Bible Bites, Week 2: Jesus Starts His Ministry

I had so much fun doing interactive Bible study with Mr. Moose this past week. As the 3rd child, he's definitely missed out on some of the fun PreK stuff I was doing with his sisters when they were 2 & 3. By pre-planning, hopefully I'll be better this year about giving him his own special PreK experiences.

Day 1: Jesus at the River

• Show Mr. Moose pictures of his siblings. Talk about how each of the kids are part of our family.
• Read "Jesus at the River", pg 260 (Matt. 3:13-17)
• Point out that Jesus is God's Son, just like Mr. Moose is my son, and that God loves Jesus very much. (I know there is MUCH more to this theologically, but we're staying simple right now!)
• Have some water playtime!

Day 2: Jesus in the Desert

• Take a walk outside. Talk about Jesus walking for a long time in the hot desert. He probably got really hungry and thirsty! Then "find" some bread. Does Mr. Moose want it? We can't have it right now. We'll have to wait!
• Sit down and read "Jesus in the Desert," pgs 262-263 (Matt. 4:1-11)
• Talk about how Jesus obeyed God even when he was really hungry and thirsty. He always obeyed! 

Day 3: Meeting Jesus

• Tell Hudson about a special treat. Does he want to tell his sisters about it? Let him go tell the news. When he gets back, sit down to read the Bible story together. 
• Read "Meeting Jesus" pgs 264-265 (John 1:35-47). Andrew was so excited about finding Jesus he had to tell his friends! 
• Let Mr. Moose call Nana and tell her some exciting news. 

Bible Bites, Week 1: Jesus is Born!

Our primary resource for reading will be the Day by Day Begin to Read Bible. I'm going to reference this book, but will also include the corresponding Scripture passages. (Note on book: I love the way it breaks Bible stories down into short, easy to digest chunks, but still includes stories and passages that other kids' Bibles skip over. Great home library investment, in my opinion!)

My lessons will be very light on crafts because, well, Mr. Moose isn't too big on arts and crafts. He likes them at certain times and places, but using them in devotions just feels like extra busy work to me. I'll save crafts for our alphabet/number time.

Day One: Mary Gets a Special Gift

• Wrap up a gift and present it to Mr. Moose. Talk about how exciting it is to get a new gift. Tell him we'll open it after we read our Bible story about how God gave Mary a special gift.
• Read "God's Son," pg 251-252 (Luke 1:26-38)
• Discuss how God gave Mary the special gift of being Jesus' mommy! Let Mr. Moose unwrap his present and rejoice in the blessings of good gifts.
• Memory Verse: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." (John 3:16a)

Day Two: Jesus is Born

• Give Mr. Moose a suitcase. Let him pack some things to take on a "trip" around the house. 
• Pull the suitcase from "Nazareth" to "Bethlehem." When we arrive at the reading spot, a cave made of 2 chairs and a sheet, read "A Trip to Bethlehem" pp 254-255 (Luke 2:1-7).
• Discuss how God gave not just Mary a gift - He gave ALL of us a gift when Jesus was born! He gave us this precious gift because He loves us.
• Memory Verse: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." (John 3:16a)

Day Three: The Angels Sing!

• Sit together in a darkened bedroom with stuffed animals around us. Tell Mr. Moose the story of the shepherds taking care of their sheep in the fields, when suddenly the angels appeared and began praising God for His wonderful gift of Jesus! Shine flashlights and talk about how the angels shone.
• Listen to a bit of the Hallelujah Chorus and talk about the angels singing beautiful songs. They were excited because God was giving everyone in the world such a wonderful present - the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ!
• Get up and run to another room. Talk about how the shepherds ran to find Jesus after they heard the good news. They were very happy!
• Memory Verse: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." (John 3:16a) 

Back to blogging!

Well, it's time for a new school year, and time to blog again. Last year was SO crazy with a new little one and a busy toddler and first grade academics that I decided blogging must go. But I think I'm back. Maybe. No promises.

I want to start doing more meaningful Bible devotions with my newly turned 3yo, Mr. Moose. I'm going to use this blog as a way to chronicle them and maybe be a help for others trying to do the same thing. At this point, my plan is to start studying the life of Jesus with my busy boy and also teach some much-needed character qualities at the same time. If anyone else is doing the same thing, let me know! I'm always up for inspiration.