OBJECTS: A Large Collection of Simple Objects Herein
Described=
Holidays, festival seasons, and historical events are always
interesting to the little people and may be made of large value to
them.
As these days come around, and public attention is thus called to
them, you can use these special seasons as an occasion for the
presentation of certain important truths suggested by them and to
help the children see and feel the real good for which the days
stand.
You can thus cause these days to stand for something more than events
past. You can make them gleam with truths worth while for the
present. Some of these events noted in this chapter vary as to their
dates in the several States and countries; this matter you can
rearrange to fit your own State. Of course other festival days and
special seasons will occur to you, and you can fit them into your
schedule of events according to your liking.
Some of the objects are very simple, but they may suggest others to
you of greater importance. The Scripture reading for certain of the
days will give you an opportunity to line up religious truths also
with the event you are noting.
Here is a partial list of some of the special seasons and holidays.
=New Year's Day. January First=
_The Forward Look Day_ would be a good name also for this day.
Read Philippians 3:1-14.
Use a blank book with the figures of the New Year on its cover.
Explain that the New Year is like a blank book of 365 pages. What
shall I write on its pages? Put a verse of Scripture on the top of
each page. Live by its teachings and commit to memory each day's
verse on its day. That will give you a clean page, not a blank one,
but one written all over with God's truth. Each action of yours will
be like a quill. It will write down the story of your life.
You may also use a string of beads to illustrate that truth. Secure a
piece of strong white thread, and call this the string of time. Place
on this string one bead at a time, 365 in all; these beads you call
the days of the year. Every seventh bead should be a large and
unusual one which we will call the Sabbath Day. If that day is a
common day of pleasure put a plain bead as the seventh bead. Instruct
them to make every seventh bead the best of all the beads by keeping
the day holy; it will be holy unto the Lord.
=Snowflake Day. In January=
Read as a Scripture lesson Job 37:1-14 or Psalm 147.
This can be used any day in the winter. If there is a large fall of
snow on the ground, it can be used at that time with good effect. Cut
out a number of small stars and pin them on a background and say:
"Once upon a time there was a little boy who had just discovered that
every snowflake was like a little star in shape and exclaimed to his
Mother as he watched them fall, 'Oh, Mother, it's snowing stars.'
Yes, he was right; if every flake could be examined under a large
magnifying-glass we would find each flake to be a tiny star. Some
people never tire looking at the beautiful flakes falling down over
street and field. How wonderful to watch God snow stars. The
snowflake is a six-pointed star. That is the shape of the Bible star.
Ancient history tells us that on the shield of David there was a
six-pointed star. It was called the star of David. It is so called by
the Jews at the present time. How beautiful it is to have a White
Christmas. The wonderful snow covering the ground with spotless
white. How much more wonderful it is to remember that each snowflake
is a six-pointed star covering the ground with the stars of David,
reminding us that there is born this day, in the City of David, a
Saviour, who is Christ the Lord."
=Franklin's Birthday. January 17=
The selected Scripture for that day could be Solomon's description of
the man of thrift as found described in Proverbs 6:6-11.
Secure a boy's kite, and tell the part it played where Franklin
brought down the lightning from the sky to serve man. We also bring
down prayer power from above, for by Prayer we bring down God's power
to serve us.
=McKinley's Birthday. January 29=
Read Matthew 5:1-12 wherein Jesus describes the well-balanced man.
President McKinley was a man thus put together. Secure a picture of
him if possible, and comment on the main features of his life. Like
Lincoln and Garfield, he gave his life for the right and God. We may
not be called upon to surrender our life as did President McKinley
for the cause of humanity, but we can do what God likes just as
much--we can _live_ for him and his cause.
=Ground-Hog Day. February 2=
Tell the old story of how this little animal is believed by some to
tell certain things about the weather, so they watch to see him peep
out of his little hole in the ground. Pin up some pictures of an
animal on a background and tell a few short stories about them.
=Missionary Day. February=
Show a map of the heathen country and secure some small idols or
curios from some missionary headquarters and exhibit them to the
children. Tell the audience that though we may smile at these ugly
shapes the heathen people revere them and cling to them as their only
hope. They will not give them up because we just say they are false
gods. They will fight for them and often suffer more for their gods
than we will for the true God. A returned missionary told the
following story. He was holding special meetings for the children and
trying to reach them by teaching them to sing the little Christian
songs our mothers taught us. At once the heathen priests opened a
children's meeting directly opposite to his place of meeting. The
missionary taught the children to sing,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because he first loved me.
The heathen priest taught the children to sing by the same tune the
words:
Oh, how I love Buddha,
Because he first loved me.
So you see we must fight a long battle and endure much for Jesus
before we will put the name of Jesus in the place of Buddha in the
hearts of the people of the heathen land. Here exhibit a Conquest
Flag which stands for warfare. The war is on--but Jesus will conquer.
The Conquest Flag tells us this.
=Lincoln's Birthday. February 12=
Read as the Scripture lesson how God chose Moses to be the
Emancipator of the Hebrews, Exodus 3:11-22.
His was a heart trust in God. Read this truth in Psalm 91.
Secure a broken chain to represent the millions made free from the
bondage of slavery.