With the Children on Sunday Part 2

43. Distribute paper and pencils. Let a single letter be selected and have each child write down the names of characters, objects and places mentioned in the sermons, or the Bible, that have the same initial letter. For example: The letter "A" may be selected, then would follow "Apple", "Adam", "Apostles", "Angels", "Army", "Asia", etc. Other initial letters may be selected and the game continued.

44. Have some one call out and write down a Bible name beginning with "A", as "Abram". The next one is to think of a name beginning with "B", as "Benjamin". "C" would come next, as "Caleb", then "David", "Eli", etc. The object is to see how many letters of the alphabet can be used and how often without repet.i.tion. Also names of places, objects and t.i.tles may be used.

45. Ask the children to write down as many as they can of trees, or stones, flowers, birds, instruments, animals that are mentioned in the Bible.

46. Bible geography can be made interesting and profitable. Get a shallow box and fill it with fine sand. Cities and countries may be wonderfully made. A small pile of the sand will represent a mountain, strips of blue or white paper can be used for rivers and lakes. Use small blocks and spools for houses and temples, small pebbles for roads.

The people can be represented by matches and trees by tiny branches or leaves. When Palestine, for instance, is to be studied, small pieces of paper may be laid on the sand for the cities; the names or initials of the cities should be written on the pieces of paper.

47. Maps may be drawn and colored crayons used to show the roads, water, cities, buildings, etc.

48. From one of the sermons or a Bible story, select the name of a person, place or thing. Have each player write a sentence with the selected name embodied in it. When the sentences are read aloud, it will show quite original uses made of the name.

49. To supply missing letters is an easy, simple game. Write names of sermon objects or Bible characters with letters omitted. The children will enjoy supplying the missing letters necessary to complete the name.

Sentences and Bible verses may be used with missing words for the children to supply.

BIBLE DRILLS.

50. Bible drills are entertaining and especially valuable to children old enough to read and commit the lessons to memory. By a simple method the children can figure out the books in the Bible and their cla.s.sifications. By pursuing the studies, the names of the books will soon be learned and in their regular order.

51. Have the children count the letters in "Old" (3) and "Testament"

(9). Place them together (39) and it gives the number of books in the Old Testament.

52. Now multiply these two figures (3 9) and the result will give the number of books in the New Testament (27).

53. Add together the two sets of figures (39 plus 27) and you will find the whole number of books in the Bible (66).

54. The figure "6" is found in the number of books in the Bible (66), the number of known authors or writers of the books (36), and the number of years during which the Bible was written (1600).

Thus we have 36 authors, 66 books, 16 centuries.

55. The books of the Old Testament may be divided into five groups: as the Pentateuch (Books of Moses), History, Poetry, Major Prophets and Minor Prophets. Have the children trace the outline of a hand on paper and the thumb and fingers will represent the groups. Thus, the thumb will represent the Pentateuch; the first finger, the History; the second finger, Poetry; the third finger, Major Prophets; and the fourth finger, Minor Prophets.

56. The New Testament may also be divided into five groups and represented by the other hand in the same manner. The five groups are Biography, History, Pauline Epistles (or Paul's Letters), General Epistles (or letters), and Prophesy.

57. The number of books in each group of the Old Testament are: 5 plus 12 plus 5 plus 5 plus 12--equals 39 books. In the New Testament, the five groups are made up of 4 plus 1 plus 13 plus 8 plus 1--equals 27 books.

58. The name of each group with the number of books in the group, may be written on separate cards. The cards are shuffled and the children sort them and place them together in their proper order, forming the Old Testament, then the New Testament.

59. The names of the different books which make up the groups are looked up and written under the name of the group. Take the groups in their regular order. Thus, group one would be Pentateuch, 5 books: Gen'e-sis, Ex'o-dus, Le-vit'i-cus, Num'bers, Deu'ter-on'o-my. The second and fifth groups, where there are twelve books each, may be subdivided into threes and fours for greater ease in committing to memory.

60. If the proper spelling of the names has also been committed to memory, or learned, then a regular spelling-bee may be held and the names of the Bible books used for the test words. The same tests may be made with the spelling of names of persons, places and things mentioned in the Bible.

61. After the books of the Bible, in their order, have been learned, open the Bible and call out the book at which it is open. Name another book and ask which direction (toward the front or back of the Bible) shall the pages be turned to find that book. Many other test questions may be asked, such as: "What book is between Job and Proverbs?" "In which group is Lamentations to be found?" "Between what books is that of Luke?"

62. Arrange the children in a row, or let them take their places in tents as shown on page 60, and then, as in a spelling-bee, ask the preceding or the following questions, or any other Bible questions that would be suited to the age of the children. When one fails to answer he loses his place and the child who gives the correct answer moves forward. The element of play is thus maintained.

BIBLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

63. Who was the first man? Adam.

Who was the first woman? Eve.

Who was the first murderer? Cain (Gen. iv: 8).

Whom did he kill? His brother Abel.

Who went to Heaven without dying? Enoch and Elijah.

How old was Enoch "when G.o.d took him"? 365 years (Gen. v: 23, 24). The same number of years that there are days in a year.

Who was the oldest man? Methuselah.

How old was Methuselah when he died? 969 years (Gen. v: 27).

Who built the Ark? Noah (Gen. vi).

How many persons were saved in the Ark? Eight (Gen. vii: 7). Noah and his wife, his three sons and their wives.

How old was Noah at the time of the Flood? 600 years (Gen. vii: 6).

Who had the coat of many colors? Joseph (Gen.

x.x.xvii: 3).

How many brothers did Joseph have? Eleven (Gen.

xlii: 3, 4).

What did they do with Joseph? Cast him into a pit and afterwards sold him to the Ishmaelitish merchantmen (Gen. x.x.xvii: 28).

Where did the Ishmaelitish merchantmen take Joseph? To Egypt.

To whom did they sell him? Potiphar (Gen. x.x.xix: 1).

Who lied about Joseph and had him cast into prison? Potiphar's wife.

Who were in the prison with Joseph? The king's chief butler and chief baker (Gen. xl: 1, 3).

Who was King of Egypt at the time Joseph was in Egypt? Pharaoh.

Why did Pharaoh make Joseph ruler? That he might gather the grain during the seven years of plenty to lay up in store against the seven years of famine.

What did Pharaoh dream? About seven fat kine, or cows, and seven lean cows (Gen. xli).

What did Joseph do with the grain he gathered during the seven years of plenty? Put in great store houses.

Why did his brothers come to Joseph in Egypt during the famine? That they might get food (Gen.

xlii).