Samuel Bible Crafts Page 2

What you will need:

Paper Lunch Bags - 4 7/8" x 3" x 10"

Mini Kraft Paper Bags

Printer Paper

Scissors

Glue

Crayons or Colored Pencils

 

How to Make the Samuel Paper Bag Puppets:

1. Before class print out the head patterns: Eyes Closed and Eyes Open Patterns and cut them out.

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2. In class have the children color the patterns.

3. Glue the "eyes open" pattern under the fold of the bag.

4. Glue the "eyes closed" pattern to the bottom of the lunch bag so that closed eyes cover the open eyes.

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You can make these in different ways depending on your children's age and your resources.

How to Make the Pillows:

1. Separate the paper towels into squares. Glue one paper towel on top of the other using a glue gun on the low setting. Leave a four-inch opening on one side. If you have zigzag scissors, cut around the edges.

2. In class have the children decorate the pillows with markers and then carefully stuff them. Use a glue gun on the low setting to glue them closed.

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To make the pillow, I used one 9 x 12 sheet of felt per pillow. I cut the felt in half and stitched three sides with my sewing machine. Then I stuffed it with polyester fiberfill and stitched the other side. I cut sticky-back felt into various shapes for the children to decorate their pillows with (cross, triangles, squares). The children loved making their very own pillow, and they came up with some very interesting designs. This was another great lesson in an absolutely excellent lesson series. Thanks, again for your wonderful ideas! Theresa Bostick

I am so enjoying the lessons on Samuel. I teach the 3-5 year old class. We just finished the lesson called "Samuel Listens to God". We started the lesson making the pillow. This was a great hit!! Instead of cutting and measuring the material to fold and stuff, I bought the precut 9" x 12" felt squares, which cost me 9 cents each. I bought the white so that the decorations would show up better. However, you can choose from many colors. Because of their ages, I used my hot-glue gun on three sides before class started. Also, since I have a small class of 5, I wrote with fabric markers their names and the Bible verse as follows: Speak, Lord; for Katelyn heareth. I Samuel 3:10. I left the other side blank for them to decorate with the markers or from a bag of precut felt shapes. They especially enjoyed stuffing their own pillows. To finish off the project, I took the children to a room in which I could darken for the Bible story--this allowed my helper to hot-glue the last side.

 

 

 

What you will need: Card Stock, Crayons, Exacto Knife, Tape, Scissors

What to do:

1. Before class print out the picture of Samuel in Bed Pattern and the Faces for Samuel Pattern. There are two faces per page so print out one face pattern for every two Samuel pictures.

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2. Cut out the faces pattern and tape the tabs to the bottom and top of the patterns where indicated. Use an Exacto knife to cut open the lines on the Samuel in bed pattern.

3. Have the children color the picture and then weave the faces pattern into the Samuel in bed pattern. Start from the back of the Samuel picture. Place the top of the faces pattern through the bottom slit and bring it up through, and then put it back through the next slit, right above the slit you just put it through. Then bring it up through the next slit and back through the next slit and up through the top slit.

4. Show the children how to pull up the tab to reveal Samuel's sleeping face and the words, "Samuel, "Samuel." and then pull the tab up some more to see Samuel waking up and answering God with the words, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

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How to Make the Balloon Bats:

1. Give each child a paper plate and paint stir stick.

2. Have your children write the Bible verse "And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground." 1 Samuel 3:19 on the paper plate and decorate it with the markers.

3. When they are finished decorating the paper plates have them tape a stir stick to the back of their plates.

4. Have your students blow up large balloons and write things on the balloons that God tells us to do. Help your children come up with ideas and write them on the board.

Use this activity to introduce the Bible lesson about Samuel Listening to God.

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Have all the children lay down and pretend to be Samuel. (They can use the pillows they made in the opening activity.) Tell them to listen carefully. You are going to whisper one of their names. When a child hears his name he should sit up and say, "Speak, for your servant is listening!" and then lay back down again.

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Show them the balloons with the words on them and explain that the balloons have things that God tells us to do from the Bible. Read the words on the balloons and then say, "Let's see if you can keep them from falling on the ground."

