The righteous are as bold as a lion

A few years ago I started making handprint canvases of each kindergarten Bible class we teach.  We hang them in our classroom for decoration, and the kids love them.  I will try to post the previous ones when I remember to take pictures!  Here is our latest addition!  It turned out so cute!

King Hezekiah

This lesson just did NOT want to come together for me!  I struggled and struggled with it!  Not sure why, but it just wasn't working.   It ended up going well, though, and here is what I finally came up with, for what it's worth!

When the kids came in, they decorated a crown and put it on a craft stick.

When we were finished with that, I told the story of King Hezekiah.  I used laminated coloring pages to represent parts of the story.   Crown = Our story is about a good king named Hezekiah.   statues = idols he took down/destroyed.  Soldier w/helmet = Assyrian leader   Praying hands = Hezekiah prayed for Lord to help   Army = God made it so other army left    Sick face = Hezekiah got sick and was going to die   2nd praying hands = He prayed for God to heal him   Ear = God heard his prayer and extended his life    Sundial = God gave him the sign of sundial going back

Every time I said his name, the kiddos had to hold the crown up on their heads.  This produced more than a few giggles, but it also meant that they listened VERY WELL so that they could try to be the first to get the crown on their heads!  We talked about how he loved God and prayed before making decisions as well as when he was told his life would end.  When we talked about the sundial moving back 10 degrees, we made these.

I just made a "clock face" in Microsoft word and used clip art to help the kiddos retell that part of the story. They glued this to a cheap paper plate.   The first picture (at "1:00/2:00") shows a sickly Hezekiah.   "4:00/5:00" shows him praying.  "7:00/8:00" shows that God heard his prayer.   "10:00/11:00" shows a sundial.  Then, I cut out triangles of stiff paper (actually, a file folder that was not being used!), folded over the bottom, and attached it to the sundial.  with a brad.  As they told the story, they could turn the sundial to the correct picture.  I let each one who wanted to retell the story to the class.  They did great with this.  I was quite pleased!  We also had a review activity, but it wasn't fancy.  Just answering questions by raising their crowns.

Elijah and Mt Carmel

I almost decided not to post this lesson, as it wasn't all I wanted it to be.  We were wiped out last week with a stomach bug, and Sunday morning on the way out the door it hit my husband, so I was solo with the kiddos, more than a little stressed, and rather chaotic!  Plus, I was recovering from feeling icky, so I wasn't my full teacher-self.  I'll post what we DID do, and then make some notes about what else I had planned.

Our starter activity was for the kids to color (with sharpies!) some laminated storytelling pieces about Elijah's challenge to the prophets of Baal.  (I had cut them out, laminated them, and put small pieces of magnet tape on the back).  This was a good opener while the kids straggled in...AND they got to use permanent markers, which just made their morning.  It lasted a little longer than I had planned because some of our kiddos came in more than a little late.  As they colored, we reviewed previous lessons using our word wall.

When it was time to tell the story, I told the first part of Elijah's ministry by drawing out the story on a white board.  (This ended up being more challenging than it should have, as someone had left the lids off our dry erase markers...)  The kids always enjoy having me draw out things, as my drawing skills leave much to be desired!  We end up with lots of stick people!  When I teach a story this way, I draw pieces of the story as we go.  I do a lot of "questioning" when I teach, such as "What do you think happened next?" or "Why do you think God told us that part of the story?" or "Oooh, how do you think King Ahab felt when Elijah challenged his pretend god, Baal?"  The more invested they can get in the story, the more they pay attention AND the more they remember!

When we got to the part about the contest on Mount Carmel, I passed out their individual pizza pans/cookie sheets that we keep in our classroom.  As I told this part of the story, I added magnetic pieces to MY board and they copied me with theirs.  They always LOVE the part about Elijah mocking the prophets and asking if their "god" is on vacation or asleep.  :)  After we finished the story, they got to retell it piece by piece as a group.  They took turns and did a great job!

Side note:  What I INTENDED to do first for this part was to bring in a large bowl, "build" an altar with 12 stones, dump 12 waterpots (dixie cups) of water over the altar, and try to light it with a grill lighter to show the kiddos that it would be impossible to catch that on fire without God's intervention.  However, when my hubby got sick  10 minutes before time to go, I dropped everything to help him and left it behind.

