In the Beginning ...

    Our joyful God made everything out of nothing, and He wants His children to know all about it. That was our lesson last night as we opened the Children Desiring God program and enjoyed our first taste of real life in the new building. Our wonderful room makes all the difference for our 4- and 5-year-olds.  We have the space to spread out for purposeful free play in our Opening Time, which allowed Mrs. Shuff and I to circulate among our little friends and begin informally teaching and guiding as they were playing. In the reading area, we had set out a group of Bibles, all different styles and versions, to pique the interest of the children.  Brenton and Julianna took our bait and were drawn to them. We talked about the variety and looked through them, emphasizing that all of them are God's Word and all of them are true. Julianna then went to the book shelf and found all the books that had Bible stories in them and all the ones that did not. This primed the pump for our Bible Time, where I taught all the children about the uniqueness of this book.

        We also made available several puzzles and games during this opening time that teach the first five of our CDG Foundation verses. (Parents, we will be communicating details to you about our Badge program as we go, but the Badge Requirements for each award are listed to the right of this post, along with a Memory Verse Schedule.) Bethany thought that she was perhaps a little too big for such a small chair, being six and all,  and was interested in the more grown-up activities like the Bible Verse Concentration game.  She was quick to  find word-picture matches to Proverbs 3:5, and sang the verse several times to the tune of "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush" as we played. (We often sing our verses to familiar tunes, and you can find a link to such Verse Jingles for your use, if you find that helpful for your child.)

      The children were obedient and eager-to-please when it came time to put away the toys and gather around our table, where all the Bibles were now stacked. In a short discussion, I reminded them that there is no book like the Bible because there is no one like God. He wants us to know Him, and His book is the main way that He talks to us and answers the many questions that we have, like "How did I get here?" and "Why am I naughty sometimes?" We practiced saying "Genesis," which can be a tricky word, and I explained how the Bible is really many books between one front and back cover. As we start on this first book, we want the children to remember that God promises He will be our teacher and we will be wise when we listen to or read His Word and obey. 

        After this short introduction to God's Holy Bible, the Lord really blessed our Bible Time.  We did our familiar fingerplay reminding the children to be still and listen, and they did so well! Our version of the Creation account brings out the Triune nature of God and emphasizes that Creation was a result of God's overflowing joy; He was not lonely or needy in any way before He made the world.  I love these Truths and love that the children are getting them at such a young age. We marveled that our All-Powerful God can make something out of nothing and that man desperately needs God who knows just what to provide. We also noted that man is made in God's image, but animals are not. We are to have dominion over, take care of and rule over, the earth and its creatures. As a little demonstration, the children had to "round up" some "animals".  We had hidden "grow capsules" with sponge animals in them around the room. The children found them and put them in cups of water, where they slowly emerged.

          While the animals soaked, we moved on to Snack Time, tasting some of the fish with which God had filled the seas (goldfish crackers.) Brenton volunteered to pray for us, and his prayer was beautiful. While we ate, I showed the children our coloring picture of Adam and Eve, then asked questions to review our story. I was reviewing that God said that everything He had made was good. I pointed to a tree and asked our new friend, Abby Dober, if God thought trees were good. She demonstrated her Bible knowledge by very seriously saying, "Yes, but one tree they're not supposed to eat from."  We hadn't covered that yet, so I just may have Abby teach next week!  

      After Snack Time, we took a moment to share prayer requests. This year, the children are taking turns sharing their needs, and we are recording them in a journal. I will continue praying for each request this week and hope the children will do the same with those they remember. I will be experimenting with different ways of doing this as the year progresses. 

    To conclude our night, we worked on coloring sheets depicting our Creation story, along with stickers of plants and animals. Children leave their art with me, to be used to make a book of 10 Attributes of God. (This is one of the activities for which students earn a Badge.) 

     Our main Bible Verse this week is the first verse of the first chapter. Show it to your child in his or her own Bible this week and highlight it if you like. It's also fun to sing this Scripture to the tune of "Ring Around the Rosie" while you hold hands and spin. "In the beginning... God created... the heavens... and the earth...Genesis 1:1... it was good!" When you get to the end, you can fall down -- or jump up! Have fun with your little creation of God this week and thank you for sharing them with us. The Lord willing, this looks to be a rich year of learning.