Crayon rocks available from Amazon or Montessori Services and index cards cut in half. Kids are to draw a scene from the first part of the story on the first one, etc. Then write 1, 2, 3 on the back so they know what order they go in. I suggest the kids challenge their parents to put them in order.
So far, I’ve needed to suggest to the kids what to draw as “first” in the story.
This is a list of all the posts I have made on the Ancestors of Jesus lapbooks. Why make a lapbook? I realized kids weren’t retaining knowledge from one Sunday to the next. I also wanted to increase the home-church connection, and give the parents something that could talk about with their child. This particular lapbook was made over two months. During that time, Lifeway covered Abraham, Ruth, David, Noah, and Creation (Adam and Eve).
9 Items for Lapbooking – the shopping trip I made before starting
Petal Outline – the outline of Genesis
Abraham map – a map showing the journeys of Abram
Abraham trifold – highlighting the three promises God made
David circle – highlighting the varied roles of the shepherd king
David pop-up – providing a succinct biography
Creation circles – what God made on each of the six days
Noah accordion – a child draws the most important part of the story to him
Jesus squash book – how each of these people fit into Jesus’ family tree
For more information on making lapbooks, check out
Minibook Gallery – step by step photo illustrations of small books that fit in a manila file folder
Target Age
Kindergarten-1st
Materials
See 9 Items for Lapbooking for more information.
Prep Work
Lots. For instructions on making a squash book, see How to Make a Three Square Unfolding book and How to Make an Explosion book.
Activity Description
We never actually made this book in class, because I ran out of energy and time. But I had a couple of templates made up that I pasted into the kids lapbooks, with instructions for completion. The picture above was my prototype. The idea was to use this book to tie the two months of disparate characters together into a cohesive story line. I would print labels with the names on them, and have the kids draw little pictures next to the names that illustrate that character.
Final Result
I spent a weekend gluing the books the kids had made into manila folders, and gave them to the kids on Sunday. Here’s one final result that showcases the squash book.
Target Age
Kindergarten-1st
Materials
Division of Labor Description
Kids: Cut out the petal book – I “fixed” some sloppy cutting. In retrospect, I wish I had waited until after class, as I think doing it in front of them devalued the kids’ work
Teacher: Fold cover in half – I wanted it to be perfectly aligned, so I did it myself.
Kids: Fold petal book tabs inward – I had to help some of them fold it on the line.
Teacher: Apply tape to back of petal book, ensure it is oriented correctly, i.e. words are right side up
Kids: Stick petal books inside cover
Kids: Choose embellishment and place in middle of petal book
Teacher: Peel off label and hand to kid, making sure it is right side up – you’ll see that in the picture above the right-hand book does have the label oriented differently than the others… oh, well!
Kids: Stick “Outline of Genesis” label on front of book
Kids: Choose color and style of ribbon
Teacher: Measure and cut appropriate length of ribbon
Kids: Stick ribbon on cover
Bible Drill
After we finished making the books, I had the kids get out their Bibles. (We’ve been working most of the year on finding Genesis.) Holding up one of the mini-books, I read the word “Creation” and had them find Genesis 1. Then the Fall, Genesis 2. Then the Flood in Genesis 10, and so on. My goal was that the words in this mini-book would have some meaning for them.
Storage
I wrote each kid’s name on an index card, and stuck it inside a ziploc sandwich bag. Throughout the two months we worked on this project, the books went into the bags and came home with me each week.
Final Result
I spent a weekend gluing the books the kids had made into manila folders, and gave them to the kids on Sunday. For the kids who only attended a few Sundays, I used Lifeway provided materials to fill in around the edges. Here’s one final result that showcases the Petal Book.
Before starting on my lapbook project, I made a large order at Oriental Trading, and a visit to Staples. Four principles guided my shopping.
These 6×6 sheets are thicker than paper, but thinner than cardstock.
You could buy Scotch double-sided tape at the local store, which is what I usually use. I’d rather be the one in charge of painstakingly putting tape on the back of objects, than turn kids loose with a glue stick. They’re liable to accidentally glue the mini-books closed in their exuberance. I’ve also used glue dots, but they only work for gluing embellishments.
Ribbon Assortment and Self-Adhesive Jewels
Embellishments are the little extras that turn a fun project into a great project.
