to say ALL my KIDDOS memorized the Seven Ones of Ephesians 4!!! Keep in mind, I teach PK-1st Graders. That means they are 4 1/2 years old to 7 years old! It always amazes me HOW much these KIDDOS can memorize and retain!! They work hard, practice, recite, repeat, and then we REVIEW!!! Just because, they earned a BADGE, does not mean we wont go back over the information from time to time!! I believe in making learning Bible Facts "fun" and "exciting." Kiddos can MEMORIZE so much if we just give them the opportunity to do so!!! Blessings, Ronda

The 10 Commandments has been a wonderful lesson for the children. We focused a lot on the history around the giving of the Commandments...and then the meaning of each Commandment and then the fact that God has given us commandments to live by and keep. For the kiddo's Explorer Journal activity we did a coloring and gluing activity. The kiddos had to color the picture of Moses on Mount Sinai...and then glue on his beard and hair, and then glue on the 10 Commandments "stone tablets." The stone tablets were made from foamy sheets available at your local hobby store or Walmart. We review the story by using my Mount Sinai diorama. The children loved this interactive way of reviewing the story. I had laid my NUMBER Commandments down around the diorama. This made it easier for the children to remember which commandment was which. We also sang the TEN COMMANDMENT rap and rhyme song several times. (They LOVED this song.)

This week we have a "NEW" Bible Lesson. Please remember, that each of my lessons last 2 weeks. The first week, I spend introducing the lesson, facts, places, etc. The next week we do a very detailed review...this gives me an opportunity to see if the KIDDOS missed something or if I forgot to share something the KIDDOS needed to know. I LOVE teaching this way. It has proven to be very beneficial to me and the KIDDOS. This is the card we will add to our "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN" wall. This is my TIMELINE...it helps me show the KIDDOS when in Bible History the events took place....With the focus on the COMING of JESUS!! We will have a new WORD for our WORD WALL. Since we do not live in the time of animal sacrifices...I want to make sure the KIDDOS understand what an ALTAR is/was. For visuals, I decided to use the same Elijah that I used last week...I just printed and laminated a KING Ahab and a few of the Prophets of Baal. I also printed, laminated and constructed two altars. I made sure the altars looked different...and Elijah's has 12 stones! Our Memory Verse for this weeks comes directly from the Lesson Text. 1 Kings 18:39. We will be singing this to the Tune: "The Bear Went Over the Mountain." I have added Mount Carmel to our Map... We will be referring to Elijah's travels....After all, he has been to the Brook Cherith, Sidon and is now coming back to Israel to "meet up" with Ahab. The KIDDOS will be decorating a ROCK as their "TAKE HOME" activity. I have already coded the rocks with the words, "The Lord Is God!" The KIDDOS will use Sharpie Paint Pens to decorate their ROCK. They will add whatever decorations to the ROCK that they want...I will give them a few suggestions: HEARTS, FLOWERS, RAINBOWS, HAPPY FACES, ETC. But, ultimately it will be their choice. By the way, these ROCKS came from the Pacific Ocean. My family and I took a vacation to Ocean Side, California in 2011. I collected a bunch of rocks...(my father-in-law was convinced I was crazy.) I knew I would use some of those MANY rocks for Bible Class Projects. (So, even when on vacation---THINK ABOUT BIBLE CLASSES, LESSONS, STORIES, ETC.) Since the KIDDOS will be allowed to use MARKERS---they are going to be BEYOND excited. However, because these are PERMANENT Markers, I will quickly establish the RULES. #1 RULE: Do Not Color On Anything, But The Rock!!" :-) For our REVIEW GAME, we will be building an ALTAR. The KIDDOS will answer a question from the lesson. Then they will have the opportunity to set a stone in place. We are building Elijah's Altar---so, take notice, I have 12 Stones. (I paper mached these ROCKS a LOOONG time ago. I have used them in teaching so many different Bible Stories...if you have time and opportunity, I would suggest you make some ROCKS.) Next Week the KIDDOS will be making Elijah's Altar to add to their "EXPLORER JOURNAL." They will glue on a STONE for EACH TRIBE. This will be a great time to REVIEW the sons of Jacob.... They will also add the FLAMES. I just cut the FIRE area out of the paper...and we are gluing on SPARKLY paper in RED or YELLOW to the Back. (Since, my KIDDOS are small and DO NOT WRITE WELL----I have already written the names of each TRIBE on the STONES. If I was teaching this to older KIDDOS, I would let them WRITE the names of the TRIBES on the STONES. I will say, there is a LOT of ROCKS in this story...LOL But, KIDDOS really seem to LOVE ROCKS! Blessings, Ronda

Who? What? When? Where? Why? & How? This Sunday we will be officially on to lesson two of the Divided Kingdom. Since I am blessed to teach a lesson one week and then REVIEW the lesson the next week...each lesson last me two weeks. This really is a blessing, as I am writing these lessons. Sometimes, LIFE gets me going in about a 100 different directions...I am sure you ALL have been there!!! So, what is LESSON TWO about??? It is about Jeroboam the very NAUGHTY King. We are going to be focusing on Jeroboam's wicked decision to place Altars at Dan and Bethel. We are going to talk about IDOLS and what can become IDOLS in our life. God's Awesome Plan For Man--Time Line Card I want the KIDDOS to understand the HISTORY in this LESSON. I want the KIDDOS to get the fact that Jeroboam had his own justification for erecting the altars---after all, he was worried about the people's allegiance. (I want them to understand that we can NEVER JUSTIFY SIN.) I want them to know that Jeroboam was sinning against GOD and leading the people of Israel into sin. I want them to understand that GOD had promised Jeroboam that HE would be with him....AS LONG AS JEROBOAM did what GOD wanted...but, sadly, Jeroboam chose to be naughty. There are so many life lessons found within the story of Jeroboam. I am attempting to BRING those stories out as we Explore this lesson. Our Prophet Time Line. We will be introducing 2 more prophets this week. The YOUNG PROPHET~that was sent to Jeroboam to WARN him. The OLD PROPHET~that convinced the Young Prophet to sin against GOD. Again, there is so many LIFE altering lessons found in this story. My main focus for the KIDDOS will be to NEVER listen to ANYONE trying to tell you it is OK NOT TO OBEY GOD!!! Our "WORD WALL." We will be adding the word IDOL to our wall this week. This is the "technical" definition. I will also explain that ANYTHING we LOVE can become an IDOL. The KIDDOS have 2 'NEW' geographical places to FIND on the map. We will find DAN and BETHEL. I will try my best to explain Jeroboam's reasoning for placing the altars at Dan and Bethel. I want to point out that these two places are a type of "book ends" to the Northern Nation of Israel. Our Memory Verse this week will be Leviticus 19:4. I will often use a portion of a verse as a memory verse for the KIDDOS. I want them to GET the POINT of the verse...and since they are ranging in age from 4 1/2 to 7...I do not want to STRESS them out over a really LOOOOOOOONG memory verse. BTW, If one of the KIDDOS does NOT have the memory verse memorized "WORD FOR WORD" but, they can tell me the meaning of the verse...that is JUST FINE BY ME!!! I want them to UNDERSTAND why the verse is IMPORTANT!!! We will be singing this Memory Verse to the tune of Frere Jacque. That will help them get it memorized! I normally inform the parents the "tune" we sing our memory verses too...that way they can SING/REVIEW the Memory Verse during the week. Tune: "If You're Happy and You Know It..." We will have another NEW SONG this Sunday. This song is sung to a familar tune... If you know the song, "If You're Happy and You Know It..." Well that is the tune I use for this SONG. I know the KIDDOS will LOVE to sing this SONG. I like the fact that this song explains in a nutshell what led the Nation of Israel into captivity. Our "TAKE HOME" activity will be a 'Paper Bible Pop Up.' At least that is what I am calling it. :) This is constructed out of card stock paper. The little holder is neon green card stock...it is folded like one of those "TABLE TENTS" you see on restaurant tables. However, attached to it is a paper BIBLE. The KIDDOS will color the BIBLE and then we will staple the Bible Pages to the edge of the NEON GREEN Table Tent. That is what gives the Bible the 3D effect! The KIDDOS will then GLUE their Ribbon Bible Bookmark down.... (I have the RIBBONS attached to the back of the activity....but, it will be up to the KIDDOS how they want to glue their Ribbon Down. After typing ALL of that...I sort of felt CONFUSED...So, I decided to add a few more pictures to try and SHOW you better what I was failing at explaining. :) I felt the Scripture Printed on the "TAKE HOME" activity was very applicable to the lesson....Jeroboam did not KEEP the COMMANDMENTS of GOD... BUT, WE WILL!!! Our Review Game is one you have seen before....I do REUSE Ideas....Especially if the KIDDOS enjoyed it. So, this is how we will "PLAY" this Review Game. We will sing a song that goes along with the LESSON. (The Kingdom Was Divided, A Prophet is A Messenger, or Jeroboam Was Naughty.) However, I will say "STOP!" randomly throughout the song. The KIDDOS will have to stand still in whatever HOOP they are in. I then let them take turns rolling the die. The KIDDO in the HOOP with the corresponding number that the DIE lands on will have to answer a question from the lesson. I like this activity...it get the KIDDOS singing, moving, thinking, and excited!!! An added BONUS---this can be "played" with SO MANY DIFFERENT STORIES!!!! Invest/Make It ONCE--USE IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER again!!!! Our Explorer Journal Activity is so much more simple in nature. We will be adding DAN and BETHEL to our OWN MAP. The KIDDOS will color their own MAP of the Divided Kingdoms...and then they will stick a 3D POP up ALTAR at DAN and BETHEL. We will be doing this activity NEXT Sunday. SO, by that time the KIDDOS will understand the importance behind this story. Hope you can tell how excited I am about teaching this lesson. I will say, teaching the History of the Divided Kingdom to 4 1/2 -7 year olds is not without its challenges. BUT it is so worth the effort!!!! I am thrilled at how they are SOAKING in these stories. Blessings, Ronda

We recently had a lesson about Abraham being FAITHFUL. He was so FAITHFUL that when GOD called upon him to give up his only son, he was willing. WOW, what FAITH. Our DO YOU KNOW? wall is FILLED with the FACTS and INFORMATION that I want to make sure the KIDDOS understand. We have our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN timeline CARD ready to add to our TIMELINE wall. Visuals for this lesson are very simple. I drew the picture and colorized it on my computer....It will be used SEVERAL times and in SEVERAL ways for this lesson. I also, DREW the story on the WHITE BOARD....the KIDDOS are IMPRESSED with my limited artistic skills....STICK FIGURES are WONDERFUL when you are drawing and talking at the same time. Oh, the toy RAM came from the Dollar Tree...I bought it a few years ago. I actually did a HAPPY SQUEAL in the store when I found this!!! :-) I thought this would be the PERFECT Memory Verse for this lesson. I want the KIDDOS to understand HOW we can be a "son" of Abraham. The KIDDOS love to sing this song....we use our fists and "build" as we sing....with this lesson we sung VS 4. The KIDDOS made a diorama for their TAKE HOME project....HOWEVER, I have to add a disclaimer to this....NOTICE the FIRE on the ALTAR....we actually CUT that FIRE OFF......their was NO FIRE in this story. I did, however, forget to CUT IT OFF on my demo project...had to do it before class began. LOL Our Review Game for this lesson is a FUN one. The KIDDOS helped BUILD and ALTAR from these Papier Mache Rocks. (I made these a long time ago and have used them for several different Bible stories.) To play the game the KIDDOS answered a question from the lesson and then picked up a rock and placed it on "MORIAH." (Moriah was just another SPOT on the FLOOR than I named Moriah for the lesson.) This is a great GROUP EFFORT GAME....the KIDDOS have to work together to answer the questions and then choose HOW to build their Altar. :-) The next week was our REVIEW WEEK. The KIDDOS made these and we added them to our EXPLORER JOURNALS. They LOVED adding the sticks and rocks. The KIDDOS did GREAT with these activities!!! I am truly BLESSED to teach these KIDDOS. Blessings, Ronda