Tell the children that they can not move from where they are standing. They must keep both feet on the floor as they try to keep "God's words from falling to the ground". Start playing some music and throw up a balloon into the crowd of children. They should try to keep it from falling on the floor by hitting it up into the air. If it touches the floor, they can't pick it up again. Keep throwing up more balloons until all of them are up in the air. Keep playing until all the balloons have fallen on the floor. At the end of the game remind the children that when we listen to God's words and obey them, we are keeping them from falling on the ground.

Instead of the teacher throwing in the balloons one at a time, you can give the children all the balloons and tell them to throw them up in the air when the music starts.

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Older children find words in the picture that will fit in the conversation bubble to reveal what Samuel said. This activity sheet is available in both KJV and NIV.

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Comments

 

I teach a 2 to 6-year-old preschool Sunday school class. We finished the Samuel series this week by doing the "Samuel Listens To God" lesson. To set the mood, I made a "bed" for us to have our lesson in. I made a soft area out of several blankets and comforters, one on top of another. Then I threw pillows all around the outside of the area for the children to rest on during the lesson. I thought this would be a wonderful attention-getter. The children loved it! The lesson went well. I found out that we have some gifted "snorers".

I did the Samuel in bed craft for the children to take home, but my class is a little young to accomplish it by themselves. They did love the end result though. We also made felt pillows (I let the children choose their pillow when we were seated in the "bed". This gave them something to rest on and to anticipate for later.)

To make the pillow, I used one 9 x 12 sheet of felt per pillow. I cut the felt in half and stitched three sides with my sewing machine. Then I stuffed it with polyester fiberfill and stitched the other side. I cut sticky-back felt into various shapes for the children to decorate their pillows with (cross, triangles, squares). The children loved making their very own pillow, and they came up with some very interesting designs. This was another great lesson in an absolutely excellent lesson series. Thanks, again for your wonderful ideas! Theresa Bostick

I am so enjoying the lessons on Samuel. I teach the 3-5-year-old class. We just finished the lesson called "Samuel Listens to God". We started the lesson by making the pillow. This was a great hit!! Instead of cutting and measuring the material to fold and stuff, I bought the precut 9" x 12" felt squares, which cost me 9 cents each. I bought the white so that the decorations would show up better. However, you can choose from many colors. Because of their ages, I used my hot-glue gun on three sides before class started. Also, since I have a small class of 5, I wrote with fabric markers their names and the Bible verse as follows: Speak, Lord; for Katelyn heareth. I Samuel 3:10. I left the other side blank for them to decorate with the markers or from a bag of precut felt shapes. They especially enjoyed stuffing their own pillows. To finish off the project, I took the children to a room in which I could darken--this allowed my helper to hot-glue the last side.

My children also enjoyed the puppet who introduced the story. I used the familiar "Madeline". She was visiting from another country (France) and due to the long trip did not sleep too well! In fact, she kept falling asleep and snoring in the middle of her sentences. I would then bring the puppet close to some of the kids so they could help me "wake her up". This got a lot of giggles.

I do believe that they went home having enjoyed themselves as well as learning the importance of listening and obeying God. Carolyn Whalen

I just used this lesson to teach my Little Church School children (ages 3-5) with helpers up through middle school age. The attendance was less than normal so the older children participated; one played the part of Eli. Since I hadn't taught the lesson about Samuel growing inside and out, I opened with a preface about Hannah and how she longed and prayed for a child, and of her promise to dedicate the child to God should she ever have one. I showed pictures from a children's Bible of her praying with Eli overlooking, Hannah giving Samuel over to Eli when he was about three, and of the wakeful night. The kids' had rapt attention.

Then we acted out the story with the kids laying down and snoring, my calling Samuel through a paper towel roll, and the kids getting up and "running" with their feet to wake Eli and saying "Here I am." The kids all said "Speak, for your servant is listening." several times when the time came in the story. Then we talked about what servant means and how we all can be servants of God. The paper towel tube was great for repeating all the things God says to us in the Bible.

The most fun part was taking out eight balloons on which my daughter had written different commands from God that we didn't want to have fallen to the ground. Be kind, be joyful, love your God, obey your parents, do not steal, do not lie, love one another, be thankful. The older kids helped by reading each balloon as it came to them - all the commands were reinforced in a most delightful way with the wonderful words just bubbling about with the balloons. No one wanted this part to end.

