Genesis 8 - In The Ark Quiet Book Page

In Genesis chapter 8, the Flood recedes and Noah checks by sending out a raven and a dove through a window in the ark.

Memory Verse: "When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth." Genesis 8:11

Materials needed to create the In The Ark quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet, I used navy.
• felt scrap for pocket
• Betty Lukens Felt book 07 Noah's Ark available at Koorong.
• sewing thread to best match the page and pocket
• scissors!

Cut out all the pieces for this page, and the two ark pages from the set leaving as much margin as possible. You want enough to make it easy to sew back to back and also to leave a flap on the respective sides so you can sew it down to the page along that and it can flip open. The Betty Lukens FAQ section has posted a cutting tips PDF.

Cut out the three sides of the window and door so they can open. Hot glue (or sew) the pictures behind the window and door.

Sew the two pages back to back, sewing around the top along the shape of the ark. They should line up fairly well. Trim the excess, remembering to leave a flap down one side to sew it onto the page with so it flips open.

Make a pocket by folding down the top edge of a rectangular piece of felt and sewing along that edge to reinforce it. Then sew it onto the middle of the page where it will be hidden by the ark.

Sew the ark onto the page along the flap, going over it twice so it is strong.

Pop the pieces inside the pocket (or better yet, play with them)!

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Intermediate.

Double check everything when sewing the pages back to back and ensure you leave enough margin to form a flap for the ark to flip open.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Genesis 8 - This page tells the story of how the Flood receded and Noah tested this by sending out a raven and a dove through a window in the ark
• Imaginative Play - Open the window to let the raven and dove in and out.
• Matching - Check on the animals inside and match the pairs
• Peek-a-boo - open the window and door to see what is underneath
• Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
• Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Genesis 8

Devotional

I always wondered what Noah and his family filled the ark with besides all the food they and the animals would need for a year or so. If I was planning a new life in a new world, what would I bring?
My sewing machine would be high on the list of wants, but how much good would it do me without electricity at the other end? Did they have items like this that they just had to leave behind because it would no longer be useful? I imagine they packed as much as they could to make setting up a new life as easy as possible.

I also imagined one of Noah's sons' wives being pregnant on the ark. When I was a child I guess I didn't consider things like sea sickness getting in the way of that, or the enormous amount of work looking after all those animals must have been. The first child to be born after the flood was born two years after the flood (Genesis 11:10). So I guess it didn't take them long to get organised enough to feel that getting pregnant was OK.

I recently had a dream where it was my family entering the ark, and as I was busily packing forgotten items, it suddenly hit me that all my debt was gone. I couldn't stop hugging my family and celebrating! In the morning there would be no more bank! I'm sure you can extrapolate this to mean Jesus paid our debts. But what really hit me was the physical debts gone. And that is also coming with Jesus' return. Money will become useless once again!

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What would you pack on the ark?

Felt Board in a Fabric Quiet Book

Last year I went in another quiet book swap. This one was outer space themed, and since I had previously bought a space themed felt board play set, I wanted to include it in the book.

The pages of the book are fabric. Adding felt pages would have posed a problem when putting the book together. Felt is rather thick and would have made turning the pages right side out difficult. So this was my solution: I simply cut felt squares slightly smaller than the page and sewed them onto it, allowing room for a fabric border and the seam allowance.

Since I wanted a larger amount of room for the felt board set than one page allowed, I repeated the process on another page. This created another problem of how to store the felt board set pieces in a pocket without creating a large bump behind the felt board. Also, I wanted to be able to access the pocket without turning the page and having all the pieces fall off whilst playing with it. I solved this problem, but it needed it's own post to explain, so stay tuned!

I used a striped fabric for the felt board pages, and I purposely laid the stripes in opposite directions on the border. I think it looks good that way. A plain felt page would have looked rather boring if I had not included enough space between the felt and seam allowance for a border. I don't think the border puts a border on the imagination. At least I hope it doesn't. I probably would not have liked it as a child. I was a very fussy child and liked everything to be as close to real as possible. Happily, Tahlia does not seem to share my quips about toys and realism.

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Do you think the felt board in a fabric quiet book works?

Genesis 7 - The Flood Quiet Book Page

In Genesis chapter 7, the Flood rages, but Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wives, along with the animals are all kept safe inside the ark.

Memory Verse: "The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters." Genesis 7:18

Materials needed to create The Flood quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet. I used a bright blue.
• Betty Lukens Felt book 07 Noah's Ark available at Koorong.
• sewing thread to best match the page
• scissors!

