It was my turn to teach the 6-11yo girls Sunday School for all of March at our tiny church. Five Sundays. Six girls. I was blessed with the freedom to teach however and whatever I wanted, so you know - you could guess - that I didn't choose to teach the girls out of a boxed curriculum.
This is what we did each Sunday morning in March...
Yep. We embroidered. In Sunday School.
Along with our embroidery, we read from the Scriptures, prayed (once in round-robin) and memorized Matthew 6:25-34, the "Don't Worry" passage, which is such an encouragement in these tough financial times. I want the girls to have this passage in their memory bank for a time when finances are tight for them, and, okay, I admit it, I'm hoping that quoting the passage over and over to get it memorized will encourage their parents as well. I mean, who can ignore their little girl as she says, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient unto the day is its own trouble."?
The memory verses also mention flowers ("Consider the lilies of the field") and birds ("Look at the birds of the air"), so we went nature journaling on the church property. Over the five Sundays, the girls nature journaled, chose a favorite one, transferred it onto muslin, chose their thread (floss), learned a couple of basic stitches, and embroidered their drawings....
The memory verses also mention flowers ("Consider the lilies of the field") and birds ("Look at the birds of the air"), so we went nature journaling on the church property. Over the five Sundays, the girls nature journaled, chose a favorite one, transferred it onto muslin, chose their thread (floss), learned a couple of basic stitches, and embroidered their drawings....
I'm so proud of these girls. Not just because 2 of them are mine, of course. I'm proud of all 6 of them for memorizing such a long passage of Scripture, for drawing without inhibition, and for enthusiastically listening to my every word, whether I was praying or reading or teaching a new stitch.
They are such beautiful girls!
p.s. If you want to learn how to turn a child's art (or yours!) into embroidery, here is a tutorial I wrote up last year, called "Turning a Child's Art into Embroidery." It's very easy, I assure you. See the photos above? These girls are only ages 6-11yo. Do try. Even my little gal, who only just turned 6, is stitching. She's the one embroidering a house - not a very "nature-y" subject, but that's fine...she's still figuring out what God made and what people make. She asked me the other day if God made the shovel, right after asking if He planted the marigolds in the garden.
They are such beautiful girls!
p.s. If you want to learn how to turn a child's art (or yours!) into embroidery, here is a tutorial I wrote up last year, called "Turning a Child's Art into Embroidery." It's very easy, I assure you. See the photos above? These girls are only ages 6-11yo. Do try. Even my little gal, who only just turned 6, is stitching. She's the one embroidering a house - not a very "nature-y" subject, but that's fine...she's still figuring out what God made and what people make. She asked me the other day if God made the shovel, right after asking if He planted the marigolds in the garden.
How lovely. I want to come to your Sunday school class. This sounds like how I want to learn about God.
Posted by: Andrea | March 31, 2009 at 03:50 PM
Can I come to your sunday school lessons?
Posted by: renee @ FIMBY | March 31, 2009 at 07:00 PM
You are so creative!! What a great way to incorporate learning about Christ into such beautiful, self-expression! You are such an inspiration!!
Blessings,
Katherine
Posted by: Relishing Life | March 31, 2009 at 11:02 PM
What an absolutely wonderful idea! I think I'll incorporate this into tomorrow's homeschool nature study.
Posted by: Courtney | March 31, 2009 at 11:03 PM
What a fantastic idea! Now if someone could come up with something boy-oriented for the boys, they too might learn and enjoy at the same time!
Posted by: Janie | April 01, 2009 at 06:00 AM
I think boys would love to do this too. Thanks for the little slice of your life, Lori, that is so inspiring. What great ideas--all of them. Wheels are turning in the Sunday School teacher's head. Are they going to make pillows out of their creations?? Curious!
Posted by: Jill | April 02, 2009 at 10:31 AM
Hi, Jill ~ I have our own boys embroidering their drawings, too. One chose
a cartoon character, the other his rabbit. The tutorial (at the link given
above) shows a pillow our daughter created from her embroidery (the
embroidery is actually a pocket on a pillow). I suggested to the Sunday
School girls that they keep theirs in the embroidery hoop (fabric cut down
to size, edges glued to the inside), to hang on the wall. I'd like our kids
to create several for the wall at home.
Lori
Posted by: Lori Seaborg | April 02, 2009 at 10:42 AM