
OK…so, I’m a little behind in posting!
Thursday was the last day of VBS this week. SHIP VBS (Shelter the Homeless International Project) has kids from the orphanage in the mornings & kids from the neighborhood in the afternoon. Kids in El Salvador go to school for half-days, finishing homework the other half. We’re hosting VBS during their half-day at home.
We started the day reviewing the past 2 virtues of VBS.
The kids learned the “Content Song” in Spanish, thanks to Dennise’s translation. Dennise also reviewed the virtues of being diligent (diligente) & content (feliz) by using the We Choose Virtues Parenting Cards.
I really like the We Choose Virtues Parenting Cards because you can simply pick them up to teach or review a specific virtue. In VBS we reviewed the catchphrases for both virtues, rewarding those who could remember the catchphrases for diligence & contentment. As homeschoolers, you can also review the story on the back of the card.
On day 3 we centered our activities on learning to be patient with We Choose Virtues. Dennise told the story of Isaac having to dig 3 wells until he found water. He waited patiently until God provided water for Isaac’s household. You can find the story of Isaac in Genesis 26:15-22.
After the story, Dennise played our “True-False Paddle Game”. We have orange & green paddles for this game. When the statement is true, kids should hold up the green side of the paddle. If it’s false, show the orange paddle.
The Paddle Game is a quick & easy way to see if the kids remember a story or understand a concept being taught. And the paddles are super-easy to make. Cut out orange & green circles from foam board. Glue them together with a craft stick in the middle as a handle.
Next, Taylor explained the memory verse about patient. I found decent pictures to illustrate the Scripture, so it was easy to explain the verse, using the pictures. We also tied the story to the memory verse.
After reading the verse together several times, Taylor began taking down one card at a time. In the afternoon, the neighborhood kids asked to take all the cards down after reading it 4-5 times. Taylor left the Scripture references on the board and they were able to say it just fine.
We had a contest to see if the boys or girls could say the verse loudest. Every time this week, the boys won our memory verse contest.
For our craft, we made water wells (from cups) with water drops coming out of the well. On the water drops were the words to the verse. Each child strung the water drops together with yarn, taping them in place. Once they finished, they taped the yarn inside the water well cup and put all the water drops inside, also.
In the morning, we didn’t have enough time for the kids to color, cut & string the water drops together. So, we recruited some help to cut out water drops for the afternoon VBS. During our teen girls Bible study with girls from the orphanage, the girls cut out water drops as we heard Courtney share about being content.
Our snack was a push-up popsicle. Some were extremely frozen so the kids had to be patient for the popsicle to soften and eat. A fun way to learn patience.
We ended our VBS with a treat from Nelson Ingram, former Texas A&M yell leader. Nelson shared several verses about being patient while he had problems with his leg. In fact, he had to wait 7 years to work through issues with his legs.
After encouraging the kids to be patient, Nelson taught the kids how to do an Aggie yell. For those of you that aren’t from Texas or you’re unfamiliar with Texas A&M, Aggies yell; they don’t cheer. So, here’s how we yell . . .
In summary, here’s what we did for teaching patience:
- We Choose Virtues Patient Parenting Card (includes virtue, memory verse, catchphrases)
- Story of Isaac digging wells –
- Craft – Water Well Cups, with memory verse on water drops
- Snack – Popsicles
- Songs – Content song from We Choose Virtues to review yesterday’s virtue
- Fun – Learned an Aggie yell, “Gig ’em”
I am giving away a pound of freshly roasted El Salvadoran coffee. To enter this giveaway, you need to do 2 things.
1. SUPER-EASY: Subscribe to this blog. Use the form below to subscribe to my blog & receive an email every time I post. If you already receive emails every time I post to this blog, you’ve already done #1. Just check it off!
2. COMMENT: Leave a comment on any of my blog posts about our SHIP VBS. You can leave a comment every day until July 17th, 2014
- How you are teaching your kids that particular virtue
- How you struggle with that particular virtue
- Thoughts about going on a family mission trip
Here are links to each of the SHIP VBS posts. Leave a comment on a different post, every day! You’ll get a 10 point entry for every comment.
Day 1: We Choose Virtues – Learning to Be Diligent
Day 2: We Choose Virtues – Learning to Be Content
Day 3: We Choose Virtues – Learning to Be Patient
Day 4: FREE Bible Lessons for Kids – Diligent
Day 5: FREE Bible Lessons for Kids – Content
Day 6: FREE Bible Lessons for Kids – Patient
Question: How do you teach your kids to be patient? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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7 Comments
Both my children and I need more work on patience. I actually purchased “We Choose Virtues” about a year ago and haven’t used it yet. This has inspired me to get it out and get started.
Charlene,
I think you will really like WCV, once you start using it. While I was in El Salvador, I realized I how often I was NOT patient. Teaching patience made me aware of changes I needed to make. Even changes as small as waiting for my phone to upload an image…
I have a 13 year old and a 6 year old. Their age difference makes teaching patience a daily activity in our house, and a virtue they will both carry with them the rest of their lives. Having them work together helps with this lesson.
I think we can all use a little more patience. At least, I always need more patience. We live in an “instant” society & want everything now. Your children will be blessed to learn patience at an early age.