It's Sunday morning.
I hurriedly get to my brightly decorated classroom early so that I can greet my charming little girls.
They arrive sweetly dressed in their little Sunday dresses and hair bows.
"Hey Libby!" "Don't you look beautiful this morning!," I say as one of my girls walks through the door.
"Madelyn, I'm so glad you came to Bible class this morning!"
"Austin, I LOVE your dress! Let me see!"
They are beaming in their early morning, little girl radiance.
They help me get out the play dough and the plastic animal cookie cutters. After choosing the play dough color of their choice, we carefully observe each animal shape and say their name. We imitate their animal sounds. Hearing a 2-year-old struggle to say the word "hippopotamus" can be quite comical. Something as simple as considering our plastic animal shapes is a great way to teach that our amazing God has created them.
"Austin, who made the lion?"
Austin: "GOD!!"
Although, sometimes "God" can become the answer to all the questions I ask, I am encouraged to know that their little minds are soaking up Who our wonderful and awesome Creator is...GOD.
After 15 minutes of molding animals out of play dough, it's time for the Bible story.
"Libby, where are your eyes?" (Libby points to her eyes)
"Austin, where are your eyes?" (Austin does the same)
"All eyes need to be looking at me."
I then proceed to narrate the Bible story in the most kid-friendly, mesmerizing way that I can, while trying my capture the attention of my 2 and 3-year old's. In past Bible lessons, we have built the walls of Jericho with building blocks and marched around them seven times. Before allowing them to tumble in a heap, we are sure to leave Rahab's part of the wall standing. We have toyed with a plastic Noah's Ark, while re-telling the story of old man Noah, as he obeyed God, built a big boat to carry all the animals and his family, and sailed for over a 100 days after the rains fell for forty days and forty nights. We have read books on Jonah and Adam and Eve. We have talked about how we must obey mommy and daddy. We have discussed serving and saying kind things to our brothers and sisters.
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| Austin and the Walls of Jericho |
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| The Walls of Jericho with Rahab's house still standing. |
"Nay one, Nay one..." her quiet, shy voice carries the tune so beautifully.
"Libby, would you like to sing the Seven Days of Creation song?"
"Yeah," she timidly responds.
We all sing in unison of an awesome Creator, Who created everything in six days and then "rested in His heaven."
"Day One, day one, God made light when there was none..."
"Who wants to point to them?"
Hands are raised and my little helpers are eager to lend a little hand.
"Okay, Madelyn, you can take a turn."
She prisses up to the Fruits of the Spirit hanging on the wall. While she randomly points to each one I lead them in saying them in order. =) After a few weeks, it is amazing how well these little ones are able to remember and know the qualities of a Spirit-fillied-life.
"Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control!" (They know the last one quite well and like to say it extra loud. ;)
After class, they clean up their section of the table and we gather their belongings to take home. We open the door and stand at the entrance and eagerly wait for their mommies and daddies to arrive (okay, sometimes it's siblings too ;p) and take them to "big church."
I love my girlies. Maybe one day, we'll have some little guys in class.
As for now, we are content; just me and my little church girls.
(Madelyn was kind of pre-occupied in this video. :/)
Note: All these videos were taken on my iPad..That's why they are so enthralled with watching themselves on the screen. Hehe. ;D
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