Cut out all the pieces for this page, and the page itself from the set. Cut it out as it is, not in the shape of an ark as suggested in the instructions. The Betty Lukens FAQ section has posted a cutting tips PDF.

Sew the page onto the background felt along three sides, leaving the top edge open to form a pocket. Pop the pieces inside (or better yet, play with them)!

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sew version.

One of the easiest quiet book pages ever!
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Genesis 7 - This page tells the story of how Noah and his family were kept safe in the ark during the Flood
• Imaginative Play - Toss Noah's ark around on the wild waters and create a storm
• Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
• Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Genesis 7

Devotional

What scientists teach about how fossils were created has always bothered me. When a sheep dies in a paddock or a kangaroo becomes roadkill, they don't become fossils. Very special circumstances have to exist for a fossil to form, and the fact that fossils are found all over Earth suggests that a global flood is likely responsible. Often, fossils will form of animals in the process of doing things, such as this fish in the process of swallowing another fish for dinner. They were caught completely unaware and buried instantly. Sounds like evidence of a catastrophic flood to me.

Image Source

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How would you have handled the trip in the Ark?

Pillowcase Quiet Book Closure

I am always trying to think of imaginative ways to keep a quiet book closed that don't take a lot of effort to sew. If it also helps to keep stray pieces inside it's a big bonus. So here is my next quiet book closure idea which I have named the "Pillowcase"!

It is easy to see that I got the idea from a pillowcase... I made a flap on the back page from rib knit fabric which folds over to enclose the pages and front cover and helps to keep small pieces from falling out (Heaven forbid). I used a folded piece of rib knit so that there would be no need for a seam along the turning edge that might impede the ability to fold it over (and might look unattractive). I did put a pin tuck close to either corner, but I don't think I would recommend it. Since the rib fabric was already doubled it made it rather hard to sew due to it's thickness, and because rib knit is stretchy and the whole reason I used it, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be necessary. Although if your quiet book is very thick, maybe it would be an idea to try. It might work better if you put a separate pin tuck slightly over from each other in the top and bottom layers of the rib knit fabric instead of pin tucking the two layers together like I did - who knows why.

This method is really easy for kids to open. That may be a positive or negative depending on the children you are designing a quiet book for! I don't like Tahlia to play with them without my supervision yet, so I store them out of reach.

I like the look of it and it saved me from having to do any decoration on the front cover. You could easily put the flap on the front cover instead so it folds over the back if you preferred.

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How do you like the pillowcase closure idea?

Vashti's Quiet Book - My Sister's Pages

These are the super cute quiet book pages that my sister made for her daughter Vashti!

A caterpillar...

There is a light green peek-a-boo leaf on the top...

And a pocket for the pieces behind the darker middle leaf...

A weather page... the cloud and hot air balloon basket are both pockets...

A rainbow page...

A sandcastle and bucket page - template from Imagine Our Life Sandcastle Quiet Book Page....

And lastly, some shoe laces to learn to tie... template from Pops and Podge Quiet Book Page 3 -  Tie The Laces...

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Which pages would you like to include in your own quiet book?

Psalm 4 - Peaceful Sleep Quiet Book Page

In Psalms chapter 4, David acknowledges that it is God who keeps us safe.

Memory Verse: "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8 NIV

Materials needed to create the Peaceful Sleep quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet; I used mauve
• felt/material scraps, velour is good for the blanket
• embroidery floss (optional)
• small rope dolls (I bought mine from a dollar shop)
• sewing thread to best match the page
• a bed template - I used the Five Little Monkeys pattern by Stephanie of Imagine Our life

Sew a large scrap of felt to fill the bottom third of your felt background sheet.  I cut off the excess mauve so I could use it for something else. You could simply sew a strip over the bottom third of your sheet.

Cut out the bedhead and sew it down, followed by the pillows. Be sure to line it up properly so that the bed base does not allow wall coloured felt to show through, and that the pillows are visible above the blanket.

I used velour material for the blanket. It was from a baby suit given to Tahlia. The velour makes a lovely soft blanket for the dollies and adds a touch and feel aspect to the page.  Cut out two blanket sections so they can be sewn right sides facing out. Use the embroidery floss to add an authentic touch to the top edge of the blanket. Sew the blanket in place to the bed base.

Sew the bed base down to the floor/wall on the bottom and sides.

Put the dollies into bed.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy.

Blanket stitch is easy, don't be off-put. If in doubt, You Tube it!

