How to memorize the books of the Bible with craft sticks

Each Popsicle stick is labeled with a 
book from the Bible.

        For this simple craft you will need a clean recycled can; the lid is not necessary. Cover this can with one layer of masking tape around all of it's sides. The masking tape makes the surface of any can or even plastic container rough enough to except white glue plus other materials like paper, clay, fabric and yarn. In this instance you will be gluing yarn to the surface to transform it into something more attractive. This process is good for young students because it develops small motor skills. It also uses up a material that plenty of ordinary folks have on hand and may no longer use to knit with. 

       The second half of this craft involves the painting of Popsicle sticks in brilliant colors. Use a quick, inexpensive paint for this project. Something that is commonly used by school aged children. After the paint colors have dried, use a permanent ink marker of some kind to label every stick with the titles of the book of the Bible. 

       To play the game of laying down the sticks in the order of the Bible books may be made a bit more interesting by playing with two students at once. Whoever gets them in the correct order first wins the game! 

       The necessity of memorizing the order of books in the Bible is all about being able to research scriptures quickly while a pastor, priest, or teacher is lecturing or preaching. Young students should not be made to feel guilty for not having this skill; it is merely helpful to their own personal study. However, it does make the taking of notes and comprehension of scripture easier in the long run.

Left, the recycled can is covered with yarn for a decorative feature.
Right, see the wooden, labeled tongue depressors or Popsicle sticks in the can.

 

• Books of the Bible Bookmark Templates Too...

"Books of the Bible Song and Lyrics by Mary Rice Hopkins.

"Noah Leaves the Ark" mixed media collage

"And God said, "Never again will I curse the ground because of man or send a flood to destroy all living things, even though mankind's heart is evil from childhood." And God blessed Noah and his family saying, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth." Genesis 8:20-22

       Noah's family rejoices once the have finally the ark and set their feet on dry land! To make a mixed media collage similar to this one, you will need all kinds of supplies: white tacky glue, foam core board, colorful foam sheets, embroidery floss, water color pens or paint, a home printer, and brown/tan paper to print on or draw on.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut a piece of foam core board to any size you wish to make your mixed media collage. Foam core board is very rigid and won't warp as easily as cardboard while working with glue.
   
2. I chose to base this mixed media collage on an illustration by Dore. In our blog here there are many subjects to choose from. I chose to print the figures of Noah, his wife and children on a beige paper. Then I cut out the parts of that print to fit inside of the collage of the ark, pasting them down of a rigid, strong piece of foam core. 
3. Then I sketched the outlines of the larger elements of my design like: the ark, the swirling sands and sky and then the flow of the rainbow colored foam tiles.
4. Glue in the embroidery floss for the sand and sky in a swirling pattern. I chose to contrast very bold colors: blue, red, orange, hot pink and yellow, as accents against the majority of the other elements like the ground, clothing of the people and ark, in a soft neutral color palette: tans, browns, beige etc...
5. I cut the tiny mosaic tiles from craft foam as these were glued down in rows.
6. Then after giving the floss and tiles plenty of time to dry, I used a brown pen to draw on the woodgraining of the ark and small window.
   
7. Next, I applied a soft tan shading to the skin tones of Noah, wife, sons and daughters.
   

Left, the rainbow, a sign God sets in the sky to remind himself not to flood all of the earth. Right, the flesh of the people is colored a soft desert sand color with a large pen tip. The sands beneath their feet are beige embroidery floss.

Left, the contrast between textures is subtle but effective. Right, the tiny tiles continue the from the sky and down in front of the ark.

Search our Genesis coloring sheet for more ideas relating to the flood story...

Mont St. Michel Coloring Page

Description of Coloring Page: a tidal island commune Normandy, UNESCO World Heritage Site, visited by over 3 million people a year, 

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

Wanaii films. Mont Saint-Michel by drone.

The Convent of Daphni Coloring Page

Description of the Coloring Page: eleventh century Byzantine monastery, on the Sacred Way, Daphni means "laurel grove" in Greek, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Byzantine architecture, gold-ground mosaics

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

The Convent of Daphni views from a drone plus

photography too.