Our NEW LESSON for this week is about the prophet JEREMIAH!!! I LOVE Jeremiah. He is a WONDERFUL EXAMPLE for all of us---but, especially for young people!! I am excited about teaching this LESSON. I love how the KIDDOS seem to connect with the YOUNG people in the Bible. They seem so excited when they find out that YOUNG people can and did do GREAT THINGS for GOD!!! This is our Do You Know Wall? I feel if the KIDDOS can answer these questions they UNDERSTAND what they have learned!! We have some NEW information on our ever growing Bulletin Board. WE have added JEREMIAH the PROPHET!!! Currently he is placed by the crown of Josiah. Remember, Josiah was KING when GOD CALLED JEREMIAH to be HIS Prophet. We have also added a PROPHET CARD to the PROPHET LINE under the Bulletin Board. We have added Jeremiah the Prophet to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN for MAN, TIMELINE!!! The KIDDOS will have two new words to add to the WORD WALL. PUNISH and AFRAID. Although I am sure they KNOW the basic meaning to these WORDS I want to make sure they understand HOW these WORDS are important parts of this story. (Truly the KIDDOS will be able to RELATE to these two WORDS.) This weeks Memory Verse comes directly from the TEXT. It is GOD'S promise to Jeremiah. I LOVE the comfort and strength found in this verse!! If you want to hear the tune we will be singing this Memory Verse to, just click this link below. It will open up the Facebook Page for HOBT. Jeremiah 1:9 Memory Verse Tune by Ronda L. Duvall The KIDDOS will be learning this song during this lesson. I feel this is a VERY catchy song....so, hopefully they will be singing it throughout the next two weeks. :-) I hope their parents do not mind. If you would like to hear this song click on the link below. It will open up the Facebook Page for HOBT. Jeremiah Was a Young Man...by: Ronda Duvall. I would open the FB page and let it play as you read the words from this page...for some reason my video on FB is NOT very good quality. The KIDDOS will be making a Jeremiah The Prophet Puppet as their TAKE HOME project. These are made from Brown Paper Lunch Size Bags. I did draw the FACE, MOUTH, ETC. Then I Copied them onto CARD STOCK paper for stability purposes. I HOPE he looks YOUNG!! By the way, I am going to have the KIDDOS carefully WRITE the MEMORY VERSE inside Jeremiah's Mouth. I just realized I had not shown you our VISUAL. I am still using the PICTURE frame to HOLD up this weeks VISUAL. I decided to go with a POSTER style VISUAL since we are making PUPPETS. After we get the PUPPETS made, I am going to have the KIDDOS help me "RETELL" the story. OUR review game is similar to games we have played in the past....AS the KIDDOS answer a question from the story they will get to help "OPEN" Jeremiah's Mouth. To simply say it, they will remove a piece of the PUZZLE. Under the PUZZLE PIECES it reads, "I HAVE PUT MY WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH." Next week will be our REVIEW WEEK. During this CLASS time the KIDDOS will make their "EXPLORER JOURNAL" project. I know they will be EXCITED about this one! The KIDDOS will get to glue on a "BIG" 3-D hand coming out of COTTON BALL clouds and touching Jeremiah's mouth. After all the Bible tells us, "Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth..." Jeremiah 1:9a I bought the hands at the DOLLAR TREE. They were in the teacher/school supply area. They are originally pointers. However, with a gentle twist the hand popped right off. The only dilemma ---NOW, I am wondering what I am going to do with all those POINTER RODS. LOL. I hope you have enjoyed seeing what the KIDDOS will be doing during Bible Class on Sunday. I LOVE seeing how excited they get---WE WANT THEM EXCITED!!!! After all, they are learning LIFE CHANGING and SOUL SAVING Lessons. Blessings, Ronda

Our continuing Exploration through the Life of Jesus Has brought us to the time when Jesus is Preaching the Sermon on the Mount. We did a previous lesson on the Beatitudes, Letting Our Light Shine, The Golden Rule and now we are learning about THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS. . This is always a "fun" lesson to teach KIDDOS. They seem to really understand the point JESUS is making in the story. We added NEW CARDS to our DO You Know? Wall. My Expectation is for the KIDDOS to be able to answer each of these by the end of the lesson. Our VISUAL Aid for this lesson was an easy choice. I used rocks and sand for our foundations and placed a laminated paper house on each. During the lesson, when we got to the part of the storm, I poured water over both houses. As you can see the house on the sand fell. I ended up moving the visuals into a glass casserole dish...that way I could really pour a lot of water all over the houses and not worry about water getting all over the table. I did laminate my houses...so, I can reuse them in the future. It worked out perfectly. We had three new words to add to our WORD WALL. I chose STORM, BUILDER, & FOUNDATION. Those are important words for the KIDDOS to understand for this lesson to make more sense to them. We Added a NEW Card to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN Timeline!! This is the SONG we learned with this lesson. The KIDDOS really enjoyed singing this one. I like that it teaches the message about WHO we need to build our life on!! The song can be heard by clicking the following link. The WISE BUILDER SONG....BY RONDA DUVALL Our MEMORY VERSE was Matthew 7:24! To hear the MEMORY VERSE song click on this link. Matthew 7:24 Memory Verse The Kiddo's made a "HOUSES BUILT ON A ROCK" for their TAKE-HOME project. I was excited for the KIDDOS to get to make this TAKE HOME project. It's a great visual reminder for BUILDING OUR LIFE ON THE LORD!! We want to be WISE BUILDERS! This week our REVIEW Game was a FUN one!! The KIDDOS had a paddle with both a well built house and a crumbling house on it. We would read a circumstance card to the KIDDOS...they would have to choose if the person on the card was building their life on JESUS or not. If the person on the card was building their life on JESUS, they would hold up the strongly built house. If they person was NOT building their life on JESUS, the KIDDOS would hold up the house that was crumbling and falling down. The KIDDOS did REALLY well with this game and enjoyed spinning their houses!! As you know, the second week of the LESSON is when we REVIEW. It gives me opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It also, gives opportunities for the KIDDOS who missed class the first week to "CATCH UP." This is the Week we SAY our MEMORY VERSE from MEMORY and We do an ACTIVITY we add to our EXPLORER JOURNAL. This LESSON'S EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY was simple one...ON one side the page had a ROCK foundation that the KIDDOS added. On the other side the KIDDOS spread glue and added sand. Then the KIDDOS built a good strong house from nicely cut craft stick upon the ROCK and a HOUSE in pieces (I broke several craft sticks to give them the broken down look) upon the sand. The KIDDOS LOVED making this EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY. I am thoroughly enjoying teaching through the Life of Christ. The KIDDOS are learning so much about JESUS our LORD. Blessings, Ronda

Our continuing Exploration through the Life of Jesus Has brought us to the time when Jesus performs another miracle. This time Jesus heals Jarius' Daughter. We added NEW CARDS to our DO You Know? Wall. My Expectation is for the KIDDOS to be able to answer each of these by the end of the lesson. We had three new words to add to our WORD WALL. I chose TALITHA CUMI, MOURNER and SYNAGOGUE. Those are important words for the KIDDOS to understand for this lesson to make more sense to them. We Added a NEW Card to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN Timeline!! Our MEMORY VERSE was Mark 5:26! To hear the MEMORY VERSE song click on this link. Memory Verse Song Mark 5:26 This is the SONG we learned with this lesson. It is a short and simple song to learn. The song can be heard by clicking the following link. Jarius' Daughter....Song By Ronda Duvall Our VISUAL Aid for this lesson was a picture for a set of visual aid cards I purchased several years ago. I really like this picture...It had all the people that were in the house with Jesus represented and if you look through the window you will see the mourners outside! The Kiddo's TAKE-HOME project was a 3D bed with a little girl on it that they were able to make "RISE" when we practiced saying, "TALITHA CUMI." I designed the bed on my computer. Then, using various clip art I have access to I gave it a WOOD look and a quilted top. I drew the little girl a LOOOOOONG time ago...my wonderful husband scanned several of my drawings into the computer. This allows me to manipulate them for size, color, etc. If you would like to see how this TAKE HOME "works" please click on the following link. Clicking on the picture will NOT open the video. Jesus Says, "Talitha Cumi"..."Little Girl Arise." This weeks REVIEW Game was a fun BOARD GAME. We all worked together to get JESUS from the Sea of Galilee to Jarius' house. The KIDDOS answer a question from the lesson, roll a die and then move "Jesus" the number of spaces the die tells them. There are a few "bumps" in the way as Jesus makes His way to Jarius' house. As you know, the second week of the LESSON is when we REVIEW. It gives me opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It also, gives opportunities for the KIDDOS who missed class the first week to "CATCH UP." This is the Week we SAY our MEMORY VERSE from MEMORY and We do an ACTIVITY we add to our EXPLORER JOURNAL. This LESSON'S EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY was a POCKET "BED" and a two LITTLE GIRL...The KIDDOS colored the area around the pillow and both the front and back of the little girl. They love making her get out of bed, flip around so she is smiling and then say, "give her something to eat." I am loving teaching the LESSONS on the LIFE OF JESUS. I feel like I am learning more and more!! I enjoy writing, coming up with the crafts, activities, games, etc. It can be challenging at times....but, it is always worth it when I see the KIDDOS enjoying learning events from the LIFE of JESUS!! Blessings, Ronda

I am a bit behind on the website....so, I am attempting to play catch up. Here is what we did recently. We are continuing to EXPLORE BIBLE HISTORY. We just recently had a lesson about Isaac and Rebekah. We added a "EVENT" card to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN!! Timeline. This TIMELINE is a great way to review past lessons. Since most of my KIDDOS remember via visual triggers...this is a great resource to have up in our classroom at all times. It is an every growing and expanding visual. I wanted a Memory Verse about water...it seem to be the perfect type of memory verse to go with this lesson. So, I chose John 4:14. We sang the Memory Verse to the tune: "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful." We did explain to the KIDDOS that JESUS is the one that gives us "water" and that if we follow and obey HIM we will never thirst. However, because my KIDDOS are so young...we put it all on KIDDO friendly terms. We were happy for them to tell us that JESUS is our EVERLASTING SPRING that GIVES ETERNAL LIFE. To tell this story I used CLIP ART visuals.... I just printed and laminated them. The KIDDOS loved that Rebekah's arm moves. For the Kiddos TAKE HOME project we made a picture of Rebekah offering water to Abraham's Servant. The KIDDOS colored and added stickers and the PITCHER. They enjoyed making theses. They really enjoyed making Rebekah's arm go up and down. :-) Our REVIEW game was a FUN and simple game. The object was to get the camel to the WELL. Rebekah is standing near the WELL ready to give the camel a drink. The KIDDOS would pull a card from the QUESTION cards. If they answered the question correctly they would move the camel to the next space. The "GAME BOARD" is made out of sand. I already had the sand...so, I decided to put it to use. The little cardboard trays were in our "RECYCLED" Bible Class supplies in our Resource Room. They worked perfectly!! The KIDDOS LOVED touching the sand!! The following week was our REVIEW week. So, the KIDDOS made THESE and added them to their EXPLORER JOURNAL!!! They enjoyed adding STICKER PALM TREES, a PITCHER which is sort of 3D, we used FOAM STICKERS to make it POP off the paper. The KIDDOS added ROCKS to the WELL, then, they added SAND!!! That was their FAVORITE thing to do to their Explorer Journal Activity!! This was a fun lesson to teach. We focused on GOD taking care of Isaac and how HE chose the RIGHT wife for Isaac. Blessings, Ronda