The next activity was supposed to be a scrapbook page I made with "stones" representing the 12 tribes of Israel to cut out and glue on an altar page.   However, that page got left behind in the chaos of the morning, so we improvised!  I quickly ripped up pieces of brown paper into rough rectangles, had each kid count out 12, and let them glue them onto a backgrouund page.  Then, we tore red, orange, and yellow construction paper to make "flames" to put on the altars.  I didn't get a picture of this and my co-teacher has already taken them home and put them in the kids' scrapbooks, so you'll just have to imagine it...or maybe my son can make another one. :)  Although my planned page was more "professional" looking, I'm not so sure that I didn't like the improv version better!

Afterwards, we had time for a quick review using our "Parent Review Card" that I send home each week.

Last, we played a game to help us work on our current "pew packer" memory card for evening services.  Prior to our evening services, one of the men in our congregation works on memory cards with the kiddos.  When they know the card and can tell an elder, they get trophies.  My class is working on the junior version together, so this week we played a jumping game.  I cut out and laminated the chapter names and subjects for each entry on the card and the kids had to jump from each chapter to the corresponding subject and say it out loud.  My classroom is super small, so there was the added challenge of not knocking each other over.  Ha! Fun times, and they did great!

Prophets, Part 1

We started yesterday talking about prophets and why/how God used them when the Kingdom of Israel became divided.  We started by reviewing the kings and then led into prophets.  The kids started working on a book about the prophets.  Here is what we have done so far.  The first page is just a cover page.  I had it laminated, so they got to write their name in SHARPIE.  Highlight of the week to use a PERMANENT MARKER!  Hahaha.

 Here, they colored a "prophet" however they wanted.  (Again, the permanent markers saved the day).  Next week we are going to add special parts to the prophet. I  told them prophets used their bodies to serve God.  I asked what kind of mouth a prophet would need, and one of them piped up with "one to teach about God!"  Another knew that the feet of a prophet needed to "go where God said, not like the one that got eaten by a fish!"  They needed a "heart that really loved God," and "hands that stretched out to help others."  Stay tuned for the interactive parts of the book next week.  :)

 These are laminated and velcro-ed (I don't think velcro is meant to be a verb!) onto a laminated page.   They can take them off and put them back on in order.  We went through saying the major and minor prophets a few times.

Next week we'll finish our prophets up with the special parts they used to serve God,and we'll start Elijah.  I am hoping to add pages to the book as we go, if the kids are as into it as they were last week!  I do want to replace the pipe cleaner "rings" at the top with metal key ring type clips, though.  I just didn't make it to the store in time. :)

Behavior in our Bible School Classroom

Managing classroom behavior is always a work in progress, as the dynamics change from one class to the next.   This year we have tried a few new things with our class!

We have a treasure box in the cabinet filled with lots of irresistible "junk" from the dollar store, clearance aisles at the craft store, etc.   The kids drool over the idea of getting into the prize box, so we use it as an incentive.

Each kid has a chart pinned up to our word wall.  At the end of class, any child who has behaved appropriately gets a sticker to put on the chart.  4 stickers = a trip to the prize box.   Every week they gleefully put their stickers up and count (and recount!) their stickers.  They always announce proudly when they come in on "prize day" that "this is my day!"  :)

During class, we started out the year with laminated name strips for each kid.  We would tape their strips in front of them on the tables, and each strip had 3 boxes.   As I went through class, I would draw some kind of dry erase picture in each box for any child behaving acceptably.  One before the story, one during the story, and one during our post-story activity.  When they got 3 pictures, they could have their sticker for their chart.   We have phased this out mostly, as they are behaving so well and being so cooperatively they haven't needed this visual reminder of their progress.  It did work great for some of my kids with attention or behavior challenges, though, because it was a "reward" periodically DURING class.

Also, I found some really cheap award ribbon stickers at our local dollar store, so I generally choose a "student of the day" at the end of class and they get to wear their sticker proudly to services.  Usually that means adults stop them and ask why they got a sticker, so they get to brag about their good behavior, further reinforcing their pride in themselves.  

Deborah

This story is always a favorite of the girls in class because:

1. Deborah is a tough female judge,

2.  Deborah helps the head of the army (Barak) who is too afraid to go to battle without her, and

3.  Another woman (Jael) defeats the bad guy!

Even the boys love when the chariots get mired in the  mud, the bad guys run off, and Jael tricks Sisera with a glass of milk, a "safe" place to sleep, and a tent peg through his head!  For some reason, they are also fascinated that she sat under a palm tree to judge. :)

At the beginning of class, we traced their handprints and made a "palm" tree.  The trunk is just craft sticks glued to the page.  At first, that is all we put on the page, and I ask them to listen and see what (or who!) goes under the tree.  Following the story, they get to draw Deborah.

