Children's Educational Writing Samples
(This book was a combination Bible Encyclopedia and Atlas. Each part focused on a different aspect of the Bible.)
VeggieTales Bible Atlapedia
Part 4: The People in the Bible
Aaron (Exodus 4--40; Leviticus 8)
Aaron was the brother of Moses. Aaron helped Moses with talking the king of Egypt into letting the Israelites leave that country. He was the very first high priest of Israel. Only men from his family could be priests.
Abednego (Daniel 3)
Abednego was a good friend of Daniel who stood strong in his faith when King Nebuchadnezzar commanded the people to bow down and worship a false god. When Abednego and his friends, Shadrach and Meshach refused to obey, the king threw them into a fiery furnace, but God saved them!
BOB AND LARRY:
“Hey Bob! How long did Cain dislike his brother?”
“I don’t know, Larry.”
“As long as he was ‘Abel’!”
Abel (Genesis 4)
Abel was the second son born to Adam and Eve. Abel was a shepherd. His brother, Cain was jealous of Abel. Cain killed Abel because God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice but not with Cain’s.
Abigail (1 Samuel 25)
Abigail was married to Nabal. After he died, she married David. One of David’s sisters was also named Abigail (1 Chronicles 2:16--17).
Abraham–Abram (Genesis 11--25)
Abraham was first called Abram. He was chosen by God to become the father of the Jewish nation. Abraham obeyed God by leaving his home in Haran and going to Canaan. He and his wife, Sarah, had no children, but God promised them a son. Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah was 90 when Isaac, the promised son, was born. God tested Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac, the son he had waited so long for. Abraham showed his willingness to obey whatever God asked of him. God was pleased and saved Isaac before anything bad happened.
PA GRAPE:
Take it from me, being the father of a whole nation is a lot of responsibility. I’m the father of one orchard, and I can’t keep up with every grape.
Achan (Joshua 7)
During the battle of Jericho, an Israelite named Achan took some things that God had said not to take. Because of Achan’s disobedience, Israel lost its next battle.
Adam (Genesis 1–2)
Adam was the first man God created. He was placed in the beautiful Garden of Eden with Eve where God gave them everything they needed. God asked just one thing of them—not to eat from the tree in the center of the garden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed and ate from the tree, sin entered the world.
Agrippa (Acts 12; 24)
Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great, and the king of Judea from 41-44 AD. The Jews forced Agrippa to have Peter arrested and have James killed. Herod Agrippa II was the king from 50-100 AD and was the last “Herod.” He heard the apostle Paul speak.
BOB AND LARRY:
“I sure am glad that Herod isn’t around to rule us now! He sounds like a scary guy!”
“Don’t worry, Bob. Get a grippa….”
Ahab (1 Kings 16–22)
Ahab was the seventh king of Israel. He married an evil woman named Jezebel who worshiped Baal, a false god. Ahab became evil, too, and even though Elijah tried very hard to turn Ahab back to God, he wouldn’t listen.
Amos (Amos 1-9)
Amos was a shepherd from Judah and a prophet in Israel. There, Amos tried to convince the people how important it was to obey God. He warned them that God would punish them if they didn’t do what God said.
Ananias (Acts 4–5)
Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, sold some property to get money to give to the poor Christians, but they lied to Peter and the Holy Spirit about how much money they were giving. Because of that, they were punished and died then and there.
Ananias (Acts 9
Ananias was a Christian disciple living in the city of Damascus. God told him to help Saul of Tarsus (who was later called Paul) after he was made blind.
PA GRAPE
Sounds like Ananias was good at helping people to see. I wonder how good he is at hat adjustment.
Ananias (Acts 23) The high priest who was at Paul’s trial in Jerusalem.
Andrew (Matthew 4; 10; John 1; 6; Acts 1)
Andrew was a fisherman chosen to be one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. He brought his brother, Peter, to see Jesus. Later, Andrew brought a boy with a lunch to Jesus, and Jesus used it to feed over 5,000 people.
JUNIOR AND LAURA
“Hey Laura, did you know that Andrew was a fisherman?”
“Yep! And did you know that fish went to school?”
“How come?”
“To learn how not to get caught by fishermen!”
Aquila (Acts 18; Romans 16:3-5; 1 Corinthians 16:19)
Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, were Jewish Christians who worked as tentmakers. They traveled with Paul to preach the good news of Jesus. They offered their home to the people for church worship.
Asher (Genesis 30, 49; Numbers 2; Joshua 19)
Asher was the eighth son of Jacob. His descendants became the Israelite tribe of Asher.
Balaam (Numbers 22–24; 31; 2 Peter 2)
Balaam was a prophet from Midian who was hired by the king of Moab to come and curse the Israelites. On his way there, God caused Balaam’s donkey to talk and an angel to tell Balaam to say only good things about the Israelites. Balaam obeyed, but later he led some Israelites to worship Baal, the false god.
Barabbas (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 18)
Barabbas was a robber and a murderer who was in jail in Jerusalem when Jesus was arrested. When Pilate gave the Jewish people a choice about who to let go free, the people chose to free Barabbas and kill Jesus on the cross.