We have had a few "bumps" on our Exploring of Bible History. I have been out of town, been sick, got well, fell sick again. Kinda a rough few weeks. But, we are MOVING forward. This Sunday the KIDDOS will be learning about the Tower of Babel. Our DO YOU KNOW? Wall is ready!! Since, I like to focus on the Who? What? When? Where? (Geographically) Where? (in the Bible) Why? and How is this important to me? with all my lessons...I find it very helpful to have the cards up and ready before I teach the lesson. This is the card we will add to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN timeline. The KIDDOS will have a new song to go with this lesson. "The Tower of Babel" by Ronda Duvall If you would like to hear this song click on the following link. It will open the Facebook page for Hands On Bible Teacher. The Tower of Babel Song by Ronda Duvall I wanted a VISUAL that would WOW the KIDDOS and make this lesson memorable. So, I decided to build a "TOWER of BABEL." Because, I seem to keep items that others throw in the trash, I had all these cardboard packing pieces. I was THRILLED with the way they stacked up and made a TOWER!! I wanted the PLAIN of SHINAR to have a 3D feel...so, after drawing the basic design on the foam board I went to work with STREAMERS, SAND PAPER, EASTER GRASS, and CONSTRUCTION PAPER. I am REALLY happy with how it all came together. I used my PEG PEOPLE (they were formally clothes pins)....I added my toy PALM TREES and a wooden sign that has "Plain of Shinar" written on it....I KNOW the KIDDOS will be EXCITED as soon as they see this sitting on the TABLE!! Our MEMORY VERSE is Colossians 4:6. I thought this would be an applicable verse for this lesson. If you would like to hear the memory verse song click the following link. It will open the Facebook Page for Hands On Bible Teacher. Memory Verse Colossians 4:6 The KIDDOS will have an opportunity to build their OWN Tower out of these FOAM CUBES. I will try to remember to take pictures of their TOWERS and share them. (I borrowed these from the TODDLERS Classroom. They do a bucket system of teaching in that classroom...so, since they are not currently on the Tower Of Babel they graciously loaned them to me for Sunday!!) The KIDDOS will be making a POP UP Tower of Babel for their TAKE HOME project. The KIDDOS will add the background and the PEOPLE. The KIDDOS will use the mini SMILEY FACES stickers for their people. Our REVIEW GAME is very simple one....the KIDDOS will get to BUILD a TOWER of BABEL by answering questions from the lesson. As added fun, they will get to KNOCK the TOWER down with bean bags.....OF COURSE they have to answer a question from the lesson for an opportunity to toss the bean bag. Next Week is our REVIEW WEEK. The KIDDOS will be making these to add to their EXPLORER JOURNAL. We will see if they can get the TOWER into the correct order. I used velcro to make this an activity that the KIDDOS can do over and over again. I am excited to teach this lesson. Blessings, Ronda

This weeks lesson is focusing on some of the miracles Elisha performs. We will quickly cover the miracle when Elisha healed the water at Jericho...but our MAIN focus of the lesson will be when Elisha helps the widow...this story comes from 2 Kings 4. We will add the WORD Debt to our WORD WALL!! Since, I will talk about DEBT....what is DEBT and how we are to handle DEBT. I know the KIDDOS are YOUNG...but, I believe we need to talk about the IMPORTANT TOPICS all though out their lives. GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN CARD. I also want to FOCUS the KIDDOS on to the fact that even though Elisha has performed this miracle...the WOMAN had to WORK!! She had to collect the JARS. She had to POUR the oil into the jars. She had to go to the market to SELL the oil. I love that this story shows that GOD always wants us to DO OUR PART!!!! We will add this CARD to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN...timeline. This week our MEMORY VERSE comes from 1 Chronicles 16:11-12. I have a TUNE for this memory verse...but, it is a "RONDA ORIGINAL" tune...or as my 8 year old son says..."It's an unrecognizable tune, mom." Nearing the end of this lesson we will briefly touch on the fact that Elisha will travel to Shunem...so, we will add Shunem to our MAP. The KIDDOS TAKE HOME project was a WEE bit of a challenge for me.... I knew parents would NOT appreciate me sending the KIDDOS home with a bottle of OLIVE OIL....so, what was I going to do???? I decided to focus the KIDDOS on the fact that GOD BLESSED the WIDOW with WHAT SHE NEEDED. And, GOD BLESSES US WITH WHAT WE NEED TOO!!!!! But, I wanted to use a JAR...because, after all, it went along with the story. I knew I did not want GLASS jars (because, I want the KIDDOS to be able to touch and "PLAY" with their TAKE HOME.) So, off to the DOLLAR TREE I went. This is WHAT I came up with.... Dollar Tree currently has these plastic jars filled with "RITZ" style crackers....SO, YES, my family will be EATING these RANCH FLAVORED CRACKERS for MONTHS!!!! I wanted the JARS...and if my family can get a SNACK out of my need for plastic JARS...WELL, I count that as a BLESSING. :-) So, this is what my KIDDOS will be doing with these JARS. We are going to make "I SPY GOD'S BLESSINGS!" Jars. We will be placing, "EVERY DAY" items that are BLESSINGS from GOD, in the JARS and then filling them with RICE. The RICE is what makes them an "I SPY" Jar. If you are confused...JUST keep looking at the PICTURES....They will HELP EXPLAIN. Each KIDDO will get these items....they do very in color...and I do have GIRLS and BOYS themed bags. BUT, each baggie has a tiny BIBLE, a FAMILY picture, a Monopoly HOUSE, 5 RED HEARTS, A BOY or GIRL (CLOTHING), SHOES or COWBOY BOOTS for boys, a JACK and TOP, ANIMALS, FLOWERS, SILVER STARS, GLITTERED MOON, FRUIT (FOOD), GLITTERED SUN, RAINDROP bead, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, PENNY, CAR and SMILEY BALL. EACH of these items represents a BLESSING from GOD and goes with the POEM that I wrote...please, see the picture above. After we discuss how GOD BLESSES us with these things....the KIDDOS will place them in the JARS and then fill it with RICE. We will seal the JARS and the KIDDOS (with my help) will attach a LABEL to the top...THE LABEL has the POEM printed on it...so, that the PARENTS can HELP the KIDDOS see ALL the BLESSINGS that GOD has given them. I also have pictures (like the one above) that I will give to each of the KIDDOS to go with THEIR OWN JAR. That way they can "SPY" the exact ITEMS they placed in the JAR. For a REVIEW GAME...I decided we would use BABY FOOD JARS and POM-POM Balls....I have questions printed on COLORFUL circles and placed under each JAR. The KIDDOS will each get 3 POM-POM BALLS. They will then have turns at throwing their POM-POM BALLS into the JARS. The JAR their POM-POM lands in...well, they have to answer that question!!! BTW, a sweet Sister in Christ gave me these JARS a few YEARS ago...Her daughter in nearly 4 years old!!!! I did not really NEED them back then....BUT, I AM SO THANKFUL that I have them. I had stored them in my Bible Class Supply Closet....KNOWING, I might NEED them SOME DAY....WELL, I guess it is "SOME DAY!!" This is my MOTTO: If people offer you unique items----THANK THEM, take them, save them, use them and THANK THEM again, telling them HOW you used them!!!! Those STRANGE WIDGETS just might be useful in BIBLE CLASS!!! :-) Next week will be our REVIEW week for this LESSON. I really enjoy having 2 WEEKS to cover a LESSON. I can make SURE the KIDDOS understand what has been taught...and if they are missing some pieces, I will have an opportunity to help them fill in the BLANKS. The KIDDOS will make their "EXPLORER JOURNAL" ACTIVITY next WEEK. I know they will LOVE this!!!! First off the get to COLOR with MARKERS!!!! Secondly, they will get to 'PAINT' with BABY OIL. This is a PROCESS....BUT, it is so much FUN!!!! You just need to PREPARE before SATURDAY NIGHT at 10:00 PM!!! Fist off...for this process to work you need to use COPY paper NOT CARDSTOCK!!!! After you have copied you project onto CHEAP COPY Paper., you will need to use Elmer's Glue and "TRACE" the BLACK OUTLINE on the FRONT of the PAGE. Let it DRY for at least 24 hours. It will dry CLEAR. This is an IMPORTANT step!!!! During class the KIDDOS will color the BACK of the page with MARKERS. (The back is the page with the design and Bible Verse (PRINTED BACKWARDS) on it.) VIBRANT COLOR Markers seem to work the BEST!! We will then GLUE on the GEMS to the front of the JAR. NOW, for the FUN and AMAZING PART!!! Pour a VERY SMALL amount of BABY oil on a SPONGE PAINT BUSH and let the KIDDOS PAINT the FRONT of their JAR with OIL!!! (After all, that was PART of Elisha's Miracle!!!!) The COLORFUL image on the back will APPEAR through the JAR!!!! (JUST A LITTLE OIL is needed for this to work....and I mean JUST A LITTLE!!!!!!) This is the FINISHED PRODUCT!!! It is almost like STAINED GLASS...and is TRANSPARENT when you hold it up to the LIGHT!!! Plus if you use BABY OIL...it is NON TOXIC and makes the room smell nice!!! I would keep some paper towels handy...that way if the oil PUDDLES in one place you will be able to dab it up with the towels. I have done a few other projects with this method of "OIL PAINTING" and every time---THE KIDDOS LOVE it and are AMAZED by the FINISHED PRODUCT!!!! I am still working on a few other projects---I can't wait to SHARE them with you soon. Hope your Bible Classes are going well....Remember, you are teaching the MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECT that KIDDOS will ever be taught!!!!! Blessings, Ronda

Who? What? When? Where? Why? & How? This Sunday we will be officially on to lesson two of the Divided Kingdom. Since I am blessed...

A new lesson for this upcoming Sunday!!! We are going to be learning about Isaiah the Prophet. We will be learning about how he was called by GOD to be a Prophet. I am so excited about this lesson. It is such an AMAZING EVENT!! Our Who? What? When? Where? Where? Why? and How Is this important to me? Cards are in place and ready for Sunday. Our interactive BULLETIN BOARD WALL is become VERY FULL!!!! I LOVE it when the KIDDOS use the BULLETIN BOARD wall to FIND information to answer questions. That is the PURPOSE to this WALL. It is FULL of information to help the KIDDOS (and me) remember what we have learned. We have two new words to add to our WORD WALL. I want to make sure the KIDDOS know what COAL and TONGS are. No confusion means better understanding of the lesson. We have a NEW CARD to add to our "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN for MAN" Wall. The KIDDOS MEMORY VERSE comes directly from the Lesson Text. They will probably have this one memorized before leaving the classroom on Sunday. We have a NEW SONG to learn this week. I am excited about this song. I know the KIDDOS will LOVE it. It is my goal to have a song to go with EVERY lesson that I teach. If you would like to hear this song click on the link below. Isaiah Was a Prophet Song--by Ronda Duvall The KIDDOS will be making "COAL" as their TAKE HOME project. This is made out of an air dry clay made by Crayola. I just formed LUMPS of COAL and let them dry...PAINTED them to look like hot coal and walla...COAL! :-) During class time the KIDDOS will add the STICK ON EYES and FLAG that has "Here Am I, Send Me!" printed on it. We will assist with gluing the FLAG into the hole. I think it turned out CUTE and will be a GREAT REMINDER of this lesson. For our REVIEW GAME we will be playing a HOT COALS Pick Up Game. The KIDDOS will use the TONGS you see in the pictures and PICK up a piece of Hot Coal. The Coal has question on the bottom side....they will have to ANSWER the question they PICKED...if they do not know the answer they have to PUT it back on the Altar. The ALTAR is made from a small crate---I picked it up at WALMART and painted it GOLD. The TONGS came from HOBBY LOBBY. I found them in the PARTY SECTION. The COAL is made out of Crayola Model Magic. I just formed them and let them dry. Then painted them...They are very LIGHT and will be easy for the KIDDOS to lift with the TONGS. I printed the QUESTION on STICKER paper and stuck them to the bottom of the "COAL." I tried writing on the coal with a silver sharpie...and it worked...I just write REALLY BIG. If you write small then you can write directly on the piece of "COAL." Next week the KIDDOS will be making these to add to their EXPLORER JOURNAL. The COAL came from ORIENTAL TRADING....It is COAL GUM and a "GROW in WATER" coal mixture. I would just suggest that you coat them with modge podge to keep them from crumbling way. Due to my RUSHING to get the website updated---I FORGOT to share our VISUALS with you....I am sooo sorry. Our visual aid is made out of Clip Art, Laminate, a Copy Paper Box Lid, and Plastic Caps. OH, and I added a piece of "COAL" to the Seraphim's tongs. It is the same "Grow In Water Coal" that the KIDDOS will be using next week on their Explorer Journal Activity Page. I love using clip art for visuals...because, sometimes it is hard to find visuals for certain Bible stories. I am happy with the way this visual aid turned out...I can't wait to teach this lesson this Sunday!!! I am excited about teaching this LESSON. I know the KIDDOS will be intrigued with all the happenings of Isaiah being called to be GOD'S Prophet. Blessings, Ronda

