by Donna | Jan 11, 2013
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Nursery Bible |
I still smile as I envision this beautiful picture Bible, The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes, by Kenneth Taylor, sitting atop my nursery dresser, part of the decor of every one of my nurseries–from the pastel “Care Bear” motiff nearly thirty years ago to the last one, a dozen years ago, with toys and hues of deep green and navy. It didn’t matter the color scheme or decorating theme, this Bible was at home in every nursery.
I smile even more, though, when I think back to the hundreds of mornings in which I snatched my little angelic being from his or her crib (after we put the toys in the toy basket in the corner of the crib–you can never start teaching “chores” too early!), telling that child how much Mommy loves her, how much Daddy loves her, how much Brother loves her, how much Sister loves her, and how much Jesus loves her.
I wrapped that sweet bundle in that day’s favorite blankie, and the two of us got cozy in the nursery’s rocking chair. Depending on the age, we would nurse, rock, sing, recite rhymes and verses (or sing verses), and talk about how amazing she was, how soft she was, how great she was going to be in God’s kingdom.
When the feeding and singing were done, it was Bible time–actually, it was “Little Eyes” Bible time–for that is what my toddlers and preschoolers called this precious nursery Bible. (I get misty-eyed thinking of the toddler snatching that Bible off the dresser and following me around with it, saying, “Little Eyes Bible, Mommy?” I have to keep myself from wishing I had stopped what I was doing and read more often…)
After a story or two (the stories are short, just perfect for toddlers or young preschoolers), the “Little Eyes” Bible would get propped back up on the dresser, that cherished spot where this beautiful nursery Bible stood for nearly two decades. And we would start our day, busy, full, precious days that nearly always began with the nursery Bible.
Note: For a thorough review (and where to purchase the original version of this Bible used), see the following link from an earlier blog post: https://charactertrainingfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2010/01/day-thirty-two-start-young-with-bible.html
by Donna | Dec 2, 2012
Sheri Graham, of Graham Family Ministries, knows where all the goodies are! She just sent through another great link—this time a free online advent calendar. With the internet and all of the *freebies* available therein, we have no excuse for not doing great things with our kids all year round!
Click on the link below to get your free online advent calendar!
https://www.naturedetectives.org.uk/ideas/advent
by Donna | Nov 29, 2012
“And the Grinch stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?
It came without ribbons. It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. …
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?” ~Dr Seuss
When our kids were very little, I always had one nativity set that was for them to play with. This one was set up on a low table and was the kids’ to interact with. We have done other nativity pieces—clay, paint your own, Fisher Price, felt, punch outs, and more. A simple search of nativities online yielded so many cute ideas—if you are crafty, they are even better! Here are some I found that you might enjoy sharing with your children.
LEGO nativity: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701&va=lego+nativity
EDIBLE nativity: https://www.mustardseedclub.org/arc0021.htm
PIPE CLEANER nativity: https://familyfun.go.com/crafts/away-in-a-manger-homemade-creche-668113/
PLUSH nativity: https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dplush%2Bnativity%2Bset%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701&w=400&h=400&imgurl=www.stjudeshop.com%2Fresources%2FStJudeShop%2Fimages%2Fproducts%2Fprocessed%2F14313.zoom.a.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stjudeshop.com%2Fproduct%2Fchildrens-bagged-nativity%2F&size=23KB&name=…+Plush+Nativi…&p=plush+nativity+set&oid=19a615
3cd589ff7a996ddcb9e62e6f49&fr2=&no=5&tt=2750&sigr=11s5vbt1s&sigi=12i2cbdf1&sigb=12vi3n8l6&.crumb=MbLOpBXyoMe
PAINT YOUR OWN nativity: https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dplush%2Bnativity%2Bset%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701&w=730&h=557&imgurl=www.catholicsupply.com%2FCHRISTMAS%2F27405.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicsupply.com%2Fchristmas%2Fcmastoy.html&size=253KB&name=…+Paint+Your+O…&p=plush+nativity+set&oid=6a6c7fecf0eba37de269ac6b77318a7a&fr2=&no=7&tt=2750&sigr=11kefpv89&sigi=11atpjlf6&sigb=12vi3n8l6&.crumb=MbLOpBXyoMe
FISHER PRICE nativity: https://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=900000&e=storeproduct&pid=46068
PLAYMOBILE nativity: https://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Product-Detail?pid=5719&cgid=
ADVENT NATIVITY CALENDAR with CHOCOLATE!: https://www.catholicsupply.com/christmas/advcal2.html
WOODEN ADVENT CALENDAR: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701&va=wooden+advent+nativity+calendar
CLAY nativity: https://www.ehow.com/how_6578433_make-clay-nativity.html
CARDBOARD BOX nativity: https://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1212882/easy_cardboard_box_nativity_scene.html
PUNCH OUT nativity: https://paperdollreview.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=516
SALT DOUGH nativity: https://www.squidoo.com/salt-dough-nativity-scene