Jesse Tree - Days Twelve and Thirteen

It seems that every other day blogging is the way it is going to be with our Jesse Tree project. I just can't seem to get online to do it everyday. So tonight I'm posting here our ornaments from the Ten Commandments (Day 12) and then King David (Day 13). We made the tablets for the ten commandments from the same dough as day 1 and then used permanent pen to write the numbers. Sweet Vera insisted the numbers be arranged like this (all in the lower right hand corner) and written in 'cursive'. Wendy talks constantly about writing in cursive, and although Vera doesn't really understand fully what it means, she does realize that cursive is fancy...and so her numbers are written 'fancy'. We then used silver glitter glue (a favorite around here in the art box these days) to make the clay look more like grey stones.

A new addition to our art supplies this week was a bag of sparkling pipe cleaners! Thanks to their Mimi, who also supplied the glitter glue. Mimi knows her girls like sparkles!

We used the gold and silver pipe cleaners to make little harps to represent David. Here is Vera doing a demonstration of how to play a harp.

And through these two stories the girls learned a few important things as we prepare for Christmas. Through the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments, we talked about the rules God gives us...He wants us to know what it means to be perfect, but He knows we cannot keep all the rules. So he gave us His Son, who is perfect for us and stands in our place. Rules don't save us, God saves us. And from David, one of the biggest characters in the Old Testament. The shepherd boy who became a great King...his heart was like God's and God blessed Him. He certainly wasn't perfect...but God took his mess and made it work in his plan (to quote the Jesus Storybook Bible). We made the harp and talked about the psalms that David wrote. Our girls love music and identified with that aspect of David's life. So I will end with one of David's most famous Psalms.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his names' sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.