Our continuing Exploration through the Life of Jesus Has brought us to the time when Jesus is Teaching in Parables. The Parable we are learning about is the Parable of the four soils. We added NEW CARDS to our DO You Know? Wall. My Expectation is for the KIDDOS to be able to answer each of these by the end of the lesson. Our VISUAL Aid for this lesson was fun to make. I have a dear friend, who gave me this wooden box with the four compartments, several years ago. I believe it used to hold children's puzzles. I used clay to make the "WAYSIDE." I used pebbles for the "STONY" ground. I used sand and dirt with a mixture of wooden skewers (cut to small pieces) for the "THORNY" ground. For the "GOOD GROUND" I used potting soil. We used sunflower seeds for our seeds. And my FARMER goes with a DOLLHOUSE set. I added a bird, I purchased at Dollar Tree, to the "WAYSIDE." I added the SUN and scorched plant to the "STONY" ground. I added a bit of strange greenery to the "THORNY" ground. I added sunflowers to the "GOOD GROUND." The KIDDOS were in LOVE with this VISUAL!!!! They loved seeing all the grounds and items that went with the grounds!! It was a great touch and see VISUAL!!!!! We also added a secondary VISUAL to our white board. Each of the pictures show the different types of soils. The bottom sign is our definition for Parable. The KIDDOS need to understand that a PARABLE is and EARTHLY STORY with a HEAVENLY MEANING. We had three new words to add to our WORD WALL. I chose SOIL, SOWER & PARABLE. Those are important words for the KIDDOS to understand for this lesson to make more sense to them. We Added a NEW Card to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN Timeline!! This is the SONG we learned with this lesson. This song is a little longer than most, but the KIDDOS all learned it and sang it very well!! The song can be heard by clicking the following link. The SOWER song by Ronda Duvall Our MEMORY VERSE was Mark 4:20! To hear the MEMORY VERSE song click on this link. Memory Verse Song Mark 4:20 The Kiddo's TAKE-HOME project was a fun one!! I premade all the little trays of the various soils...the project is made from cardstock...I printed the back picture on the cardstock, before assembling. The KIDDOS added each SOIL, SEEDS and the LABELS to their project. There is double sided foam tape on the back of each of the the soil trays and glue dots on the back of soil labels. The little trays came from the very bottom of Gerber Baby Food Containers. I just cut them down to make them very shallow. The WAYSIDE, is air dried clay, I shaped it in the bottom of one of the baby food containers. By premaking most of the activity it did not take very long to assemble them during Bible Class....I NEVER want our craft/activity to take up a lot of Bible Class time. This KIDDOS loved the weeks REVIEW Game!! The KIDDOS answered a question from the lesson for the opportunity to toss the bean bag.....then the KIDDOS had to tell me what SOIL they landed on and WHAT happened in that SOIL. It was a wonderful way to review all four soils and the outcome of the seeds that fell upon those soils. As you know, the second week of the LESSON is when we REVIEW. It gives me opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It also, gives opportunities for the KIDDOS who missed class the first week to "CATCH UP." This is the Week we SAY our MEMORY VERSE from MEMORY and We do an ACTIVITY we add to our EXPLORER JOURNAL. This LESSON'S EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY was a fun one...the KIDDOS added stickers and glued on seeds to this activity. I make the stickers from clipart using a sticker maker machine. The KIDDOS always LOVE stickers and anything they get to glue. We used sunflower seed for our seeds...they are easy for little hands to pick up and glue. I am thoroughly enjoying teaching through the Life of Christ. The KIDDOS are learning so much about JESUS our LORD. Blessings, Ronda

I am beyond excited about this lesson. I know the KIDDOS will LOVE learning all about the Ravens Feeding Elijah. I LOVE how GOD takes care of HIS FOLLOWERS. There is so many exciting aspects to this lesson...Although, we will focus on the HISTORY of this lesson...we will make sure to DRAW out the conclusion that GOD WILL ALWAYS PROVIDE!!! By the end of class time the KIDDOS will be able to answer the Who? What? When? Where? Where? Why? and How is this story Important to ME? Questions!! If they can answer those questions, I know they understood the LESSON. We have added an Elijah card to our "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN" Time Line Wall. We add a CARD each time we have a NEW lesson...This helps the KIDDOS remember where in HISTORY a story took place. It also helps me REVIEW past lessons...and helps me lead the children through BIBLE HISTORY....Continually showing the THEME of the BIBLE. JESUS IS COMING....JESUS IS HERE...JESUS IS COMING AGAIN. GOD wants us to live in such a way as to be READY when JESUS RETURNS. (YES, KIDDOS understand this!!) We get to add a "NEW" Prophet to our List of PROPHETS. ELIJAH!!!! We will be SINGING this song this week. I know the KIDDOS will love this one. My little boy, often goes around singing this song already. Have I mentioned, I LOVE hearing the KIDDOS sing songs that I have written. I LOVE knowing they are learning their BIBLE STORIES through songs. It is so much easier for me to recall BIBLE STORIES when I have a SONG that goes along with the story. Our memory verse this week is Philippians 4:19! I feel this verse helps put the focus on the HOW THIS LESSON IS IMPORTANT TO ME? Question. I want the KIDDOS to understand that GOD will always PROVIDE for our needs. We need to LOVE, HONOR, and TRUST GOD! Our "WORD WALL" is really being "built" up!! I know this weeks words are not necessarily HARD words...But, they are words the KIDDOS do not use everyday. Matter-of-fact, I will be surprised if they know what a BROOK is. And around here, we refer to Ravens as CROWS. So, I will be interested to see how many of them KNOW what a Raven is...we will see. We will add the Brook Cherith to our MAP. I want the KIDDOS to know that Cherith is in the NORTHERN Nation...and am looking forward to showing them all the TRAVELS of Elijah. The KIDDOS will be making a flying Raven as their "TAKE HOME" activity. Before, I show you the finished product, I wanted to share with you something that made me laugh. Because I do NOT want our TAKE HOME projects to take up a TON of my teaching time...I do a LOT of the prep work ahead of class time. So, this week that involved making BIRD LEGS and FEET. Well, this is what my table looked like....and, I could NOT help but LAUGH! These BIRD legs were made from chenille sticks....and I think they are cute but, just a bit creepy sitting on my table like this. LOL. NOW, on to the Ravens the KIDDOS will be making...During class, they will color the Ravens and wings. We will slide the wings in place and then glue the "bread" in the Raven's mouth. After they have completed their RAVEN they will "FLY" them around the room as we sing "The Ravens Fed Elijah" song. To make our RAVENS "fly," I attached a small dowel and fishing line to the Raven. This will allow the KIDDOS to "FLY" their Raven around the classroom. The KIDDOS will be PLAYING TIC-TAC-TOE as a REVIEW GAME. We will play this by having the KIDDOS answer a question from the LESSON. They will then add a "RAVEN" or a "BROOK" to the TIC-TAC-TOE board. FYI, I decided to use the FOAM blocks to make my GAME BOARD!....This saved me a TON of TIME! And, I LOVE the LOOK! So easy and SO effective!!! :-) After I got home I realized I forgot to take a picture of the KIDDOS EXPLORER JOURNAL activity that they will do NEXT week....So, please check back later this week. I will get a PICTURE of what the KIDDOS will be making and add it to the website. OK...This is the KIDDO'S EXPLORER JOURNAL activity for NEXT SUNDAY. The KIDDOS will Color Elijah, the BROOK CHERITH, and the Ravens. Then the KIDDOS will add "BREAD" to the RAVENS mouths. I am have the KIDDOS glue on Oyster Crackers on to the Raven's Mouths. I will probably coat the Oyster Crackers with Elmer's Glue...That seems to keep them from breaking apart and becoming crumbs! Blessings, Ronda

This weeks lesson is focusing on some of the miracles Elisha performs. We will quickly cover the miracle when Elisha healed the water at Jericho...but our MAIN focus of the lesson will be when Elisha helps the widow...this story comes from 2 Kings 4. We will add the WORD Debt to our WORD WALL!! Since, I will talk about DEBT....what is DEBT and how we are to handle DEBT. I know the KIDDOS are YOUNG...but, I believe we need to talk about the IMPORTANT TOPICS all though out their lives. GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN CARD. I also want to FOCUS the KIDDOS on to the fact that even though Elisha has performed this miracle...the WOMAN had to WORK!! She had to collect the JARS. She had to POUR the oil into the jars. She had to go to the market to SELL the oil. I love that this story shows that GOD always wants us to DO OUR PART!!!! We will add this CARD to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN...timeline. This week our MEMORY VERSE comes from 1 Chronicles 16:11-12. I have a TUNE for this memory verse...but, it is a "RONDA ORIGINAL" tune...or as my 8 year old son says..."It's an unrecognizable tune, mom." Nearing the end of this lesson we will briefly touch on the fact that Elisha will travel to Shunem...so, we will add Shunem to our MAP. The KIDDOS TAKE HOME project was a WEE bit of a challenge for me.... I knew parents would NOT appreciate me sending the KIDDOS home with a bottle of OLIVE OIL....so, what was I going to do???? I decided to focus the KIDDOS on the fact that GOD BLESSED the WIDOW with WHAT SHE NEEDED. And, GOD BLESSES US WITH WHAT WE NEED TOO!!!!! But, I wanted to use a JAR...because, after all, it went along with the story. I knew I did not want GLASS jars (because, I want the KIDDOS to be able to touch and "PLAY" with their TAKE HOME.) So, off to the DOLLAR TREE I went. This is WHAT I came up with.... Dollar Tree currently has these plastic jars filled with "RITZ" style crackers....SO, YES, my family will be EATING these RANCH FLAVORED CRACKERS for MONTHS!!!! I wanted the JARS...and if my family can get a SNACK out of my need for plastic JARS...WELL, I count that as a BLESSING. :-) So, this is what my KIDDOS will be doing with these JARS. We are going to make "I SPY GOD'S BLESSINGS!" Jars. We will be placing, "EVERY DAY" items that are BLESSINGS from GOD, in the JARS and then filling them with RICE. The RICE is what makes them an "I SPY" Jar. If you are confused...JUST keep looking at the PICTURES....They will HELP EXPLAIN. Each KIDDO will get these items....they do very in color...and I do have GIRLS and BOYS themed bags. BUT, each baggie has a tiny BIBLE, a FAMILY picture, a Monopoly HOUSE, 5 RED HEARTS, A BOY or GIRL (CLOTHING), SHOES or COWBOY BOOTS for boys, a JACK and TOP, ANIMALS, FLOWERS, SILVER STARS, GLITTERED MOON, FRUIT (FOOD), GLITTERED SUN, RAINDROP bead, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, PENNY, CAR and SMILEY BALL. EACH of these items represents a BLESSING from GOD and goes with the POEM that I wrote...please, see the picture above. After we discuss how GOD BLESSES us with these things....the KIDDOS will place them in the JARS and then fill it with RICE. We will seal the JARS and the KIDDOS (with my help) will attach a LABEL to the top...THE LABEL has the POEM printed on it...so, that the PARENTS can HELP the KIDDOS see ALL the BLESSINGS that GOD has given them. I also have pictures (like the one above) that I will give to each of the KIDDOS to go with THEIR OWN JAR. That way they can "SPY" the exact ITEMS they placed in the JAR. For a REVIEW GAME...I decided we would use BABY FOOD JARS and POM-POM Balls....I have questions printed on COLORFUL circles and placed under each JAR. The KIDDOS will each get 3 POM-POM BALLS. They will then have turns at throwing their POM-POM BALLS into the JARS. The JAR their POM-POM lands in...well, they have to answer that question!!! BTW, a sweet Sister in Christ gave me these JARS a few YEARS ago...Her daughter in nearly 4 years old!!!! I did not really NEED them back then....BUT, I AM SO THANKFUL that I have them. I had stored them in my Bible Class Supply Closet....KNOWING, I might NEED them SOME DAY....WELL, I guess it is "SOME DAY!!" This is my MOTTO: If people offer you unique items----THANK THEM, take them, save them, use them and THANK THEM again, telling them HOW you used them!!!! Those STRANGE WIDGETS just might be useful in BIBLE CLASS!!! :-) Next week will be our REVIEW week for this LESSON. I really enjoy having 2 WEEKS to cover a LESSON. I can make SURE the KIDDOS understand what has been taught...and if they are missing some pieces, I will have an opportunity to help them fill in the BLANKS. The KIDDOS will make their "EXPLORER JOURNAL" ACTIVITY next WEEK. I know they will LOVE this!!!! First off the get to COLOR with MARKERS!!!! Secondly, they will get to 'PAINT' with BABY OIL. This is a PROCESS....BUT, it is so much FUN!!!! You just need to PREPARE before SATURDAY NIGHT at 10:00 PM!!! Fist off...for this process to work you need to use COPY paper NOT CARDSTOCK!!!! After you have copied you project onto CHEAP COPY Paper., you will need to use Elmer's Glue and "TRACE" the BLACK OUTLINE on the FRONT of the PAGE. Let it DRY for at least 24 hours. It will dry CLEAR. This is an IMPORTANT step!!!! During class the KIDDOS will color the BACK of the page with MARKERS. (The back is the page with the design and Bible Verse (PRINTED BACKWARDS) on it.) VIBRANT COLOR Markers seem to work the BEST!! We will then GLUE on the GEMS to the front of the JAR. NOW, for the FUN and AMAZING PART!!! Pour a VERY SMALL amount of BABY oil on a SPONGE PAINT BUSH and let the KIDDOS PAINT the FRONT of their JAR with OIL!!! (After all, that was PART of Elisha's Miracle!!!!) The COLORFUL image on the back will APPEAR through the JAR!!!! (JUST A LITTLE OIL is needed for this to work....and I mean JUST A LITTLE!!!!!!) This is the FINISHED PRODUCT!!! It is almost like STAINED GLASS...and is TRANSPARENT when you hold it up to the LIGHT!!! Plus if you use BABY OIL...it is NON TOXIC and makes the room smell nice!!! I would keep some paper towels handy...that way if the oil PUDDLES in one place you will be able to dab it up with the towels. I have done a few other projects with this method of "OIL PAINTING" and every time---THE KIDDOS LOVE it and are AMAZED by the FINISHED PRODUCT!!!! I am still working on a few other projects---I can't wait to SHARE them with you soon. Hope your Bible Classes are going well....Remember, you are teaching the MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECT that KIDDOS will ever be taught!!!!! Blessings, Ronda

