Jacob Loves Rachel

We recently had a lesson about Jacob meeting Rachel and falling in love with her. The end of the lesson is the hardest to teach....you know where Laban tricks Jacob and gives him Leah. Trying to explain why Jacob has more than one wife is a difficult thing....so, I just tell the KIDDOS this, "I do not know why GOD allowed Jacob to have two wives...but, I do know that WE are NOT supposed to have more than one husband/wife under the new covenant."   This has seem to work every time I teach lessons where multiple wives are present.  

However, the TRICKERY of Laban gives me the opportunity to teach on being deceitful and how things we do tend to show back up in our life.  Pointing out Jacob tricked his father and now he was the one that was tricked.   

We talked about how GOD was taking care of Jacob as he RAN away from Esau.  We talked about the PROMISES GOD made to Jacob...and how JESUS would come through Jacob and his family.  

I thought this would be a GREAT memory verse to go with this lesson. We pointed out how we want to be treated is HOW we are to treat others. Such a GREAT lesson for KIDDOS to learn!!  GREAT application for the KIDDOS.  

To help the KIDDOS remember the LESSON, I love to have a song to go along with the story.  I am amazed at how much the KIDDOS remember after singing a song that goes with the lesson.  Singing is a wonderful teaching tool!!!

The KIDDOS made WELLS for their TAKE HOME project.  I explained that this was NOT the type of well that JACOB and RACHEL met at...but, they had fun making these.  

These "wells" are made from milk cartons, bulletin board boarders (rock and checkered), craft sticks,  a small pail and paper raindrop questions.

Our REVIEW GAME was simple.  The KIDDOS would DRAW a "PAIL OF WATER" out of the WELL and then Answer the question that was written on the back of the pail of water.  

The water is a REUSED table cloth covering a basket.  I made the paper mached rocks years ago.  It is amazing HOW many BIBLE stories involve ROCKS!!!  I have used these as altars, as a well, as the ROCKS collected out of the Jordan...so many uses.  

The following week was our REVIEW week.  That is the week when the KIDDOS make a project that goes in their EXPLORER JOURNAL.     Each KIDDO made a ROCK WELL and added BLUE tissue paper for the water.    THEY loved it!!!  

Hopefully, I will be able to post more often, now that school is officially over for summer break!!    

Blessings,

Ronda

Paper Rocks Become Altar, Well and Memorial

A "BLAST from the PAST!!!" 

I made these "ROCKS" a LONG time ago.  And, they have been used for so many Bible Lessons.   They may not look impressive here...but, they do get TRANSFORMED...  just keep on reading.  :)

 

  

As you can see they started off as simple paper sacks stuffed with news paper.  Due to the weather the week I made these I was unable to complete them.  I had wanted to Paper Mache them....but, since the weather was rainy and moist it was NOT a good thing to do.  So we just built our "Altar" out of the stuffed paper bags.  The kiddos liked these...but, I still wanted them to be a bit more realistic...sooooooo....

Here they are being used as an ALTAR

As soon as the weather was conducive to Paper Maching, I got after it.  It took several days to complete these "ROCKS," but they are soooo worth the time and effort.   (BTW, I use the starch and newspaper way of paper mache.)    Once they were dry from the maching process....I spray painted them with a textured (rock like) spray paint.  I LOVE the way they turned out!!!  They are light enough for the kiddos to pick up and yet sturdy enough to be used over and over again.  As I have said, I have used these for SEVERAL Bible Stories. 

We have used these "ROCKS" as the WELL where Abraham's servant met Rebekah.    I places blue wrapping paper on the inside of the rocks...to mimic a well. I have some "buckets of water" with questions from the lesson on them inside the well.

We used them for the WELL Where Jacob met Rachel.  We let one of the boy  remove the stone from the top to "help" Rachel.   Inside of the "well" I had placed buckets with questions from the Bible Story written on the back of each of them. (Just like the the time we used it as the "well" for the story of Rebekah.)

I have even used these as the "MEMORIAL STONES" picked up out of the Jordan...which we then made into the "memorial" at GILGAL.    This was so much fun...I loved the way the KIDDOS pretended that these were soooo heavy.  They would "HEAVE" them up on their shoulders and carry them to GILGAL.  (I had set up a corner in our room...and called it Gilgal.)













We will be using these "ROCKS" again soon.  I will be getting them out and using them  when we learn about Elijah on Mount Carmel. 

I LOVE making something that I can use in many different ways....I recommend making a set of these "ROCKS."  They are so useful and so effective.  

Blessings,

Ronda