Draw an Idyllic Stained Glass City or Landscape

       To make this art project, students will need to gather the following supplies: white school glue, a very large sheet of black construction paper, a piece of white or pale yellow chalk and a student grade box of pastels or oil pastels, one or the other. If you should decide to use the soft pastels, you will also need either a can of fixative or hairspray to keep the chalk in place at the end of the exercise.

Illustration of glue outline on construction paper.

 

       Using your chalk lightly press down and sketch out either a city on a hill or an idyllic representation of a landscape, depending upon which of the scriptures you intend to illustrate. You may rub out any of the mistakes with a tissue as you draw. Once you have a composition you like, take the tip of a glue bottle and squeeze out the glue next to your chalk marks to recreate the entire drawing in glue. Let the glue drawing dry over night so that it is "transparent" but still visible to the eye.
       Now fill in the spaces between the glue lines using pastels. The soft pastels will not adhere to the raised glue lines. However, if you are using oil pastels for this art exercise, you will need to carefully avoid coloring around these. 
       Once you have completed the project, it should look like stained glass. Hang it on your classroom wall after your teacher has sprayed the artwork with fixative. Teachers may use a hairspray as an alternative, less expensive replacement to ''fix'' the powdered pastels in place.

Matthew 5:14-16

    "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5: 14-16

Psalm 23:1-6

    "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalm 23:1-6

 

"Light of The World" from Godspell recording (1973)

Color scripture from Lamentations...

Description of Coloring Page: boarder illustration of pine cones, pine needles, pine branches, Bible text reads, "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks him." Lamentations 3:25, The text refers to ''patience being a virtue'' because it requires faith and belief that God will act at the right time and place for the benefit of believers.

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

A Coloring Sheet of The Flight Into Egypt

Description of the Illustration: by August Gaber, An angel wakes Joseph to get Mary and baby Jesus out of town; flee to hide in Egypt, move before Herod finds them out! The fore-shadowing of the "prepared church'' for the return of Christ, is on the far right; the symbol of a brides maid holding a lamp.

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

Color scripture John 14:15

Description of Coloring Page: boarder illustration of wild roses, text from the Gospel of John "If you love me, you will obey what I command." This scripture means that the spirit of God is "active'' in the heart of a true believer. True believers wish to please whom they love most. It is actually a reference to "a way" to determine whether or not a person is a hypocrite or lying about his or her faith; their commitment to Christ can be seen as an active faith, not an active sin. There are many who profess to believe, but they do not keep Jesus' commandments at all. It is not a scripture that means sinners will not be forgiven, but that those who sin and repent with genuine desire to obey are showing "how" much they love Jesus. 

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

A Coloring Sheet of The First Steps of Christ

Description of the Illustration: by August Gaber, Jesus as an infant, fore shadowing of His walk of faith and sacrifice in the upper left corner, His parents at work in the carpentry shop, Mary watches over Jesus as he first is learning to walk.

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

A coloring sheet from the Book of Job

Description of Coloring Page: boarder illustration of pussy willow and cats, scripture text from Job, "In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:10 This scripture teachers is about ultimate authority. It is a reference to all creation; both the beginning and end of it, belonging to God alone.

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

More Fun and Easy Puppet Theaters for Kids!

        There are many other ways of making stages and curtains. As you manage your puppet theater you will probably invent many different stage arrangements and configurations. The ones given below are simple designs to start with.

Tie string to first ring on each side to make a sliding curtain.

       In the previous post, are the directions for making the sliding curtains illustrated above. You can open them with your fingers or by using a string if you prefer.

Left, is a simple drawing of a folding theater. Right, is a tipped-up table for rod or hand puppets.

       The folding theater made from plywood is for rod or hand puppets. The height of the stage opening from the floor depends on whether you will sit or stand while using your puppets.

Left, illustrated window stage. Center, another chair used for a stage. Right, a constructed house
for puppets to peek outside of the windows and doors makes for a novel theater.

       You can entertain an outdoor audience by using this window ledge stage. It is good for rod, push, or hand puppets. Kneel on the floor or sit on a stool while working the puppets.

       A chair stage made by taping a cloth around the legs and on the back of a chair is good for marionettes. Stand on a stool behind the chair, to work the actors.