For the craft, I cut out "dolls" from neutral-colored cardstock, having folded a large square into one and then another triangle. I placed the folds along the side and top of the head as I traced. The result was two paper dolls attached at the head. One would be Samuel and one would be the child. I hot-glued a large wooden tongue depressor and/or skewer to the inside of one doll so as to make a puppet. I cut out different colors of yarn for hair to be applied with a little Elmer's glue. I wrote Samuel's name on one side and the child's name on the other. Along Samuel's side I wrote the 1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19. On two little 1" by 2" colored cards I wrote "Here I am" and "Speak, for your servant is listening." I punched two holes in the top of each card and threaded fine string through the holes of each card, one hole matched with another hole from the other card, leaving about 4 inches of space between the cards and creating a kind of vest. The cards would be placed over the doll's heads and could be switched around at a whim. This reinforced the idea that each child can say here I am and be a servant too. The kids colored their dolls until the parents came. I put a little glue down the sides of the dolls so that they would be connected. We all had a most memorable time. The extra-special part of all this is that the Samuel reading was part of the parent's church service. Many parents were delighted that we had all studied the same thing! Thanks for your wonderful ideas and lessons. I don't know what I would do without them. Most sincerely, Susan Stavish

Just wanted to let you know that I used the lesson "Samuel Listens to God" this week in my PreK - 2nd Grade class. It went very well! I had the pillows made before class with the verse "Speak Lord, for ________ is listening" on them. I lined the pillows up against the wall and after class started I let the children (one by one) pick out the one they wanted. (I made the pillows with 9X12 white felt pieces stuffed with fiberfill and sewn around the edges with different color zigzag stitches. The verses were also printed using different color permanent markers.) After each one had their pillow, I proceeded with the lesson. Every time we came to a part where Samuel was lying down or went back to bed, they put their head on their pillows and began to snore. They loved it! :-) When the lesson was finished we used the activity "Are you Sleeping?" Each child took a turn putting their heads down on their pillow and we sang to them "Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? .... and inserted their name, finishing with... the Lord above is calling. Answer Him. They loved it! After we were finished with the lesson and the activity, I let them use the permanent markers to write their names on their pillows and to decorate them. Love your site and ideas!!! Denise :-)

I used the "Samuel hears God" lesson this past Sunday. The children loved the pillows -- I used felt like many suggested in the comment section. It was SOOOO cute when they snuggled up on the floor with their pillows. They were very happy because they could take them home. Thank you for all you do! God Bless. Tina

I taught the Samuel lesson last week to a class of students that range from 2 through 8 years old.  I bought helium-filled balloons on Saturday so that the kids could write "love letters to God" at the end of the lesson.  I wrote things on the balloons that God says to us (I have a plan for your life, etc.) and we played with the balloons outside.  The balloons deflated some overnight, and I was really disappointed.  The kids tried to keep the balloons in the air so that "God's words don't hit the ground."  After we had been outside for a little while some of the kids noticed that their balloons were starting to go into the air.  It ended up that all of the balloons "went to Heaven" by the end of Sunday school.  The kids were so excited!  This was probably the best lesson I have taught so far.  We are going to do the balloon thing again soon, but this time we are going to attach index cards with Bible verses and our church address to see if anyone will contact us.  Thank you so much for your website.  It is far more valuable than any of the materials I purchased for my classroom.  Tina Russell

My preschool Sunday school recently did the "Samuel Listens to God" lesson.  Ahead of time, I covered a paper towel tube with blue construction paper.  I then added some tiny strips of paper streamers to the bottom of the tube.  When it came time for "God" to speak and say "Samuel"......the streamers moved and the children giggled.  They paid close attention to the lesson waiting on "God" to speak again.  The children did the paper bag Samuel puppet.  They really got a kick out of the puppet. Thanks! Ella Price

We have been learning about Samuel all month in Preschool Worship. For Samuel Listens to God I brought in different items in a box (i.e. stapler, baby rattle, coins, a squeaky toy, scissors, small drum) and as I made the sound I told the kids it was important to listen to be sure what you heard. They got all the sounds right except the drum-they guessed a hammer I used your idea for Samuel Listens to God to let the kids in preschool worship act out the Bible story.  I made two bedrolls out of towels and asked for a volunteer to be Samuel and one to be Eli. The rest of the class snored. I pointed to different children to call out "Samuel, Samuel". They had fun snoring and acting out the Bible story. Thanks, Debbie