Eating the grass (Daniel's Days 4)

Daniel chapter 4 has another surreal story. (I just noticed I posted these out of chronological order, sorry.) Anyway, King Nebuchadnezzar has a crazy dream in chapter four and is again perplexed. After other wise men of Babylon fail to interpret his dream, Daniel hears it and is

saddened by the meaning of the dream. He tells the King what the dream from God means and ends with a warning "your kingdom will be given back to you when you learn that one in heaven rules your kingdom" (Daniel 4:26b) Twelve months later King Nebuchadnezzar is having a proud moment, "I have built this great Babylon as my royal home. I built it by my power to show my glory and my majesty." Nebuchadnezzar's dream immediately comes true. He begins eating grass like an ox, his hair grows long, and his nails grow like claws. The Bible tells us that eventually Nebuchadnezzar "looked up toward Heaven" and praised the most high God. His mind and his kingdom are restored.

We placed small pieces of clear tape on the kids' fingernails to make them "claws." Then we took a cucumber and used a vegetable peeler to make strips of "grass." You could use celery, spaghetti, or anything else you have around. Then we went outside and acted out the story. The kiddos enjoyed eating their afternoon snack like a cow :)

THE POINT? God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble

Writing on the Wall (Daniel's Days 5)

Daniel chapter 5 has a humbling story about King Belshazzar who ruled Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar. The King hosts a jolly party for many guests. The King orders the special serving pieces that had been captured with Israel to be brought out. As they are merrily eating and drinking from the sacred goblets taken from the temple of Jerusalem, a shocking thing happens. Suddenly, the words "Numbered, Measure, Divided" appear mysteriously on the wall. The King and his guests are terrified! They eventually call Daniel to explain the meaning. Daniel tells King Belshazzar that this is a message from the true God. God is not pleased with Belshazzar's actions, and is going to take his kingdom away. That very night, Persian soldiers take the King captive and the city is taken over.

We had a great time coming up with a paint to "write on the wall." We simply covered the bottom of a muffin tin with dish soap (or baby shampoo would work.) Then we added a few drops of food coloring and about a teaspoon or two of cornstarch. If you want the paint thicker, add more cornstarch. The kids mixed up each color and we went outside to paint the windows. We acted out the story and wrote the words on the wall. Then the kids had a good time covering the windows with washable paint. When they were finished, we hosed off the windows. Warning: the washing created A LOT of slippery bubbles. I would also try to keep the paint off any window facings or non-glass surfaces.

THE POINT? God has a plan and WILL fulfill it

The Fiery Furnace (Daniel's Days 3)

The well known story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is found in Daniel 3. Daniel and his friends have become targets for the other "wise men" in Babylon because of the success the Lord has given them. Therefore, the others desire to kill the Israelite advisors. The Babylonions seize the opportunity when King Nebuchadnezzar builds a huge statue as a tribute to himself and his victory. The King demands that everyone bow and worship the statue, when signaled. However, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego know that the LORD God is the only one worthy of worship, so they refuse to bow to a statue. As punishment, they are thrown into a huge furnace filled with a raging fire. The Bible tells us the fire was so hot that even the gaurds throwing the men into the fire are scorched. However, when the King looks into the furnace later, he not only sees the three Israelite men walking around unharmed, but also a fourth man is in the furnace with them, WOW! The King brings them out and demands everyone to honor the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Today we tried a different activity than we have done in the past. Both Von and Alyse drew pictures of the three Israelites on a piece of paper. Because Knox is three and just learning to enjoy drawing, he got the job of creating fire. He used a red wet-erase marker and covered a large (quart size) mason jar with "fire." You can use a dry-erase marker or even a regular washable marker with varying results, just be sure to test it on the bottom and make sure it will wash off after the activity. Anyway, we acted out the story with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refusing to bow to the "statue." Then we rolled the paper so it would fit inside the jar. It looked like they were on fire. We added a fourth guy to the jar, and remarked that they did not look burned!

THE POINT? God has the power to protect his people in any way! We should worhsip him only.

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream (Daniel's Days 2)

In Daniel 2 the story of Nebuchadnezzar having a perplexing dream is told. The King demanded someone to tell him what dream he had, as well as what it meant. When none of the "wise men" in the palace were able to do this, the King demanded that ALL wise men be put to death. This included some of the Israelite nobles living in Babylon. When Daniel heard that he and his friends would be put to death, he beseeched his friends to beg the Lord for the dream and interpretation. The Lord did give Daniel the dream and Daniel relayed it to the King. The dream involved a statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, clay. Different parts of the statue represented different kingdoms that God would establish.

