Psalm 119 Copywork & Kid's Torah Scroll Tutorial (free sample)

I love the idea of making a kid's Torah scroll.  Making a Torah scroll is a great way to learn about the history of ancient writings,  encourage copy work, and give kids their own place to keep their work.  This idea was first introduced to me through My Father's World First Grade Homeschool Curriculum years ago.   The very first Torah scrolls we ever made were made with rolling pins.  This time we decided to use bamboo and a few other embellishments.    In MFW's curriculum it is a suggested activity to teach the history of the ancient Bible writings and as practice for writing the English alphabet. 

 I thought I would take it a step further to meet my kiddos needs.  All of my kiddos need extra practice wiring Hebrew letters, especially cursive Hebrew.  They also needed some Bible memory verse copy work - so I thought I would combine the two.  Thus, our Kid's Torah Scrolls were created.  I decided to use Psalm 119 since it is an acrostic of the Hebrew Alphabet.   First the kids did a review of the letter Aleph and practiced writing the letter in cursive and block with rainbow colors.

 

They then wrote out their Bible verse.  I used the first verse for each letter in Psalm 119 as their Bible copywork.  The younger kids practice writing in print, while my ten year old practiced her cursive handwriting.  The older three wrote out the verse in handwriting on their own and then practiced writing it in Hebrew also.  We examined each word that began with the letter aleph and pondered what the significance of each word could be.  

 

We concluded that just as the ancient letter aleph is a symbol of strength, so each verse talks about strength.  For example the word blessed in this verse is "ashray" אשׁרי .  Blessed, happy, or strengthened are those that are undefiled and who walk in the "Torah" בתורת of  "YHVH" יהוה .  As our Hebrew grows so does our Hebrewlish (Hebrew/English) and we dig a little deeper into the ancient words of the Bible.  If you are interested in trying out the copywork for the letter Aleph, just click any of the pictures to be taken to a free download.

Making the Kid's Torah Scroll was really pretty easy.  Here are the supplies that you will need:

-felt

-Velcro

-foam or wood balls to fit on the end of 2 dowels or bamboo sticks

-paper for your scroll

-string to tie your Torah

-felt and googlie eyes for the outside decorations

-hot glue

-staples

We stapled their papers to two bamboo sticks.  Painted our foam balls and hot glued them to the ends of the bamboo sticks.  We then rolled up our scroll and tied it with a string.  After hot gluing the Velcro onto the felt we decided on our outside decorations for our Torah scrolls.  We decided on a tree of life (etz caim chai - עץ־חיים היא) and a menorah (המנרות).  We will be adding our new letters every day by stapling them to the back of each page until we are done with the whole aleph bet.

We will be working on the whole Hebrew "Aleph - Bet" during our Hebrew and Bible classes this year from Psalms 119.  If you think this is something that your family or classroom could use just click on the covers below where you will find the full PDF in my store.

 

Have you ever made a Torah Scroll with your kids?  How did it turn out?  I would love to hear about it:)

Shalom,

Word For 2014 - Faith - Looking at the Ancient Hebrew Root

   For the past few weeks, I have been learning a lot about faith. I am learning what it means intellectually and practically. The book of Romans is an amazing book in the Bible that really expounds on it. As a visual learner, studying the pictograph Hebrew letters helped me to understood faith at an even deeper level. Below is how I studied the word with some simple steps you can follow with any word in the Bible:

1.  Look up the word:   Use a Hebrew Strong's Concordance.  ( I like to use e-sword on my computer and it is a free download that you can find here, if you don't already have it.) H529  אמוּן  'êmûn  ay-moon'  From H539;
 established, that is, (figuratively) trusty; also (abstractly) trustworthiness: - faith (-ful), truth.
 

2. Look for the root word (the original 3 or 4 letter word in Hebrew): 

 Sometimes it is as easy as going back a few numbers and the concordance should point you in the right direction. In our case it says "from H539" above.

H539  אמן  'âman  aw-man'

A primitive root; properly to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; once (in Isa_30:21; by interchange for H541) to go to the right hand: - hence assurance, believe, bring up, establish, + fail, be faithful (of long continuance, steadfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the right.

3.  Look at each root letter's pictograph meanings:
  I used my Ancient Aleph Bet Paleo Hebrew Alphabet Chart I made for the kids.  You can find an adult version here that I really like too. Faith = Aman (Hebrew transliteration)  Letters: אמן (Hebrew reads from right to left) 
1. letter- א -aleph: picture of an ox used for plowing and it's strength in ancient world. 