When I tell the story, I use these cheesy little "puppets" I made and laminated.   I purposely don't make them look realistic (as if I could draw them realistically if I wanted to!) because we talk often about how we don't know what they looked like.  Kids this age get hung up on thinking they know what characters look like because of pictures in a book, and then they can get a little panicky if they see one that's different than theirs at home, so I always remind them this is just a picture.  :) 

Anyway, I pass out each puppet to a kid and tell the story.  When their characters are discussed in the story, they hold them up and, if they want, they "act out" the story with them.  If I have more than 4 kids that want to be the characters, we just tell the story more than once! 

Following the story, they add their "Deborah" under their handprint palm tree.   Notice in the sample the Deborah looks almost identical to my "puppet" because it was my sweet boy and he wanted to be just like Mommy.  :)

For a review, we put this on the wall:

It is just a long piece of brown paper (in this case, a scrap of contact paper we used to cover our tables) used for a palm tree trunk, and laminated "palm leaves" with questions on them.  If I did it over again, I would color both sides of the leaves and turn them face down so they couldn't see the questions, BUT, so few of mine can read at this point that it's not THAT big of a deal.  Anyway, the kids each come up and pick a leaf off the tree and answer the question.  If they can't answer it, their classmates can help.   We continue until all the leaves are gone.  Usually they want to play again.   Then, we staple up our word wall words on the bulletin board.  As I pull out a word (laminated on a palm tree picture!), they have to tell me what that word means in our story.   Repetition, repetition, repetition!  :)

Spies in the Promised Land

My pictures have been in the memory card black hole, so I haven't updated my lessons in a while.  These will not be in order, but here we go!

Before I share a Bible story each week, we review previous weeks using our word wall.  I am always impressed by how much the kids remember!  Also, I try to make them think about our current story and have them make predictions or draw conclusions based on what we already know about God before I share the full story.  The more they "own" the story, the more they remember!  :)

When we study Numbers 13 and 14, which includes the story of Joshua and Caleb's faithful report, I ALWAYS make sure to have a "milk and honey" snack.   We talk about how God promised a land "flowing with milk and honey," and the kids struggle to picture that figurative language.  So, after we talk about how that means it would just be better than they could imagine, we break out the milk and honey.  This year we got boxes of vanilla "Tru Moo" milk (YUM!), pretzels dipped in honey, and raisins to represent the grapes the spies carried.   Because I teach Sunday morning class, I try to keep any relevant snacks somewhat healthy so the kids aren't wired when they go to worship in the auditorium.  :)

Following the story and our snack, we review using our word wall, which I have posted about previously.  We focus heavily on how Joshua and Caleb trusted God (and had "faith) and the others were influenced by the unfaithful spies to not believe God's promises because of what they could see in the land before them (and had "fear").

Our next activity depends on my current class.  Sometimes we do "quilling" and make grapes from curled purple paper.  Other times, we just glue purple circles onto paper to make large bunches of grapes.  This year, we traced their handprints on construction paper and put "handles" on them to fit around their hands.  On one handprint for each kid, we wrote "faith," and on the other, "fear."  We talked about different parts of the story and they raised their hands that said "faith" if we talked about Joshua or Caleb and "fear" if we talked about the others.  Then, I gave them different scenarios that might happen to them, and they had to choose if what I told them showed "faith" or "fear."  Here, we focused on obedience.

I use the reproducible story from the workbook that goes with this:  http://www.amazon.com/Young-Readers-Bible-Bonnie-Bruno/dp/0784705054/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1388433954&sr=8-2&keywords=young+reader%27s+bible

(Note:  I could not find the workbook for sale online anymore.  Perhaps it is out of print?)

I do NOT recommend this book as a substitute for using the Bible, but it does have some good "easy reading" stories to encourage confidence as the kids find words and read on their own some.  We frequently do activities at the beginning or end of class where they have to find and circle important words in the story. I  always brag on how well they are "reading" when they do this successfully!

Baby Moses/ Moses and the Burning Bush

The kids always know the story of Baby Moses pretty well by the time they get to my kindergarten class, so we do this lesson pretty quickly.   We read the story straight from the book of Exodus and they always love hearing about the princess finding the baby.  We also emphasize Miriam's role and I try to impress on the students that Miriam was young, and yet God could use her in his greater plan.

