The sand-table ; a manual for Sunday school teachers

Table Of Contents

PAGE

Foreword 7

PART I. The Sand-table— The Material

PART II. Stories Illustrated

V. The Five Thousand Fed— The Story of the Baby Moses — The Story of the Wise-men — The Anointing of David — Other Stories Briefly Outlined — Jesus and Blind Bartimseus — Jesus Healing a Sick Man — The Triumphal Entry. . 31 VI. Suggestions for Map Work — The Story of Paul. 69

Closing Word 88

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

It Catches the Interest of the Boys 12 *

Junior Boys and Girls Working Out a Story 14 •

Sand-table Showing Economy of Space 18 *•

Cabinet Showing Sand-table and Care of Material. . . 26 k Story of Moses — Note Miriam, the Princess, Her

Maid and the Basket Boat 40

A Junior Telling the Story of the Wise-men 48 *

Juniors Making a Map of Palestine 68 u

Map of Palestine in the Time of Christ 70 ^

Sand-table Map of Palestine, Locating Some Important Mountains 72 ^

Map Showing Second Missionary Journey of Paul. . . 81 S

Foreword

In answer to the many inquiries as to the use and care of the sand-table in the Elementary department of the Sunday school, and in order to aid Elementary teachers by placing before them the very simplest devices and plans which may be utilized as a means of story illustration, this little book of instruction is issued.

It has been our aim to mention only such material as may be easily obtained, or made, so that even the most inexperienced may be able to emphasize the thought of the lesson.

With the hope that the teacher, who makes the first trial of the illustration of the story or the lesson, may catch from the beaming eyes of the little ones of her class the inspiration that will help her to try again, we send it forth.

PART I.

THE SAND-TABLE— THE MATERIAL

The Use of the Sand-table.

The whole Sunday-school world is just beginning to recognize the fact that a very large per cent, of the child's learning comes through the eye. To be sure, there have been a few teachers and a few schools that have been awake to this fact for several years, but in the main the schools are just beginning to see the great need ; therefore, the demand for pictures, blackboards, object-lessons of all sorts is far greater to-day than ever before in the history of the world, and the introduction of the sand-table into the Elementary department heralds a comprehensive instruction for its children.

For so long a time we have been content to tell the story without objects of any sort, and they are so vitally necessary to the child's understanding. Many, indeed, have been content to try to teach the 11 topic and Golden Text of the lesson without making any impression whatever on the child's mind, except, perhaps, to give him a bundle of confused ideas which mean absolutely nothing to him.

The blackboard has an important place to fill in this connection, but there is nothing that so attracts the child and impresses the thought of the lesson as the illustration with the sand-table.

In visiting departments here and there we have found many places where the sand-table is looked upon as an object of play for little people. In the home or in the kindergarten it may well be used in such capacity, but in the Sunday school it has a different use altogether, and that is to provide the means of illustrating the lesson story so that it may be more deeply impressed upon the child's mind.

Our children have had little thought as to the setting of the stories, consequently their ideas are very indefinite. The sand-table is the means of preventing this confusion of ideas, and its use in the Beginners and Primary departments is particularly to picture the story as nearly as possible.

In the Junior department the story occasionally may be illustrated, but the main use of the sand-table here is to teach locality, to build in relief the places around which the lessons center. The children in this department are beginning in public school the study of geography, and especially in the second and third year Junior they may, by the use of the sand-table, become very familiar with the character of the country, with the location of the mountains, the rivers, the chief cities, that are mentioned in any of their lessons.

The missionary journeys of Paul may be traced by these children; the trip of Joseph and Mary with the baby Jesus, when they fled from Bethlehem to Egypt, may be traced by them, as, indeed, may any story which occupies their attention.

The children in this department are in the great memory period, and if these things are brought before them, if the locations are brought out in relief, if the lesson is made to stand out as something that really happened, then the work has been well done. This may be accomplished by the careful, studied use of the sand-table. One is attracted and impressed with the great relief map of the Holy Land which occupies a conspicuous place at Chautauqua, N. Y. In no less a way is the child in the Junior department impressed by the map made in the sand in a miniature way in his own little Sunday-school room.

The use of the sand-table need not be confined to the Elementary departments of the school; indeed, we have witnessed great numbers of adults who would sit spellbound while one would illustrate a story by means of just such simple objects as are used in connection with this, and the time is coming when an Elementary department will be incomplete without a sand-table.