I tried using scissors, but couldn’t get exact squares, and you can forget about circles. Try to find a guillotine cutter, or a CriCut machine. Our library has one. When making a squash book, you really need the squares to be exactly the same size. Besides, if you’re cutting enough for a class, it’s just plain faster to do several sheets at once, and you can’t do that with scissors.
These sheets are 12×12. Cut in four pieces lengthwise, and it’s perfect for an accordion fold. Or cut it into 6×6 pieces, which is what I normally do.
See, the thing about making lapbooks with kindergarteners is they can’t write. They can draw a picture of David and Goliath, but unless teacher writes “David and Goliath” underneath, who can tell? You want this lapbook to go home with the child, and have him pull it out a year later and review what he learned. It needs to grow with the child. So I print out labels with the text I need, and let the kid draw a picture inside a minibook, then stick the label on there.
You can use colored folders or regular ones. I prefer the plain vanilla ones, because then no matter what color I make the mini-books, they go with the background.
This is different from the other papers in that I printed my templates on this, but used patterned paper for the cover of the mini-book.
Take any story that includes water, add a parachute, and presto, instant game.
Even more versatile than the parachute. Packing boxes can be the…
Putting several boxes together is better than just one. To ensure they don’t collapse, support the sides with chairs or the table.
By reading books, you build…
If the entire class is out of control, sit ‘em down and read books. If you need a controlled activity while kids are being dropped off, read books. If you want to ensure kids don’t forget the Bible story you taught last Sunday, pick a book based on that story and read it for a month.
The books Lifeway provides its teachers are junk with a capital J. Zero plot, no conflict, no character development, and no climax. Children deserve better. Look on Amazon for books that are highly rated.
A craft with instant zing and zero mess. Experiment by using not just wooden sticks, but pennies and fingernails to draw on the paper. Although scratch art paper can be used with any story, it is best suited for stories with darkness and light, like the:
I guarantee the finished result won’t look like the picture to the right, but who cares?
Have you fallen into a rut without even realizing it? Sometimes a little change can make the Bible lesson appear new and different. The change doesn’t even need to be related to which story you’re telling.
Always use a teaching picture? Try…
Picture book
Whiteboard
Shadow puppets on the wall with a bright light
Always tell the story in the classroom? Try…
Setting up a tent in the classroom, and telling it in there
Going out to the parking lot, and drawing the story with sidewalk chalk
Always use chairs? Try…
Removing all furniture and sitting on floor
Bringing in sleeping bags, and having everyone lie down on one
Standing up
Always have the chairs in the same position? Try putting the chairs…
In a circle
In rows
Around the table
Facing the opposite direction from usual
In groups of four–focus groups
Have you fallen into a rut without even realizing it? Sometimes a little change in the medium can make a craft appear new and different.
Always use glue? Try…
Sewing
Stapling
Nailing
Glue dots
Hot glue gun
Always use foam or plastic? Try…
Balsa wood
Glass
Leather
Rock
Always use crayons or markers? Try…
Colored pencils
Twist-em crayons
Wooden stick on scratch art paper
Always have a coloring page? Try…
Folding the paper into a paper airplane when finished. Just because.
Giving a blank piece of paper
Always use construction paper? Try…
Tissue paper
Printer paper
Scratch art paper
Batik paper
Cloth and fabric markers
Giant roll of newspaper
Read Jonathan Acuff’s post on Five Things Sunday School Teachers Should Never Give Kids. Check out the comments for the honorary sixth item.
Blindfold – so the child can focus on the sense of touch
Linen/Flax
Wool
Sackcloth (originally made of goat or camel’s hair)
Silk
Cotton (likely not cultivated in Palestine until after contact with the Persians in the exile)
Embroidered cloth
Leather
Have two pieces of each fabric. All pieces should be a uniform size. Try to have solid colors of a natural hue.
Play a Matching Game, or play Can You Find [Name of Object]?
Making of Tabernacle (Exodus)
The High Priest’s Job (Leviticus)
Solomon Builds the Temple (2 Chronicles 2-5)
Resurrection of Jesus (nothing left but the linen wrappings)
Christ’s Second Coming (Revelation 19)
Esther (mentions of linen and sackcloth in this story)
Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel (in the prophets the messengers of God generally wear white linen, while the people of Israel are urged to wear sackcloth and ashes)
Jonah (the people of Nineveh demonstrate repentance by covering themselves with sackcloth)
Super 150 Paper Sheets
100 Sheet Rainbow Paper Pack