In conjunction with this, we study the burning bush.  When my class is calm enough, they take off their shoes just like Moses did, and when we say "this is holy ground," we talk about ways they should act to show respect to God.

We made a Moses lapbook to help the kids remember the story of Moses, and we add to it with each part of the story.  By the end of the lessons on Moses, they can retell the story to their families.  I will post a picture of a finished lapbook in a few weeks when we complete our Moses unit.

This time, for the burning bush, we had a fun "review" activity.  Our memory verse has been "But without faith it is impossible to please Him..."  Heb 11:6.

The kids came in to find this bush, which seems to want to stay sideways on the screen.  :)

Each of the colored "flames" had a word of the memory verse.  On a black piece of posterboard I wrote the verse in white crayon.  The kids had to go to the bush and find each word of the verse and tape them under the correct word on the posterboard.  With each word, we'd repeat the ones we'd found.  For instance, student #1 found "But,"  student 2 found "But without," and so on.

While most of my kids can't read yet, they could match up words.   They begged to play it again, but we ran out of time.  I think it would be a good way to do memory work from time to time, with different visuals.  

Moses and the Plagues

Last week we studied Moses and the plagues of Egypt.   Each student has their own pizza pan (from Walmart, less than $1).   For the plagues, I printed and laminated a set of assorted pictures of the plagues for each kid and put magnets on the back.   As I told the story of the plagues, they could add them to their pizza pans.  After each plague, they held up their popsicle stick with "Let My People Go" on it, and we said it in a very deep sing-song voice.  Then, I'd ask what they thought Pharaoh said, and they'd flip their popsicle sticks around and yell, "NO!"  We went into varying amounts of detail on each plague, and they were grossed out by frogs in bread bowls and lice everywhere. 

We also talked about the Passover some, but all they could think about was blood on the doorposts, and they were totally grossed out.  I found it somewhat amusing! :) 

We added to our Moses lapbook as well with a small flip book of the plagues, which they colored. 

Joseph and Review

We did 5 lessons on Joseph for VBS this summer, so I didn't want to spend a TON of time on Joseph this time around, unless the kids didn't remember much.  So, they showed up to class and found this:

We called it our "mystery lesson."  I started asking review questions about our previous lessons we have covered in kindergarten, and with each correct answer, they got to remove a puzzle piece of their choice.

As they uncovered the picture below, they got to guess which Bible story it was.   When all the pieces were removed, we had this:

They were all so excited that they had figured out it was Joseph, and then they had to tell me what all the pieces of the picture meant about Joseph.  Ex:  Stars and moon bowed to him in his dream, sheaves of grain bowed to him, 12 sons of Jacob, colorful coat.  I was AMAZED how much these kids remembered from VBS in August!!!  I told their teachers last night how impressed I was! :)

Next, I had some rebus stories about Joseph, so we "read" them together.  They get so excited when they can "read" with me!   Although I have to admit, this class reads pretty well already for just a few months into kindergarten! 

Finally, we made stand-up paper dolls of Joseph with different "coats" he might have worn during his life.   I will scan the original later and post it.  I have NO IDEA where it came from.  A friend found it in her stash somewhere and shared it with me. :) It doesn't say anywhere on it where it came from. :(

During VBS we used this file folder lapbook to tell and review the story of Joseph, but I didn't use it this time because we were only spending one lesson on the story as review. The blank spot on the front flap is where we put their name on a "cartouche" (Egyptian nameplate) with jewels. 

Jacob and Esau

I love teaching this lesson!  :)  This year I combined it with Isaac and Rebekah meeting each other.  The story of the servant asking for the right woman for Isaac to be the one to give water to the camels always makes the kids laugh.  We imagine how long it would take to carry buckets of water for camels, and one of them always says, "Why didn't she just turn on the water?!"  Love it!!

I'm still tweaking the Isaac and Rebekah part of this lesson.  This time I used a worksheet I found online that "traced" the journey of Rebekah to Isaac and had pictures along the way to help the kids retell the story.  It was okay, but not my favorite.  I would love ideas to make this story more hands-on and engaging for little ones.

But...Jacob and Esau!

To start with, the kids make playdough "pots."   In the pots, we put dried lentils, which historians seem to think is what Jacob's "pottage" was made from in the story.   The kids love the sensory feel of the playdough and lentils.  