Our continuing Exploration through the Life of Jesus Has brought us to the time when Jesus is Preaching the Sermon on the Mount. We did a previous lesson on the Beatitudes, Letting Our Light Shine, The Golden Rule and now we are learning about THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS. . This is always a "fun" lesson to teach KIDDOS. They seem to really understand the point JESUS is making in the story. We added NEW CARDS to our DO You Know? Wall. My Expectation is for the KIDDOS to be able to answer each of these by the end of the lesson. Our VISUAL Aid for this lesson was an easy choice. I used rocks and sand for our foundations and placed a laminated paper house on each. During the lesson, when we got to the part of the storm, I poured water over both houses. As you can see the house on the sand fell. I ended up moving the visuals into a glass casserole dish...that way I could really pour a lot of water all over the houses and not worry about water getting all over the table. I did laminate my houses...so, I can reuse them in the future. It worked out perfectly. We had three new words to add to our WORD WALL. I chose STORM, BUILDER, & FOUNDATION. Those are important words for the KIDDOS to understand for this lesson to make more sense to them. We Added a NEW Card to our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN Timeline!! This is the SONG we learned with this lesson. The KIDDOS really enjoyed singing this one. I like that it teaches the message about WHO we need to build our life on!! The song can be heard by clicking the following link. The WISE BUILDER SONG....BY RONDA DUVALL Our MEMORY VERSE was Matthew 7:24! To hear the MEMORY VERSE song click on this link. Matthew 7:24 Memory Verse The Kiddo's made a "HOUSES BUILT ON A ROCK" for their TAKE-HOME project. I was excited for the KIDDOS to get to make this TAKE HOME project. It's a great visual reminder for BUILDING OUR LIFE ON THE LORD!! We want to be WISE BUILDERS! This week our REVIEW Game was a FUN one!! The KIDDOS had a paddle with both a well built house and a crumbling house on it. We would read a circumstance card to the KIDDOS...they would have to choose if the person on the card was building their life on JESUS or not. If the person on the card was building their life on JESUS, they would hold up the strongly built house. If they person was NOT building their life on JESUS, the KIDDOS would hold up the house that was crumbling and falling down. The KIDDOS did REALLY well with this game and enjoyed spinning their houses!! As you know, the second week of the LESSON is when we REVIEW. It gives me opportunity to correct any misunderstandings. It also, gives opportunities for the KIDDOS who missed class the first week to "CATCH UP." This is the Week we SAY our MEMORY VERSE from MEMORY and We do an ACTIVITY we add to our EXPLORER JOURNAL. This LESSON'S EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY was simple one...ON one side the page had a ROCK foundation that the KIDDOS added. On the other side the KIDDOS spread glue and added sand. Then the KIDDOS built a good strong house from nicely cut craft stick upon the ROCK and a HOUSE in pieces (I broke several craft sticks to give them the broken down look) upon the sand. The KIDDOS LOVED making this EXPLORER JOURNAL ACTIVITY. I am thoroughly enjoying teaching through the Life of Christ. The KIDDOS are learning so much about JESUS our LORD. Blessings, Ronda

We are moving forward in our lessons about the Kingdom of Judah. I am so excited about this lesson....The KIDDOS will be learning how GOD is the POTTER and we are the clay. I love our WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?? WHERE? and WHY? WALL!!!! There is so much information on this WALL. We use it often for REVIEWING what we have learned in the past!! We have our DO YOU KNOW? cards ready to go!! We have three new WORDS for our WORD WALL. The KIDDOS need to know what these words mean in order to understand the lesson. Our NEW story card is up on our "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN" timeline. This weeks Memory Verse comes directly from the TEXT. It is GOD'S promise to Jeremiah. I LOVE the comfort and strength found in this verse!! If you want to hear the tune we will be singing this Memory Verse to, just click this link below. It will open up the Facebook Page for HOBT. Jeremiah 18:6 Memory Verse Song The KIDDOS will be learning this SONG during this lesson. I feel this is a VERY catchy song....so, hopefully they will be singing it throughout the next two weeks. :-) I hope their parents do not mind. If you would like to hear this song click on the link below. It will open up the Facebook Page for HOBT GOD is the POTTER and I am the Clay---Song by Ronda Duvall I decided to have a 3D visual for this story...So, I used clip art from the cool clip art collection that I have purchased and laminated and cut out Jeremiah and the Potter. I wanted a house feel, so I also used clip art from PRINTMASTER to make the background. Then I made several different vessels out of Crayola Model Magic. I purchased the terracotta color Model Magic....I think it turned out great. (And since I am finishing this post---after teaching this lesson, I can tell you the KIDDOS LOVED this visual!!!) This is the other VISUAL I used. I had one of these pots on the table as I told the story. When I got to the part where Jeremiah breaks the clay pot in front of the Priest and elders...I threw this pot down on the ground. It broke and the KIDDOS were AWE STRUCK!! They could NOT believe it. But, it drove home the point...that once it is broken it cannot be fixed again to the former vessel. It was WONDERFUL to see the KIDDOS so IN TUNED to the LESSON. :-) As a TAKE HOME activity I decided I wanted the KIDDOS to be able to MOLD something and then REMOLD something....SO, I decided to use PLAYDOUGH. (PLEASE forgive these PICTURES---I was working on this project at home....and so, the background is my kitchen....MESS and all. :-)) I made the labels using my PRINTMASTER program. I wanted it similar to the actual label that was on the older style cups of Playdough. It used to have a little boy in a blue beret on the front...so, I inserted a picture of each of the KIDDOS in the blue beret. Glued them to the containers and called it done. During class time the KIDDOS were allowed to MOLD a vessel and then REMOLD a new vessel. We talked about how if it drys out and hardens (such as a hardened heart) that it is no longer mold-able---so we cannot afford to allow our heart to harden towards GOD. Amazingly, the KIDDOS seemed to really GET this point!!! We talked about how we need to let GOD shape us...so we need to study our Bible. BTW, this is the container of PLAYDOUGH I had ready---in case we had visitors. I believe we should always treat our guest the same way as we do our regulars....so, make sure to have TAKE HOME projects ready for your guests! Our Review Game is called "CLAY POT CATASTROPHE." It is a broken POT---and we are gonna try to put it back together. I coded the back board with questions and the answers are on the actual "clay pot." In case you are wondering....this is how I made this game. I PRINTED a large vase from my Printmaster program....I then traced it onto the backboard....Then I covered the printed pot with Terracotta Colored Crayola Model Magic. It took some ROLLING and STRETCHING to get it covered. Then I let it dry for a few days. After it was dry, I cut the jar apart into puzzle pieces. Then traced the puzzle pieces onto the backboard. Coded the backboard with the questions and wrote the answers on the "clay pot." During class time we pass out the pieces of the jar....and when I read a question the one with the correct piece of the jar gets to put it in the correct place on the backboard. Quick, Easy and Fun. Next week is our REVIEW week. Next week the KIDDOS will be making this to add to their EXPLORER JOURNAL. The 3D pot is made from the same Model Magic that I made my bigger version for the Review Game. I just shaped them in the same way and the KIDDOS will add them to their Explorer Journal Activity after they color Jeremiah and the POTTER. Here are my little "Clay Pots" drying....Remember I made these from Model Magic....They are very light and easy to glue in place. :-) Hope you have enjoyed seeing what we are doing in Bible Class. Blessings, Ronda

This weeks lesson is focusing on some of the miracles Elisha performs. We will quickly cover the miracle when Elisha healed the water at...

We have JUST begun our NEW UNIT!!!!!! We are going to be EXPLORING and learning about Eli, Samuel, Saul, David and Solomon. We are going to be VERY BUSY over the next quarter. This is the way I "CONTAIN" my teaching materials....I use a BIG BINDER and plastic sleeves----LOTS OF PLASTIC SLEEVES!!!!!! I am PRAYING fervently about this undertaking. It is a little more challenging to come up with activities, review games, etc. for the material we are about to EXPLORE......so, I am STRETCHING my brain as I work on these lessons. :-) This is what my classroom looks like!!! I am blessed to have a LARGE ROOM....with plenty of room for the kiddos activities!!! We have 'TABLE TIME" & "CIRCLE TIME." Our EAA, which stands for EARLY ARRIVAL ACTIVITY is a PUZZLE and then a DRAWING activity. I made this puzzle using frames from the Dollar Tree!!! I call the puzzle "GOD'S AMAZING PLAN!" It is truly a puzzle with each TIME PERIOD OF THE BIBLE in each puzzle piece. The kiddos worked together to get the puzzle in the correct chronological order!!! After they completed the puzzle I allowed them to draw in "white boards." These boards are cut from wall board that I purchased at LOWES.. $11.96 gave me 32 white boards!!!! I have shared them with ALL the other Bible Classes!!!! I had coded the white boards with various BIBLE characters and events. The kiddos had to draw me a picture of what they could remember about the character of event. THEY LOVED IT!!!!! All kiddos love to draw on the white/chalk board so, I decided to use this to MY ADVANTAGE!!!! I will post some pics of what they drew----They amazed me!!!!! We have NEW cards to add to our WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? and HOW? WALL!!!! We have a "NEW" map up on the wall. We have already added two locations!!!! The kiddos LOVE to add new locations to the map. This is our NEW bulletin board. BTW, I just use the WALL!!! We have 3 CROWNS and 3 MEN that would be KING. We will write (with a sharpie) information about each KING on each crow. BTW, the pictures came from DOLLAR TREE...I bought them last year....I sure hope they come out with MORE BIBLE related visuals! Hannah Praying Hannah's Answered Prayer! Our first lesson was about Hannah. Hannah prayed fervently for a baby boy. The kiddos were very engaged with this story. I explained how Hannah went to GOD through prayer. I let them know that GOD really wants us to let HIM know our wants and needs. They seemed to really get IT!!!! YAY!!!!! This was the kiddos "TAKE HOME." Our Memory Verse was Psalm 38:15. "For in YOU, O LORD, I hope. You will hear, O Lord my GOD." I felt this was an appropriate verse for the subject we were EXPLORING. We sang the verse to the tune: "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians." Our REVIEW Game was called "PIN THE BOTTLE ON SAMUEL" Each bottle had a question about the lesson written on it. If the kiddo answer correctly (which they ALL did) they had to opportunity to "pin" (we used double stick tape) the bottle to Samuel. They really enjoyed this!!!!! On Wednesday Evening the kiddos colored a picture of Samuel...added a "real" rattle and 3D blocks that spell SAMUEL. They all turned our soooo sweet. The kiddos added this to their NEW EXPLORER JOURNAL. (The rattles came from the DOLLAR TREE and we made the BLOCKS using little square wooden pieces and foamy 3D letters.) I told you we are going to be busy.... :-) And, I would NOT have it any other way!!!!! I feel soooo blessed to be a BIBLE CLASS teacher!!!! I am looking forward to sharing our EXPLORATIONS with you over the next few months!!!! Blessings, Ronda

