From A to Z: Letter G

A few days ago, I walked into our back room and found my oldest son lining up 8 or so glasses on the floor with murky brown water. I calmly asked him what he was doing (since I couldn't figure out why the water was brown) and he bashfully told me he was making sugar pop. I looked over at the couch and discovered that he had opened up the brown sugar on the couch--and there was a huge mess of brown sugar, water, measuring cups, and spoons.

I could tell he was nervous about getting into big trouble, and to be honest, I was far from thrilled that there was brown sugar all over the couch. I also knew (because I was like him as a kid) that he was simply trying to experiment and play--not damage the couch. 

I decided to give him grace instead of harsh consequences in this moment. We still chatted about how the couch was not the best place to mix water and brown sugar, and I knew by his honest nodding and humble attitude that he understood that it wasn't the best idea. But I think he was also surprised that he didn't get into trouble.

Where I gave my son a tiny glimpse of grace (grace simply means that he didn't get what he deserved), God gives us unmeasurable and unmatchable grace. 

The letter G is all about how God Give us Grace. 

In this lesson, we read how Saul became Paul, do a simple experiment to demonstrate how grace covers sin, and talk about what grace means. 

My hope is that this lesson provides a launching point to share the gospel with your little ones and all the good news it brings! 

Have a good one!

Nicole

From A to Z: Letter C

This month, my oldest is taking swimming lessons for the first time. And he's already told me he's not going to go. And along with that declaration comes a jutted out chin and very dramatic arm-crossing. 

As a parent, I assure him that I'll be there and that it's okay to be nervous. I know that it's not so much that he doesn't want to go, it's that he's afraid of something new. 

So, I think the letter C is coming at a good time. Because the letter C's big idea is Be Courageous because God is with You. This lesson's verse is Joshua 1:9 (one you've probably heard before...)

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

— Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

But I think we can easily miss the part about why we can be brave, strong, and courageous. It's not because we just muster up our own strength; it's because God is with us wherever we go. As a momma, this is something I can talk a lot about with my kids as we walk through changes, tough moments, and times when they feel afraid or unsure.

This lesson includes making a paper armor, marching around "Jericho", and reading about Joshua. So, bring out the tin foil!

Other resources you may like (some of these are affiliate links--learn more about that here)

• Melissa + Doug wooden building blocks (for making those walls of Jericho)
• Super cute t-shirt from High Street Littles
• Watch the classic Josh + the Big Wall Veggie tale movie
• Listen to Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho (we may have listened and danced to this a few too many times...)

 

From A to Z: Letter B

Onto the next letter!

Letter B's Bible truth is Bear with One Another and Forgive Each Other. I don't know about you, but I definitely need this Bible truth as a daily reminder ;) 

This lesson includes making an adorable bear puppet, reading the story about Joseph, and giving great big bear hugs.

After we made our puppets, the puppet inspiration kept on coming and we soon had a band of puppets (robots, spiders, and tigers). Later, Luke declared they were all Joseph's brothers and we acted out some of the story. It did get a little interesting when the spider puppet turned into to Pharaoh--at least we are learning the main characters, right?

Go have fun! We'd love to see all your adorable bears or other fun ways you are using the pack, just tag us and use the hashtag #colorandkindness

-- Nicole

From A to Z: Letter A

Yay for the first letter to explore creatively!

Letter A is all about how God ALWAYS keeps His promises. Isn't that such good news that we can share with our children? We talked about how God is faithful and promises to help us, never leave us, and always love us. 

This lesson includes making a cute paper rainbow and talking about God's promises, reading the story of Noah's ark, and painting raindrops. 

We've started putting the prints and some of the finished art work into plastic sleeves, so we can go back and look over what we've done. 

If you'd like to add some more activities or resources to this lesson, here are some other resources you might like (some of these are affiliate links--learn more about that here)

• Noah's ark giant coloring poster
• Big Book of Beasts to read and talk about some of the animals that may have been on the ark
• Wooden Noah's ark boat
• Promise Pack of scripture from Dear Mushka
• Rainbow stacker

Go have fun! We'd love to see all your rainbows or ways you are using the pack, just tag us and use the hashtag #colorandkindness

-- Nicole

From A to Z: Exploring Bible Truths Creatively

My oldest is almost ready to start reading. He's sounding out more letters he sees, pointing out words he recognizes, and asking me (constantly!) what something says. My littlest, well, he knows about the first three letters of the alphabet--and I think that's pretty great!

Since we are busy singing ABCs, sounding out letters, and generally obsessed with the alphabet around here, I thought it would be fun to combine some letter  + Bible learning. After searching the internet, I didn't find anything that was quite what I was looking to do. So, of course, I decided to create my own ;) 

For the last few months, I've been brainstorming, creating content, and designing each letter. Each letter "lesson" is simple, hands-on, and easy to print. I also tried to use art, craft, and activity supplies that you're likely to have at home--there's no gourmet crafting happening here ;) Plus, I also tried to focus on Bible truths that are about God, how we respond to God, and how God responds to us. Each lesson will include:

• Letter Print and Bible truth
• Bible story reference (read from the Bible or your favorite Bible for kids)
• Connect + interact page 
• Letter decorating
• Hands-on activity or craft
• Verse cards that correspond to the Bible truth (one full verse and one shortened version for younger kids)

There isn't a written devotional or a step-by-step guide because I wanted to give you the flexibility to go as deep or as simple as you'd like. For example, you may keep it super duper simple for your 2-year-old and go deeper with your older child. If you want to do scripture memory, great! If you want to add more crafts, wonderful! If you want to go the library and pick up more books, lovely! If you want to explore the Bible story more, go for it! If you want to keep it as easy as possible, that's perfect! 

In each blog post, I'll also share some other resources (like books, toys, games, tools) you could use to supplement the learning if you want to add more.

Although it will always be free on the blog, I will put it all together and add some supplemental content that will be available to purchase. So, if you aren't a fan of going through each blog post individually, you can wait and grab it as one big download. 

I hope you join me as we walk through the alphabet and explore Bible truths in fun and kid-friendly ways. I hope you are encouraged too! 

Letter A is coming soon!

--Nicole