Next, we start telling the story, with plenty of emphasis on Jacob's deceitfulness and how "silly" it was of Esau to treat his birthright so lightly.   When we get to the part of the pottage, I whip out some cooked lentils for a taste test.   I am always amazed at how many kids LIKE them!!!!   My co-teachers and I always crack up at them chowing down on lentils for breakfast!  :)  But, it makes it more real to them.

Later, when we talk about Jacob "stealing" the blessing, we pretend to put on hairy goat skins and we pretend to smell like we've been in the field.  For whatever reason, the kids really "get into" these stories.

Finally, I have accumulated various pictures representing Jacob and Esau...and I admittedly now have no idea where they came from, so I will not post them here, but if you want a pdf let me know...

We fold a black sheet of construction paper in 1/2 and they have to glue the correct pictures with the correct brother.  Again, repetition is key to their remembering!  They end up retelling the story while creating their page.  The pictures are fun and colorful, so they engage the kids.

Bible Word Wall

We have a bulletin board in our classroom that I use as a "Bible Word Wall."  Each week I print off and laminate a few words from that week's story, and we add them to our word wall.  I try really hard to use clip art images that somehow represent the story as a visual reminder.  Each week we can quickly review previous lessons with the word wall.  At the end of each class I show the words for that week and have the kids tell me why I picked each particular word.   It helps them retell the story in their own words, which cements it in their minds! 

Here are some samples:

Job

I have never taught Job in my kindergarten class, but this year we tackled it, and I think the kids really enjoyed it!   :)

We started class with this as the kids were coming in (early):

I wrote Job on a page and the kids "traced" the letters with stickers.  We put it in their scrapbooks.   It wasn't much, but it worked on fine motor skills and helped them focus on sounding out the word. 

Next, we read this book:

A Patient Man from Uz

For what it's worth, the books from this company are fabulous!!  We have all of them, I think, and my kids love love LOVE them!

As we tell the story, we emphasize that, no matter what, Job loved God!

For our hands -on activity, the kids each drew their favorite parts of the story on some scratch art postcards I got from Oriental trading here:  Scratch Art   For what it's worth, scratch art can be used in SO many ways, and the kids always love it. 

Finally, I printed off some coloring pictures about Job that I found here:  Job and laminated them with magnets on the back.  Each kid got a set to take home for story sequencing.   I was amazed how much they got the concept that "No Matter What, Job Loved God!"  By the end of class, they were all shouting "But....Job Loved God!"  

Every week we have "word wall" words.   I hold up a word and the kids have to tell me what it has to do with the story.  In later weeks, we can quickly review all our stories by going over our word wall, and it helps them learn to read and recognize Bible words.   I try to use a picture that represents the story in some way.  For instance, here is a picture of the ones from this week using a "whirlwind," since the Bible says God came to Job in a whirlwind.

Tower of Babel

We recently studied the tower of Babel in kindergarten.  This story is always so much fun for the kiddos!  This year I have a very small classroom, so I had to adapt my "normal" lesson plan.  Usually I have the kids build a tower with cardboard blocks as they come into class.  Inevitably someone will fuss about how it's being built, etc., and that leads us right into the communication problems the builders had.  This year, however, I had to think "smaller."

First of all, I cut out and laminated some "multicultural" paper dolls that came from our teacher's workroom.  If you search online, you can find something similar!  I put "stands" on the dolls so they could stand up around the table and had them out when the kids came in the classroom.  As they asked about them, I told them to wait and see what they were going to be used for in the story. 

Once all the kids arrived, I start the lesson in French, since I grew up learning French in South Louisiana.  I say basic sentences asking how the kids are, telling them my name, etc.   At the end, I ask (in English!) why they didn't answer me.  Of course, they giggle and tell me they couldn't understand me!  Then, I teach each of them how to say "Hello" in a different foreign language, and on the count of 3, we all say hello in our designated tongue.   Confusion ensues, along with plenty of giggles!    That is when we tell the story, which has come alive for them after their demonstration.   They love the funny-sounding words, and it's so cute to hear them shouting out their greetings!

After telling the story, I pass out a page with a blank tower on it and each child decorates his or her own page.  (Sometimes I start this at the beginning of class if I have several early arrivals!)  When they finish, we tape the completed towers together to make one BIG tower.  

Finally, at the end of class, we create this mini-book, found here:

Tower of Babel mini book

I do it in black and white and let them color it and retell the story.   The more times you can repeat the story in different ways, the better the kids will remember it! 

