As I was considering how to teach my children about courage, the Biblical story of Ester came to mind. As you are teaching courage through Esther and the nature crown, your kids will learn a beautiful story. Esther was a Jewish woman who became queen. Out of her bravery, she was able to help save the Jewish people from destruction. If you are unfamiliar with the story, I would encourage you to read the story in the book of Esther, found in the Bible.
To teach my kids the story, I decided to let them watch the cartoon rendition of the story I found on YouTube. I sat and watched the video with them, and I thought it was pretty straight forward and a good way for them to learn this story. The kids seemed to enjoy it as well.
Teaching Courage Through Esther and a Nature Crown
I followed up the movie with a few comprehension questions. I asked them the name of the queen. Then, I reminded them our word of the week was courage. The big question was, “How did Queen Esther show courage?” They gave me their ideas, and I chimed in an idea as well.
I love to bring home stories with a craft. I was trying to think of a fun way to do a crown. I was considering all of the craft supplies we have to figure out how to make a fun, unique crown. I was unsatisfied with all of the materials in my craft closet. As I continued to consider the options, I thought it might be a lot of fun to head outside and gather up some natural materials to make a crown. I was pretty happy with the thought of that option, so outside we went.
We went out into our sunny spring day and began to collect flowers and leaves. We had a lot of fun traveling around the yard and exploring like we haven’t for quite some time due to weather restrictions. I love spring for that reason. There were so many signs of new life and beauty. I wasn’t sure how many options there would be for our crowns, but when we really got out in the yard to explore we had an abundance of possibilities.
First, I cut out a shape like you see above. It took staple two lengths of paper together.
The next step was to come in and design our crowns. I designed Corban’s crown, but the girls made all their own choices. I used hot glue to set everything in place where they directed me.
I absolutely love the outcome of these crowns. The girls, especially, were wearing theirs around all evening.
Please look under the character development tab for more lessons on courage.