2. letter- מ  -mem: picture of water used for sustaining life and cleansing

 3. letter- ן - nun: picture of a seed






4.  Look at other references that use the same word:
 Look up H539.  If you are using e-sword make sure you are using KJV+.   Read them in the context of the scripture to help understand them better.  I found 102 references for the word and in most cases they were translated as "believe".    Below is the summary of the ancient Hebrew meaning of the word faith that I found:

Here are some questions that I have asked myself while studying the word faith along with the answers I have came up with:

What does it mean to have faith? 

Having faith is trusting In God for who HE is.

Who or What do you have faith in? 

Sometimes I am looking to the wrong things and I need to 

continually remind myself to look to YHVH and his son Yeshua for everything.

 Do you have faith in God?

Yes 

Do you have faith in HIS son Yeshua for your salvation?

Yes

Do I have faith in money to solve all my problems? 

No, because it will not. It may even create more "problems":) 

Do I have faith in a better house to make me happier?

No, because I am learning to be content in every circumstance:)

Did you know faith can make you righteous? 

 wow...now that is amazing...it's not the things I do, but faith - cool

What is your response to these questions?  What does faith mean to you?

My prayer for you and I is that we will continue to be challenged in our faith and that little seed of faith that we plant and water will grow to bear fruit.

If you would like to learn more about Hebrew or see how we incorporate it at Thetravelingclassroom please visit our Hebrew page. 

 I would love to give away a Ancient Aleph Bet Paleo Hebrew alphabet chart and my Ancient Hebrew Civilizations, Root Words, Acrostic Poems Unit to one of my blog followers. Please leave an e-mail with your comment below if you would like me to send you one:)

Thanks for stopping by TheTravelingclassroom!




I have linked up with the Schoolhouse Review Crew's Word for 2014. If you would like to read some more posts please click on the picture below.

12 Steps to Help You Teach Your Kids the Bible- (AND a Giveaway!!!)

Teaching our kids about God and the Bible can easily get put on the back burner unless we make a conscious effort to make it a priority.

How do you teach the Bible in your classroom?  What do you do to make it a priority with your kids?

 Below you will find my ....

1.  Pray for wisdom everyday:

James 1:5 says  " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."   I need wisdom everyday for all the stuff that comes my way, don't you?

2.  Set  Spiritual Goals For your Classroom:

What do you think your kids should know?  What character issues do they need to work on?  What is your goal for teaching your children about God and the bible?

Our number one goal in our classroom is to incorporate God and  the Bible when we wake up, as we go through our day, and when we go to bed.  This is our family Bible verse:

Deut. 11:18-26 "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 

And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 

That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. 

For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; ...

There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;... "

3. Choose your routines:

Our routines include Bible everyday.  I include it on their personal chore charts.  The younger children are read the Bible or a Bible Story everyday.  The older children are reading through the Bible on their own.  We also memorize Bible verses. We have been using Lindsey's Road to 31 Bible Curriculum for our Bible Memory verses.   Here are few pictures of some of  the verses we have memorized.

A is for attitude:

B is for Bravery...

Another routine that we have established is saying the Lord's Prayer together every night before we go to bed.  It actually is something my mom used to do with us when we were younger.  It has become something that is very special to all of us:)

4. Make a Rough Draft of your Bible Schedule for the Year:

As we go through the year we celebrate the Biblical Feasts to learn and understand more about God and HIS plan and purpose for us.  I write all the Biblical Feast Days on my calendar and plan ahead so we can celebrate God's Holidays!  What yearly cycle to you follow?  

5. Pick a day for an in depth Bible study:

Just this year we have started doing a "Family Bible Study" once a week. During this time we sit down together with our bibles, notebooks, and printables and dig into the bible.

Here are a few samples of our Family Bible Studies so far:

-What is a covenant?  (Also letter C for Covenant)

What is a disciple? D for Disciple...

What does it mean to be Equally Yoked?

Ancient Hebrew and Acrostic Poems in the Bible:

Fall Biblical Feasts- Feast of Trumpets (This is what we are working on right now)

What Bible Studies would you like to do with your kids?

 ( If you are interested in any of the Bible studies we have done above,  just click on the pictures to learn more about them!)

6. Pick important themes to cover throughout the year:

Do you want your kids to read through the Bible?  Memorize more verses?  Learn about Salvation?  Baptism, etc...?

7. Include Arts & Crafts

Here are a few that we have done that have went along with our themes and Bible studies...

Passover Lamb

Purim Puppets (Book of Esther)

Shofar Craftivity 

8. Include Scripture Music:

We love singing, dancing, and enjoying good music (as any of our friends can attest to:) - it

can really set the spiritual atmosphere!  Do you have some good music you can turn on once in a while...while cleaning or during art time ???

