Each week in Bible Quest, a "Bible Dig" is provided with suggestions on how to help your student dig a little deeper into the greater context of the week's content. It's a great way to generate conversation that drives understanding as well, placing Bible Digs squarely in the zone of an Exploration in the Empower Phase of Bible Quest.
Previously, parents and mentors had to come up with their own materials to accomplish the ideas presented in the Bible Digs, but we're working to change that. We are currently working on printables to go along with each week's Bible Dig, materials that provide extra helps to aid any research or crafting options that are suggested by the Bible Quest curriculum book. We're excited to announce that we've finished this process with the Old Testament, the New Testament will get the same treatment soon!
The Bible Digs printable weeks are already available on the Bible Quest website if you have access to the Old Testament digital content. Be sure to log in, then go here to see the "Bible Dig Printables!" file. Note that you will only be able to access the page if you have activated your Old Testament digital content from page 2 of your Bible Quest Old Testament curriculum book.
As we await the completion of the New Testament pages, please enjoy this particular Bible Dig craft from the Old Testament, week 23, King Solomon! Please note that this is a more advanced activity, suitable for preteens and up.
If you don't have access to the Old Testament content, that's okay - this one's on us! Download and print the week 23 Bible Dig page, here. I used regular paper for mine, but you could certainly use cardstock for a more rigid finished model.
Be sure that you have scissors and glue ready. I like glue sticks because they are cleaner to use, but general school glue would certainly work. Cut out the pieces of the temple.
Let's start with the main temple structure, the largest piece that is gray-colored. Begin by folding the structure so that the middle section forms the flat "top" and each fold line helps to "stair-step" the structure down the sides and fold down the temple's back flap, like so:
Next, star-step fold the sides around the front-end of the main temple structure, the one that has no attached flap to it. A small, labeled flap (saying "Glue, don't bend, this flap!") needs to be glued behind the top section of the temple to hold the front structural folds in place.
Now, move to the back of the temple and fold any dark gray tabs inward. Glue the tabs on the sides of the back flap to the sides of the temple. Fold all flaps along the bottom of the temple structure inward.
Moving right along, find the two pieces to the temple's "front entry section." Starting with the exterior piece, fold in the dark gray flap to create the base of the structure.
Fold in the darker gray flaps and the fold all of the fold lines around the top rectangle of the exterior piece. Glue them so that the top becomes a "box." Do NOT fold the lines above the two entry pillars.
Now, fold the interior piece so that the top and bottom are both folded outward, then glue the unprinted back of the top and bottom of the interior piece and position it inside the exterior piece to complete the front entry section.
Fold the dark gray flap at the back of the front entry section up so that it can bind to the main temple structure, then put glue on the dark gray flap and the front of the main temple section. Glue the finished main temple structure to the front entry section.
Put glue on the surfaces at the bottom of the temple structure. Glue the temple structure to the "temple base."
That's it! Feel free to paint or color your temple model, and we'd love to see your work in the comments below!