You might be asking yourself, what in the world do mummies have to do with the Bible? Aren't they for Halloween? At least, that was pretty much what the children asked - which of course, was all part of my diabolical plan (diabolical might be overstating it - but it has a nice Kim Possible-type ring to it).First, I sat down at the kitchen table, and started cutting a few squares of toilet paper into strips.
The Children: Is this a craft?
Me: Yep (at which point the boys retreated to a safe, listening-but-not-doing-the-craft distance, and the girls moved in).
The Children: What are we making?
Me, wrapping the first strip over my youngest's finger: Mummy puppets.The Children: But, I thought we weren't doing Halloween crafts.
Me: We're not, this is a Bible craft. Now hold this strip on your sister's finger, while I wrap the rest of it around.
The Children: There aren't mummies in the Bible!
Me: Aren't there?
The Children: Silent, because clearly, this is a trick question.
Me: What country do you think of, when you think of mummies?
The Children: Egypt.
Me: Is there a Bible story, that takes place in Egypt? Grab that tape too, and stick it on the end of this strip, to hold it in place.The Children: Ya, with Moses, and the plagues, and leading the Hebrews out of slavery.
Me: How did the Hebrews end up in Egypt in the first place?
The Children: That guy, the one with the colorful coat...
Me: Joseph?
The Children: Ya, his brothers sold him as a slave, and he ended up in Egypt.
Me: Did he stay a slave?
The Children: No, he was a slave for a while, then a prisoner, then Pharaoh made him second in command in Egypt.
Me: So he was a high up official?
The Children: Yep.
Me: What did the Egyptians do when their high up officials died?
The Children: They turned them into mummies.
Me: That's right, and the last verse in Genesis tells us that's what happened to Joseph. They also embalmed (or mummified) his father Jacob, and then carried him back to Canaan to bury him with Abraham. Now I'm going to draw a face on the mummy - a smiley face, do you know why?
The Children: Will it wash off?Me: Probably, but do you know why this mummy is smiling?
The Children: No.
Me: Joseph was so sure God would keep His promise to give the Hebrews their own land, that he made his family promise him, when they left, that they would take his body - his mummy - along with them, and bury him in the land God was giving them. And, they did, too. Four hundred, and some, years later in Exodus 13:19, Moses carried the bones of Joseph out of Egypt.
The Children: So, the Israelites carried a mummy with them for the forty years they were in the wilderness?
Me: Yep.
The Children: That's kind of creepy.
Me: Creepy, but true. But, then again, they knew who he was, it was Joseph, their great-great-great...grandfather - and they were keeping a promise, and so was God, so that's not so creepy, after all.
You can find more Bible crafts, and activities at this week's Bible Alive! Tuesday link-up, bringing the Bible to life for our children, hosted by The Fantastic Five.
It's great to be a homeschooler.
8 comments:
I absolutely LOVE this conversation and craft! It's so casual ("unschooled") and I bet they will remember Joseph's burial and God's promise to His people for years to come...
(Or at least until the faces wash off their fingers!) :0)
This was great, the conversation and activity. What a perfect way to tell a bible story that will probably remain in their minds for ever.
That's pretty neat. I like how you described boys' reaction and girls' reaction to the craft time. I've never thought of Joseph ending up as a mummy, but he must have (well, providing that there will ever be any archaeological proof of Jews' stay in Egypt)
very very cool!
I love this post. I love the conversation you had with your children. As others said in comments before mine, I am sure this lesson will stick with your children for the rest of their lives!
okay that is beyond cool, and a great way of talking about it. I bet the boys were even eventually willing to take part in a mummy craft.
You are one cool teaching mom!
I love this. I wish i had seen this little fun craft idea yesterday. I did a lesson over lazarus and this would have been perfect for a craft! Love the idea...
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