9. Make Bible Memorization a routine:

We have been using Lindsey's Road to 31 Bible Curriculum along with our own curriculum and it has really fit in nicely.  Here is a  picture of our memory verse flash cards...

10. Pray together :

We pray together at meals, when we get in the car together, at bedtime, when someone gets hurt, does something wrong,  or someone is sick.  When do you pray with your children?

11.  Worship Together: 

We worship when we sing and dance, pray, or just give thanks out loud during the day.  There is so much we should be thankful for:)  How do you worship together?

12.  Follow through with your new routines for 21 days!  (It only takes 21 days to establish a habit!)

And Now For the Giveaway!!!!

Lindsey, at Road to 31 has agreed to give away 1 bundled pack of The ABC's for Godly Children Curriculum!!  The ABC's For Godly Children is a printable Bible curriculum centered around teaching children ages 4-10 about the God they serve and how to have a heart like His. I received this awesome curriculum in exchange for an honest review.

This curriculum teaches children many necessary lessons all in one package:

Christian Character and Virtues
Biblical Manhood (The ABC's For Godly Boys)
Biblical Womanhood (The ABC's For Godly Girls)
Basic Doctrine and Theology

Here is a sample of one of the Girl's ABC letters.
 (You could use them as posters in your classroom or flashcards!)

and one of the Boy's Flash Cards!



Aren't the Cute??!!!

This curriculum also includes many fun and educational resources:

The ABC's For Godly Children Scripture Flash Cards
Hiding God's Word In My Heart Worksheets
Godly Virtues BINGO Game
The Pathway To Salvation Maze

Each lesson includes:
A Primary Bible Memory Verse
Bonus Bible Memory Verses
A Detailed and Interactive Lesson
An Activity Prompt
Craft Ideas

Here are the subjects covered for the boys:

A is for Attitude                                       N is for Neighbor


B is for Bravery                                       O is for Obedience

C is for Covenant                                    P is for Pride


D is for Disciple                                      Q is for Quiet


E is for Edify                                           R is for Repentance


F is for Father                                         S is for Salvation


G is for God                                           T is for Treasure


H is for Heaven                                       U is for Unity


I is for Idolatry                                        V is for Virtue


J is for Justification                                 W is for Warrior


K is for Kindness                                   X is for Cross


L is for Listen                                        Y is for Youth


M is for Man                                         Z is for Zeal


The list for girls is almost the same with just a few differences especially for girls:)

The ABC's For Godly Children is a great tool you can use to teach your kids about God and the Bible.

All by itself it will help you do all 12 steps with your kids!

Don't let these life changing teachings be put on the back burner any longer!

Make a conscious effort today to make it a priority in your classroom.  I am:).

How will you be teaching Bible in your classroom? What will you be doing  to make it a priority with your kids?  I would love to hear all about it:)

Oh, I almost forgot to mention,  I am also throwing in your choice of 1 free product from Thetravelingclassroom store in the giveaway!  If you haven't already entered you can go ahead and enter the giveaway below!

Free Jewish Feast of Trumpets - Yom Teruah Printables

Shalom Chavarim (Hello friends)

As the Fall Jewish High Holy Days are approaching we are busily getting prepared.  Our last big season was in the Spring with the Spring Feasts, so we have had a little break.  Now the Biblical 7th Month is approaching and it is time to prepare for the sound of the Shofar!

 What are we doing differently?  Well cleaning, planning meals, and fun activities - oi vey - I have got a lot to do!

I just wanted to pop in here on the blog and share some freebies with all of you to help you prepare and teach your
little ones too! You know how I  love to give freebies, so I thought these flash freebies
would be appropriate to be  for FREE.....   until the sound of the first Shofar blast (teruah) of the season!

When is that?  Well... at the beginning of the 7th month!  I'll give you a hint how you know when that is ....look at the moon:)  (or you can look at your calendar:)

 Something nice to do for family and friends during this time of year is to send them a card!  So here you go - Fun Cards for you to personalize!

 Another thing you can do during this time of year is give a gift.  Some people like to give money but this year we are giving personalized pens with their name inscribed on them.  Then we are going to put these fun labels on them!  (You could use pencils or pens)  There are more than a few styles and sizes to pick from and even a bigger label to put on the holder of all your beautiful pens & pencils when you are done!

Last but not least an interactive notebook for Yom Teruah!  I made this with all my kids in mind (ages 4-14), so you will find coloring sheets, writing prompts, and other fun stuff.  You pick what is age appropriate for your little guys!

So there you go all kinds of fun stuff to help get you prepared for this awesome holiday!  (The Fall Feast Cards, Greeting Cards, pencil toppers, and notebook printables can be found by clicking on the above pictures)
Enjoy!
May your name be inscribed in God's book and may you be sealed for all eternity!