We went outside and collected stones to make a statue. We tried to find ones that were goldish, grayish, etc. for the different parts of the statue. We then acted out the story with the stone knocking it over, fun! I love how this shows God is in total control, even over kingdoms that are not "Godly." I love how Daniel did not take credit for the dream interpretation but gave it to God.

the point? God is in control!

Vegetables (Daniel's Days 1)

Woohoo we are off! I love having some extra time with my kiddos this summer. I want to make sure we don't forget to spend some of that time learning about Jesus Christ, and his word. My kids are getting old enough to help out planning "Bible Time" and have favorite stories they want to study more in depth. Von (age 9) wants to study Daniel, and Alyse (age 6) wants to learn more about Esther. Knox (age 3) is along for the ride :)

Before we started reading Daniel, we went through a little background on why the Israelites were living in Babylon. The Action Bible has a good couple of stories before Daniel recounting Israel's turning to other God's and God allowing them to be taken captive. Daniel 1 opens with Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego living in the palace in Babylon and being trained by King Nebuchadnezzar's men. These four Israelite young men are given the "awesome privilege" of eating and learning like Babylonion noblemen. In today's story they are given choice food from the King's table. However, the four Israelites know that the King's food has been dedicated to the Babylonian Idols, and is unclean for them to eat. Therefore they ask to eat only vegetables and water. The King's servants are afraid they will not be healthy enough but agree to their request for a ten day trial period. At the end of the ten days, the Israelites are found to be in stellar condition. God's instructions really were for their benefit.

We used fruit/veggies to paint this time. If you do not want to use actual food you can easily use celery stalks that would otherwise be thrown away or any kind of tree/bush limb. It is simply fun for the kids to paint using something unusual. As they paint, review the story. Be sure to help them understand the point of the story is not actually to "eat your vegetables" (although they ARE good for you,) but the point is that obedience to God's ways are actually for OUR good.

THE POINT: God's instructions are SO much better for us, trust him

As the school year is winding down I am thinking about our summer and making it count. Right now, I am contemplating going through the life of Esther or Daniel for our "Super Summer Bible Fun"...stay tuned

Brother jealousy (deeds of David day 21)

2 Samuel 13-15 recounts some of David's consequences from his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. As Nathan had promised, violence became well known in David's house. In this case, one of David's sons Absolam plans and kills his brother Amnon. Amnon was in line to be King and Absolam was not content to simply be a prince.

We again stressed the importance of being thankful for what God has given to us, and not being greedy or jealous. For this activity we filled a plastic storage box with water. Then we balanced two peanut butter lids facing up in the water (can you tell we eat a lot of peanut butter in our house.) I got the change bowl out and assigned each of the kids one PB lid. I told them that they could place any coin and any number of coins in their lid. Whatever they got in their lid they would be able to keep. However, if the lid and coins sank, they would not receive the money. It definately proved to be a hard task- a battle between wanting more money and knowing when to stop. Von is older and so he knew money value and went for the big quarters. However, he over did it and the lid sank :( After seeing this, Alyse used smaller coins, and decided she had enough before it sank. It was a hard, yet applicable lesson.

the point? be content with what you have

Bathsheba (deeds of David day 20)

The Action Bible handles the story of Bathsheba, from 2 Samuel 11, very tastefully. It was not inappropriate for my 8 and 6 year old who are not yet ready for the details. It tells of how King David wanted Bathsheba to be his wife, so he arranges for her husband Uriah to be killed. It also goes into Nathan confronting David and David's tearful repentance. We discussed coveting, jealousy, stealing, greed, and basically wanting what someone else has to the point of sin. We also discussed David's repentance, God's forgiveness, and the long term consequences of David's sin.

Choosing an activity was also a bit difficult so we recounted the "story" that Nathan told David when confronting him. The story about a rich man taking a poor man's only sheep to feed his guests. We made a batch of "peanut butter kisses" together. You can use any treat but these are fast and we had the ingredients on hand.

By hand, mix together:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
Form 1 inch balls and then roll the balls in powdered sugar... eat!

Then I told each child they could choose ONE to eat. However, before they actually got it in their mouth, I took it and ATE it! They were shocked. We talked about the poor man (and Uriah) who was left with nothing. After they seemed to feel the affects, I did let them eat another one :)

the point? God gives us everything we need and so many extra blessings, we should be thankful (not covetous or greedy.)

The Ark (deeds of David day 19)

After David is made King of all Israel, he desires for the Lord's holy Ark of the Covenant to be in the capital city as well. 2 Samuel 6-7 and I Chronicles 13 tell of David's attempt to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. David had not read God's very specific instructions on how the holy Ark was to be transported. Therefore, when one man touches the ark to keep it from falling, he is struck dead. David is devastated and leaves the Ark where it is. However, after being very careful to read and follow all God's instructions, David retrieves the Ark and brings it into Jerusalem. David sings and dances for joy as they enter the city.

