Optional Activities

Week 1

• Start a chart or booklet with a picture of each day of creation.
• Watch a video clip on how clouds form, and create a cloud in a bottle or jar.
• Draw and color a model of the water cycle.
• Draw the different types of clouds or pull cotton apart and glue it down to form their shapes.
• Read about Matthew Maury. He set out to prove with science that Psalm 8:8 is true. Because of his faith and work, the modern sciences of hydrography and oceanography began.
• Draw or paint a picture of the sower from Luke 8 sowing seeds on the different types of ground.
• Study photosynthesis. Then draw and color a model.
• Make a mobile of the solar system.
• Create constellations from pipe cleaners or from gold star stickers and chalk on black paper.
• Bake constellation cookies using sprinkles as the lines to connect the chocolate chip stars.

Week 2

• Read Isaac Watts’ hymn “The All-Seeing God” and write a rhyming, four-line poem on Psalm 139.
• Draw a picture of the Garden of Eden. Don’t forget to include mist coming from the ground, rivers, the tree of life, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, fig trees, and cherubim.
• Make a list of things about yourself that it’s hard to be thankful for. Make a second list of things about yourself that are easy to be thankful for. Ask God how He can use those sets of things for His glory.

Week 3

• Look up things to compare the size of the ark to. The Ark Encounter website has several comparisons, along with pictures of a life-size replica. They also have other information about the ark and flood.
• Make a chart of clean and unclean animals.
• Make a macrame rope rainbow wall hanging.
• Use oil pastels, paint, or markers to create a rainbow. Then write God’s promises on it.
• Have students make a chronology chart showing Adam to Abram. It could be a family tree or a bar graph showing overlapping lifespans. Students could even add information they know about each person. Creating a chart will help students remember people and things associated with them better than just seeing a chart someone else created.
• Study ancient Mesopotamia and make a travel brochure on Ur.

Week 4

• Pray for the missionaries living abroad whose work your church or denomination supports. Sign up for their newsletters so you can regularly pray for their specific needs.
• Study the origins of Islam to see how it connects to Ishmael. Then research the differences between Christians and Muslims and the best ways to share the truth of the Bible with them.

Week 5

• Download one of the free prayer journal pages on our blog for students to complete.
• Research the geography of the Dead Sea and surrounding area.
• Research possible locations of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as possible scientific evidence of their destruction in a way that matches the Biblical record.
• Pretend you’re Abraham and write an elegy (rather than a eulogy) for Sarah.
• Research camels and look up pictures of the type of well Rebekah drew water from.
• Write out the Lord’s Prayer in a pretty hand lettering style with doodles.

Week 6

• Make a list of three ways you can bless someone else this week.
• Have students write out blessings for their siblings.
• Read about the difficulties and hardships Paul faced throughout his ministry. Write out the characteristics of Christ that may have led Paul to say he’d learned to be content in all situations through Christ who strengthened him.

Week 7

• Have students make a list of how they lived out God’s revealed will throughout the last week. Then they can make a list of ways to live out His revealed will this week.
• Research herbs used today for their health benefits.
• Read about the difficulties and hardships Paul faced throughout his ministry. Write out the characteristics of Christ that may have led Paul to say he’d learned to be content in all situations through Christ who strengthened him.

Week 8

• Have students draw a heart with evil in it (Gen. 6:5). Then have them draw a heart that has been made into a new creation by God (2 Cor. 5:17). Have students list out the new identity Christians gain when Christ changes their hearts.
• Watch DreamWorks’ Joseph King of Dreams. Compare and contrast with the Biblical story.
• Have older students prepare a debate on a controversial topic in America today, with students representing Christian and secular viewpoints.
• Read Revelation 29:9-22:5 and draw a picture of heaven.

Week 9

• Look at the Genesis poster at www.bibleproject.com/downloads/posters/#load-posters-214 and chart at www.overviewbible.com. Then have students create their own poster, flowchart, or outline with the events, people, and promises they want to remember. Students may work individually or as a group.
• Watch Revelation Media’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Week 1

• Read a book about Blaise Pascal.
• Make a list of verses that describe the attributes of God.

Week 2

• Have students start a picture chart with each of the plagues.
• Start a prayer journal. If students need inspiration to get started, click to access our free downloadable prayer journal pages.

