As some of you know from my past posts on the subject, for the past few months, I’ve been teaching the Middle School class at Quaker Sunday School.  (We call it First Day School, since traditionally Quakers don’t use the Roman names of the days of the week.) 

We talked about the history of the Bible, Old and New Testaments and how they relate to Judaism and Islam, as well as Christianity, when and where the major books were written, a little about when they were compiled and the different translations. Each week, we read stories together, directly from the Bible, not from paraphrases or children’s Bibles. 

Using art books, I shared with them great works of art depicting the stories we read.  We looked at well-known examples of Western art, as well as works from various non-Western cultures and contemporary artists.

We talked about how churches are often decorated with frescoes or stained glass depicting Biblical scenes (such as the Sistine Chapel, above).  We decided to create a Biblical scene cycle of our own, using collage, drawings and natural materials. 

Genesis 

Around Earth Day we talked about creation myths in different cultures and read the two creation stories in Genesis.  The kids created several images of creation.

The following week we talked about the beginnings of the Hebrew people and the story of Abraham and Isaac.  (This of course is a difficult story and inspired avid discussion.) 

Here, you can see the ram showing up just in time. 

Exodus 

The story of Moses and the Burning Bush seemed to really resonate with the kids.  The voice that said "I Am" seemed to speak to them.

An 8^th grade boy created this wonderful collage with an actual dried plant stem representing the bush, and vibrantly-colored tissue paper representing the flames.  I love how the flames leap above the top of the paper.  (Above)

An 8^th g girl created this imaginative sculpture of the Burning Bush.  She used a river stone as the base, she told me, “because it is strong.”  She meticulously glued pieces of tissue paper onto the stone for the flames.  (Seen above.)

Two girls collaborated on this amazing 3-D art installation.  The photo doesn’t do it justice.  They used a plastic cup filled with dried plant stems and decorated them with tissue paper.  In the background, you can see, they’ve created a backdrop of early morning sky.  Because the piece was so fragile, they posted a sign “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OUR BURNING BUSH!”

Here's how this piece looked in final display:

 I Samuel

The boys worked very hard on these two wonderful pieces depicting David and Goliath.

Below, a girl depicted the life of David as shepherd, musician, warrior and king.

Gospels 

We talked about the historical evidence of Jesus’ life and how different people interpret his life in different ways.

We focused on Jesus’ compassion toward children and outcasts.  I showed them my favorite painting of Jesus, this portrait by Rembrandt.

 The kids really responded to two Parables we read. This abstract design of the return of the Prodigal Son.  You can see the long road that winds through the center.  At the far end, a very small figure represents the Lost Son returning.  In the forground, an open hand reaches out, representing the Father welcoming his son back, forgiving everything. 

Here’s the Good Samaritan on horseback, drawn by a 6^th grader.  

This portrait of Jesus was done by a 7^th grade boy.