II. The Making of the Sand-table

There are many plans for the making of the sand-table. The regular kindergarten sand-table is about three feet wide by six in length. It is low so that the children may easily stand around it and help in any way that the teacher may ask, by placing the objects, or helping to build.

This sand-table is, of course, always a good one, but there are only few departments that can afford the space required, because it must remain in a certain position all of the time and occupy the same space. Most classrooms can not afford to give up a corner 8x4, therefore in many of our schools the regular kindergarten table is deemed impracticable.

The illustrations which accompany this chapter show different ways of building a sand-table. Some are built right into the wall of the room, as per cut

No. 2, and these are closed after the lesson has been sufficiently drilled upon and appear only as a panel in the cabinet or wall. This is by far the most convenient way of caring for it in the Sunday-school room. If a teacher wishes to use the same illustration the second time, she would leave the table undisturbed. If there be a time when she does not care to use it on the following Sunday, the space in the room is at her disposal with the lifting of the sand-table into its proper place.

Picture No. 3 shows another form of sand-table, but with the improvement of a lid, which extends half-way over the sand-board and catches down very securely, so that no other receptacle is needed for the sand.

When this table is not in use, it forms a neat panel in the cabinet. The legs hang like those of a folding-bed, and when the table is opened the supports give it the right height for the children. When it is in use the lid is unhooked and placed back against the wall so that it does not take away any of the attractiveness of the table itself. When the lesson is ended this lid is hooked down and the table lifted to its proper place. The table itself, the panel and all, are protected if it be lined with tin or zinc, because the teacher will need to dampen the sand to keep it in good order to build the relief which she wishes.

Another form of sand-table, and a very desirable one, may be made of zinc, any size to suit the department, but preferably one about four or five feet long by two and a half or three feet wide, and perhaps five inches deep. This should be placed upon a low stand or low rack within good range of the children's eyes. One can readily see that this sort of a table is a very practical one because one can really use water for lakes and rivers, for, after the lesson is ended, the water will only tend to keep the sand in good order, and by the next use of the table this will all have evaporated.

If the teacher who wishes to make use of this material should be so situated that she can not have a separate classroom or department for her work, then even a large-sized baking-pan of the heavy sheet-iron makes a splendid substitute for the regular table. This may be placed on a chair or small tabouret and used to good advantage.

A very fine type of sand-table may be made outdoors where there is space enough near the church. Boys and girls will be glad to work on such an one as much as the teacher might suggest. For use in missionary stories, or Bible stories, nothing could be better. The stories become so realistic that they can never be effaced from memory.

Take the fine old hymn:

"From Greenland's icy mountains,

Imagine the setting, and place the children in the different countries represented by your large map. Show America also, and let the people of these different countries appeal for help, then watch the attitude toward missionary enterprises.

III. The Care of the Sand-table

The white sand is not so desirable for use in this table as the ordinary sand which abounds in almost all communities, for the reason that our common sand is the color of the earth and it will pack to much better advantage in making relief maps, and altogether gives a better setting to the story. In certain sections where the white sand is more easily obtained, as at the seashore, it is not objectionable; in so many instances, however, people have an idea they must send to a kindergarten company and obtain a barrel of white sand, when it is not so good for the work as the common kind. It is a good plan, if convenient, to have a box of white sand that may be used occasionally for roads or in other ways to aid the story setting.

The interest of the children, from the very first, should be solicited in the care of the sand and the objects used for illustration. The teacher's work is often made irksome because she does not call to her aid the helping hands that are eager for employment. The older children may be taught to take care of the objects, wrapping them in paper or placing them in boxes of chaff or sawdust, if they be breakable toys, or putting them neatly into envelopes if they be cut of cardboard, keeping always the material for one lesson separate from that of another, though the teacher herself may often wish to use the same material to picture a similar lesson. For instance, the sheep which helped to picture the story of the shepherds as they watched their flocks may be used as the story of David, the shepherd boy, is told. Each box or envelope should be labeled, and all material for one story could be thus cared for and the teacher appropriate just such as she may wish. A shelf or drawer or large box may be provided for the keeping of this sand-table material.

