Wow, we had fun building towers today! We used blocks, marshmallows, sugar cubes, even index cards to build lots of different towers and work on our teamwork (which is more than we can say for the people of Babel!)
If you would like to reinforce this story at home check out the children's version here. (Genesis 11:1-9)
This story has two really interesting points: one is about the difficulties of having too much pride and the other is the formation of languages.
For a really fun activity you and your family could learn how to say "Hello" in 16 languages. Use the cards on this page at the dinner table, in the car, during bath time-- the possibilities are endless and you could all end up learning something new :)
The deeper discussion to have is about pride. The people of Babel were so boastful and full of pride that they were punished. What is the difference between confidence and pride? Can you have too much of either quality? How do we recognize when we are reaching that threshold? We want our children to be confident in themselves and in their abilities, but too much pride causes problems-- just look what happened in today's story!
Next week there is trouble in the wilderness as the people of Israel head towards the promise land. We hope you will join us.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Lesson from September 18th...
This week we talked about Adam and Eve and why they had to leave the Garden of Eden. For a version of the story similar to the one we read in class you can click here. (Genesis 2-3)
After the story was read, the children worked on re-telling it using either finger puppets, story wheels, or their dramatic skills. Ask your child if they can re-tell the story to you. As they do this, don't correct them if they make errors-- simply listen until they are done (you will hear some very intersting thoughts and interpretations!) If they are having trouble telling you the story in their own words, read them the story again on another day and try again.
This story is a great springboard for conversation: sometimes people will encourage you to do things even though they know it is wrong. How do you handle it? What can you say? Role play some scenerios with your children based on their age-- taking a toy that isn't yours, not allowing someone to play a game with you and your friends, taking drugs-- all these things are wrong, but sometimes we are asked to do them. Talk about strategies and other options.
A fun activity might be to make a snake paper chain. You could write on each of the chains a prolem your child might face, and on the next one a solution.
We hope you and your child enjoy extending your Bible lessons! See you next week for the Tower of Babel!
After the story was read, the children worked on re-telling it using either finger puppets, story wheels, or their dramatic skills. Ask your child if they can re-tell the story to you. As they do this, don't correct them if they make errors-- simply listen until they are done (you will hear some very intersting thoughts and interpretations!) If they are having trouble telling you the story in their own words, read them the story again on another day and try again.
This story is a great springboard for conversation: sometimes people will encourage you to do things even though they know it is wrong. How do you handle it? What can you say? Role play some scenerios with your children based on their age-- taking a toy that isn't yours, not allowing someone to play a game with you and your friends, taking drugs-- all these things are wrong, but sometimes we are asked to do them. Talk about strategies and other options.
A fun activity might be to make a snake paper chain. You could write on each of the chains a prolem your child might face, and on the next one a solution.
We hope you and your child enjoy extending your Bible lessons! See you next week for the Tower of Babel!
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