To make our own "Ark of the Covenant" we used an old diaper box and found two long sticks. We punched holes in the sides of the box and ran the sticks across the top of the box to create handles. The kids carried the "Ark" and re-enacted the story. Later, they decided to make a game out of it (though they understood it was no game in real life.) They tried to jump over the box without touching it. It they touched it they had to "fall down dead." Actually, this fun continued for quite a long time.

the point? The Lord God is HOLY!

Through the sewers (deeds of David day 18)

Today's story is from 2 Samuel 5 and 1 Chronicles 11. I love the background The Action Bible gives about why David wanted to take over Jerusalem to be the capital city. I am sure I have heard this story before but I had never seen the context of it, it is so fun to learn more about God's story. Anyway, Jerusalem was a well-protected, walled city that did not belong to Israel. There was virtually no way to defeat them. So, David and his men enter the city through the outgoing sewer tunnels, ewww. Once inside the wall, they open the gates and let the rest of the Israelite army in to take over the city.

We constructed CLEAN tunnels to crawl through. We lined up the dining room chairs and hung a sheet over them so they were darkened. The kids enjoyed crawling through the tunnel and acting out the story.

The point? sometimes God wins by miraculous power, and sometimes he wins by giving brilliant ideas to his people

David crowned King of Israel (deeds of David day 17)

In 2 Samuel 3-5, The rest of the civil war between David and Ish-Bosheth (Saul's son,) is recounted. Some were skeptical when Abner, who at first defended Ish-Bosheth, changed his support to David. Joab, commander of David's army, had a personal vendetta against Abner. Joab tricked Abner and murdered him, which made David furious and nervous. However, since Ish-Bosheth no longer had military support, David is made King over all of Israel.

We played the classic card game "battle" for our activity. We tried it with different number of cards to start with. For example, we divided 12 cards between two players. Each player kept their cards face down. On 3, each player turned their top card face up. The player with the highest number kept both of the cards. Play continued until one player accumulated all the cards. Just as David reigned over all the tribes of Israel.

the point? God is the hero

More war (deeds of David day 16)

The Action Bible gives an exciting and dramatic retelling of 2 Samuel 2-3. It basically recounts some of the war between David and Saul's son Ish-Bosheth. The commanders of the two armies decide to have each of their 10 strongest warriors fight each other, to save casualties. (Remember this is family fighting family.) However, the small battle turns into a larger chase and David's army wins. Abner, who had been the commander of Ish-Bosheth's army, decided he was on the wrong side and changed to support David.

A simple game of chase was our activity today. Though we did not run with spears as they did in the story :)

David mourns Saul (deeds of David day 15)

Today we covered David mourning over Saul's and Jonathan's death from I Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1-2. David became King of his own tribe of Judah right away. However one of Saul's sons claimed the throne over the other tribes of Israel. Thus begins a civil war. I love how The Action Bible gives a grand picture of the difficult events.

We dyed one egg (out of the dozen) to represent the one tribe of Judah that David ruled over at first. Since it is July and we don't have dye kits, we just put some food coloring in a mug of water and let the egg soak. One tribe against eleven tribes made us wonder how that was an even match?

the point? In his time

David has mercy again (deeds of David day 14)

Today's story spanned I Samuel 26, 28, and 31. Basically it was a narrative of Saul chasing David and trying to kill him, and David escaping. Not only did David get away, he also had the chance to kill Saul again, but refused to kill the Lord's anointed. Once when Saul's army was asleep, David entered the camp. David took Saul's spear and water jug and left the camp. In the morning David pointed out to Saul the fact that he had spared Saul's life. This story, beginning on page 300 of The Action Bible, also covers Saul consulting the witch of Endor, and Saul's death.

We talked about God's instruction not to play with magic and then we played a game to act out Saul asleep in the camp. One person pretended to be asleep on the rug. Before the sleeper closed their eyes, we placed a few items around them. After "Saul" was "asleep," "David" quietly crept in and removed one or more objects from "Saul." When the sleeper woke, their job was to figure out what had been removed. It was harder than we thought it would be. You can easily modify the game according to the ages of your kids. You can simply move the objects or remove and hide them.

the point? God will complete his promises in his time.

Abigail (deeds of David day 13)

This was such a fun activity! We used a long piece of yarn and looped it around the brace of a bookshelf on one end, and around a tall chair in the other room on the other end. The result was a moving clothesline type loop. After we read the story in I Samuel 25, we acted out the story using a horse clipped on the "clotheline" as the messenger. We sent the "horse" back and forth between David and Nabal by simply moving the clothesline.