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Psalm 4 - This page tells that God keeps us safe, and we can sleep in peace
• Imaginative Play - The dollies can play at all sorts of things. These three dollies are meant to be Tahlia and her cousin, and her friend enjoying a sleepover.
• Touch and Feel - The velour blanket is lovely soft texture, and it runs in a grain - you can rub it with and against the grain and feel a big difference in texture
• Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
• Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Psalm 4

Devotional

Financial stresses seem to be the focus of this Psalm. They can certainly keep you awake at night. The basic message is that if you resolve to do the right thing, and you decide to put your trust in God, His listening ear and attentiveness is worth more than financial security.

The Easy-to-Read Version is more of a paraphrase, but it puts this Psalm so beautifully, and brings out such meaning that it is WELL worth the read.

Despite my worried nights, He has always seen us through. I pray you have a peaceful sleep tonight.

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Does this quiet book make you feel safe enough to sleep resting in the arms of the Almighty?

Up-cycled Clothes Quiet Book

After seeing this "Close Your Clothes" quiet book by Anna of Forty-Two Roads, I knew I had to feed my quiet book obsession and make one. Ok, two of them! This is my version, sans poem, and with a little Aussie flavour.

I made one book for Tahlia and one for my niece Vashti for this last Christmas. They are very similar but a little different in places, so I tried to put the related pages next to each other in the photos, although they are not in the same order in both books due to the page colours clashing.

I thought that a belt would be great for the cover as we could use it to keep the books shut.

These pages feature a bow tie that clips together at the back of the collar. You can lift the collar to put it on and then fold it back down once the tie has been clipped together.

These page features the all popular netball skirt. Netball is very popular in country areas of Australia. Netball skirts are wrap around skirts and are adjustable to to your particular waist size because they fasten using a rail belt slider and adjuster. I never knew what they were called until I started writing this post and had to find out!

These pages feature overall clips/buckles. They are not as common as they were in the Eighties lol

These pages feature press studs. The other activity for these pages is pulling the arms and legs inside out so they fit inside the book for storage (see below).

There are hidden bras behind the tops. One bra has a front clasp and the other has padding which can be rather easily removed and put back in.

The baby jumpsuit is located here so that the baby would have ready access to breastmilk :)

The center pages feature a button-up dress or skirt and hat clips.

These pages feature hook and eye closures. I guess this is not the book I will be taking along to church hahaha... lingerie might be better suited to the car or home!

These pages feature zips. I made sure to have them unsecured at the bottom so the girls could learn to thread the zip themselves.

These pages feature Chinese knot buttons. I think they turned out quite pretty.

The last pages feature lacing. One of the books received a bonus belt clip too. I did find it a little difficult finding two of everything I wanted to included, so the two books do vary slightly, but I think they are comparably exciting overall.


I bound the books using the Skinny version of How to Make Cloth Books described by Deborah from Cloth Books for Baby. It worked OK, but I think the bulkiness of my pages made it difficult. The method is better suited to pages without so much going on around the borders.

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Which is your favourite page in these books?

Car Travel Dice

Now you can roll dice in your car!

If you are taking a long trip with kids in the back, you can now play dice games...

I came up with a way to make rolling a die in the car easy and at the same time, difficult to loose. We recently went on a car trip, and as Tahlia is getting a little older now, she doesn't sleep a lot like she used to. She gets bored. At one stop there were various gum ball machines filled with small toys and trinkets packaged in small round plastic containers - apparently they are termed "toy capsules". They ensure the gum ball machine will function properly when the dial is turned. We bought one.

As the top half of the plastic is clear, it enables you to see through to what is inside. If you put a die or dice inside, you can shake, rattle and roll your way to a happy road trip! The dice are rolled in the comfort of your hand and no longer require a large flat surface to be turned out on. They also can't roll off the edge and into the Never Never. Of course they can still be dropped, but a plastic gum ball is quite larger than the dice and much easier to find in an overstuffed car.

I guess what I came up with is similar to the Pop-O-Matic function in a game of Trouble. Another re-invention of the wheel.

Image Source

You can sometimes find acorn capsules in gumball machines, which have a flat bottom, and would be slightly better for rolling more than one die. However, you could also use any plastic container you have on hand, such as an empty sippy cup or small kitchen food container.

Acorn capsules - Image Source

Although not all of these will work in a car, and for now Tahlia is happy just rolling, here is a link to a list of

9 Simple Dice Games for Kids for Ultimate FUN

Enjoy your next car trip 😍😃😌

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Is there a dice game you wish you could play in the car?