We are moving forward in our lessons about the Kingdom of Judah. I am so excited about this lesson....The KIDDOS will be learning how GOD is the POTTER and we are the clay. I love our WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?? WHERE? and WHY? WALL!!!! There is so much information on this WALL. We use it often for REVIEWING what we have learned in the past!! We have our DO YOU KNOW? cards ready to go!! We have three new WORDS for our WORD WALL. The KIDDOS need to know what these words mean in order to understand the lesson. Our NEW story card is up on our "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN" timeline. This weeks Memory Verse comes directly from the TEXT. It is GOD'S promise to Jeremiah. I LOVE the comfort and strength found in this verse!! If you want to hear the tune we will be singing this Memory Verse to, just click this link below. It will open up the Facebook Page for HOBT. Jeremiah 18:6 Memory Verse Song The KIDDOS will be learning this SONG during this lesson. I feel this is a VERY catchy song....so, hopefully they will be singing it throughout the next two weeks. :-) I hope their parents do not mind. If you would like to hear this song click on the link below. It will open up the Facebook Page for HOBT GOD is the POTTER and I am the Clay---Song by Ronda Duvall I decided to have a 3D visual for this story...So, I used clip art from the cool clip art collection that I have purchased and laminated and cut out Jeremiah and the Potter. I wanted a house feel, so I also used clip art from PRINTMASTER to make the background. Then I made several different vessels out of Crayola Model Magic. I purchased the terracotta color Model Magic....I think it turned out great. (And since I am finishing this post---after teaching this lesson, I can tell you the KIDDOS LOVED this visual!!!) This is the other VISUAL I used. I had one of these pots on the table as I told the story. When I got to the part where Jeremiah breaks the clay pot in front of the Priest and elders...I threw this pot down on the ground. It broke and the KIDDOS were AWE STRUCK!! They could NOT believe it. But, it drove home the point...that once it is broken it cannot be fixed again to the former vessel. It was WONDERFUL to see the KIDDOS so IN TUNED to the LESSON. :-) As a TAKE HOME activity I decided I wanted the KIDDOS to be able to MOLD something and then REMOLD something....SO, I decided to use PLAYDOUGH. (PLEASE forgive these PICTURES---I was working on this project at home....and so, the background is my kitchen....MESS and all. :-)) I made the labels using my PRINTMASTER program. I wanted it similar to the actual label that was on the older style cups of Playdough. It used to have a little boy in a blue beret on the front...so, I inserted a picture of each of the KIDDOS in the blue beret. Glued them to the containers and called it done. During class time the KIDDOS were allowed to MOLD a vessel and then REMOLD a new vessel. We talked about how if it drys out and hardens (such as a hardened heart) that it is no longer mold-able---so we cannot afford to allow our heart to harden towards GOD. Amazingly, the KIDDOS seemed to really GET this point!!! We talked about how we need to let GOD shape us...so we need to study our Bible. BTW, this is the container of PLAYDOUGH I had ready---in case we had visitors. I believe we should always treat our guest the same way as we do our regulars....so, make sure to have TAKE HOME projects ready for your guests! Our Review Game is called "CLAY POT CATASTROPHE." It is a broken POT---and we are gonna try to put it back together. I coded the back board with questions and the answers are on the actual "clay pot." In case you are wondering....this is how I made this game. I PRINTED a large vase from my Printmaster program....I then traced it onto the backboard....Then I covered the printed pot with Terracotta Colored Crayola Model Magic. It took some ROLLING and STRETCHING to get it covered. Then I let it dry for a few days. After it was dry, I cut the jar apart into puzzle pieces. Then traced the puzzle pieces onto the backboard. Coded the backboard with the questions and wrote the answers on the "clay pot." During class time we pass out the pieces of the jar....and when I read a question the one with the correct piece of the jar gets to put it in the correct place on the backboard. Quick, Easy and Fun. Next week is our REVIEW week. Next week the KIDDOS will be making this to add to their EXPLORER JOURNAL. The 3D pot is made from the same Model Magic that I made my bigger version for the Review Game. I just shaped them in the same way and the KIDDOS will add them to their Explorer Journal Activity after they color Jeremiah and the POTTER. Here are my little "Clay Pots" drying....Remember I made these from Model Magic....They are very light and easy to glue in place. :-) Hope you have enjoyed seeing what we are doing in Bible Class. Blessings, Ronda

Have you ever been so excited about a lesson...that you could hardly wait to teach it to the KIDDOS? Well, I have been SOOOOOO excited...

We are continuing our TOUR of our GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN Boxes....They really are a wonderful teaching tool. This is the Joshua and Judges Box. JUST a quick peek....before, I pour it all out!! LOL In this box we have several TOYS that help the KIDDOS remember the LESSONS from the life of Joshua and the time period of the Judges. We have a HORN. The KIDDOS made these horns when we learned about the taking of Jericho. We have a DEBORAH (formally MARY from a Fisher Price Little People set.----I got it for FREE at a Garage Sale.) and a Palm Tree. Balaam's Donkey. Samson the Judge. We have RUTH--notice the wheat...GRAPES for the SPIES to carry back, young Samuel and Hannah. A SUN---for when the sun stood still. A WOODEN house with, "As for Me and My House, we will serve the LORD." written on it. And a sand toy---it is our Jericho!! As you can see---I use a variety of items from a variety of places. The grapes were formally attached to a bottle of grape smelling bubbles. The wooden house came from one of those sets of wooden houses most of us had back in the early 90's. Each house has a letter on it---WELCOME. The sand toy came from Dollar Tree. The PALM tree came from a KIDS MEAL that my daughters got when they were little---they now 18, 24 and 25 years old. :-) Blessings, Ronda

This is Lesson 2 in Joshua and the Quest of Canaan, from the EXPLORING BIBLE HISTORY curriculum that I am writing. Last week we learned how Joshua became the new leader of the Hebrews. We learned how he was strong and brave. This week we are learning about Rahab and the spies. The children will learn about how a Canaanite woman BELIEVED in GOD and helped the Hebrew spies. The "Take Home" activity for this week is a "Wall of Jericho" with the spies escaping. I change this "Take Home" activity since making the prototype. The children's activity is not a box...but, it is more of a flat wall. However, it is a very sturdy activity...I ended up placing a piece of cardboard (from cereal boxes) between the 2 pieces of cardstock. This makes the project very sturdy. Then I punched a hole in the middle and added a "scarlet" (red yarn) cord . The spies are from a clip art program...I just punched holes in several places and the children will weave the "scarlet" cord through the spies hands and feet...this way it will look like they are holding on to the cord. The spies will then be able to move down the cord by pulling on the back of the project. Sounds kinda complicated...but it really was very easy. That is why I post pics....Pictures are worth a 1000 words. :-) Our Memory Verse this week is Joshua 2:11. The children will color their Memory Verse Card during class on Sunday morning. We will sing the song that goes with this MV. Most of them will have it memorized before leaving class on Sunday. That is why I always put their MV to a tune. BTW, there is a young boy in my class that has every memory verse I have ever passed out for them to learn. I LOVE IT!!! Our review game this week is called "The Spies Escape." The kiddos will answer questions from today's lesson...for every correct answer the spies are moved down the wall. I am sure those spies will safely escape Jericho...I teach a really great group of kiddos. This was made by printing an enlarged picture of my "Take Home." Then attatched it to a foam core style board...(this board is actually corregated plastic. I bought it at a local Good Will for a $1.00...I bought several for future projects.) I then attatched a "Scarlet Cord" using red yarn...and velcro dots. The spies have the opposite velcro dot on the back of them...that way they will stick to the wall as they "escape down the wall." I am looking forward to this Sunday...I know the childre will LOVE this story...especially the boys. Anytime there is "danger," "spies." "escaping." etc. The boys get soooo excited! My girls will love it too....because a "GIRL" helped the spies. God needs both men and women.....Boys and Girls. Blessings, Ronda

Wanted to share our NEWEST Review "Game." The KIDDOS will be "playing" this game on Wednesday Evenings. It will be a way to see if they remember what they have learned. :-) I feel that if the KIDDOS are able to answer the Who? What? When? Where? Where? Why? and How is this important to me? questions, then they have a better understanding of the Lesson. So, I really PUSH them to "GET" this information. As you can tell, I made these out of recycled Tissue boxes. If you let people know you need empty tissue boxes they seem to appear from everywhere!!! :-) As you know, I always have a Who? What? When? Where? Where? Why? and How? card set for each lesson that I teach. So, I just modified them a bit and printed out a second set. The KIDDOS will have an opportunity to "DRAW" a card. The TEACHER will read the information....allowing the KIDDOS to "FILL IN" information by asking the KIDDOS questions. As an example...if the KIDDO happened to draw the WHO? card the teacher would simply ask "Who was our lesson about?" Once the KIDDO answers the questions they get to put the card in the correct BOX. The KIDDOS feel HONORED by putting Ms. Ronda's cards in the correct box. Little things excite KIDDOS. :-) I LOVE it when something so easy and inexpensive turns out to be so usable!!! Hope you are having a wonderful week. Blessings, Ronda

This SUNDAY we begin EXPLORING the KINGS of JUDAH!!! When the KIDDOS arrive I have a "SURPRISE" waiting for them. Hanging on the back of each of my KIDDOS chairs is a NEW Bible Class Bag!!! I have placed new cards in our "DO YOU KNOW" Pocket Chart. I am always PLEASED when the KIDDOS can answer these QUESTIONS. I feel it is so important for the KIDDOS to understand the WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? and HOW is this important to me? to every lessons I teach. We will have a NEW word to add to our "WORD WALL." I want the KIDDOS to understand what it means to be LOYAL. I want the KIDDOS to understand the ASA was LOYAL to GOD. We have TWO new PROPHETS to add to our WALL of PROPHETS. We have Azariah and Hanani. Both of these Prophets/Seers have interaction with King Asa!! OUR MAP has JERUSALEM placed on it. Most of our lessons will be happening in the city of Jerusalem...so, we wont have a BUNCH of places to add to our MAP...but, as we learn of other places we will make sure to add them. We have TWO NEW SONGS to learn this week. The KIDDOS have heard the KINGS of JUDAH song before...BUT the ASA WAS LOYAL is a NEW SONG for the KIDDOS. The KIDDOS MEMORY VERSE comes directly from the TEXT of this LESSON. I LOVE this verse....WHAT a COMFORT this verse provides to those who are LOYAL to GOD!!! I did make a small adjustment to the size of our MEMORY VERSE cards. I found these 4X6 Magnetic Photo Pockets at the Dollar Tree. I thought they would be GREAT for the KIDDOS to TAKE home and put on the FRIDGE. That way each week the KIDDOS can take home their MEMORY VERSE and place it in the pocket on the FRIDGE. That will give it a PROMINENT place in their HOME and make it even easier for the KIDDOS to review it with their parents. The KIDDOS "TAKE HOME" project is an EASEL style EARTH with EYES. It is made from Card Stock. The KIDDOS will COLOR the WORLD and stick on the GOOGLY eyes. As a EXTRA "TAKE HOME" I am going to let the KIDDOS make a 3D ball with eyes. The componets to this activity are a Laundry Soap Bottle Lid. (I told you I save EVERYTHING.) A condiment bowl, An Earth Ball (I bought these at the Dollar Tree) and Stick On GOOGLY eyes. These are all PRE MADE....EXCEPT the GOOGLY EYES. The KIDDOS will just PEEL and STICK the eyes on!! The BALL is being left LOOSE. It just SITS in the little cup. So, the KIDDOS can still Play with the Ball. I THINK they turned our really cute!! Our REVIEW GAME is King Asa's Loyal Heart, BINGO. The way this will be played is simple. EACH of the SQUARES is an ANSWER to the REVIEW QUESTIONS I will be asking the KIDDOS. Every CARD has the exact same pictures---they are just rearranged. NOTICE the " " BINGO MARKERS," they are HEARTS!!!! I bought those back during the Valentine Season at the Dollar Tree. I LOVE it when a THEME comes together so easily. Next week will be our REVIEW WEEK. The KIDDOS will be making this LOYAL HEART activity to add to their "EXPLORER JOURNAL." They will color their heart and add GEMS to the CROWN. But, this HEART has something SPECIAL going on...The HEART is actually a POCKET!! The KIDDOS will put "things" into the POCKET that help KEEP ones HEART LOYAL to GOD. Each of these activities will help our HEART be LOYAL to GOD: "PRAY DAILY," "PAY ATTENTION IN WORSHIP," "READ BIBLE," "GO TO BIBLE CLASS." We are going to be BUSY over the next "QUARTER." I am so excited about the KIDDOS learning so many LIFE LESSONS from the KINGS of JUDAH. Blessings, Ronda

