His eyes were glued to the felt board, and he listened attentively as I told the Bible story. He was only 2 years old, but the brightly colored felt figures held his attention until I was finished. We were using the Betty Lukens Bible Felt Set. I have never had anything that is as useful in telling Bible stories to children as this felt set.
This excellent set is used to illustrate Old Testament and New Testament Bible stories. The Deluxe set has over 600 figures and objects, including Jesus, men, women, children, angels, animals, buildings, scenery, furniture, pyramids, the ark, the burning bush, the fiery furnace, altars, and much more. There is also a manual for Bible teachers that shows picture arrangements for 182 stories. If there are stories you want to illustrate that are not depicted in the manual, you can easily find figures to use for those stories.
The figures are numbered, and a filing system is also included with the Deluxe Bible Set. It does take due diligence to keep the figures organized and in their correct places. If the felt pieces are put back in the filing system, it only takes a few minutes to find the figures you need for the next Bible story. If they are not put back properly, you will have quite a mess on your hands.
Besides telling Bible stories to children, another great use of the Betty Lukens felt is having the students re-tell the Bible story to each other. Kids love playing “teacher” and using the felt figures to tell the day’s story. If children can tell a Bible story back to you, then you can be sure that they really know what happened.
The Betty Lukens company also has available felt boards and a variety of background scenes to compliment Bible stories. The sets are available in large and small sizes. Small is sufficient for classes that only have a few students. For larger groups, the large figures would definitely be more effective.
The most time-consuming aspect of using the Betty Lukens felt is cutting out the figures when you get the set. Each piece does have to be individually cut out by hand. Get a few friends together for a cutting party, and the time will pass quickly! Once they are all cut out, these felt figures will give you a long life of service.
I highly recommend using Betty Lukens felt as visual aids for Bible classes. These vivid figures and objects will keep the attention of small children, and help them visualize what they are hearing as you tell the Bible story. Seeing and hearing simultaneously will make the students much more likely to retain the information. Bible class teachers, parents, and children will all enjoy using Betty Lukens felt, which can be purchased at Nanette’s Books and Trims (www.nanettes.com). You will not regret making this investment in your Bible class teacher resources.
