Swap Shop is a place to exchange ideas for activities in Sunday school; share your success stories in teaching the Bible to children; and provide ways to foster a love for the Bible.

Swap Shop – Creating a backpack book for school, camping, and prayer.

I purchased 3¹/₂ x3¹/₂ spiral notebooks for my 4th grade Sunday school class. It is the perfect size for back packs. I had tried larger notebooks, but they were too big to comfortably carry them on a daily basis. I started by typing the 23rd and 91st Psalms and pasting them into their notebooks. Other verses included:

• Phil 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ which strenghteneth me.
  
  
• Prov. 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
  
  
• The Ten Commandments
  
  
• The Beatitudes

• The Lord’s prayer

Each week we learn a Bible verse, so I asked each member of the class to bring a list of their favorites. I then take them home and type them in a kid-friendly font and then paste them into their notebooks.

In the beginning, only one remembered to bring the notebook each Sunday. After three weeks, no one was missing a notebook because they wanted the typed entries. They wrote their own prayers and asked me to type them for their notebooks. All of them started writing important words down to help them through tough situations.

Last Sunday, one girl reported that she couldn’t find her mother in a department store. She said she normally would cry and hope someone would help, but this time she remembered some of the verses and prayers included in her notebook. She stopped and prayed. The direction she was led seemed the wrong way to go, but it was precisely the right direction and she found her mother. She was so grateful she remembered the great Bible verses and then stopped to pray.

The members of the class are talking about getting more notebooks for their notes about Jesus and how to be more like him, one just for prayers, and one just for Bible characters and their stories.

They like getting something new and professional looking each week, and what’s important is that they are using the quotes to improve their understanding of God.

GAL

Send your Bible camp ideas to teach@biblewise.com.