As for the sand itself, it should be moistened enough so that it can be easily shaped. It will thus represent the lesson and stay in place much better than if left dry, because dry sand is so easily shifted; sometimes the slightest jar will displace it, and the little people standing round the table are apt to shake it.

If the regular kindergarten sand-table be provided, then there is a solid wood cover which will preserve the lesson as pictured as well as the teacher may wish. If the sand-table be a home-made one, then the same sort of cover should be provided — it should be of rather heavy material that will not warp and look unsightly, and yet one which the teachers themselves can handle. The table which folds up into the cabinet may also be left for a second use, or review, by placing some sort of protection over the top of it.

Above all things, have the children understand that the sand-table is not a plaything. The children should be allowed to help whenever possible in the placing of objects or the making of a mountain or valley or river, but they should not do this without the teacher's direction. They will soon understand that this is for their instruction, and they will learn to regard it as they would any other part of the equipment, and will not undertake to handle or disturb in any way without the teacher's word.

IV. Illustrative Material

In order to present a lesson on the sand-table it is not necessary that a teacher have quantities of all sorts of material, but there are some things that are indispensable, and the material here mentioned is not for any particular lesson, but that which, in general, a teacher may collect and keep, for it is of the kind that will be demanded in many of the lessons.

People. — Many little figures cut from picture lesson cards or other sources, and pasted to toothpicks so that they will stand in the sand, should always be kept on hand. These may even be cut from a heavy quality of paper and touches of color added by use of the crayola, or tiny metal figures may be used. They should have little strips of bright-colored cloth thrown around the shoulders to represent the Oriental costume. These always compel the child's deepest reverence. Care should be taken that the figures be not too large for the size of the table; they should be very tiny indeed in comparison with the mountains, lakes and everything which is used to represent the lesson. One ought not expect the children to be reverent if one should use a donkey somewhat taller than the mountain, or a boat larger than the lake which it is supposed to cross.

Animals. — Miniature animals may sometimes be secured at the novelty store, and just at this time when the Japanese gardens are used so extensively for table decoration, the very tiniest of birds, animals and figures may be obtained. However, if these are considered too expensive, there is the plain paper that one may substitute, cutting the shape of the object desired.

A sheep may be represented by taking a tiny bit of cotton and sticking a pin through it, or by the tiny cotton sheep that one may sometimes buy at Christmas time. Again, care must be exercised, for many times the sheep thus purchased are larger than the shepherds, and for that reason the tiny ones made from cotton are really preferable.

Flowers. — Scraps of different colored papers are always handy. Very tiny bits of bright-colored tissue, stuck on the end of a toothpick, will answer for flowers which abound in Palestine. Here, again, the children may help; they will be delighted to cut the tiny sacred lily, the rose of Sharon, the daisy or cyclamen, or any of those which a teacher may suggest. Other bits of bright colors may be used to wrap around toothpicks, and in lieu of other figures these may represent people.

Trees. — Many trees of various kinds will be needed, and the teacher should study the outlines of these so that she may be able to cut from light-weight cardboard, or heavy crepe paper, different kinds, as occasions demand. During certain seasons of the year it is possible to get tiny twigs and bits of different kinds of shrubs to represent the trees, and these, of course, make the appearance far more attractive. However, these are not obtainable at all seasons and in all places, and a splendid substitute are little trees cut from this light-weight paper.

Grass. — Moss, such as the children themselves may gather from the roots of all the trees in the woods, will make the hillside or the meadow appear beautiful. In the cities this moss may be obtained from the florist. Here, also, the crepe paper may be used if moss can not be obtained.

Crepe Paper. — The crepe paper may be used in various ways. If one does not care to use the real water to represent the lake and the river, then the crepe paper has its place. The lake may be made any size with just the light blue paper pressed in the bottom of the table and the sand banked around the edges, or the long strip of light blue paper may be used as the river; with the pushing aside of the sand, and the paper laid along the table, the sand made to represent a bank on either side, it appears to the children very realistic.

Tents, Houses, Boats, etc. — These may be cut from light-weight cardboard

CABINET SHOWING SAND-TABLE AND CARE OF MATERIAL.

or folded from paper. Many times the older boys are glad to whittle these out of wood, and they really enjoy being of some service to the teacher.

To all this material might be added boxes of tiny shells and little white pebbles, which the children love to gather and which the teacher will find necessary as she pictures the lake or the river. Special care should be taken of these; some regularly appointed children may gather again and place in boxes after they have been used, thus preserving them for another time.

