Layer Learning Beautifully!

From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.  John 1:16

We all learn one layer at a time, don't we? And yet one-layer learning, especially when it comes to God and His Word, doesn't cut it if we want to teach Biblically and nurture real maturity?  So how can we help kids better grasp the full and many-layered topics of God's character, salvation, faith, grace, etc.--without overwhelming them?  

The first 18 verses in John 1 are just one of the many "deep-water" places in Scripture. Yet even here, there are clear, simple words of truth you can give young hearts and minds to grasp.  Words that lead to understanding the next thought, and the next thought. Words that can be shared at home, conveyed in prayer, and pondered on throughout the week. 

Here's a fun, simple way to present such a many-layered lesson to a child. 
You will need cardstock, (white or light-colored), plastic straws and a hole-punch that matches the diameter of the straw:
-Decide how many layers (how many key points) you want to make and label each in a flower-shaped circle on cardstock that can be copied (if teaching more than one child).   I broke down the John 1 passage into 5 key points.  Ideally you'd want at least 3 and no more than 7 layers.   I traced the flower shapes from a variety of craft foam shapes from little (1") to big (5"). Circular shapes can be traced outlining flowers and helping with cutting.

-I added a leaf layer to tag the Scripture address  (optional) 








- Have child color and embellish each flower and cut out

- Hole-punch each layer in its center

-Insert straw into leaf piece, then add flower layers from biggest to smallest onto straw.  Starbuck's green straws work great, though your hole-punch may not be big enough to fill all on easily. Mine wasn't.  A smaller hole worked well with slim stirrer straws I had. (Cheaper too).

 
Now your multi-layered lesson can be held simply in a child's hand.  Put in a vase or stuck in a pot at home.  And perhaps this pretty flower will promote some  real questions, heartfelt discussions and maybe some prayer.  A beautiful way to grow, I'd say!