I have been so very blessed with children who love the Word of God. We memorize and read and pray and we are always trying to share with others the goodness of God. Yet as they get older, I know there is more for them in the word. Far too often, we get comfortable being a part of the church and we lack the understanding we need. I think of how the Bible speaks of “My people … destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” I am grateful to Anne Marie Gosnell for books like, What God is Doing: Old Testament Object Lessons for Kids, that can help our children to learn and grow in the wisdom of God’s Word.

There are twenty-five interactive lessons in this book that can be used for children from age five to twelve. Each lesson within this book is designed to help our children to see the plan of salvation in the Old Testament. It is good for us to see for ourselves what God is doing, from the very beginning. This book does an amazing job of helping our children to see how it all matters by engaging them in not just hearing but also experiencing the lessons that are waiting for us in the pages of the Old Testament.

These lessons do not have to be done in order however, this is what we chose to do because I prefer to begin at the beginning. Each lesson includes a free downloadable poster to use for discussion. There are also background sections that summarize the events in each lesson. Many of the lessons also include a bit of geography, so our children can see these locations for themselves.

Each lesson has an object lesson in which various materials are used to help show more tangibly, what is being taught. For example, with a card game like Go Fish, you collect books of cards - What if, as you play, you notice that someone you play with is cheating at the game? In this lesson, we are talking about the importance of trust. Trusting that when we are obedient to the way God has for us, we will always win, even if that looks different than the world says it does. And how can skittles and water help us to better learn from Ezra? It can so much easier for our children to understand those lessons that they can see and relate to. This part of each lesson does exactly that. For those who are not sure how to really engage children in the lessons, each one is also scripted, so you can read as you go along.

The Bible lesson tells the story of the scripture focus, as it is written. This can be a wonderful place for narration as well. In one lesson, we needed a balloon and a candle to help illustrate the lesson being discussed. As you talk about the details of this, there are helpful action points present to help you along. These tell you to {ask}, {tell a story of a time you got lost}, {follow}, {show} to give once again more of a visual understanding to what is being taught. In one lesson we are instructed to box up garbage in a candy box to help our children see that what is inside is not always what we think. What something should be and what it is can be quite different.

Following this part is the Life Application where we have a chance to talk more about how to apply what has been learned. This is where we are reminded of the value of repentance; we see the importance of having a humble and teachable spirit. There is nothing that is hidden from God; all that He has for us is possible so long as we are doing it with Him. We see how important it is for us to pray for our leaders. God has a specific purpose for every one of us and how exciting is it for our children to know that they are a part of His perfect plan too?

This has been such a wonderful way to start the day with our four children as we explore, and they see for themselves what all of this means. The variety of activities and visual aids that are a part of this book make this a material that is so easy to use with any and all ages. It is both scripturally sound as well as simple and relatable. All my children had so much fun with every activity we completed in this book and the discussions we had were so very eye-opening. It is materials like this that really help to draw our children closer to the heart and mind of our Lord.

Every one of us is called to study to show ourselves approved as a workman that has an understanding. We are responsible for knowing and living out what the Bible says. I think of how I recently heard someone say, “It doesn’t matter what we know, it’s what we do with what we know.” Isn’t this so true? There is so much power in the Word of God when we do not just know it, but we also live it.

-Product review by Jennifer King, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, February 2019