       Cut a house out of a large piece of cardboard. Cut holes for doors and windows, and paint the house. Tack it to two orange crates, standing upright, for support. This can be used on the floor or table for your puppet shows.

A stage made from 5 pieces of plywood and a low sofa table.

       If you are giving a play with several actors you will need a friend to help you manage them. Then practice will be more important than ever.

       Decide where each of you will stand backstage. Practice moving your puppets so that they won't become tangled up with each other. And practice your actors' speeches so that you each know when to talk for your puppets. In that way the play will move right along without two puppets speaking at once and without awkward lags of silence. And practice whisking your actors offstage quickly when their turn is over, and getting your new ones onstage. Also practice raising and lowering the curtain and changing costumes and scenery speedily.

How to make a combination marionette and hand puppet stage.
Back up the table against a wall so that the actors don't accidentally
loose balance and fall off of the table! The curtain hangs between
 the crate and the table and the actor pokes the hand puppets from
 beneath the curtain at the bottom.

       If you are giving a marionette show you will need to stand high enough to manage the strings easily without raising your arms. Professional puppeteers stand on a raised platform called a "bridge." Chairs, a table or a bench are fine for this, so long as they are strong enough to hold you and your partner and are the right height so that you can work comfortably.

• A Stage Design for Marionettes That Children Can Build
• Designing Children's Puppet Theaters Quickly
• Return to the Theater Index Page

Designing Children's Puppet Theaters Quickly

        The easiest kind of stage is so simple that it can be made in a few minutes. You can use it for push puppets or rod puppets.

Use a comfortable chair to hide behind while your puppets peek over the sides and top.

       Put a table near the wall of the room, cover the front of it with a cloth reaching to the floor, so that nothing behind it can be seen, and the stage is ready for the show.
       The audience sits in front of the table and the puppet theater manager, called the ''puppeteer,'' sits or kneels on the floor in back, unseen. He reaches up and move his push puppets or rod puppets as he speaks their lines.

This child is using a simple table for his hand-puppet theater.

       And here's a tip for you, the director: When puppets act, only the who is speaking moves. The others stall sill. In that way the audience is always sure which actor is talking.

       To make a simple doorway stage, used for hand puppets or rod puppets, hang a short curtain so that it falls from the top of a doorway between two rooms. Leave a twenty or thirty inch opening. Then hang another curtain down to the floor.

Left, is the front of the stage and right is the back. This stage is made from a doorway.

       The audience sits in the room before the curtain while the puppeteer, behind the lower curtain, reaches up and works the actors in the opening. You can make the opening at the height that is most convenient for you.

       You don't need an opening and closing curtain for such a stage. Just be sure that your actors go off at the right time, as they do in a real theater, instead of bobbing suddenly in the middle of a scene. 

       However, most audiences like the excitement of a curtain opening and closing, so you can make one very easily. Take two pieces of colored cloth, almost any kind, each a little longer and much wider than half the width of the stage opening. Sew rings about two or three inches apart along the top edge. Now run a wire through the rings and make it very tight with tasks on each side, right under the top curtain. You can open and close the curtains from behind by pulling the rings along the wire.

Bill's Theater is made from a cardboard box.

       This stage above, made from a box, should be in proportion to the size of the actors, so keep them in mind when you are making it. A puppet stage should be a little over two-and-one-half times the height of the actors. If a puppet is eight inches tall, the stage on which he plays should be about twenty inches high.

       You can make stage curtains by cutting two pieces of cloth - each mush wider then one-half of your stage and a little longer than it is tall. Hem these, sew rings on the top edge, run a wire through the rings and stretch it tight across the top of the box stage. The curtains should come just to its floor, when finished. When you open and close these small curtains, be sure to keep your fingers up high, out of sight behind your big doorway curtain. Make it all seem like magic to your audience out front.

       If you wish, you can place a fancy cardboard cutout across your stage, near the top, lettered with the name of your theater. You can make other additions, too. A chain of Christmas lights might make footlights, and lights around the outside of the stage. It is dramatic to dim them just before the performance begins!

• A Stage Design for Marionettes That Children Can Build
• More Fun and Easy Puppet Theaters for Kids!
• Return to the Theater Index Page