There is excitement in the air in the 4th and 5th grade girls’ room!
I’m not sure which they are enjoying more: the freedom to play with lettering and doodling, discovering creative ways to study their Bible, or having their mothers in class with them.
One young lady, noticing that several of the girls had their mothers with them this week, slipped up to me and asked if she could have permission to go down to her mom’s room and ask her to come up. We made it happen; mom joined us!
This week we started our session with a very quick review of the previous week. We reviewed the content of our 4 Corners game, the benefits of Scripture, and the first week’s method – Praying the Scripture in Color.
Next we entered into our Warm-up Time: Creative Doodling.
Our new method this week was Verse Mapping.
I began by sharing an example on the white board:
Search me, O God, and know my heart. Psalm 139:1
After working through the example, participants were asked to focus their attention on the Verse Mapping Method Sheet. We walked through the steps together and answered any questions the girls had. Finally in preparation for work time, each participant was provided with a copy of the Verse Mapping Guide to use as a reference as they worked.
The girls – and their mothers – were then ready to map their own verse.
- Once again, some of the participants used my example verse, some chose a personal favorite verse, and others consulted the list of Suggested Verses I had available for them.
- Each participant created a verse map. Some mothers and daughters mapped the same verse, some preferred to map their own verse of choice.
- Not every girl in attendance had a mother accompanying her. Some of these girls worked with other girls, some enjoyed working independently, and some buddied up with another girl’s mom. (SWEET!)
- Girls were looking for Bibles to copy verses from, moms were sharing their Bibles with girls and/or pulling up the Bible on their phones and sharing.
- Both the girls and their moms were checking dictionaries, consulting thesauruses, and asking each other questions about their verse.
- Mothers shared how much they enjoyed the experience and said they were excited to return next time.
What a blessing to see mothers and daughters in the Word together –
pouring over it, discussing it, digging into it – learning ways to engage with the Scripture independently and TOGETHER!
Can you picture mothers and daughters or even entire families selecting a verse for the week, each member mapping it, and then coming together to discuss it during family devotions or at dinner time?
What a beautiful way to take steps toward Reversing the Course of Bible illiteracy!
4 comments
Mary Lou Caskey
Deborah, your work is so inspiring and encouraging. I really appreciate you!
Joyful Abundant Life
I love this idea! I already use this often in my own personal devotions. I makes the Scripture often come alive and makes me see so many truths that I had not seen before. Thanks for sharing this. I pinned it and shared it on facebook.
Deborah
Thank you so much for your kind words, Mary Lou! I am so grateful for our connection and the encouragement you so graciously offer to those you know.
Deborah
Thank you so much for stopping by and for sharing this with others. I, too, personally love Verse Mapping, both for its benefits and its versatility. People of ALL ages can do it which makes Verse Mapping a wonderful tool for families!