Adventures in Bible Study

So far, I've managed to achieve my aim of discussing her Bible reading with Iona each day, using resources I've found online, 'though I'm guessing it may be more difficult with more obscure ones. Iona's been really receptive to doing colouring and crafts based around the stories of creation, Adam and Eve (both of which she already knows quite well) and Cain and Abel. For creation we talked about how God made everything, and I printed out a colouring page of the world with Genesis 1:1 on it (can't find a reference to it now). For Adam and Eve we talked about disobedience (though not using that word) and I printed out a nice picture of Eve in front of the tree, with a snake to cut out and put through a slit in it (again, I can't find it online now). Cain and Abel was interesting, as it's a hard story for children and Iona didn't really know it before. I used it to emphasize how we should look after each other, especially family and friends. DLTK's site was very useful in this - I was able to print out a picture of 2 children playing together, saying "Share and be a friend. I am my brother's keeper" (http://www.coloring.ws/cain-and-abel.htm). We also made toilet roll tube models of Cain and Abel (http://www.dltk-bible.com/mcain.htm and http://www.dltk-bible.com/mabel.htm), which we used to act out the story and Iona played with a bit. Lastly, as suggested in the DLTK site, I used the story as a jumping-off point to introduce our family tree. I made a large copy of the family tree (http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/families/my_family_tree.htm) with sugar paper as a poster for Iona's room, labelling 3 generations of family members, as well as putting on a photo of each. While doing so I talked a lot about how Mummy's mummy and daddy were Nanny and Grandpa and Daddy's mummy and daddy are Grandma and Grandad. The poster will go up in her room. In addition I printed out the details sheets for each member of the family and began filling them in, stapling them into a book for her all about her family.

Concerning reading, I have now laminated the "Mummy" and "Daddy" flashcards I made, and used them with Iona for 2 days. On every occasion she has been able to tell me what they said and distinguish between them, although she could not at first read the word "Mummy" when I wrote it in smaller writing later today. I am therefore going to try making the next flashcard in the series very soon (if I can remember the next ones, as I can't find my "Teach Your Baby to Read Kit".