David and his men had protected many Israelites, including Nabal. One day David asked Nabal for food and supplies. "We Need Food"


Nabal refused! "NO" (actually it says ON :)






This made David furious and begin to plan revenge on Nabal and all his family. Some Servants tell Abigail what happened. "Warning Abigail"



Meanwhile, Nabal's wife Abigail heard of David's request and Nabal's response. She quickly gathered food and supplies and took them to David in his camp. She reminded David that he should not kill people in his future kingdom. David calmed down, accepted the supplies, and did not kill Nabal.



The next day God himself struck Nabal dead.



the point? God will punish the unrighteous, he doesn't ask us to.

Escape (deeds of David day 12)

Saul and his men were aggressively pursuing David in I Samuel 24. One night, Saul slept in a cave. Little did he know that David and his men were hiding in the back of the cave. David's men encourage David to kill Saul while he had the chance. However, David refused to lift his hand against the Lord's anointed King. He wanted to wait until God chose to end Saul's life. He wanted to wait on God's timing to fulfill his promise.

We played capture the flag for our activity. Although Saul was asleep while David cut a piece off Saul's robe, we used scarves and hid them on our own "side." The goal was to cross to the other persons side and find their scarf before they see you and tag you, or before they find your scarf.

the point? GOD makes his promises come true. He doesn't ask us to make his promises come true (i.e. David becoming King.)

The chase (deeds of David day 11)

I Samuel 21-23 tells of David's adventures as he hides from Saul. These include pretending to be crazy so enemies don't kill him, hiding in caves, and relatives and outcasts joining his "army." I love I Samuel 23:15 which says "Saul hunted him day after day, but the Lord didn't let him find him." That pretty well sums up this time period.

We played a game of moving hide and seek. It is traditional hide and seek except the hider is able to move hiding places in order to remain hidden. However, of course, the hider was always eventually found. Which is even better show of God's protection on David.

the point? "...the Lord didn't let him find him." God is in control, yipee!

Unexpected allies (deeds of David day 10)

David escaped Saul's threats a few times already, but he was not sure if Saul's hatred was temporary or permanent. Saul's own son Johnathan was a good friend to David. Johnathan told David he would find out if Saul was really trying to kill David. They arranged a signal for Johnathan to warn David if he found out David was in grave danger. After Johnathan returned from the palace, he had learned that indeed, Saul desired to kill David. Johnathan shot his arrows into a field and instructed his servant to go collect the arrows far far away. David was hiding in the field and heard the message. This was the code that David should run for his life. Every time I read this story it blows my mind that David was going to be King instead of Johnathan (and Johnathan knew it,) yet Johnathan chose to support the Lord's will, wow.

We made bow and arrows out of small green branches and yarn. Simply find a straight branch off a bush that is bendable but not brittle. You may have to cut a groove on each end to keep the string from sliding towards the middle. Pull the branch into a "C" and tie the yarn to each end to hold the branch. We used other branches, reeds, and even a straw to be the arrows. They were certainly not great, but they did actually work and we had a good time playing and acting out the story.

the point? God ultimately decides who will be our friend, to fulfill his purpose.

Through the window (deeds of David day 9)

1 Samuel 19:1-17 begins a long line of David escaping Saul stories. Saul tried to spear David again, and David knew it was time to get out of the palace. David was married to Saul's daughter Michal. Michal helped David escape out the window and let him down with a rope. Then, when Saul's soldiers arrived to take David, she told them David was sick. When Saul discovered that David had escaped he was furious!

We attached a rope (actually a tow strap) to the top of our swingset/playhouse. The kids took turns pretending to be David, climbing down the rope to escape. They wanted to do it over and over. Another idea is to use a vertical hula hoop to be the window. Smaller children would enjoy climbing through it, and older children can try climbing through it at different heights for different challenges.

the point? God takes care of his, though it isn't always easy

Saul's jeolousy (deeds of David)

In I Samuel 18 we begin to see King Saul's jealousy come out. The Bible tells us "David had success in all his undertakings for the Lord was with him." David was a mighty warrior, popular among the people, and even well loved by Saul's own family. One day as David was playing the harp and singing for Saul, Saul quickly grabbed his spear and threw it at David, attempting to kill David. David escaped but was now aware of Saul's hatred toward him.

Years ago we did this story, so we used the same activity this time around. We found long straight sticks to be "spears." We went outside and attempted to throw them javelin style towards targets. Our targets were simply large rocks but you can use anything in the yard.

the point? God protects his people. God doesn't promise everyone will like us. Unchecked jealousy grows like poison in us until we do what we would never expect.