Teaching
Children
visuals
Using
Flannelgraph
Flannelgraph
has been used for years and is still a most versatile and effective
teaching tool, if used properly and wisely. It is best used with children
under 12 years old.
Flannelboard.
Flannelboards can be purchased but are very easy to make. Minimum size
for a children's meeting would be 27" by 36" and flannel cloths
can be purchased this size. All you need to do is cut a sheet of hardboard
/ plywood / MDF to size and attach the flannel with bulldog clips. If
you wish you could make the reverse into a chalkboard or whiteboard.
If you travel to different children's meetings, a folding board would
be best.
Short ends of flannelette sheeting can often be purchased quite reasonably
from drapery shops and be used to make your flannelboards. Ready made
flannel cloths come in a great variety of colours and scenes. A plain
background is by far the simplest for beginners to use and black is
hard to beat. Experienced users may wish to try different scenic backgrounds.
Small boards, to be hand held, can be used along with a larger board.
They are effective for illustrating an application without removing
the Bible lesson figures from the main board. In some cases, it may
be impractical to have a large board on an easel.
In
a very small Sunday School room, or in a large room where many classes
are close together, a small board could be used on the teacher's lap.
Easel.
The board needs to be erected securely and a good solid easel is best.
It
should be constructed in such a way that the board 's height can be
changed according to the teaching situation and whether you will teach
standing up or sitting down. It should have a strong shelf which is
large enough to hold all your flannelgraph figures. The easel should
allow the flannelboard to lean back slightly. If it is too upright,
the figures are more likely to fall off the cloth. If you travel about
to teach, your easel should fold down for convenience.
Position.
Make sure all children can see the board without discomfort. Avoid placing
it in front of a window or bright light. If it is too high, the children
will have sore necks looking up. If it is too low they will be unable
to see past other children. Position it so you can use it most easily;
some like to stand on the left, while others prefer the right. Do not
stand in front of the board.
Flannelgraph
figures. There is a tremendous selection of materials published for
the flannelboard. Cut them out very carefully. Save the larger scrap
pieces for use in making your own visuals. File the pieces carefully,
taking special care of the little items. Large brown envelopes are very
effective, allowing you to record details of all figures needed for
that lesson.
You may wish to make additional figures. e.g. word-strips. Use clear
bold colours and lower case lettering. The words can be printed on heavy
paper and backed with the leftover scraps you saved. It is also possible
to purchase blank paper prepared for use on flannelboards, or rolls
of self-adhesive flocking. A cheaper alternative is to use light card
and gently sandpaper the reverse.
Placing
of figures. Have your figures prepared, one on top of the other, in
the order in which you will place them on the board. Put them on the
shelf below your flannelboard or a table top in front of you. It is
best if the children are not able to see these figures until you place
them on the board. Do not hold the figure in your hand or have them
stuffed into your Bible. Do not pick up a figure until it is time for
it to be placed on the board. Do not stop talking as you place the figures
and do not turn your back on the children. Talk to the children, not
to the flannelboard.
Be familiar with where and when you will put the figures on the board.
The lesson manual should be of help with this. Practice at home first.
Try practising in front of a mirror. See what the scene looks like from
the other side of the room; maybe your figures are squeezed too much
together. Be aware of figures which will be needed more than once in
the lesson. When you remove figures from the board at the end of one
scene, have a place to put those which will not be used again. Have
another place for the figure(s) which will be needed later. Get something
on the board early in your lesson. If necessary, make a visual for this
point. Visuals help get attention.
Practice placing figures correctly. Make use of the whole board, not
one small corner of it. The very centre of the board is not the most
visually attractive place. Make use of the Thirds. Perspective
demands that the larger figures are lower down the board than the smaller
ones.
Place figures so that they look natural. Do not have them leaning back
of falling forward. Two characters talking to each other should have
good eye contact. The feet of the characters should be on the ground;
they can easily look as though they are flying! Two pictures of the
same character should not appear on the board at the same time; remove
the first before you place the second.
If you use a scenic background, make sure it is suitable for the action
of the story. You may need two or even three if the action moves from
place to place. e.g. from indoors to crossing the Sea of Galilee to
the Temple. It is important to have these clipped to the board, in order,
and to have practised switching from one to the other. In some instances
a second board or a mini -board is invaluable.
Using
Flashcards
Flashcards
are suitable for all types of children's meetings except those that
have large numbers or in a large room. They are particularly good for
open-air ministry.
Always
hold the book so that the pictures are level and easily seen.
In
a small open-air meeting, if children are sitting on the ground, it
is better for you to sit or kneel in front of them. In this way they
are not straining to look up at you.
In
some open-air meetings it is difficult to have all the children sitting
in front of you.
Holding
the book in front of your body conveniently hides the picture on the
back.
Do
not stand rigidly; move about a little from side to side so that all
the children can clearly see the picture.
Practice
turning the pages in such a way as to prevent the children seeing the
next picture.
Turn
the pages as the story progresses, without spending too long on one
page. Give them time to see and appreciate what is on the page but don't
spent so long that they become bored with one picture.
The
picture should relate to what you are saying. If it does not, then you
could set the book down or put it behind your back until it is time
to come back to the visual.
Remember
to talk to the children, not to the visual. Eye contact is very important.
Know
the pictures well so that you are aware of what is coming next without
having to peep at the next page.
Some
flashcard lessons are visualised in such a way that all the application
pictures are left to the end. Continue to teach the lesson with truth
and application throughout. With some spiral-bound books, it is possible
to rearrange the order of the pages to suit your lesson. It is best
not to skip backwards and forwards through the book. Try some additional
visual of your own, if you can. Do all you can to teach a well structured
lesson despite he difficulties the visuals present.
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