Thursday, 24 November 2022

Alpha (Old Testament) Quiet Book - by Steph

This is the first in a series of two quiet book made by my friend Steph. 




I really loved her idea of using an Alpha symbol over the cross for the Old Testament and an Omega over a cross for the New Testament covers.




Although the books are not quite finished (and I think a lot of quiet books fall into this category), I am going to share the pages that are already done for now. Steph knew she would never get around to making a sewn book, so she opted for glue. This has enabled her to use both the front and the back of a piece of felt for activities, which is not only cheaper, but means she doesn't have to sew the pages back-to-back either. The books are bound using ribbon strung through some holes made with a hole punch. So simple!




Page one is for creation. Steph really wanted to highlight to her children the creation of spaces in the first three days, and the filling of those spaces in the following three days:

Creation KingdomsCreature Kings
Day 1 - Light
(Day/Night)
Day 4 - Luminaries
(Greater light to rule the day and
the lesser light to rule the night)
Day 2 - Sky/WaterDay 5 - Birds/Fish
Day 3 - Land/VegetationDay 6 - Land animals/Man
The Creator King
Day 7 - Sabbath




This view of Genesis 1 is called the Framework Interpretation, and although many of it's proponents hold to a symbolic meaning to the days of creation, there is no reason that it cannot and does not apply to a literal view just as readily (as Steph and I do).




Page two is one of the creatures God created - a crab. It was bought from AliExpress, so was a very easy make.




Page three is an apple tree (also bought from AliExpress) for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil story in the Garden of Eden.




Page four is a Noah's ark matching game inspired by the Betty Lukens kit I used in my Genesis 8 - In The Ark Quiet Book Page.




Page five is some corn weaving for the story of Joseph (bought from AliExpress). (Sorry Steph but I think the corn is referring to kernels of wheat rather than corn as we call it today)!




Page six is for the 10 Commandments - you can list a Commandment as the frog jumps on each lily pad. Sorry again Steph, but this is my least favourite page in this book because frogs are actually associated with unclean/evil things (think Revelation) so I'm not a fan of using them to illustrate God's Holy Law, despite how cute they might be!




Page seven is a sandal to tie and untie (bought from AliExpress) for the Children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, and we can remember how God made their sandals last the journey (Deuteronomy 29:5).




Page eight represents how God can wash us so we will be whiter than snow (Psalm 51).




On page nine you can dress up Queen Esther in various outfits, with one basic dress for before she became queen, and three more decorative ones for afterwards. Esther means "hidden" and you can hide her Jewish identity (the Star of David) like her Uncle Mordechai asked her to with her dresses. I love all the little details, so well done on this one Steph!




Page ten is David's harp (drawn free-hand - great job Steph)!




Page eleven is a mini felt Bible hidden in a heart pocket - for Psalm 119. We need to treasure God's word and learn it off by heart so we have it with us always.




This is my absolute favourite page, and it deserves it's own post, so I will be reserving photos of inside the Bible for that - sorry, not sorry hahaha.




Page twelve shows three different aspects of David's life - King, Shepheard, and how he was a man after God's own heart. You can trace the shape of the pipe cleaners from David on the left to the symbols on the right.




Page thirteen is a hand and numbers for counting. It was originally intended to be for the 10 Commandments, but two hands didn't fit on the page. Instead it could link to a few things, such as God knowing everything about us, and counting the blessings God has given us. 




A bit of trivia for you - there is no Bible verse which talks about counting your blessings. I only know because I looked when trying to match another one of my quiet book ideas to a Bible chapter... Oh well!




The hand was free cut and Steph added Velcro dots bought from office works. Most things in the book were free cut and she didn't draw at all (cause she says she is really lazy).




Page fourteen is a wooden puzzle in the shape of a precious stone. After all, wisdom is better than rubies (Proverbs 8:11). It was bought from a dollar store. Steph has written some words of wisdom on it and made a pocket out of felt in the same shape as the puzzle. 




Page fifteen is my second favourite in this book so far. Steph says the idea was "totally stolen" from an idea I had told her about for a future page. Although mine is for a different verse and will look quite different, I might just have to steal this idea right back for the verse Steph is applying it to! This page goes with Ezekiel 11:19, "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh." (NIV). The heart is removable.




Page sixteen is a season tree. Whilst there is no activity, it is a rather tactile page. This page is for Ecclesiastes 3 - there is a season for everything. 




Psalms 1 also talks about a tree planted by the waters which brings forth fruit in due season.

Page seventeen is Jonah and the whale.




There are an odd number of pages because this project is still growing.




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Which page did you enjoy most in the Alpha (Old Testament) Quiet Book? That is a bit of a cheeky question, since I didn't share my favourite page here properly!

Thursday, 3 November 2022

Psalm 11 - Flee as a Bird Thaumatrope Quiet Book Page

Psalm 11 asks why we should flee as birds to a mountain when we are trusting God for protection.




Memory Verse: “I trust in the Lord for protection.
So why do you say to me,
“Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!" Psalm 11:1.

Materials needed to create the Flee as a Bird Thaumatrope quiet book page:

  • A4 felt background sheet - I used dapple grey
  • My free Psalm 11 - Flee as a Bird Thaumatrope Quiet Book Page Template Pattern
  • cotton fabric for the green mountain
  • fabric glue or double sided iron-on interfacing
  • felt scraps in green, sky blue, orange and dapple grey
  • decorative beads in orange and silver
  • short dowel rod (about 20cm in length, 7mm in diameter)
  • hot glue and glue gun
  • sewing thread to best match the page
  • scissors!
Mark and cut out the mountain shape from your mountain fabric and use fabric glue to glue it to a piece of green felt (or use thedouble-sided iron-on interfacing according to the directions). Once it is dry, cut it out and sew a fine zigzag stitch along all edges to stop it fraying and peeling. Then sew it onto your background felt to about just below half way up the sides of the mountain leaving the top open to form a pocket.




Cut out the circles from the sky blue felt and sew down your orange birds followed by their dapple grey wings, making sure to position one in the upper position and the other in the lower position. Hand sew on your decorative beads.


Testing different decorative bead positions


Position your circles back to back (ensure the birds are level with each other) and sew around the circles, leaving about a 2cm hole at the bottom. Use hot glue on about 4cm of the end of your dowel rod and insert it into the hole and press the birds together to attach it. 

Spin the thaumatrope rod between your hands to watch the bird fly away to the mountain.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sew version.

A very easy quiet book page!
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version.




Key Learning Areas and Skills

  • Psalm 11 - Putting your trust in God is the best way to stay safe and remain calm when you are in danger.
  • Imaginative Play - Fly your birdie to safety in the mountains.
  • Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skills through turning pages, and on this page, through using the thaumatrope.




Read the Chapter

Psalm 11

Devotional

This Christian Hymn seems to be to be using the phrase "flee like a bird to your mountain" in the opposite way to what David's adviser was. But the point in the end is the same. God is your refuge, put your faith in Him.

I have heard stories of many people who chose to stay in dangerous places because they felt that is where God wanted them. They trusted Him and escaped all kinds of danger because He looked after them. The most dangerous place in all appearances may actually be the safest because God is with you. The safe places might actually be the most dangerous because you are no longer relying on God.




I looked up some of the birds that inhabit Israel and tried to model mine on the Oriental Turtle-dove and the Laughing Dove.


Oriental Turtle Dove : (Streptopelia orientalis) in Satara
I, Ravivaidya - CC BY 2.5


Laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis cambayensis)
at Zighy Bay in the Musandam Peninsula, Oman
Charles J. Sharp - CC BY-SA 3.0




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Have you made a thaumatrope before? Comment below!