Barnabas (Acts 4; 13–15)
Barnabas was from Cyprus and was named Joseph. The apostles called him Barnabas, which means “one who encourages,” because he helped others. He sold a field he owned and gave the money to the apostles to help the poor Christians in Jerusalem. Barnabas introduced Paul to the Jerusalem church. Then he went with Paul on his first missionary trip, preaching the good news of Jesus.
Bartholomew (Matthew 10; Luke 6; John 1)
Bartholomew, also known as Nathanael, was one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. Philip brought him to see Jesus.
Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 1–2)
Bathsheba was married to Uriah until David fell in love with her and had Uriah killed. They married, but God punished them with the death of their first child. Bathsheba and David also became the parents of Solomon.
BOB AND LARRY
“Oh where is my hairbrush? Oh where is my hairbrush?”
“Why don’t you ask that lady named Sheba that hangs out in the bath all the time?”
Belshazzar (Daniel 5)
Belshazzar was a Babylon ruler where Daniel lived. God was displeased with Belshazzar’s sinful life. During a banquet, a hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall. It was a message from God. Daniel was called in to explain it. The message meant that Belshazzar would be punished, and his kingdom would come to an end. That same night, Babylon was captured and Belshazzar was killed.
Benjamin (Genesis 35; 42–45)
Benjamin was Jacob and Rachel’s youngest son. His mother died when he was born which made Jacob love Benjamin even more. His descendants became one of the twelve family tribes of Israel. King Saul and the apostle Paul were from Benjamin’s family.
MA AND PA GRAPE:
“What do you think our descendants will become Pa?”
“I don’t reckon’ I know for sure, Pa. But I’ll be there’ll be some perty juicy stories to tell!”
Boaz (Ruth 2–4)
Boaz was a wealthy, distant relative of Naomi’s husband. After Naomi’s husband and sons died, she and her widowed daughter-in-law Ruth moved from Moab to Bethlehem. To help take care of Naomi, Ruth worked in Boaz’s field to get the grain they needed. Boaz saw Ruth’s dedication and love and gave her special privileges. Later Boaz and Ruth married and became the great-grandparents of King David..
AUNT RUTH & LARRY
“What kind of man do you suppose Boaz was before he got married?”
“Ruthless.”
Sample of an Activity Guide provided for Sony Entertainment
(To sell with the Berenstain Bears DVDs in stores.)
The Berenstain Bears
Fun Family Adventures
By Stan and Jan Berenstain
FAMILY ACTIVITY GUIDE
The Berenstain Bears: Go to the Movies
Help cubs discover the importance of spending time together as a family as you enjoy segment two of The Berenstain Bears Fun Family Adventures.
Cubs will also hear how Moses instructs everyone to love and serve the Lord as a family and pass that love and obedience down through the generations. By the end of this session, cubs will see the value in spending time with family and working together in love and service to God.
Episode Summary:
In this episode, Mama calls an emergency family meeting to point out that they don’t spend enough time together. The family agrees to see a movie together, but their outing goes astray.
The Bears wind up doing unexpected things together and have lots of fun. Even though the Bears don’t see the movie, they discover that spending time with each other is what matters most.
Welcome to Bear Country!
A family can be doing the dishes or just stuck in bad weather.
But all of it’s fun when it’s time they spend together.
Enjoy a movie of your own and invite youngsters to create their own make-believe cars to join a family drive-in. (Consider inviting extended family, friends or neighbors to make it even more fun!)
1. You will need: large cardboard boxes; wrapping paper, tape, glue, markers and scissors or paints, brushes, drop cloth, cleaning tools.
2. An adult should cut off the top and bottom flaps of the box.
3. Help cubs draw wheels or any other outer (and inner) features you may wish to add to the car.
4. If wrapping your car – add wheels and/or additional features afterward, by drawing them onto the wrapping paper or by gluing on knobs, buttons or cutout paper patterns.
5. If painting your car – you may need to paint several coats. Add wheels and/or additional features after the paint dries. Do this by drawing them or gluing on knobs, buttons or cutout paper patterns.
6. Choose a movie, pop some popcorn and invite cubs to “drive” into your viewing area with their cars. Enjoy!
7. Ask cubs if they enjoyed the movie. Ask if they enjoyed building their cars with you. Both experiences were most likely fun!
Berenstain Bears Presents: Go to the Movies
Watch the Episode: Go to the Movies with the children.
Cub Questions
Use the following questions to review Session Two: Go to the Movies.
· Why does Mama call an emergency family meeting?
· What do the Bears finally agree upon doing?
· On their way to see the movie, what obstacles prevent the Bears from seeing it?
· How do the Bears make the best of what happens each time something happens?
· What do the Bears realize after realizing they aren’t going to see the movie after all?
Bible Story: Our Family will Love the Lord – Deuteronomy 11:1-23
Help cubs understand how much God wants families to pass on His love and obedience from generation to generation as you share the instructions Moses gave to God’s people.
Children should say and repeat the following words and actions.
Moses had a lot to say Make waves with hands.
to God’s people one fine day. &nbs