The Make & Do Bible

Whether you're a homeschooler, a Sunday school teacher, or simply like to do crafts with your children, The Make & Do Bible by Gillian Chapman is a handy resource.

The title of this book is a bit misleading; it really isn't a Bible. Rather, it's a collection of Bible-related crafts for kids in the first grade and up. The idea is to help cement Bible stories in kids' minds and help bring them to life. 48 Bible stories are retold (each in less than a page), then instructions, fully-illustrated with drawings, are given for a corresponding craft. A photograph of what the finished craft may look like is also included.

The crafts vary in complexity from an easy to make Tower of Babel (which - at its simplest - consists of a tube covered with construction paper and stickers) to a more complicated Joseph's coat of many colors (which calls for sewing, although fabric glue could be used) and a truly gorgeous bean, pasta, and seed collage any adult would be proud to display.

Other crafts include: A paper ark and animal cards for the story of Noah and the flood, a fabric star mobile for the story of God's promise to Abraham, a paper and cloth banner of camels for Rebekah's story, a book cover decorated with wheat for Joseph's dreams, simple basket weaving for the story of baby Moses, a paper trumpet for the story of Gideon, a felt lion puppet for the story of Samson, a wooden harp for the story of David, a paper mache paperweight of Goliath, a clay lion's mask for the story of Daniel, a paper moving picture of Jonah and the big fish, a pop-up paper card of the angel visiting Mary, a felt Advent calendar, felt gift bags with the star of Bethlehem, Christmas story finger puppets of felt, Christmas bell hand instruments, glitter Christmas wrapping paper, nativity scene Christmas tree decorations of foam, a church offering bank for Lent, a paper mache soldier's helmet for the faith of the centurion, a plastic wrap mosaic for Jesus feeding the crowd, a lovely seed and bean picture for the parable of the good seed, a treasure chest (made from a box) for the parable of the hidden treasure, a biblical-era clay oil lamp for the parable of the wise and foolish girls, a cardboard-coin bracelet for the parable of the lost coins, clay coins in a bag for the story of Judas' betrayal, a paper mache bowl for Jesus washing the disciples' feet, paper Easter bookmarks, a covered prayer book for Pentecost, and more.

Full sized paper patterns are included as an insert.
What I Like: There is a nice mix of easy, moderately difficult, and difficult crafts in this book, meaning it's great if you have children of various ages, or want a book that keep your kids' interest for a number of years. The full sized paper patterns are a big bonus.
What I Dislike: A few of the crafts seem pretty complicated for the supposed age group (6 to 12).
Overall Rating: Very good.
Age Appeal: According to the publisher, 6 - 12, but some crafts are more suitable for teenagers and adults.
Publishing Info: Concordia, 2006; ISBN: 978-0758611055; hardback, $8.98.
Buy Now at Amazon.com for $8.98.