Clothespin Dolls and Sandboxes
Miss Frances was one of my special Sunday School teachers. One of my favorite memories of her classroom was the big wooden sandbox table. With a little imagination, a sandbox became a Middle Eastern landscape.
It’s easy to share sandbox Bible stories with your children. If you don’t have a sandbox, a shallow plastic tub (or a shallow box) works well, too. Push a little sand here, pull a little there, and you have hills, valleys, and mountains in a snap.
Bible time people are simple to create with old fashioned wooden clothespins, fabric scraps, ribbon or twine, and a fine-line black marker. When I was on a long ride with Clara this week, we made some in the car. We didn’t have a sandbox with us, but she enjoyed playing with her little people. The instructions are easy. Cut a rectangle of fabric and then cut a very small hole in the center of it. Stick a clothespin “head” through the hole. Tie a ribbon or twine belt around the clothespin’s “waist.” Draw a face and hair on its “head.” Voila! You have a little man or woman.
One of the joys of parenting is sharing your own childhood joys with your children. Grandmothers get to do it all over again.
For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you
which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois
and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.
2 Timothy 1:5, NASB