Week 3

• Plan a Passover feast.
• Study Ephesians 6:10-18. Younger students can then do a cut-and-color worksheet with the armor of God. Older students can discuss or write out the meaning of and ways to strengthen
  themselves with each piece of “armor.”
• Write a song or poem about the attribute(s) of God you’re currently most thankful for.

Week 4

• Draw the outline of a person and label what each part of the body might do to serve the others.
• Draw a second outline of a person and label it with people you know who serve as different parts.
• Listen to “If We Are the Body” by Casting Crowns.
• Have students make a picture of a gallery wall with framed royal priests’ portraits. Make sure they include Adam, Aaron, Melchizedek, Jesus, any other Bible figures they like, and themselves.
• Make a Ten Commandments lapbook.
• Students can create a board or card game incorporating all the things that fear of the Lord brings about.
• Bake homemade bread together and explain how the yeast makes the dough rise.

Week 5

• Look online at drawings of the Tabernacle so it’s easier to visualize.
• Draw a picture of the Tabernacle.
• Read Revelation 21:9-22:5 and draw a picture of heaven.
• Print out and color a picture of the high priest’s outfit.
• Have older students consider the most effective ways of advancing the gospel in the United States today. Consider the effectiveness of beautiful church buildings. Have students give a biblically supported opinion on how much money should be used for church buildings. Students may have widely varying opinions which are all acceptable if supported.

Week 1

• Make a list of verses that describe the attributes of God.
• Have older students research how the moon orbits the Earth and how the Earth orbits the sun. Jewish astronomers figured out the rotation of the moon around Earth without modern equipment, and they came up with a calculation that is only 0.000002 of a day different than what NASA satellites calculate. Their calculations were published by Hillel II in A.D. 360! Other ancient civilizations were also able to make very accurate calendars. Have students compare and contrast various calculations.

Week 2

• Students have added the names of all the feasts onto their calendars. Now have them draw an appropriate picture inside each of the big month sections. Older students can research Israel to learn what pictures would be appropriate for each month. For instance, students might draw a lamb or matzah in the Nisan section, barley in the Iyar section, and various grains and fruits in the Sivan section. They might draw rain clouds in Tevet, Shevat, and Adar since the rainy season precedes the harvest. They might fill in Tammuz, Av, and Elul with crops that were growing or ready for harvest at those times. Heshvan might have seeds since that’s when planting began.

• Have students plan an Egyptian meal with the foods the Israelites missed eating- fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
• Think of a way your family can help bear the burden of someone either together or individually.
• Read through Job 38-42 to increase your awareness of God’s awesomeness.

Week 2

• Have older students research how fear influences risk assessment and decision making. High school students can also research why victims of trauma often repeat their trauma, post traumatic stress disorder, how trauma is stored in the somatic memory, and what happens to your body if you don’t process your trauma (the psychological and physical responses trauma triggers can make you susceptible to several health issues). After researching these topics, discuss again why the Israelites decided to elect a leader to take them back to Egypt.
• Students interested in art could make a beautiful watercolor of Aaron’s sprouted staff.
• Students who enjoy Lego bricks could create a scene with a tent for Korah on ground that opens as a trap door.
• Have artistic students draw or paint a picture of how they imagine heaven.
• Students who enjoy Lego bricks could build what they think heaven will look like.
• Students who enjoy writing could write a eulogy for Miriam and Aaron. This would be a good review of their lives and experiences.
• Look up Joshua Project on the internet to learn about and pray for unreached nations.

Week 3

• Make a chart or graph showing the population of the tribes of Israel.
• Have students prepare a two-minute speech of what they would say to the people at Joshua’s anointing ceremony if they were Moses, passing on leadership and about to die.
• Research the geographic and climatic diversity of the Promised Land. Then make a travel brochure.
• Have students research the origin and meaning of the proverb, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Then have them write a paragraph or essay on how this proverb relates to Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.
• The Israelites have never fully possessed the area of land God promised to Abraham’s descendants in Genesis 15:18-21. Have students consider why this might be– disobedience, the fact that history isn’t over yet, both of those reasons, or other reasons.
• As a review, watch the short video of Numbers at www.bibleproject.com/explore/video/numbers. Then work together to create a chart of events found in Numbers similar to the chart found at www.overviewbible.com/numbers.
• Have older students consider how they feel about the death penalty. If there are two older students, they could prepare a debate.
• Have students color the map of the Promised Land, outlining the borders in one color, circling the cities of refuge in another color, and then shading the area given to Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

