Acacia in the Desert

Target Age
Kindergarten-1st

Materials
See 9 Items for Lapbooking for more information.

• Map showing Abraham’s travels [Velcro map, source unknown]
• Velcro circles – enables the Abram figure to move from Haran to Canaan
• Abraham figure – I printed mine from the History Through the Ages CD
• Contact paper – I applied it to the front and back of the figure so it wouldn’t rip
• Colored pencils
• Second Abraham map [Colorful Map, source Local Preacher Girl]

Prep Work
Print an Abraham figure for each child, and cut them apart. The Abraham map was shown to the children, but they didn’t need to do anything with it.

Activity Description
Instructed kids to color figure. Talked about Abraham, and what he did.

Afterwards
Trimmed around the heads to give the figure a neat silhouette. Applied contact paper to the figure, and put velcro circle on back. Trimmed the corners of the map so they would be curved and less likely to come up. Stuck double sided tape on the back of the map, and stuck the map into the file folder of the lapbook.

I only used the second Abraham map with one of the kids.  My original plan was to have each kid carefully accordion fold it, and glue into into the cover.  But I made one sample book, and never used it in class.

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 Abraham map.

I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered. ~ Genesis 32:12

Target Age
Preschoolers

Activity Description
Fill cross-shaped containers with layers of colored sand.

Field Report
This would work better with older kids.

Teachers scooped out the sand, and the kids held the funnel. The kids picked which color of sand they wanted next, and whether they wanted one scoop or two.

With older kids, I would have discussed the connection between the cross and Abraham.  But with this group, we merely attempted to count the grains of sand in the container.

And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.”  And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” ~ Genesis 15:5

Target Age
Preschoolers

Activity Description
Use standard sized scratch art paper from Dick Blick.  Instruct children to draw as many stars as possible.

Field Report
When a kid declared he was done, I asked him to count the stars.  If he could do it without losing count, I reminded him that Abraham saw more stars, and he needed to draw more.  After awhile, the kids really got into drawing as many stars as possible.

Kid Appeal
Tabitha: I’m going to make the whole paper gold. (She began systematically scratching away at the corner.)

Amdiel (with awe): I wish I had a stick like this.  (She was skeptical when I told her it was the paper that was special, not the stick.)

Levi: My paper is part of the galaxy, and his paper is the other part.