Kindergarten Bible Class "Syllabus"

(Mostly) Chronological list for kindergarten Bible class

Introductory Unit – The B-I-B-L-E (& Basic Facts)

1.      God Made Me Special

2.      What is the Bible? (Josiah)

3.      Respect the Bible (Ezra)

4.      The Bible is the Best Book! (Basic Bible Facts)

Genesis

5.      Creation/Adam and Eve

6.      Noah and the Flood

7.      Babel

8.      Job

9.      Abraham and Sarah receive the Promise

10.  Isaac & Rebekah/Jacob and Esau

11.  Jacob’s Dream and the Promise

12.  Joseph

Exodus

13.  Baby Moses & Miriam/Burning Bush

14.  Plagues and Passover

15.  Red Sea, Quail, and 10 Commandments

                16.  Balaam

Joshua

17.  Joshua & Caleb are faithful spies

18.  Joshua and Jericho (and Ai)

Judges

19.  Deborah (introduce “cycle” of judges)

20.  Gideon

21.  Samson

22. Ruth               . 

I Samuel/II Samuel

23    Samuel & Hannah and “Speak, Lord”  Even a Child

24. Saul – We Want a King!

25.  David – served God even as a child!

26.  Ark of the Covenant/Dagon

27.  Solomon wisdom, temple

Kings and Prophets

28.  Split kingdom/made God sad!  What is a Prophet?

29.  Prophets – Elijah and Mt. Carmel/ravens

30.  Prophets – Elijah and the chariot

31.  Prophets – Elisha and Naaman

32.  Prophets – Elisha and widow’s oil (Even a Child)

33.  Hezekiah

34.  “Boy Kings” (Josiah, Joash, Manasseh – Even a Child)

35.  Jehoshaphat

36.  Bad Kings

37.  Major Prophets - basics

38.  Minor Prophets – basics

39.  Daniel and his friends refuse king’s food

40.  Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego

41.  Nebuchadnezzar eats grass!

42.  Esther

Prayer

43.  Prayer – What is it? - Nehemiah

44.  Prayer – Daniel – pray even when against the rules!

45.  Prayer – Jonah – pray anywhere and everywhere

46.  Prayer – make flip books

Armor of God

47.  Armor of God – name the parts/talk about soldiers

48.  Armor of God – make pieces of armor

49.  Armor of God – finish armor and booklets

Allow 3 weeks for review, make up, snow days, etc.

50.  Review

51.  Review

52.  Review

Promotion

We promoted our Bible school classes last Sunday, so I have a new group of kindergarteners with whom to share God's word!   I am always excited for a new group to come to our class.  I feel like we get a "fresh start" each and every year.  This year I have EIGHT sweet kiddos in my tiny, tiny room.   If Sunday is any indication, this is going to be a wonderful class!   I also have my own little boy, which could be an adventure.  :) 

My goal for this year is to get all of my lessons posted on here.   I am going to do my very best!   I have changed the order of the lessons to make them (mostly) chronological in the Old Testament, along with a few additional units thrown in.  Our elders have a specific curriculum of "must be covered" topics, but because the kindergarten class is a relatively new one, we share curriculum with the classes before and after, so most of the topics are somewhat up to us.  

The first two lessons are already blogged on here.  

Lesson one:   God Made Me Special

Lesson two:  Josiah/What is the Bible? 

Joseph VBS

Our VBS theme this week is the life of Joseph, and our elders purchased this material:

http://www.familybiblepublications.com/joseph/

My friends and I teach the kindergarten VBS class (kids who have BEEN to kindergarten but have not yet started 1st grade).  Below are our room decorations.   We suggested to the kids that we were going to pretend to journey across the ocean to the land of Egypt and learn about life as Joseph would have known it.   Lots of other talented teachers have created fun rooms as well, but I haven't had time to take pics of those yet.  I will try to as the week goes on!

The pasture where the flocks would stay.  :) Check out the baby sheep "in the distance." 

We are talking about the "many coats" Joseph wore and the different roles he played (son, brother, servant, prisoner, 2nd in command).  Each night we will add a coat to Joseph that represents that night's story. 

The pit

Mural of Egypt.

Right side of the mural we painted.

Jail where Joseph meets the baker and cupbearer/butler.

Egyptian sarcophagus

Entrance to our pyramid

Front side

Our classroom door.

Each kid's picture will go in one of these.  We ordered them from Oriental Trading.