Week 1

• Guide students in researching The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emphasizing how their claims to additional divine inspiration go against the teachings of the Bible. Discuss how people can easily be tricked into believing this church is a denomination of Christianity. Talk about what they do right in evangelizing and how we as Christians could do better. Brainstorm ways to share the gospel with Mormons who may knock on your door.
• Have students research Islam and learn what effective outreach and evangelism look like to this group of people. Remind your students that different missional strategies are effective for different cultures and religions. Have students make a list of the things that Christians and Muslims both believe, and then strategize how they could use those things as a jumping board to talk deeper about Christianity with a Muslim friend. It’s easier to talk about faith with
  nonbelievers when we feel prepared and confident.
• Have older students rewrite J. I. Packer’s definition of fear of the Lord in their own words, expanding upon its meaning with examples. Packer said it is “a matter of knowing your own littleness, of confessing your faults and abasing yourself in God’s presence, of sheltering thankfully under His promises of mercy, and taking care to avoid all presumptuous sins.”

Week 2

• Have students privately think about and write down how they would like to fear the Lord, walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him, and/or keep His commandments better.

Week 3

• Have artistic students draw or paint an abstract picture of Deuteronomy 32:10 or a realistic picture of Deuteronomy 32:11.
• Research eagles, how they build their nests, and how they care for their young.
• Read and study Romans 9:1-28.
• Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards is the most widely recognized sermon written in America. An excerpt of it is included in many literature textbooks because Edwards is recognized as one of the greatest thinkers and writers of his time. The problem is that most people are familiar with only a small excerpt which wasn’t chosen to portray Edwards’ love of God and desire for sinners to love God as well. Because this sermon is based on Deuteronomy 32:35, now is a great time for older students to read it. It’s public domain and can be read on several websites. I highly recommend also reading the article at www.bible.org/article/sinners-hands-gracious-god written to explain it and its effect on society, as well as to learn a little more about the heart of Jonathan Edwards.
• Check out library books on Martin Luther King Jr. Have older students read his speech I’ve Been to the Mountaintop which was given on April 3, 1968, the day before he died. Younger students could skip to the last paragraph of that speech. Dr. King heavily references Moses’ final speech. It’s powerful.
• Have students make a list of the most important things they want to include on a picture chart or flowchart of the Pentateuch. Then create a poster. Students may work individually or as a group on this project.

Week 1

• Have students research what houses looked like in Jericho, paying attention to why there was flax on the roof, how houses could be built into the city wall, and when the gate shut.
• Ask students why God may have prompted the spies to have Rahab tie a scarlet cord outside the window to keep her family safe. It is reminiscent of the Passover blood spread over doorways so they would be saved from the angel of death. Also, there were fewer colors that fibers could be dyed than there are today. Scarlet was a color that many people could afford to own. Have students research natural dyes of the time and the process used to dye fabric. The scarlet color could also foreshadow the blood that Christ would shed for our salvation.
• Listen to “The Scarlet Cord” by Southern Raised.
• Write things God has done for you onto rocks with a Sharpie. Display them in a vase or bowl.
• Since Joshua 4:24 says that God wants all peoples of the earth to know Him, look up Joshua Project on the internet to study and pray for unreached people groups.
• Pray for the missionaries living abroad whose work your church or denomination supports. Sign up for their newsletters so you can regularly pray for their specific needs.
• Have older students read Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on Joshua 3:14-17. Then listen to the lyrics of Isaac Watts’ hymn “There is a Land of Pure Delight.” Red Mountain Music is one group that set Watts’ lyrics to music. Also watch or read Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan and notice that his interpretation of the Jordan River crossing is similar to Henry and Watts’.

Week 2

• Write down verses to stick in a mason jar ready to pull out for quick encouragement. Pick five or six emotions that might need encouragement like loneliness or fear, and then choose a color of paper to write each emotion’s encouraging verses on. Stick a label on the front of the jar stating which color matches which emotion. This also makes a quick and easy gift if the verses are typed so they can be quickly printed out on strips of colored paper, folded, and stuck in a jar.

Week 3

• Have students draw a map of their lives which includes a trail marked with special and important events and heaven at the top as the final destination.
• Cut up cardboard boxes to make an altar.
• Make a cootie catcher with all the miracles Joshua saw.