In the lessons which follow, different bits of the material are suggested as the lesson treatment requires, but many of these may be dispensed with if the teacher finds it necessary, and her lesson may still be made as lasting as life itself.

PART II.

STORIES ILLUSTRATED

V. The Five Thousand Fed

For this lesson it would be well to represent the portion of the Holy Land that extends along the Jordan Valley, showing the Lake of Galilee at the upper course of the river and then showing the river winding to the Dead Sea. A tiny group of houses on the western shore of the Lake of Galilee will represent Capernaum, and a small picture of Jesus may be used to show him as he is working among the people, with the ever-increasing multitude coming to bring their sick or to listen to him teach.

Picture the Sea of Galilee most distinctly and especially the eastern shore. Near the shore small pebbles and shells in abundance should be used ; as it gradually rises the grassy hillsides may be seen, and it is perfectly proper to show tiny dots of red, yellow or white, which will represent the flowers blossoming at this springtime season. (The flowers may be made by pasting the tiniest bits of tissue paper on toothpicks which have first been dipped in green ink or tgg dye.)

Mark some particular home and tell of the little lad who started from his home, carrying his lunch with him, to hear the Master teach. His home must have been quite a distance out of Capernaum, else he would not have needed the lunch. Show the figures of the disciples and move them up toward the city of Capernaum, finally to the spot where Jesus is teaching, and then take the story up as follows:

See, here is Jesus working among the people, making the blind to see, the lame to walk, and healing many of them of other diseases. Perhaps this little, tiny baby in its mother's arms was sick and Jesus healed it. I do not know how many there were, but there must have been many, many people that day helped by him. But here through the great crowd come the disciples and they have a message for Jesus; they want to tell him about their work, and, too, there is another little message that is sad. They tell him that his good helper, John, is dead. Perhaps Jesus is tired; perhaps he wants to hear all about the work that these men have been doing; he turns to them and says, "Let us go out a little way in the boat." Here is the boat. Jesus and his disciples get in here and push out a little way and the people on the shore are saying, "Why, where is he going? We want to hear him teach; we want him to heal our sick," and then, all at once, they notice that the boat is just going across the upper end of the sea and they say to each other, "Let's go around, it isn't far," and so they start walking very rapidly. Some who are not tired are running, all are hurrying just as fast as they can, and presently here they come away over to this side of the beautiful little lake. It is springtime of the year, and here in the grass you can see many flowers blossoming. See the pleasant hillside. I think it looks pretty with all these people standing all round here, don't you?

Well, here is the little lad with his tiny basket, and in it are five little loaves and two fishes. Here comes the boat ; the people are all eager to see it land; they are watching for the Master to step out of it, and he does. He looks around, he sees all the people standing on the shore; he is not cross with them for following him; he is just as ready to help them as ever, and at once he begins. A long, long time he works with them, then, finally, as it gets late in the afternoon, the disciples speak to him; one says, "Master, it is getting late; send all these people away that they may buy bread." Jesus looks right at him and says, "You give them to eat." But the disciples did not have anything for the people to eat. I think Jesus knew all the time what he was going to do. The disciples looked around, and finally Andrew — this one — comes up to Jesus and says, "Here is a lad with five small loaves and two fishes." Then Jesus says, "Bring them to me." Then I think the little lad himself walked up to Jesus, holding out the lunch.

See, this is our little lad, and this is his little basket; it is ever and ever so tiny because our picture has to be small, you see, but in it you may think there are five little loaves and two fishes. If you look at this picture of Jesus, I think you can almost believe he is smiling because he is glad some one in the crowd has just what he wants.

Now Jesus says to the disciples, "Have the people sit down in companies/' We will watch this group over here all sit down on the green, grassy hillside among the flowers, and then here is another group, and still another, and another — oh, there were so many of these groups of people, and now Jesus on the hillside, as he looks at the boy's simple little lunch, thanks God up in heaven for the gift of food, and then he begins to pass this out among the disciples, and all the people sit here on the ground and have all they can eat.

See, this is Peter passing the loaves and fishes around to this group, and over here is Andrew, and here is James; this is John, and this one Philip, and Bartholomew, and all others who were Jesus' helpers. (It will be a good plan to review the names of the disciples with the children as each one passes before Jesus and takes the food to his group.)

