Fun School

Last month, I was doing my school planning when our Bible curriculum (Veritas Press) suggested doing dioramas based on one of Jesus' parables. I almost skipped it completely - I rarely do the crafty projects suggested - but I knew my girls would be so excited to do something creative, and they might even learn a little something from it. So, I pulled out a few supplies and turned them loose, hoping they would remember this the next time I did something distinctly "un-fun", like gave them a test or something...

I couldn't be happier with what they came up with!

 

Anna's diorama was about Jesus walking on water. Not a parable, but who cares? She was creative and thoughtful and even looked up the passage!

Pipe cleaners, modeling clay and a shoebox - who knew?

 Abigail went with the Parable of the Sower. Again, very creative - she went so far as to gather grass, rocks and birdseed from the backyard. Each element was carefully labelled for clarity.

I loved that they were able to do this completely independently - I wasn't allowed to look until they were finished. It's all their own work, which shows me that they are engaging with the passage, not what I'm telling them to do. Maybe they'll remember the stories better in future - I'd like to think so. Regardless, I'll definitely be more willing to try something like this in the future, knowing they'll take the assignment seriously and give it their best. That alone made it worth the effort.