Sometimes it is HARD to get things rolling after coming off vacation. This year was NO different. Unpacking, cleaning, shopping, birthday parties, my youngest son needing staples in his head...you, know just the normal day to day responsibilities that come with being a wife and mom. :) However, I have been working on some changes in the classroom...we have had PROMOTIONS...so, some of my KIDDOS have moved UP to the BIGGER KIDDOS class. :( It is hard to let them go and yet, I LOVE to hear from their new teacher just HOW SMART THEY ARE!!!! YAY!!!!! But, back to my classroom...We are beginning a new section of our Exploring Bible History curriculum....Please understand, I am undertaking this writing process...it is NOT yet ready to be published...and it is a real labor of love. We are moving into the Exploration of the Divided Kingdom!!! I am excited to teach this part of Bible History to these kiddos. When I was talking to them last Sunday about our up and coming adventures....they seemed to be very excited. Our new bulletin board is a picture of a castle...DIVIDED and crowns on each side. The crowns came from Dollar Tree!!! I just wrote each KINGS name on the crown...and because I wanted to add some FUN to the wall, I just pushed up on the crowns and added a bottom staple...Makes the crown POP off the wall. Please notice the SCEPTER at the top of JUDAH'S side. I am going to be reminding them that the SCEPTER would NOT depart from JUDAH!!! When GOD promises something HE ALWAYS keeps HIS PROMISES!!! At the bottom of each side I added a command hook....Since we will be talking about the PROPHETS that carried GOD'S messages to the Kings and people...I wanted a place to put them. This way when we learn about a Prophet...we will place him on the side to which he prophesied. (The PROPHETS are just a PAPER DOLL cut out...with the name, message and who they prophesied too typed on it.) This will be a new song...The KIDDOS will sing it on SUNDAY as we begin LEARNING all about the Divided Kingdom. I love having songs to go along with the topic....It really helps IMBED the LESSONS they are learning into their mind. (One of my favorite things is this: Stepping into the ladies room, after Bible Class and before Services and hearing one or more of the KIDDOS singing a song from BIBLE Class. PRECIOUS!!!) Because, my focus is always the WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHERE? WHY? AND HOW does this effect me? questions...These are the cards that will go in our DO YOU KNOW? card holder. The square picture of Rehoboam and Jeroboam will go on the "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN" timeline wall. We refer to that wall a LOT when we go back and review the THEME of the BIBLE. GOD'S PLAN is always moving forward towards the coming of JESUS...and OUR SALVATION today. The KIDDO'S Take Home project for this Sunday will be Rehoboam and Jeroboam Puppets....my KIDDOS have always enjoyed acting out the lesson...so, this is what I came up with....I am hoping they will be able to tell me which KING was from the NORTH and which one is from the SOUTH. Hopefully, by the time they go home from class we will have that all figured out for them. Young ones ofter struggle with Bible Time names....and keeping them straight when their names are so similar may cause a bit of a confusion. Since we will be talking about Rehoboam NOT listening to WISE counsel...I thought this would make for an applicable MEMORY VERSE. We will sing it to the tune "If your happy and you know it..." I am certain they will have it memorized before leaving the classroom. Because we will be talking about the PROPHET Ahijah I have a PROPHET picture setting on the table...BUT, that is NOT ALL...I want them to understand what a PROPHET really was...HE WAS GOD'S MESSENGER!!! So, we will also add the word PROPHET to our Word Wall. We will also sing one of my songs...."A Prophet Is A Messenger." We will have several PROPHET CARDS and Sing the Song several times during these lessons.......the KIDDOS will surely know what a PROPHET of GOD is by the time we are through with the Lessons on the Divided Kingdom. :) Our Review Game for this week is "Ahijah's Robe." The Kiddos will answer a question from the lesson...then they will be allowed to "rip" a piece of the coat from the puzzle....and then place it in the NORTHERN Pile or the SOUTHERN Pile. The Robe Puzzle has already be cut apart...that way they can easily "RIP" or pick up a piece. We played something similar to this back when we were studying Moses. I let the KIDDOS pull off pieces to the GOLDEN CALF...and the LOVED RIPPING down the altar...So, I am hoping they will LOVE RIPPING up Ahijah's Coat. :) Next Sunday we will REVIEW the LESSON from this week...and do our Explorer Journal Activity. I struggled to come up with the Take Home and Explorer Journal Activity for this lesson...But, I know the KIDDOS will enjoy this one for sure. It involves getting to use GLITTER and SEQUINS!!! The KIDDOS will color the Rehoboam and Jeroboam and add a SPLIT CROWN that will open to reveal the First Two Kings of the Divided Nation....They will get to glam up the crown with the GOLD GLITTER and their choice of sequins. I think they turned out cute and help reinforce the fact that the KINGDOM WAS DIVIDED!!! Hope you join us as we EXPLORE the Divided Kingdom. My Kiddos LOVE being Bible Explorers!!!! Blessings, Ronda

This Sunday we will be learning about Elisha, the Shunamite woman and her son. I briefly, introduced the Shunamite woman at the end of our last lesson. Tell the KIDDOS that Elisha was going to Shunem and would meet a very kind woman there.... God's Awesome Plan For Man Wall We will talk about the KINDNESS that the woman showed Elisha...the fact that she fed him and even had a room built especially for him. I want the KIDDOS to understand that GOD wants us to show Kindness to others. GOD wants us to be generous. I will use this lesson to REALLY drive home the importance of SHARING with others. We will also, learn about Elisha wanting to do something SPECIAL for this woman...since she had been so nice to him and his servant. We will learn that Elisha promises that the woman would have a son!!! We will learn that the promise came true...she had a son and loved him very much. Then, we will learn about the son dying and Elisha bringing him back to life. I wanted our Memory Verse to focus on being kind/sharing with others...and I thought this verse went with our story perfectly. I have a little tune that we will sing this Memory Verse too. Most of the KIDDOS will have it memorized before leaving the classroom. I really love for the KIDDOS to be able to sing their Memory Verse to a tune...it seems to help them get them memorized quickly. Because, we briefly touched on the woman from Shunem during our last lesson...we already have that city on our MAP. The Visuals for this lesson come from a clip and copy book....I will attach the picture to the paint paddle as I tell the story. This will also come in handy when reviewing the lesson....Seeing if the KIDDOS can put the story in the correct sequence. After we are finished with this lesson I will add this to my bucket of Paint Paddle Early Arrival Activities....That way the KIDDOS can revisit this lesson in the future. I want to be up front with my readers...this lesson presented a CHALLENGE for me. That challenge was coming up with a "TAKE HOME" project. I wanted the "TAKE HOME" project to go along with the lesson...but, I could not THINK of anything!!!! So, I pondered....and pondered and pondered. Well, this is what I ended up doing. I decided to have the KIDDOS make a "wind sock" to hang in their bedroom....(after all the woman built Elisha a bedroom) and I wanted the "wind sock" to remind them to SHARE!!! So, I printed their Memory Verse on yellow cardstock. The KIDDOS will color the verse with MARKERS!!!! Then roll it into a large tube. They will get to add various colored party streamers and glue on a set of googly eyes (above the word eye)....I think it works. Let me know what you think. Our REVIEW game is one that the KIDDOS have played before.... We play it like Musical Chairs....We will sing a song...I say STOP! We roll the FOAM DIE...and the number rolled will correspond with one of the numbers in the circles...The KIDDOS in that numbered circle answers a question from the lesson. This game has been well received by the KIDDOS. The KIDDOS EXPLORER JOURNAL activity for next week looks like this!!!! They will add the BED which is on foam sticker paper...so it not just a flat sticker stuck to the page...it actually gives the page a bit of a 3D effect...but, we are not done yet....The KIDDOS will get to glue on a TABLE and a CHAIR....then they will glue the paper LANTERN onto the table. The tables and chairs are from DOLLAR TREE. The table was originally oval...but, my wonder hubby cut them in half---length wise---and the chairs are from a Chair stacking game that Dollar Tree carries. I was so excited when I found them....I believe there were 10 chairs in a pkg. (I went to Dollar Tree...specifically looking for small chairs and when I found these, I sort of did a jig and a small squeal may have been heard down the aisle.) BTW, the chairs were in the "BOY'S TOYS." OK...after I finished the post, I was just NOT happy with the FINISHED PRODUCT for the KIDDOS "EXPLORER JOURNALS".....I wanted an Elisha and a little boy....So, my wheels began to turn... At first, I considered using clip art. Then I thought about craft sticks (Tongue Depressors) ....but, when I began looking through all my craft supplies.... I was reminded of my ABUNDANCE of Chenille Sticks/Pipe Cleaners!!!! Please understand, when I say ABUNDANCE...I am in NO WAY EXAGGERATING. (I buy them at Hobby Lobby when they go on sale for 80-90% off!! Watch for them at the end of Summer, after Easter, after Christmas. I have also bought a shoe box FULL of them for $0.25 at a Garage Sale.) I decided to make a little boy and an Elisha out of the Chenille sticks. The KIDDOS will attach the boy to the bed with a velcro dot. That way Elisha can "RAISE" him back to life. Elisha will be "FREE STANDING." That way the KIDDOS can MOVE him around, sit him down at the table or have him walk off and come back...etc. BTW, I COULD NOT stand for them NOT to have some sort of FACE!!!!! Is it just me...or is a faceless "person" just kinda creepy? So, I added some small smiley face stickers to the Chenille Stick Men. (The stickers were left over from a past Memory Verse Tracker/Reward system.) NOW, I am MUCH happier with the Project!!! I am looking forward to teaching this lesson....SHARING is such a important topic for KIDDOS. I want them to understand that when we SHARE it makes GOD happy, others happy and ourselves happy. Blessings, Ronda

WOW, life gets so busy. Sometimes we have to PAUSE and take care of family needs. Just so you know, we have been moving forward with our EXPLORATION of BIBLE HISTORY. However, being overwhelmed by busyness has kept me from UPDATING the website. A few weeks ago, we had our lesson on Jacob receiving the Blessing. We talked a LOT about this being GOD'S PLAN...but, that we are NOT sure GOD really wanted them to TRICK Isaac. But, just like us, they were human and did not always do things in the best way. The KIDDOS MEMORY VERSE comes from PROVERBS 28:20. "A faithful man will abound with blessings." This is a great verse to SHARE with the KIDDOS. We sang our song "Jacob and Esau." The visual aid I used had a double purpose. This was also the KIDDOS Take Home Project! They LOVED adding the fur to Jacob. Our REVIEW game was FUN and EXCITING. We allowed the KIDDOS to pretend to be Jacob and Isaac. We had one put on the mask--to represent Isaac and his dim eyesight. Then we allowed one of the other KIDDOS to put on the fur sleeves. Then we allowed "Isaac" to feel the furry arms. We removed the arms from the KIDDO and asked "Isaac" which one of his/her Bible Class friends had been wearing the furry arm. It was a interesting experience for the KIDDOS. They realized it is NOT easy to KNOW who was wearing the furry sleeves. They LOVED pretending to be Jacob or Isaac. The following week was our REVIEW WEEK. That is the week when the KIDDOS review their lesson, tell me their Memory Verse, and do a project that we add to their EXPLORER JOURNAL. It is a GREAT opportunity for me to make sure the KIDDOS really understood the lesson!! We clear up any misunderstandings and make sure the KIDDOS see the important underlying lesson learned through these Bible Accounts. The KIDDOS made these to add to their EXPLORER JOURNAL. We let them color and then glue on the FUR to JACOB. Blessings, Ronda