Now the people are eating and the disciples pass among them with more bread and fish, but the people have eaten all they want, and they thank Peter and James and John and Andrew and the other disciples, but most they thank Jesus. And then after the feast is ended Jesus said, "Now gather up what is left that nothing be lost," and the disciples gathered up twelve baskets of fragments.

The Story of the Baby Moses.

The sand-table should be arranged either the day before the story is told or very early on the morning before the hour for the class.

There is no lesson that can be more beautifully illustrated by means of the sand-table than this story of Moses. A little paper houses with pillars should be made to represent Pharaoh's palace. Away in the distance might be seen the tiny pyramid, and of! on a wide space close to the river-side may be placed the many, many little tents to represent the homes of the people of Israel. The children themselves may help to make these tents; perhaps they made them the Sunday before the story is given, and they have been carefully kept to be used at this time.

The wide bed of the Nile is represented and the water poured in very, very carefully so that it will not appear muddy. Along the bank a thick growth of reeds and rushes, tiny shrubs and things of that sort will complete the setting.

For the home of Moses one of the tents should be pointed out to the children and then the story told of how the little baby was so carefully protected in the home until he grew too old to be hidden away longer. A tiny basket has already been woven by the teacher and she brings it now, taking the baby up tenderly, just as his mother would have taken the real baby, and placing him in the basket, and then, pretending that it is his mother really, carrying him out and hiding him in the reeds on the edge of the water.

Have the princess, her maids, Miriam, and the others placed as the story would indicate. Miriam, hidden away among the grasses, watches as the princess sends her maid to bring the basket. It is opened and the baby cries. Miriam comes out from her hiding-place, and, walking up to the princess, asks if she shall call a nurse. Have the children watch as she fairly flies across the little path that leads to her own home and tells her mother to come ; that the princess needs a nurse for the baby. Then see the mother as she comes quickly up to the princess and the princess commands, "Take him home and nurse him, and I will pay thee thy hire." Help them to appreciate the joy she feels as she takes her own little baby back home to care for him until he is old enough to live in the big palace.

THE STORY WITH SAND-TABLE ILLUS- TRATION.

A long time ago there was a very wicked king. We will play this is his palace up here in the city. The king did not love God; he did not love God's peopie — God's people were slaves to this wicked king. They lived all alone here in these little tents; there were many, many, many of these people. This old king made the people work very hard ; he did not want their little babies to live; he thought that maybe some day they would grow stronger than his people, and so he made a rule that every little boy baby that was born in the homes of the people who loved God should be thrown into the the river. The king sent his soldiers to find the babies and see that their parents did just what he said.

Now I want you to look at this little tent away over here. A man, a woman, a little girl and boy lived here. One day another precious boy baby came to this man and woman; they loved him very much. They said, "Oh, we could never take him down to the river and throw him in !" The little girl loved her brother very dearly — she waL so happy when he came; she and her papa and mama planned together that they would keep that little boy and not let anybody else know about it. They kept the beautiful secret all to themselves ; they hid the baby, but after awhile he grew larger ; he began to kick the covers, he would laugh and crow just like other babies do, and his mother knew that she could not hide him any longer. Then she asked God to help her find a way to take care of the baby, and this was the way: down by the river were some tall rushes ; she cut a great lot of them and carried them home; then she made them nice and clean. After she had done this she began to weave them together just like I am doing now, and after she had worked a long time she had made a tiny basket boat. Then she put pitch all over it so that the water could not get through the tiny openings. When the pitch was dry the basket would float on the water and no water could get into it. The mother made it soft inside, then she gave the baby something to eat; she hugged him and kissed him, and asked God to take care of him, then she put him in the basket and put a cover over him. Then Miriam went with her mother down to the river. Watch them as they come along. The mother is carrying her tiny basket and nobody guesses what she has in it. Here they come up and they are looking for a certain place along the river; it is the place where the princess comes to bathe. Watch the mother and Miriam and see if they find it. Yes, here they come right to the spot. They have been so frightened as they came along for fear somebody would see them and want to know what they had. See the mother as she places the basket right on the edge of the river among the reeds and rushes; she prays to God to protect her baby; then she turned and went back home, but she left Miriam hiding away in the reeds and rushes.