I love being able to highlight some of our other teacher's work and ideas. We are blessed, at our congregation, to have very creative, dedicated and talented teachers. I have previously highlighted the BEAUTIFUL LAPBOOKS that our 2nd-4th grade class have made. This is their LATEST Lapbookk. They have been leaning about the Divided Kingdom, The Captivity and the Return. The LAPBOOK in not part of the curriculum that they use...it is a SUPPLEMENTAL project that the teachers use to further the KIDDOS understanding and excitement about the lessons they are learning. Just so you know we use the Discovering God's Way Curriculum, for this age group. It can be purchased at CEI BOOKSTORE Please note, I do not receive any financial support from the above mentioned bookstore. NOR do they pay to be advertised here on my website. I am just including a link to their website in case you are interested in their materials. On a personal note, my youngest son in in this class and he LOVES his Lapbook. Several times, through out the quarter, he has asked me to come in his classroom and SEE what they are adding to their LAPBOOKS! I love it that HE is so excited....but, HE IS NOT ALONE!!! I have heard several of the other KIDDOS ask their parents to come in and see their LAPBOOK!!! I love it when KIDDOS are excited about their Bible Class!!! These LAPBOOKS are made from FILE FOLDERS, COPYABLE pictures, CLIP ART and Previously USED DGW lesson books. As you all know, I am a KEEPER---NOT A HOARDER (please do NOT call that show to report me!!!) I KEEP ALL previously USED BIBLE CLASS BOOKS!!! So often we will have 2 or 3 books that are PARTIALLY used --visitors, people move, books got lost then found, etc. Well, we KEEP them all!!! Then we can go through and CUT out USEFUL PICTURES, MAPS, CHARTS, etc. They are GREAT for LAPBOOKS!!!! We have even had Parents offer back their KIDDOS OLDER USED BOOKS....that way the pictures can get USED for some other PURPOSE!!! We are also blessed to have several Copyable coloring books, puzzle books, activity books, clip art books, etc. These have proven to be a wonderful resource for the teachers using LAPBOOKS as a teaching tool. The KIDDOS LOVE anything that MOVES, OPENS, LIFTS, HAS TEXTURE, or is 3D!! The teachers try to add this to their LAPBOOKS. LAPBOOKS do not have to be expensive to make! Matter-of-Fact they are a very inexpensive activity to do with the KIDDOS. Velcro DOTS, FOAM MOUNTING STICKERS, POM POM BALLS, and 3D OBJECTS make these LAPBOOKS come to LIFE!!! Most of the items came from the Resource Room we have at the church building. These LAPBOOKS are really beautiful. BUT, the REAL benefit to them--THE KIDDOS REALLY KNOW THEIR BIBLE HISTORY!!! I am so impressed by the KIDDOS ability to WALK me through the HISTORY of the KINGDOM'S FALL, CAPTIVITY and RETURN!!! One of the KIDDOS favorite stories was the VALLEY of DRY BONES--- Well, just after Halloween, I was in Walmart and they had those GUMMY, STRETCHY Skeletons REALLY CHEAP!!! (They were marked 75% off!) Because I was aware that the KIDDOS in Sister Decker's Classroom were going to be learning this lesson I bought a BUNCH of these!!!! They worked GREAT and the KIDDOS loved the GUMMY, STRETCHY Skeletons!!--- Ask other teachers if there is anything they are needing! You just might have what they need or find what they need....WE NEED TO HELP EACH OTHER!!! :-) I would suggest you keep a supply of FAKE coins in your Resourses...I bought a BAG of colorful plastic COINS at a yardsale a LONG time ago!!! We have used them for SEVERAL different Bible Stories, Crafts, Take Home Projects, etc. and I still have a BUNCH left!!! I LOVE how this HUGE LAPBOOK fold up into this NICE SIZE TREASURE!!! This is a wonderful ENRICHING activity to do with KIDDOS!!! You will be AMAZED at how much the KIDDOS LEARN and HOW EXCITED they GET about LEARNING while making a LAPBOOK!!! Blessings, Ronda

I am EXTREMELY excited!!!!!! My excitement stems from the fact that this upcoming Sunday begins my NEW Quarter with the KIDDOS. We are continuing to EXPLORE Bible History. We will be wearing our "Explorer Hats" and singing "We Are Bible Explorers." We do this at the beginning of each NEW Quarter. Since we left off with David and Goliath...we will be picking up with David and Jonathan. I love the story of David and Jonathan because it is truly a story of BEST friends. We learn so much about TRUE friendship when we study the friendship of David and Jonathan. Home Connection Workbook We have a few NEW additions to this Quarter's Material. I have added a "HOME CONNECTION" Workbook. I hope the Workbook will spawn more interaction between the parents and children as they review the lessons that they have learned. I am looking forward to seeing the response to the new Workbook. I will keep you posted on the reaction of both the PARENTS and the Kiddos. Memory Verse Sticker Page The inside of the Home Connection Workbook is fill with Puzzles, Memory Verse Work, Questions, etc. I have also included a Memory Verse Sticker Page....The Kiddos will place a sticker in each square IF they know their Memory Verse. Assigned on 1st Sunday Assigned on 2nd Sunday THIS is this weeks and next weeks Home Connection Workbook Pages. The Kiddos will have from Sunday to Sunday to complete the pages. (I am currently teaching each lesson for 2 weeks.) The first week we introduce the lesson...the second week we will REVIEW the lesson, making sure the KIDDOS really understood what they learned. Now on with what we will be doing during class THIS Sunday. To introduce the lesson on David and Jonathan I am going to ask the KIDDOS if they know what the meaning of the word FRIENDSHIP. We will add the word FRIEND to our WORD-WALL. I will also, ask them if they know what the word JEALOUS means. We will add that word to our WORD-WALL too. We will have several CARDS to add to our Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? WALL. Because, I like to make sure the KIDDOS can answer these questions about our lessons we have a entire WALL of our Classroom dedicated to the Who? What? When? Where? and Why? of each lesson. As we get into the story I will be using these visuals. They were easily made...I used a clip art program, a bit of manipulation of the pictures then printed and laminated them. Because, I wanted them to stand up, I stuck them to these picture easels that I bought at the Dollar Tree. I LOVE having eye catching VISUALS.... We will also be singing the song, "DAVID AND JONATHAN WERE BEST FRIENDS." by: rld. The KIDDOS will be making their OWN Quiver as their TAKE HOME project. These are made from PRINGLES and Yarn. The arrows are made from a variety of colored cardstock. Each arrow has a quality of GOOD FRIENDSHIP on it. The kiddo will color and add the stickers. I know the BOYS are going to be VERY EXCITED about this activity. :) Our Memory Verse is Proverbs 17:17. I thought this was a PERFECT MEMORY VERSE for this lesson. The KIDDOS get a MV card just like this one. They can color the picture and take it home as a reminder of the need to MEMORIZE their Memory Verse. During Class we will sing this to the tune: Frere Jacques. I have added a "NEW" place to our MAP. I added "The Stone of Ezel" which is said to be in a field between Ramah and Nob. I love having a KID friendly map up in our room. Review Game is a BOW and ARROW Game!!! Questions For Our Review Game Target For Our Review Game Our REVIEW game will surly be very exciting!!! The kiddos will get an opportunity to SHOOT an ARROW!!! My plans are for the kiddos to ANSWER one of the question from the lesson (I printed them on ARROWS to go along with the lesson.) after which they will get the opportunity to shoot an arrow at the target! (The bow and arrow are a nerf style product. I purchased it at our local Walmart.) Next Sunday we will be REVIEWING this lesson and doing our EXPLORER JOURNAL Activity!!! The Explorer Journal Activity will consist of a Picture of David and Jonathan....the Kiddos will color it and add a BOW (made out of popcicle sticks) and a small arrow. I LOVE their LOVE of their Explorer Journals. I have had parents tell me that their past Explorer Journals have become some of their FAVORITE books to look through. I love it because it takes all those projects that have a tendency to end up in the floorboard of the car or left behind in the pew and keeps them in a SPECIAL place for the children to TREASURE! We are looking forward to an exciting Quarter. Please keep checking back and see the exciting times we are having during BIBLE CLASS. Blessings, Ronda

We are moving forward in our lessons about the Kingdom of Judah. I am so excited about this lesson....The KIDDOS will be learning how GOD is the POTTER and we are the clay. I love our WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?? WHERE? and WHY? WALL!!!! There is so much information on this WALL. We use it often for REVIEWING what we have learned in the past!! We have our DO YOU KNOW? cards ready to go!! We have three new WORDS for our WORD WALL. The KIDDOS need to know what these words mean in order to understand the lesson. Our NEW story card is up on our "GOD'S AWESOME PLAN FOR MAN" timeline. This weeks Memory Verse comes directly from the TEXT. It is GOD'S promise to Jeremiah. I LOVE the comfort and strength found in this verse!! If you want to hear the tune we will be singing this Memory Verse to, just click this link below. It will open up the Facebook Page for HOBT. Jeremiah 18:6 Memory Verse Song The KIDDOS will be learning this SONG during this lesson. I feel this is a VERY catchy song....so, hopefully they will be singing it throughout the next two weeks. :-) I hope their parents do not mind. If you would like to hear this song click on the link below. It will open up the Facebook Page for HOBT GOD is the POTTER and I am the Clay---Song by Ronda Duvall I decided to have a 3D visual for this story...So, I used clip art from the cool clip art collection that I have purchased and laminated and cut out Jeremiah and the Potter. I wanted a house feel, so I also used clip art from PRINTMASTER to make the background. Then I made several different vessels out of Crayola Model Magic. I purchased the terracotta color Model Magic....I think it turned out great. (And since I am finishing this post---after teaching this lesson, I can tell you the KIDDOS LOVED this visual!!!) This is the other VISUAL I used. I had one of these pots on the table as I told the story. When I got to the part where Jeremiah breaks the clay pot in front of the Priest and elders...I threw this pot down on the ground. It broke and the KIDDOS were AWE STRUCK!! They could NOT believe it. But, it drove home the point...that once it is broken it cannot be fixed again to the former vessel. It was WONDERFUL to see the KIDDOS so IN TUNED to the LESSON. :-) As a TAKE HOME activity I decided I wanted the KIDDOS to be able to MOLD something and then REMOLD something....SO, I decided to use PLAYDOUGH. (PLEASE forgive these PICTURES---I was working on this project at home....and so, the background is my kitchen....MESS and all. :-)) I made the labels using my PRINTMASTER program. I wanted it similar to the actual label that was on the older style cups of Playdough. It used to have a little boy in a blue beret on the front...so, I inserted a picture of each of the KIDDOS in the blue beret. Glued them to the containers and called it done. During class time the KIDDOS were allowed to MOLD a vessel and then REMOLD a new vessel. We talked about how if it drys out and hardens (such as a hardened heart) that it is no longer mold-able---so we cannot afford to allow our heart to harden towards GOD. Amazingly, the KIDDOS seemed to really GET this point!!! We talked about how we need to let GOD shape us...so we need to study our Bible. BTW, this is the container of PLAYDOUGH I had ready---in case we had visitors. I believe we should always treat our guest the same way as we do our regulars....so, make sure to have TAKE HOME projects ready for your guests! Our Review Game is called "CLAY POT CATASTROPHE." It is a broken POT---and we are gonna try to put it back together. I coded the back board with questions and the answers are on the actual "clay pot." In case you are wondering....this is how I made this game. I PRINTED a large vase from my Printmaster program....I then traced it onto the backboard....Then I covered the printed pot with Terracotta Colored Crayola Model Magic. It took some ROLLING and STRETCHING to get it covered. Then I let it dry for a few days. After it was dry, I cut the jar apart into puzzle pieces. Then traced the puzzle pieces onto the backboard. Coded the backboard with the questions and wrote the answers on the "clay pot." During class time we pass out the pieces of the jar....and when I read a question the one with the correct piece of the jar gets to put it in the correct place on the backboard. Quick, Easy and Fun. Next week is our REVIEW week. Next week the KIDDOS will be making this to add to their EXPLORER JOURNAL. The 3D pot is made from the same Model Magic that I made my bigger version for the Review Game. I just shaped them in the same way and the KIDDOS will add them to their Explorer Journal Activity after they color Jeremiah and the POTTER. Here are my little "Clay Pots" drying....Remember I made these from Model Magic....They are very light and easy to glue in place. :-) Hope you have enjoyed seeing what we are doing in Bible Class. Blessings, Ronda

We are moving forward with our EXPLORING BIBLE HISTORY. Are next lesson is about Joel prophesying in the land of Judah. I am...